New WWE Insurance Policy

[Sinister Shadows]

For the past several days, various wrestling websites have been reporting that WWE has instituted a new policy requiring that all in-ring performers, known to the company as independent contractors, must now carry their own insurance if they wish to work with WWE.

After speaking with several WWE sources, WrestleZone has learned some new, exclusive details behind WWE's decision to implement the new policy.

We were told that John Laurinaitis sat down with all the WWE talent this past Monday and Tuesday night at the TV tapings to inform them of the new policy. We were told some talents were told individually and most were told in a group setting.

Secondly, we were told that the insurance policy applies ONLY to in-ring performers, or independent contractors that actually wrestle in a WWE ring. Announcers, producers, and backstage agents are considered "employees" of WWE, and as such are provided with insurance directly from the company. So only the independent contractors, or in-ring performers, are required to provide their own insurance.

Additionally, we were told that WWE has not mandated a minimum amount of insurance that an independent contractor must provide. So at this point, if a performer simply has hospitalization/catastrophic insurance, for example, they are covered as far as WWE is concerned.

The reason behind this new move is two-fold. One, sources are claiming that it's somewhat of a knee-jerk reaction to UFC recently instating an insurance policy of its own. Second, Vince McMahon feels that "wrestlers" are a lot like plumbers, for example, in that if you choose to hire one, he or she must be bonded and insured independently. Vince feels that if a performer wants to work for WWE as an independent contractor, then he/she must bring everything necessary to the table in order to be one.

Lastly, we were told that this is just the initial stage of WWE's new policy, and many high level sources in the company who are close to the situation expect it to evolve as time goes on.

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/art...nsurance-policy-many-exclusive-details-130089

I found the timing of this interesting, I can't say I know about the policy UFC has put into place as I'm not a fan of UFC (japanese MMA tends to be much more exciting) What stands out about the timing about this to me is the situation TNA is in with Daffney over who is responsible for her medical bills.

What I'm wondering is how people feels about the new Insurance Policy?
Should the wrestlers be covered by the company?

 

[Rayne]

Oh, absolutely wrestlers should be covered by their company. In just about every sense of the word, WWE wrestlers are employees of the company. They are technically independent contractors because they are not prohibited- in theory from appearing with another organization, so long as it isn't televised. In practice, the WWE keeps its wrestlers on the road long enough to prevent them from booking dates with other companies. (Raw has a Friday-Monday schedule; Smackdown has a Saturday-Tuesday schedule. Just how many indy shows do you think take place on Wednesday and Thursday nights?) As well, the WWE pays their superstars well enough so that they aren't typically looking to book additional dates.

However, should a wrestler choose to appear with another company, for whatever reason, it is met with severe internal resistance (with the rare exception- WWE gave Rey Mysterio Jr. their blessing when he worked at Konnan's benefit show a couple of years ago.) Sure, the WWE can't void your contract over an appearance at a CZW house show, but they absolutely can feature you less on television.

For the same reason, you aren't going to see wrestlers fight to be recognized as employees, simply because the guy who brings it up is going to have his metaphorical balls cut off. No one would book him; it would take a simultaneous, unified front amongst the wrestlers to force companies to recognize them as employees, and there are a lot of people in wrestling who would be happy to watch someone stick their neck out and get it cut off, so that they could take their place.

This also amounts to a pay cut; unlike the UFC, the WWE won't be paying for their performer's insurance. I strongly, strongly doubt that the WWE is going to be providing a commiserate pay increase, considering it can't be cheap to insure a professional wrestler, someone who is virtually guaranteed to get hurt several times during their career.

But it'll get spun well, and WWE corporate will look like heroes. ****es.

 

[multiverseman.com]

Oh, absolutely wrestlers should be covered by their company. In just about every sense of the word, WWE wrestlers are employees of the company. They are technically independent contractors because they are not prohibited- in theory from appearing with another organization, so long as it isn't televised. In practice, the WWE keeps its wrestlers on the road long enough to prevent them from booking dates with other companies. (Raw has a Friday-Monday schedule; Smackdown has a Saturday-Tuesday schedule. Just how many indy shows do you think take place on Wednesday and Thursday nights?) As well, the WWE pays their superstars well enough so that they aren't typically looking to book additional dates.

