I was reading through the Ashley Massaro deposition (because that clip Winter posted reminded me about the incident and I realized I'd never learned the details), but before even getting to that shit I ran into a major WTF:
On August 15, 2005, after weeks of competition on air LIVE on Monday Night RAW, I won the 2005 RAW Diva Search, which the WWE had represented would entitle me to $250,000in prize money and a one-year contract with the WWE. I continued to wrestle for the WWE until July of 2008. I did not wrestle for any other entity before or after my time with the WWE.
Upon winning the competition,I was informed that I could choose to accept the $250,000 prize money,and rather than work for WWE as a wrestler, serve as the faceof the womens division. I accepted this offer. It was my understanding that I would receive the full $250,000 and would not be required to wrestle but would work for WWE in a spokesmodel capacity for one year. I was given a contract by John Laurinaitis, which I no longer have a copy of, and signed it.
After I signed the contract, Vince McMahon insisted that I had been represented by an individual named Rich in Marina Del Ray, CA, and tried to force me to pay him 20% of the $250,000.This individual had never represented me so I refused which almost resulted in me losing my contract. This was my introduction to the coercive and unscrupulous tactics employed by the WWE to take advantage of its performers.
And it just gets fucking crazier from there:
I was classified by WWE as an independent contractor rather than an employee. I still have copies of payment records. Despite WWEs classification of me as an independent contractor, I was obligated to perform at shows four to five days every week. At the time, I didnt really understand the difference the significance of this distinction.Not only was the requirement that I perform 4-5 days a week inconsistent with my independent contractor status, but it came a shock to me because I was specifically told I would not have to wrestle and would serve as the face of the womens division.
However, one week from the day I won the competition, I was thrown into a wrestling match and forced to perform in a wrestling match. I had literally no wrestling training at the time and I did not know how to safely execute any moves or be on the receiving end of any moves. As a result of being immediately thrown into a grueling schedule of performing at shows four to five days week with no training, I immediately began sustaining constant injuries.In my first month with WWE, I had a match with a veteran WWE female wrestler at a house show. She performed a move on me called a back-breaker. I had an expectation at the time that if she intended to perform such a move in a match, she would have taken me aside beforehand to show me how to do the move properly as she was aware I had no training and was expected to learn along the way. However, she not only neglected to teach me how to perform the move, but she worked me stiff (which means she was being particularly rough) because I was new. As a result, my back was slammed directly into her knee,and I sustained a severe back injury.
During my second week with the WWE, I asked Stephanie McMahon if I could receive wrestling training. Typically, this would have required me to attend WWEs Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) school in Louisville, Kentucky. Stephanie said no, because I would be off TV and I would lose my fan base, and I would lose my spot and the WWE would not give it back to me. The reason for this was that I had been fortunate enough to develop a strong fan base while participating in the Diva Search competition.This however was a double-edged sword. Since I was popular with fans and generating higher ratings and profits for the WWE, WWE would not allow me to take any time to actually learn how to wrestle.
I always had mixed feelings about Ashley because, while I kinda liked her, she never felt like she really belonged in the spot that was given and this really goes a long way in explaining it.
Granted, that must have changed how the whole thing worked because I can't remember Layla having those problems. Plus she had a reasonably good career, both in terms of performance and duration. (Then, of course, you have fucking Eva Marie...)
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(\/)(\/)|-| There are precious few at ease / With moral ambiguities / So we act as though they don't exist.