On his still active Twitch channel, AJ Styles fielded questions yesterday (Oct. 6) about the reports that WWE is taking over wrestler’s accounts on the video game streaming platform and the video messaging app Cameo.
As a two-time WWE champ and prominent streamer, you’d think Styles would know more about the company’s new policy and what it means for independent contractors going forward.
Nope.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know what they expect from us when it comes to our channel. I don’t know if it’s something that they’re like, ‘We just want you guys under an umbrella like a WWE Twitch and have a set lineup, and here is who is on when.’ If that’s the case, great. Then fans would know where and when to find us. I don’t know if that’s going to happen. I literally don’t know, and unfortunately, I found out the same way a lot of you did, through the internet, which is a shame.
“Nobody is on here making millions on Twitch, we are not pro gamers. That’s not what is happening. I feel like, for us, it’s an opportunity to do what we love, play video games and interact with our fans. It’s a chance to appreciate you guys appreciating us, that’s basically what’s going on, especially with what’s going on in the world. We don’t get to see you guys anymore unless you’re on the video screen in the ThunderDome. We don’t get to see you, we don’t get to talk to you, we don’t get to do much. This is the next best thing. I don’t know what they’re hoping to get out of this. The communication has not been as great as we’d like. There’s a lot of us who are all on the same page, we’ve talked to each other. We’re facing the same thing.”
The Phenomenal One doesn’t sound angry at WWE, however. More befuddled. And he thinks fixing the communication might fix the issue.
“WWE is a great place to work, despite what you may think, and despite what’s going on with the Twitch and stuff like that. There just needs to be better communication and direction, lines in the sand, I guess you could say...
“You would think it would be better than that. For guys who are on here trying to, not only work for WWE, but get on here and Twitch and stuff like that, you’d think it’d be a lot easier to communicate with us and us alone instead of whoever it is behind the scenes, and them going to Joe Blow and them having more information than us. Is anything set in stone? I don’t think anything is. I think it’s going to come down to communication.”
If this policy - which if nothing else has been a public relations disaster for WWE - was developed and rolled out the way it has been over the past few weeks, it’s not clear why AJ thinks it will change going forward.
Hopefully for the wrestlers affected, he’s right though. We’ll see.
H/T: A Wrestling Historian on Instagram and Wrestling Observer