WWE Rumor Roundup - Two big Superstars released, Sasha Banks retirement update, Vince McMahon's backstage threat and more - 5th September 2020

#3. Vince McMahon's threat to Superstars engaging with third parties, locker room reaction to WWE's edict

The biggest story of the day has been about Vince McMahon's new edict, which has barred the WWE talents from engaging with third parties. WrestlingInc was the first to reveal in an exclusive report that the Superstars have been given a 30-day ultimatum to sever all ties with third-party platforms such as Cameo, Twitch, TikTok, Youtube, etc. The inability to do so could result in fines, suspensions, and immediate termination of the contracts for the Superstars.

Vince McMahon had a call with the Superstars, and the WWE Boss said that it was the duty of the talents to promote and protect the brand.

Vince McMahon then sent a letter to the Superstars, an excerpt of which can be found below:

"Some of you are engaged with outside third parties using your name and likeness in ways that are detrimental to our company. It is imperative that these activities be terminated within the next 30 days (by Friday October 2). Continued violations will result in fines, suspension, or termination at WWE's discretion."

The backstage reaction, as expected, has not been positive as there is a section of the roster who are livid by WWE's request.

Fightful Select and PWInsider revealed several details on how the locker room has reacted to WWE's controversial edict, and you can read more about that here.

Additionally, Tom Colohue also revealed more information about the talent response to the third party ban and the reason behind WWE's move.

Dave Meltzer also revealed that Lana's recent Instagram posts might have pushed WWE to make the decision. Here's what he stated:

The straw that broke the camel's back was CJ Perry's Bang Energy drink commercials.

The fan backlash has been overwhelming, and it would be interesting to see if WWE changes their stance on the issue.