Vince McMahon‘s crackdown on third party apps like Twitch has finally reached the biggest streamers in the company. The reasons behind the company forcing wrestlers into suspending their accounts is still up in the air. WWE does get revenue from these accounts and only a portion of it goes to the wrestler, as reported by Sportskeeda.
Fans have not been very happy with the news. Some fans liked to see their favourite wrestlers in a different environment having a good time instead of putting their bodies on the line in the ring. AJ Styles was one of the biggest streamers on Twitch, but he too had to suspend his account.
Fans show their support for Twitch streamers
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Sorry guys, no more stream for the time being. Thank you for making these past few difficult months manageable. It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later. 💙 https://t.co/9XHbOikGLL
— The HBIC (@MiaYim) October 29, 2020
Twitch community, how did wrestlers make you feel when we stream on twitch? I know it helps mentally with me. Having such a positive outlet to go to. ❤️
— SARAYA (@RealPaigeWWE) October 29, 2020
Fans left comments on Styles’ Instagram posts saying wrestlers should fight for the right to stream. Fans left positive comments on tweets from Mia Yim and Paige too.
No Mia, thank you for bringing us so many good times. I hope so badly you and stanman will be back on there soon.#MiaMilitia strong.
— TheLegitDeadly (@TheLegitDeadly) October 29, 2020
Literally you have kept my head above water this year, and in years previous. You are one of the best people in the entire world and we love and support you so much. You make me look forward to waking up every day and always put a smile on my face. <3
— Joseph "Air" Knight (JoeB) (@AirKnight87) October 29, 2020
Fury directed towards Vince McMahon
Fans were furious when Vince McMahon initially announced the ban on Twitch streaming services in WWE. The tweets in response to the ban were downright hilarious to read, and some were genuinely concerning, regarding how close some fans got to the streams.
Vince McMahon banned his wrestlers making money off of twitch before he banned pedophiles from his locker room. NEVER forget this.
— Rosen Thorne (no relation to Kevin) (@Rosen_Thorne) September 4, 2020
Twitch pages for WWE wrestlers are being taken down. What an absolutely idiotic decision by Vince. But are we even surprised anymore?
— Chris Denker (DenkOps) (@thechrisdenker) September 4, 2020
Why is Twitch banned?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
WWE has been cracking down on these accounts for reasons that are still up in the air. AJ Styles sent a message on his discord server saying, “As many of you know WWE is making some changes regarding streaming. We will see what the future holds in that regard.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Alongside the fans, even wrestlers voiced their displeasure with the incident. Paige went on a rant about the work she’s done for the company, including her career ending neck injury. “I have honestly gotten to the point, I cannot deal with this company anymore,” said Paige. To her, Twitch was an escape from the fact that she cannot wrestle.
The ban comes at a cost to WWE as they do get a portion of the revenue that wrestlers earn via streaming. The changes highlighted by AJ Styles might be regarding the revenue itself. However, the decision is out of the hands of wrestlers but in the hands of WWE officials and of course, Vince McMahon.
