Is Social Media Ruining WWE Careers?

Does the unfiltered access to social media put WWE careers at risk?

Social media is an inescapable part of our lives. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. are used by both celebrities and us “normal” folk to keep the world updated on our every moment, whether the world asked us or not. You didn’t know you cared about what The Rock had for breakfast until he snapped a picture of his morning feast along with his oft-used phrase, #RiseAndGrind. On the flip side, no one cares about how cute your child looks (or appears to look) while crying and covered in mud. Keep that to yourself and his future therapist.

While these platforms can provide motivation, daily affirmations and even helpful insight into the lives of our favorite superstars, they can also turn those same people into industry pariahs. The decision to fire Adam Rose and Cameron involved far more contributing factors than just their careless use of social media but they didn’t do themselves any favors in the eyes of the WWE.

More wwe: WrestleMania 33 Match Card Projections

After his second violation of the Talent Wellness Policy earlier this year, Rose issued a statement via Twitter that claimed WWE knew about his medication. Not long after its posting, Rose deleted the tweet along with any others related to his suspension. Many in the IWC were quick to cry foul and rushed to Rose’s defense, saying the WWE was being unfair if they had indeed forced him to remove the posts. Before we get into why the IWC is wrong, we need to remember that this wasn’t the first time Rose had experienced Twitter remorse.

More from WWE

Cameron’s release had more to do with her self-imposed hiatus and demotion to NXT than her rant about cyber bullying, but the heat she generated through social media wasn’t the kind WWE was interested in stoking. She then published a lengthy, post-firing blog that started out with boilerplate thank you statements but quickly devolved into finger pointing:

"“The WWE Universe only gets to see and experience what the WWE allows them to…I am sure you can think of a superstar or diva that the WWE Universe loves and backs blindly but that superstar or diva does not get to the top because he or she may not receive the opportunities to shine. I’m sure you can also think of a superstar or diva that the WWE Universe does not believe in yet he or she is everywhere and provided all opportunities to succeed.”"

While the post skirts around a valid point, the crux of her argument is “I worked hard, therefore I deserved an opportunity”, with the implication that other wrestlers above her on the roster did not. Also, her claim that “a full out heel persona was missing” (from the women’s division) is simply ridiculous.

What the IWC forgets is that above all else, these men and women are employees of a global company and everything they say and do reflects on the brand. The “first amendment” argument starts and stops with this simple fact. These people chose to becomes members of a large organization that has every right to control what they say and do in and out of a WWE ring. If this employment conflicts with their absolute desire to be heard in an unfiltered manner, the WWE is more than happy to show them the door. Rose and Cameron are now free to do and post anything they wish because they no longer represent the WWE.

In a similar vein, Cody Rhodes recently took the WWE creative team to task via social media after his release was granted. His comments include, but were not limited to:

More from Daily DDT

"“One of the last discussions we had included him [Triple H] telling me that “wwe is a play, and everybody has their role and needs to act it their best”. All I can think of to say to that is, “the best actors don’t want the lesser roles”. “"

I give these performers credit for trying to create their own opportunities but they had to know there was a better than average chance of their efforts backfiring, especially when some of them were already on relatively thin ice. Despite what they may have thought, they were not main event-caliber stars nor were they model employees. They should be nothing but thankful for the opportunities given to them instead of claiming they weren’t given enough and subsequently burning the bridges WWE helped them build.

Perhaps Cody should have remembered another old adage coined by famous Russian theatre actor and director, Konstantin Stanislavski: “Remember: there are no small parts, only small actors.”

Home/WWE