WWE: How can we show our support as wrestling fans after firings?

A roundtable of writers discussing WWE’s decision to cruelly release or furlough talent, and where fans go from here.

Apr. 15, 2020 is a day that will live in infamy for wrestling fans. It is the day that WWE heartlessly laid off or furloughed Superstars, producers, writers and other talent. To lay off talent in the middle of a global pandemic is cruel and for many, unforgivable. Days after being declared an “essential business”, the action to make these cuts was completely unnecessary.

AEW, IMPACT Wrestling, ROH and NJPW are still paying their talents and have not laid off anyone. These companies are smaller than the giant corporation in Connecticut. NJPW has taken it a step further by paying the benefits of their staff and contracted wrestlers.

I led a roundtable discussion among my fellow writers regarding the company’s actions, how to support talent and where WWE goes from here. The other writers are Patches Chance, Bruce Lee Hazelwood, Bryan Heaton, Chris Jeter, and Erik Boyer.

Let’s get started.

If you are no longer supporting WWE, who are you supporting and how?

Bruce: Because I write my weekly “Smacks/Downs” article covering SmackDown, I will still watch that and PPVs. I will also continue watching NXT because many of those wrestlers are in precarious positions. I stopped watching RAW last week and it actually feels refreshing.
I also do “Booms/Duds” for Dynamite, so I continue to happily follow AEW.

In terms of who I’m supporting and how/why, my plan is to catch up on and/or begin following Major League Wrestling (MLW), Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor (ROH), and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). At least for the “major” promotions, that’s my plan. Court Bauer has done wonders in MLW, Impact has a good to great two years of television, ROH has seen marked improvement since Marty Scurll re-signed and became head booker, and New Japan is New Japan.

My sleeper pick for what might rope me in: Stardom. Who doesn’t love good Joshi puroresu?

Patches: While I’m not supporting WWE, I will still watch to support the wrestlers still there. Impact Wrestling, ROH, and AEW have flaws but have conducted themselves far better as of late than WWE has, so they do deserve some credit and support because of that.

By far the shining example right now is NJPW, which has responded fantastically to the pandemic and is doing everything right to support the industry and their wrestlers and staff.

Bryan: My decision to no longer support WWE was honestly a long time coming, what with the Saudi Arabia shows, the uneven creative direction, and general poor treatment as reported by some former roster members. Especially in today’s world, there are so many other options for great wrestling without feeling gross — well, as gross, at least.

AEW has done a good job early on with building a better image in terms of talent relations, as well as a solid creative direction. I’ve also long been a fan of CHIKARA, because if a company can keep continuity for a storyline on the independent scene going for four years, they deserve your support.

I’ll watch shows, subscribe to streaming services, and when safe to do so again attend live events, and buy a T-shirt or two here.

Chris: I wouldn’t say that I’ve completely cut off my support for WWE, as there are still plenty of talented folks working there, but as usual, Vince McMahon’s company has made even that minuscule commitment a difficult task. But if someone has completely given up on the promotion altogether, there are plenty of alternatives.

While both promotions have their obvious flaws, Ring of Honor (ROH) and Impact Wrestling might be worth another look given how both have handled their affairs during this crisis. But this is also as good a time as any to immerse yourself in feds like New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and STARDOM if you’ve, say, canceled your WWE Network subscription and want to allocate that $10 elsewhere.

Or, you could give independentwrestling.tv a shot and have access to nearly 200 indy promotions, including places like Chikara and Game Changer Wrestling (GCW). And, if you have the resources to do so, be sure to support those on the indies and those let go by WWE by buying any merchandise they have available.

Erik: As much as I hate to say it, I am still supporting World Wrestling Entertainment.  I have been a wrestling fan since before I can even remember.  As disgusted as I am with Vince McMahon and his continued offering of examples relative to “how to be a rich scumbag,” I love wrestling.

I watch as much wrestling as is available to me. If it’s free and I can access it, I am going to watch it.  It’s been my hobby bordering on obsession – again, since I was old enough to remember.  So I’m likely never going to stop supporting the WWE unless and until they go out of business – but in viewership ONLY!  As big and dedicated a fan as I am of professional wrestling, I, personally, don’t have any extra cash for championship belts or t-shirts.

I mean, it all sucks and I hate Mcmahon as I do believe WWE is the evil empire, so to speak, but I’m a professional wrestling fan!  I’ve loved pro wrestling since before I can remember…I’m not giving any of it up because I remember the days when we couldn’t afford cable tv and the nWo and DX were running rampant and I couldn’t watch it so I never take it for granted and WILL watch if it’s on.

Samantha: I’ve been watching RAW and Smackdown on DVR and fast-forwarding to what I care about, which isn’t much. I record NXT to watch after AEW. I’ve followed the Cruiserweights since the Cruiserweight Classic, so I don’t want to abandon them like the company has. I have been considering canceling the Network.

I’ve cut back on live-tweeting, don’t use the show hashtags and will point out the negatives, like the body shaming that took place on the last SmackDown.

I subscribe to IWTV and NJPW. I record IMPACT. I’ll revisit ROH when it’s back. I’ll probably go back to watching MLW. I retweet and discuss other indie promotions. WWE hasn’t been my priority for a long time and I’m still considering only keeping up with NXT.