Lana Says She's Not to Blame for WWE's Third-Party Policy, Miro Blasts Report
WWE's newly-emerged policy about its wrestlers being involved with third-party companies like [...]
WWE's newly-emerged policy about its wrestlers being involved with third-party companies like Twitch and Cameo has been the topic of controversy over the past few days. Following the initial report from Wrestling Inc. and a statement released by WWE, there has been a rush to try and find out why WWE is suddenly cracking down on its independent contracts having work outside of the company, and if many of them will have to shut down their various accounts in the coming weeks.
According to the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer, the decision was brought about by Lana's Instagram branding deals with various companies like Fashion Nova and Bang Energy Drinks.
"The straw that broke the camel's back was CJ Perry's Bang Energy drink commercials," Meltzer wrote on the Observer's message board. You can see one of the ads below:
After seeing the reports, Lana defended herself on Twitter before (sort of) switching back into character.
I am not the straw that broke the camel’s back. You know who you are and that is false ....... but thank you for writing about me.... all of you. I am your escape goat
— CJ “Lana” Perry (@LanaWWE) September 5, 2020
Miro (fka Rusev) was asked about that subject on his latest Twitch stream and angrily denied Meltzer's report.
"First of all this isn't true," Miro said before talking about how anything of substance Meltzer reports is "bulls—" and that he has a "personal agenda" against Lana.
WWE's statement on the policy reads, "Much like Disney and Warner Bros., WWE creates, promotes and invests in its intellectual property, i.e. the stage names of performers like The Fiend Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Big E and Braun Strowman. It is the control and exploitation of these characters that allows WWE to drive revenue, which in turn enables the company to compensate performers at the highest levels in the sports entertainment industry. Notwithstanding the contractual language, it is imperative for the success of our company to protect our greatest assets and establish partnerships with third parties on a companywide basis, rather than at the individual level, which as a result will provide more value for all involved."