However, should a wrestler choose to appear with another company, for whatever reason, it is met with severe internal resistance (with the rare exception- WWE gave Rey Mysterio Jr. their blessing when he worked at Konnan's benefit show a couple of years ago.) Sure, the WWE can't void your contract over an appearance at a CZW house show, but they absolutely can feature you less on television.

For the same reason, you aren't going to see wrestlers fight to be recognized as employees, simply because the guy who brings it up is going to have his metaphorical balls cut off. No one would book him; it would take a simultaneous, unified front amongst the wrestlers to force companies to recognize them as employees, and there are a lot of people in wrestling who would be happy to watch someone stick their neck out and get it cut off, so that they could take their place.

This also amounts to a pay cut; unlike the UFC, the WWE won't be paying for their performer's insurance. I strongly, strongly doubt that the WWE is going to be providing a commiserate pay increase, considering it can't be cheap to insure a professional wrestler, someone who is virtually guaranteed to get hurt several times during their career.

But it'll get spun well, and WWE corporate will look like heroes. ****es.

At least Raven, Kanyon & Mike Sanders tried. If a bunch of other wrestlers got on board their suit, it could've picked up the steam it needed. Instead, the WWE attorneys took their time and grounded it into dust. Now Raven is doing indy shows, Sanders is MIA, and Kanyon took himself out.

 

[Rayne]

At least Raven, Kanyon & Mike Sanders tried. If a bunch of other wrestlers got on board their suit, it could've picked up the steam it needed. Instead, the WWE attorneys took their time and grounded it into dust. Now Raven is doing indy shows, Sanders is MIA, and Kanyon took himself out.

Sadly, professional wrestling would probably be better off if they had waited. Don't get me wrong- they did a very noble thing. I don't know if they had any ulterior agenda, but they stuck their necks out for a lot of guys who wouldn't have stuck it out on their own.

What happened? They got it lopped off. Now, wrestlers have that example to look to if they want to be recognized as employees. Raven didn't have nearly the star cache someone would need to survive that kind of move; you'd need someone like John Cena or HHH to come out and repeatedly push for wrestlers to be recognized as employees, someone whom the company would be adversely affected by simply getting rid of them. Call it a hunch, but that ain't gonna happen.

It absolutely sucks, but keep this in mind, not just for this case but for life in general- might makes right. It's not about what's just, it's what the people who have the money and power decide what's right. Unless some force can come along that can threaten that dynamic- and don't say TNA, because they're in the same boat with the WWE on this one- it's not going to change.

 

[akrassikauda]

At least Raven, Kanyon & Mike Sanders tried. If a bunch of other wrestlers got on board their suit, it could've picked up the steam it needed. Instead, the WWE attorneys took their time and grounded it into dust. Now Raven is doing indy shows, Sanders is MIA, and Kanyon took himself out.

The Kanyon line man I'm laughing and crying at the same time can't believe you went there but back to the topic, in the early 80's Jessie Ventura tried that and he was shot down and til this day he's a vocal proponent for ''wrestlers insurance". You have to have 10 top guys with brass balls to take on the establishment and it's not only Vince this has been going on since Jess McMahon Gagne and Crockett was running things. Even Stu Hart fought tooth and nail to stop this from happening.

 

[AngryCenaFan]

lol the term independent contractor is a joke.
If they were, then they should be able to wrestle for any company they so choose, and a WWE contract should not carry a no compete close.

WWE is a joke, they treat the people who make them money like animals.

 

[Mazzaroti78]

This also amounts to a pay cut; unlike the UFC, the WWE won't be paying for their performer's insurance. I strongly, strongly doubt that the WWE is going to be providing a commiserate pay increase, considering it can't be cheap to insure a professional wrestler, someone who is virtually guaranteed to get hurt several times during their career.

But it'll get spun well, and WWE corporate will look like heroes. ****es.



This is untrue. The expense for health insurance for wrestlers can be written off via tax return due to wrestlers being independent contractors(1099 tax filers). Many WWE wrestlers have gotten their own insurance and wrote it off. However, the company has never demanded that all its performers have insurance to work for WWE. Many wrestlers never got insurance because they never filed taxes. WWE paychecks do not deduct fed and state taxes so you're getting your full pay and for many wrestlers they decided to keep that money instead of filing tax returns and paying taxes.

Requiring wrestlers to have insurance guarantees that WWE wrestlers file tax returns to get the expense of insurance back in their pockets. It is a politically motivated move to alleviate WWE from any tax questions in the future. However, we are about to see the first roster of wrestlers with health insurance.

