Some of the Major Disputes and Controversies of WWE

Violations of the Morals Clause

The “morals clause” in Section 9.13(a) of WWE’s booking agreement states that the corporation has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault, domestic violence, and abuse of children. A WWE talent’s contract will be revoked, and they will be suspended immediately after being charged with and found guilty of such offenses.

Jimmy Snuka’s fiancée Nancy Argentino, who was 39 years old at the time, passed away in their hotel room on May 10, 1983, just hours after Jimmy Snuka had beaten José Estrada at a WWF TV taping at the Lehigh County Agricultural Hall in Allentown, Pennsylvania. On September 1, 2015, 32 years after Argentino’s passing, Snuka was taken into custody and accused with third-degree murder and negligent homicide. WWE eventually suspended his Legends contract (a long-term agreement to make rare, non-wrestling appearances) as a result of this, and it also took his Hall of Fame page off its website. Snuka passed away on January 15, 2017, however owing to his failing health, he was never put on trial.
Eddie Fatu (then known as “Jamal” and then “Umaga”) was released in June 2003 as a result of his involvement in a bar brawl.
After Chris Benoit killed his wife and son in June 2007 and then committed himself, the WWE stopped mentioning Benoit in their programs and merchandising.
The WWE dismissed Thom Latimer from his NXT contract after he was charged with violence on a law enforcement officer and excessive drunkenness on November 30, 2012, in St. Petersburg, Florida. At the time, Thom Latimer was still known as Kenneth Cameron. Latimer had already been detained for drunk driving in January 2011.
Rich Swann was detained in Gainesville, Florida on December 10, 2017, on suspicion of violence and kidnapping/false imprisonment. Vannarah Riggs, his wife, was named as the victim. Swann and Riggs got into a fight over Swann criticizing Riggs’ performances at a show that night, according to the police report. Witnesses said that when Riggs attempted to flee from Swann, he put her in a headlock and pulled her back into his car. Swann was placed on an indefinite suspension by WWE and dismissed on February 15, 2018. In light of his domestic violence arrest, the bout against Drew Gulak that was supposed to determine the top challenger to Enzo Amore for the Cruiserweight Championship the following night on Raw was postponed.
The Phoenix Police Department announced on January 22, 2018, that Eric Arndt (Enzo Amore) was the subject of an inquiry into a suspected sexual assault that was filed to the authorities in October 2017. Arndt violated WWE’s zero tolerance policy for concerns involving sexual harassment and sexual assault, and later that day, he was suspended by the company. He would be suspended until the issue was rectified, according to a statement from WWE. In an interview on January 23, a lady claimed that Arndt had raped her on October 19, 2017, in a hotel room in Phoenix, Arizona. His title defense match against Cedric Alexander at the Royal Rumble was postponed as a result. The following day, Arndt was fired from WWE, and the title was forfeited. Arndt “completely and definitely” refuted the accusations against him on Twitter. [199] Due to a lack of evidence, the Phoenix Police Department halted its investigation on May 16, 2018.

Concussion Lawsuit

Beginning in 2014, a number of former WWE performers filed many lawsuits against the company, claiming that WWE failed to protect and withheld information about concussions and CTE from its performers. The former performers stated that the physical trauma they endured while working for WWE caused both physical and mental health problems.

Konstantine Kyros, an attorney, brought the lawsuits. In September 2018, US District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant dismissed the majority of the complaints. The Second Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals rejected the lawsuits in September 2020. In April 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States decided not to take the case.