Stephanie McMahon Explains WWE’s ‘Pop Culture Strategy’ For Casting Superstars In Outside Deals

WWE has a strict third party ban on Cameo, Twitch, and other outside endorsements. The company’s Chief Brand Officer, Stephanie McMahon knows how to expertly explain that policy.

While speaking to Bloomberg Business of Sports, Stephanie McMahon was asked about WWE’s third party ban. She explained that WWE is different from any other sporting company. They have a “pop culture strategy” and “cast” their Superstars in outside roles whether that is endorsements or other acting opportunities.

“WWE is a bit different than other leagues and properties. We own all the intellectual properties, because we create them. So it’s very different from how the leagues operate. We have a whole pop culture strategy outside of our business. We cast our superstars outside of WWE programming; whether that’s partnership endorsements, cameos, roles in Hollywood films, red carpets, you name it.  The goal is to get our stars out there as much as possible.”

“We recognize there’s a huge percentage of the population that isn’t WWE fans that we want to attract. At the same time we also want to get athletes, pop culture influencers and celebrities into our programming for the same reason. The rising tide really raises all boats in terms of audience and growth.”

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“So we’re really excited; we have a few tricks up our sleeve for WrestleMania. Bad Bunny has certainly been a huge part of our programming since the Royal Rumble. It’s a wild ride.”

WWE choosing who gets those outside opportunities might become a problem. Superstars could do their own thing and hustle for endorsements, sometimes picking up huge paychecks in the process, but that time is over. Now WWE controls which Superstars get deals as they shape each Superstar’s individual brand to the company’s liking.