Welcome to the Grapevine! This section of Smark Henry is where we round up all the important founded and unfounded rumors floating around the pro wrestling scene that you may have missed over the past few days. Remember to take everything with a grain of salt!
Developments on WWE's third-party ban and wrestlers' reactions
As reported last Friday, WWE stars who have Twitch accounts were unhappy about being forced to move off the platform, and have already met with both Vince McMahon and former US Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang to try and do something about it. Yang's participation, however, heavily hinges on whether Democratic candidate Joe Biden would win the election, as a Donald Trump reelection would mean that the McMahons would be "untouchable." Wrestlers' own meetings with McMahon have apparently not been successful.
The big deal with WWE and Twitch reportedly has something to do with the company making a concentrated effort to have a big presence on the streaming service. As previously reported, wrestlers are afraid that they won't be making enough money without Twitch, especially now that there are no house shows—and any persisting Twitch streams would still have a percentage of earnings be turned over to WWE. Company sources are saying, however, that wrestlers aren't spending much on the road due to the lack of live events, and that the roster signed new deals with higher downside guarantees (the minimum baseline salary they are paid). (Source: PWInsider, Wrestling Observer Radio)
We say: It's still not looking good, but it is quite interesting that the upcoming presidential election now has a direct effect on WWE's employee relations. Who would've thought that we would be pulling for a Biden win even more now?
Why NXT isn't part of Survivor Series this year
NXT isn't participating in this year's Survivor Series brand warfare to protect against COVID-19 and to not portray the brand as equal to RAW and SmackDown. This is also why NXT superstars were not a part of the recent WWE Draft. Last year's NXT participation led to higher ratings for all three shows. (Source: WON)
We say: While this news confirms what we already knew about Vince and NXT, it's also a good thing because it at least doesn't have to mess up NXT's current storytelling. You do you, NXT.
Fallah Bahh signs new deal with Impact
Filipino-American wrestler Fallah Bahh has reportedly signed a new contract with Impact Wrestling. Bahh had been with the company since 2017, and this contract news follows similar updates on Rohit Raju and former Knockouts Champion Deonna Purazzo re-signing with Impact. (Source: PWInsider)
We say: Good for Kuya Fallah! Go get that bag!
Let us know what you think of today's news in the comments!
Photo from WWE
: WWE Stars Talk With Vince McMahon and Andrew Yang Over Third-Party Ban, Why NXT Isn't Part of Survivor Series, Fallah Bahh){kind=link}