 

[SilverPlaqueVII_Nexus222]

lol the term independent contractor is a joke.
If they were, then they should be able to wrestle for any company they so choose, and a WWE contract should not carry a no compete close.

WWE is a joke, they treat the people who make them money like animals.

They rather have TNA and WWE to form a union. Safety first is one thing after the Benoit incident in 2007. WWE doesn't give a [expletive language] about Benoit's insurance. Look at other superstars, wrestlers going through the embarrassment of having to kiss promoter’s (or Vince's A-S-S club) or having promoters break their contracts and screwing the wrestler out of a world title and more importantly their legacy.

Insurance may cover necessarily if they form a union for their health and safety in the ring.

 

[Kizzo]

I don't see the problem... they are independent contractors. WWE may tweak it a little, because they can't work for other companies and still have to meet WWE standards. But they did sign the contract. No one forced them to do that.

Plus they can afford it. Majority make above $100K a year.

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

I don't see the problem... they are independent contractors. WWE may tweak it a little, because they can't work for other companies and still have to meet WWE standards. But they did sign the contract. No one forced them to do that.

Plus they can afford it. Majority make above $100K a year.

Good luck finding insurance if you say you are a wrestler as you main job.

The WWE did this because of the Daffney situation in TNA. This way if a wrestler is injured during a match, they can't sue WWE and WWE won't have to pay a dime. I am all for a wrestler's union, but that would kill the industry. WWE may have enough money to compensate but what about the indies?

 

[Mazzaroti78]

Good luck finding insurance if you say you are a wrestler as you main job.

The WWE did this because of the Daffney situation in TNA. This way if a wrestler is injured during a match, they can't sue WWE and WWE won't have to pay a dime. I am all for a wrestler's union, but that would kill the industry. WWE may have enough money to compensate but what about the indies?
sendpm.gif

1. Wrestlers have had insurance policies in the past so nothing should hinder them from getting insurance now. Unless you have a pre-existing congenital disease of injury you CAN get insurance. Even a wrestler.

2. WWE does not care about Daffney's situation in TNA because WWE PAYS FOR SURGERIES FOR ANYONE INJURED IN THE RING! WWE wrestlers don't care if they are injured in the ring because WWE sends them to the best surgeons in the world unlike TNA. Had Daffney worked for WWE there would be no issue at all.

 

[closet_fan]

the only reason wwe considers in-ring talent as independent contractors is because they would have to pay out the ass in order to cover ALL of their wrestlers. we're talking millions per year just to cover everyone. then when said wrestlers injure themselves, the premiums will skyrocket, meaning the wwe would have to pay even more.

calling wrestlers "independent contractors" gets them out of having to fork over all that money.

if i am a wrestler, i get the cheapest insurance possible since wwe considers a wrestler having the cheapest possible insurance still insured.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

So, if the wrestler's start their own insurance union, and they all get that, then they all have insurance right? Just because it isn't company sponsored doesn't mean they can't get organized.

Not only all that but WWE has helped a ton of guys pay for surgeries, they're assets. Let's say you're Vinnie Mac, a young guy who is getting over gets injured. Are you going to say "well it sucks to be you" or are you going to say "you're making me money, I'm going to spend a little extra cash on you to make sure you come back fast and better than ever"?

I doubt many people on here have the background or knowlege of the situation to properly analyse this. From the outside, this looks like it could go either way depending on where they go with it. I will say that most insurance companies won't insure a wrestler. As much as people like to call it fake, they sure don't act like it. If people truly believed it was as fake as they bash it for being, then the wrestlers could be in the actors guild under stuntmen or something similar.

 

[Mike D]

I don't see the problem... they are independent contractors. WWE may tweak it a little, because they can't work for other companies and still have to meet WWE standards. But they did sign the contract. No one forced them to do that.

Plus they can afford it. Majority make above $100K a year.

Go through a typical travel week with wwe and you will realise that a lot of them truely can't afford good insurance and still pay their home family bills. 1000 miles a week, rent a cars, hotels 4 nights a week and food isn't cheap anymore. Yes, to save on cost travel is combined 4 to a car, 4 to a hotel room, but there is nothing fun about that.

if i am a wrestler, i get the cheapest insurance possible since wwe considers a wrestler having the cheapest possible insurance still insured.

what if, like many wrestlers you have a wife and family? Still the cheapest?