Let’s Analyze: “WWE– We’ve got a Problem…”

Mick Foley’s YouTube video, “WWE– We’ve got a Problem…” has sparked much conversation among the wrestling community in the last several days.  The video is a short and sweet minute long warning message to WWE, insinuating a distrust among its employees and overall lack of morale from young talent.  And while WWE plays the corporate game of its unwritten rule that employees should not disparage the product in anyway, the bottom line is that Foley’s message is not inaccurate.  In fact, to say that Foley is “disparaging” WWE is a bit of an overreach; rather, Foley is simply waving a red flag in front of WWE regarding a longstanding issue that they need to address.

While Foley’s message is not groundbreaking news, especially for longtime WWE fans that have conveyed this issue for decades, the relevance of this video speaks volumes today, particularly with the growing success of All Elite Wrestling and its business model of managing talent.  Bluntly put, WWE is not the “be all/end all” for up and coming talent to succeed in the wrestling market now.  And while AEW continues to sign and feature independent wrestlers with less name recognition on a mainstream level, WWE is taking the polar opposite approach with their developmental system.  They are no longer adopting a former business model of signing a lucrative pool of independent talent and locking those wrestlers into contract to rebrand and modify their careers; now, their focus is back on running an OVW/FCW-like system with mostly inexperienced talent, no name value, and little to zero independent experience.  All the while, a handful of the most recent NXT call-ups (i.e. Karrion Kross, Keith Lee, Shotzi Blackheart, Tegan Nox, Toni Storm, etc.) are either being booked/featured poorly or not booked/featured at all.  And Foley is rightfully concerned about this “business strategy.”  If an indy worker or a young talent sees how WWE manages its current developmental system, why would he or she have faith that WWE would treat them any differently?

As independent wrestlers are looking for pathways to break into the business and acquire more income, they now have choices beyond WWE.  And for a lot of young workers today, the pitches to work for WWE are fewer and fewer.  Aside from the satisfying paycheck, what benefits do they reap?  WrestleMania?  That implies that they are either good enough to earn a spot on the card or if the company has booking plans for them, period.  And while income is extraordinary important, there are studies that show money is only a small portion of what satisfies peoples’ careers; purpose and direction are equally, if not, more important.  Granted, young wrestlers would risk the pay cut by signing with AEW over WWE.  However, what is that pay cut in the grand scheme of things?  15%?  20%?  Is that a real significant pay decrease, especially if they still have a drive to work for WWE at a later date?

Now you analyze this from AEW’s perspective and the benefits for younger wrestlers:  a quality paycheck, a reduced hectic road schedule, more creative freedom and liberty, an enjoyable working environment, room for growth as a worker and attraction, easy access to executives and administration, etc.  And while, yes, there are plenty of issues to breakdown among the descriptions listed, it is hard to argue that a young talent would have trouble discerning which company offers a more promising work experience.

The discussion of “the forbidden door” should not be dismissed from the conversation either.  If a young talent decides that he or she would rather hone his or her craft in Impact Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance, or even New Japan Pro Wrestling, that talent would have a probable chance of being able to work cross-promotion deals with AEW at some point.  Wrestlers that sign with WWE do not have that option.  And if a wrestler is trying to keep as many doors open as possible, AEW provides those wrestlers with the opportunity to work other promotions (with permission, of course) and make even more money.

In essence, Foley’s YouTube video is a minute long discussion that sparks hours and hours of open-ended conversation for many wrestling fans.  To say it is culturally relevant is an understatement.  The real important question to come out of this is how long it takes WWE to catch up with the reality that Foley is not wrong in his message.  They may not like what he said; they may even try to pass it off as wrestling psychobabble.  However, he is speaking truth.  It is also important to remember that Foley’s message does not merely apply to “young wrestlers” in the business; it applies to ALL wrestlers!  They have options.  Just ask CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, Jon Moxley, Chris Jericho, etc.

Sources:

• YouTube. (2021, September 7). Wwe – we’ve got a problem… YouTube. Retrieved September 12, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpFrI10eH0g&t=1s.

• Zucker, J. (2021, September 7). Mick Foley: WWE has a PROBLEM, ‘is no longer the place for talent to aspire to’. Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 12, 2021, from https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10011928-mick-foley-wwe-has-a-problem-is-no-longer-the-place-for-talent-to-aspire-to.