It seems like there is always something to talk about when it comes to the WWE. As successful an entity as it is, WWE remains one of the most polarizing as soon as the action leaves the ring. In this instance, the WWE made news online with their expulsion and banning of rapper Westside Gunn from a recent show in upstate New York. Gunn, known very well in pro-wrestling circles, is certainly a contemporary superfan. He is known to support the business on national and independent levels. Always paying his own ticket, he doesn’t cause any sort of scene when in attendance.
Everybody’s got a price
Apparently, the WWE’s reasoning for removing Gunn from his $5,000 ringside seat was due to an ongoing cease-and-desist situation. Gunn, known for his album covers that showcase WWE stars of yesteryear, seemingly weren’t cleared by the company. Due to this, the company issued that documentation, and it has seemingly landed Gunn in the doghouse with them. Now, I’m not clear if there were any efforts made to have the WWE compensated for the use of these photos, but I feel like it could’ve been an easy fix.
Gunn has helped the pro-wrestling fanbase grow and remain diverse. His celebration of the WWE’s legacy is one is unique, as many notable fans don’t pay homage to the company’s past stars the way that he does. There’s an intrinsic value to that, one that I wish the WWE realized and tried to continue to harness. That doesn’t absolve Gunn from going about things through the proper legal avenues. However, I would imagine that bringing him in and figuring out a way to feature WWE imaging on his product wasn’t an impossible task.
Why can’t we all just get along?
It begs the question: How much did the WWE appreciate his support to begin with? From the looks of things, not nearly as much as Gunn might’ve thought. That’s what is unfortunate about the situation. The optics are just cold, and the figurative scolding that has happened seems to have just a little too much mustard on it. It’s so important to have fans of all types who would sing the praises of your product. But if you have a respected artist in his space that typically can’t say enough good things about your company, why the hell wouldn’t you continue to cultivate that endorsement?
Ultimately, I think that this was a missed opportunity for the WWE to maintain its goodwill with one of its most loyal and highest spending fans. Are they justified in banning Gunn from live events? They’re free to do so, so I guess that they are. But if I had it my way, I’d hope they could remedy all of this with a conversation.
There’s so much more positive I think can happen from these two entities being on good terms. You can explore entertainment options and even partnerships with Gunn’s independent promotion, 4TH ROPE Wrestling. We need the opposite of Bam Bam Bigelow here. Cooler heads need to prevail. It would be best for all parties involved.