There have been rumblings of more WWE cuts being made today, according to PWInsider.

As noted earlier at this link, WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco revealed on Twitter that he has been released from the company after 36 years. He received a phone call last night from WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon, informing him of the release. Brisco, who had worked as a talent scout since 2010, was actually furloughed back in April as a part of the company-wide cuts brought on by COVID-19, but now he is done with the company.

It appears the WWE cutbacks rumored for today are related to office staff who were furloughed back in April, but not brought back to work yet, like Brisco. WWE started bringing back a small number of furloughed employees in the last 6-8 weeks, with a few employees returning every week or so. PWInsider notes that many of the employees being released today were some who had been waiting for word on when they would be returning to work.

The latest round of cuts are said to be from all across the board, with the live events and travel departments hit the hardest. This is due to the reduced need for those departments because of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the WWE schedule.

There has been no talk of any talent releases as of this writing.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

It’s interesting to note that Mustafa Ali’s Pro Wrestling Tees store is no longer active.

Ali previously had a link to his PW Tees store in his Twitter bio, but now his official WWE Shop page is linked. It looks like the change was made within the last 24 hours, according to an archive of the page.

On a related note, Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE officials have made it clear that talents are encouraged to be on social media and expand their brand, but they cannot monetize their WWE names.

It was also noted that WWE has been trying to negotiate group brand deals with some of these third party platforms, and individual talents using the services have gotten in the way of the negotiations, complicating things. Meltzer noted that Cameo may be one of the platforms WWE is trying to negotiate a group deal with, which would presumably see WWE get a chunk of the revenue in exchange for coordinating and promoting the opportunities between fans and Superstars.

Wrestling Inc. first reported the third party edict issued last week by WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon, which said all talent must stop third party activities within 30 days, has led to a significant amount of criticism from fans, wrestlers and others. The ruling was a reference to WWE stars using their names on platforms such as Cameo and Twitch. It was noted in the edict that repeat violations could lead to fines, suspension or termination.

The edict was reportedly addressed at Monday’s RAW, and talent were told that they can still maintain Twitch and YouTube account, but they have to do so using their real names, not their WWE ring names.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE addressed some of the rules related to the edict that was issued to talents last week, giving them 30 days to cease all activities with third party platforms. It was noted in the edict that repeat violations could lead to fines, suspension or termination. The edict led to a significant amount of criticism from fans, wrestlers and former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, and was covered by the mainstream media.

WWE officials have reportedly relaxed some of the vague rules mentioned in last week’s edict, according to Dave Meltzer of F4Wonline.com. The edict was addressed backstage at today’s RAW taping from the Amway Center in Orlando, FL.

It was clarified that talent will be able to maintain both Twitch and YouTube accounts, but they have to do so using their real names, not their WWE ring names. Talents were also told that they have to inform the company of their YouTube and Twitch accounts, even though they will be using their real names.

At yesterday’s meeting, nothing was reportedly made clear of exactly what will not be allowed on social media and other platforms, but the belief is that Cameo will not be allowed. The source noted to F4Wonlinr.com that this was still “super vague.”

For those who missed it, WWE issued the following statement on Saturday regarding talents having third party deals:

“Much like Disney and Warner Bros., WWE creates, promotes and invests in its intellectual property, i.e. the stage names of performers like The Fiend Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Big E and Braun Strowman. It is the control and exploitation of these characters that allows WWE to drive revenue, which in turn enables the company to compensate performers at the highest levels in the sports entertainment industry. Notwithstanding the contractual language, it is imperative for the success of our company to protect our greatest assets and establish partnerships with third parties on a companywide basis, rather than at the individual level, which as a result will provide more value for all involved.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.