With all the talk about WWE contract issues lately, Eric Bischoff explains why he believes these talents never sue the company over it.
On the latest episode of 83 Weeks, WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff spoke about the company classifying its talent as independent contractors, believing that itâ€s been a legal risk for the company for several decades.
“Yeah, I remember. Yes, because itâ€s a vulnerability,†Eric Bischoff said. “I mean, we looked at this at Turner Broadcasting because itâ€s sketchy. Not sketchy isnâ€t the right word. Itâ€s fraught with potential issues.
“I remember when I heard that WWE was going public… the first thing I did was jump back into the independent contractor status… because thatâ€s like the one big thing that if anybody ever penetrated the independent contractor defense, it would become a major vulnerability, because some of the fines associated with… if an independent contractor sue me… and the jury found for them, I would owe them back pay, back taxes there.
“Thereâ€d be a whole lot of expense. So itâ€s, itâ€s always been there. Itâ€s always been one of those internal issues where, at least when I was involved as an executive, I was always kind of a skeleton in the closet that may actually come to life.â€
Why talent never takes WWE to court over these contracts
As for why talent never takes WWE to court over these contracts, Bischoff believes it comes down to the talent being able to afford taking the company to court in the first place.
“I donâ€t think so, because itâ€s going to be a massive legal battle,†Eric Bischoff said. “Itâ€s something youâ€d have to be really financially well-off to afford to challenge this. You have to really be invested in it, and itâ€s risky.
“Thereâ€s a lot of reasons why thereâ€s a lot of defense for it too. Weâ€ve talked about some of the vulnerabilities, but thereâ€s also a defense for it. So either way, itâ€s going to be a long, drawn-out, incredibly expensive exploration. I just donâ€t see anybody having any appetite to do it.†[H/T: WrestlingNews.co]
READ MORE: Ethan Page Believes Chelsea Green Is Doing Everything She Can To Get Him To The WWE Main Roster
What do you make of Eric Bischoffâ€s comments? Do you think Andrade El Idolo will take WWE to court over his current one-year non-compete? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
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