Wrestling Legend Rips WWE And Vince McMahon, Calls On Fans To Contact WWE's Sponsors
Wrestling legend Bobby Fulton of The Fantastics tag team wrote the following on his Facebook after the Vince McMahon Muscle & Fitness cover came out:
"Vince sure is ripped. He's a master of ripping people off, like all the wrestlers like me from the territory days. He stole our likeness, who we are, and our intellectual property of our matches. WWE has admitted they don't have any of our signed releases most don't get a dime for DVD's sold in major stores world wide and online or The WWE Network. Come on Vince really man up pay up. Scott Ammon said you paid a lot for libraries of video from World Class, Mid South, UWF and other regions. Please share this and let WWE know its time to pay up!"
"If you buy an album from the 70s or 80s the artist and song writers are still paid. Even though the work was done decades ago. Same with movies and TV shows. So why not pay the wrestlers of my era for the DVDs of our work that are being sold in major retail stores world wide? A select few are being paid. Why not all of us? If they feel we are important enough to be on those DVDs and The Network then we should be important enough to have a fair share for everyone. I'm not bitter. I had a great career. Not all of us ended up like Randy The Ram even though they try to make you think that. I have been successful in other business ventures. I like many others have had life after wrestling. We are only asking for it to be fair across the board. If wrestler A is being paid for videos of matches against wrestler B. Should not wrestler B also be paid? Fair is Fair."
Reader Barry B. sent these additional comments before they were apparently removed from Facebook:
"Please share to all Wrestling related groups and pages! And let WWE know! This is the time to let our voices be heard. For those that are appearing on merchandise that has lost their health, their families, and some their lives. The problem is he wants to pay for the future by ripping off the past, he has once said that the past didn't exist. If Egypt can be overturned and changed so can Vince McMahon and so can his WWE empire. Let your voices be heard and help us to let ours be heard! ? As people got behind us years ago. Get behind us one more time. Support us in this effort. We just got it up on the WWE page. Please go there and share my post on Vince's Muscle Body and Fitness. It gives us the power! #WWEPAYUSNOW! ? I'm getting lots of questions one i spoke with wwe scott ammon he said we could beat WWE on a state level for stealing our likeness,name, intellectual property . Wwe scott ammon said we will beat you in court on a federal level . He said we paid certain people Lots of money . Problem is you paid the wrong people . Its time to pay up the talent not just top names but also the refs enhancement and announcers that is being distributed by WWE. They have no signed releases . Even scott ammon told me that . Help us in our plight your voice is heard and does count . Be silent no longer . Deflate Vince McMahon now! Go to WWE's page and tell them to pay the wrestlers the royalties that owe them. If they are on merchandise for example the network or dvds. That is how to voice your opinion! If you want to help us you can contact the following sponsors and tell them what WWE has been doing: General Motors, Ford Motor Co., Disney, DreamWorks, Paramount, Kmart, Subway, Taco Bell, Colgate, Frito-Lay, Schick and Mattel."
Finian Ryan contributed to this article.