# Business Insider: How does the WWE work? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** boxing-wrestling-mma\ **Created:** [June 3, 2024, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449 "2024-06-03T20:49:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2024, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/1 "2024-06-03T20:49:29Z")
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqZ0d\_\_eY2o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqZ0d__eY2o) I love these Insider videos. This a good one that WWE fans might enjoy, or just people like me that are curious about everything. Again for whatever reason I could not embed the link directly ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2024, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/2 "2024-06-03T20:52:31Z")
The WWE works? When did that start? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/3 "2024-06-04T06:55:46Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The WWE works? > > When did that start? 🙂 Sometimes it works. Sometimes it shoots. ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/4 "2024-06-05T00:03:55Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > When did that start? 🙂 January 26, 2024. The date Vince McMahon was permanently forced out of the company. _crosses fingers_ Probably an overstatement but I couldn’t let that one go. I haven’t watched the video yet but I will try to do so tonight and give my thoughts on it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/5 "2024-06-05T03:37:50Z")
Maven (failed WWE wrestler) saying very little about the business. First rule of the wrestling business: Don’t trust wrestlers. They’re job is to mislead. ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/6 "2024-06-05T05:37:39Z")
Ok Maven. He’s all over my YouTube page, I’ve literally never clicked on any of his videos. I wouldn’t trust anything he says beyond the most basic stuff. That might be unfair but it’s my first and honest reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/7 "2024-06-05T20:50:16Z")
> [@Jihi](#): > > Ok Maven. He’s all over my YouTube page, I’ve literally never clicked on any of his videos. I wouldn’t trust anything he says beyond the most basic stuff. That might be unfair but it’s my first and honest reaction. I don’t know what more can be said that isn’t already out there. Paul Heyman has hours of video shooting on backstage stories. Bret Hart, Mick Foley, Dark Side of the Ring… there’s so much true story stuff out there it’s not necessary to get the scoop from failed wrestlers. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/8 "2024-06-05T21:40:56Z")
The TV show Young Rock also had some great info on how the WWE works (worked) though I was never sure how much of that was dramatized or embellished for the show. It was fascinating to watch either way. ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/9 "2024-06-05T23:55:09Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Bret Hart, Mick Foley, Dark Side of the Ring… there’s so much true story stuff out there it’s not necessary to get the scoop from failed wrestlers. Very true. There’s hundreds of hours out there of shoot interviews from real insiders. Maven likes to portray himself as an insider when he’s not. I think he was under contract with WWE for like a year or something, he wasn’t around very long either way. Jim Cornette, Bruce Prichard, and Eric Bischoff all have regular weekly podcasts where they all go into great detail about their time in the business. I’d much rather listen to any of them. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/10 "2024-06-06T12:26:18Z")
I have no idea who Maven is, I just enjoyed the video. Was there anything about it that was particularly inaccurate do you think? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/11 "2024-06-06T13:14:46Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > Was there anything about it that was particularly inaccurate do you think? Simply the idea that he’s revealed anything significant about how WWE works. The basics of the modern professional wrestling business are no longer kept under wraps as they were back in the 1900s. It’s openly an entertainment business with scripted ‘matches’. He doesn’t give you a real peek behind the curtain, he’s just showing you the painted backdrop of the image the company wants to maintain. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/12 "2024-06-06T13:37:37Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > The TV show Young Rock also had some great info on how the WWE works (worked) though I was never sure how much of that was dramatized or embellished for the show. ‘Young Rock’ was an accurate portrayal of the wrestling business and the Rock’s life the same way ‘Father Knows Best’ was an accurate portrayal of life in the 1950s. The show only included some minor revelations about the dirty side of the business. Dwayne Johnson was well aware of the worst side of the game, drugs, sexual assaults and abuse that includes rape and pedophilia, backstabbing business deals in a business based on handshake promises, and widespread criminal conduct and cover-ups. The booming success and corporatization of the WWE in the 20th century has changed the environment somewhat, but it continues in the secretive closed world of wrestling. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/13 "2024-06-06T14:56:13Z")
Interesting. My impression from the video wasn’t that he was revealing any kind of secret, just his own experience in the WWE. The title of the video is perhaps a bit misleading. I really enjoy the Insider series of videos. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/14 "2024-06-06T15:08:21Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > ‘Young Rock’ was an accurate portrayal of the wrestling business and the Rock’s life the same way ‘Father Knows Best’ was an accurate portrayal of life in the 1950s. And yet you could watch Father Knows Best to get a general idea of cultural norms from the day. It’s definitely not wise to treat it like a documentary. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/15 "2024-06-06T17:12:58Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > …back in the 1900s. How dare you! ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/16 "2024-06-25T17:29:18Z")
…this thread is bizarrely hostile. Did Maven run over your dogs at some point? Maven was a mid-carder in WWE for 5 years. Don’t pretend like he doesn’t know the business–at least how WWE operated. Yes, maybe his info is 20 years out of date…go ahead and cite working wrestlers with more up-to-date information then. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2024, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/17 "2024-06-25T17:36:25Z")
On YouTube Maven is catering to the WWE with a ‘protect the business’ attitude by not revealing the dirty side of the game, or even the unpleasant side of wrestling. That’s why he’s not considered credible or worthy. What do you want to know? There are ton of ‘shoot’ interviews of wrestlers who reveal what happened behind the scenes. There’s a whole series called the Dark Side of the RIng. There are law suits on the public record. No need to pay attention to Maven. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/18 "2024-06-25T21:31:19Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > No need to pay attention to Maven. …So he did run over your dog? Like this is weird. Did you even watch this? Like the position that he’s “protecting the business” or toeing a WWE company line is 100% inaccurate. Also, this interview is for the average, regular person. It’s for a normal to learn some information about something they aren’t familiar with. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/19 "2024-06-25T21:32:29Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Did you even watch this? Like the position that he’s “protecting the business” or toeing a WWE company line is 100% inaccurate. On what do you base that erroneous conclusion? ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2024, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449/20 "2024-06-25T21:34:57Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > On what do you base that erroneous conclusion? I watched the video. You apparently haven’t. Clearly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-insider-how-does-the-wwe-work/1002449.md?page=2)