WWE Announces Apparent Ban on Superstars Using Twitch, YouTube and Cameo

During a chaotic year when even the financial security of WWE superstars is far from certain, many wrestlers make extra money on the side with streaming platforms like Twitch, YouTube and Cameo.

Oops! Not anymore. In another brilliant move from WWE owner Vince McMahon, WWE superstars each received a letter informing them that they have 30 days to cease all side-hustles with third party programs or else face fines, suspension or even termination.

This guy might have some opinions on the matter..?

As of the date of this article being posted, speculation outweighs the facts. Although the wording of the email (at least the parts released to the general public) is not at all clear on exactly what this ban entails, the general consensus on Twitter and wrestling news sites seems to be that WWE wrestlers are banned from making money on Twitch, YouTube, Cameo and other such platforms. WWE superstar Paige, who recently opened a Twitch page named after herself (A page for Paige! Ha!), announced that she changed the name of her Twitch pa(i)ge to Saraya Official, which is her real name (Saraya, not Official.)

If the WWE’s only issue is use of licensed character names, that is certainly good news for several WWE superstars, such as Xavier Woods, who put a lot of time and effort into his own YouTube channel, UpUpDownDown, but Wrestling Inc reports that, during a call on Sunday, Aug. 30, the WWE informed WWE superstars that the WWE owns not only their stage names, but their legal birth names as well.

It’s true! Their real names are Devin and Corey.

Whether or not the WWE will force Page/Saraya to choose between her Twitch channel or her job remains to be seen. While those who survived the WWE’s most recent (and certainly not the last) talent purge will probably choose the instability of their WWE careers over the instability of Twitch (which seems hell bent on breaking the WWE’s record for most ridiculous reasons to ban talent), this move is not likely to be well received either by the talent or the fans. Over the years, the WWE has faced increasing criticism and scrutiny over the treatment of its talent. The WWE is certainly no fragile organization, having survived attacks from parents groups, the courts and coalitions of mainstream media organizations, so the WWE is unlikely to burn on the altar of Cancel Culture. Still, even the WWE has suffered from the chaos of 2020, and more than one very talented superstar has already left on their own, having decided that “future endeavors” beats the hell out of what they were putting up with from the WWE.