Last Week Tonight host John Oliver once called out WWE co-founder Vince McMahon for mistreating his wrestlers. Oliver criticized WWE’s contract which stated that their wrestlers were ‘independent contractors’, despite the company hiring them exclusively. Oliver shared that McMahon and the company thus relieved themselves of the burden of providing health and other benefits to these WWE stars.
Oliver’s allegations from 2019 come to light once again as McMahon is facing charges of s*xual abuse and trafficking, filed by a former WWE employee. The lawsuit also named former head of talent relations John Laurinaitis as a defendant who, along with McMahon, allegedly engaged in depraved s*xual activities with the plaintiff.
John Oliver Slammed Vince McMahon And WWE For Their Treatment Of Wrestlers
In a 2019 episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, host John Oliver decided to take up the issue of the WWE wrestlers’ health, ahead of WrestleMania 35. Oliver slammed the organization and its co-founder Vince McMahon for taking no responsibility when it comes to the wrestlers’ health. Calling McMahon an “a**hole” in real life, Oliver shared various instances of wrestlers and their families speaking out against the company. Oliver shared on his show:
“While the character Vince is an a**hole, it’s important to know that the real Vince is also an a**hole. And many fans legitimately hate him because, while the WWE has made him a billionaire, many wrestlers say he’s treated them terribly.”
Oliver went on to play a clip from Bret Hart, the retired professional wrestler, whose younger brother Owen Hart tragically died in the ring in 1999. Hart revealed that McMahon treated the wrestlers like circus animals. He added that the wrestlers were left with nothing after their career in WWE. He played another clip from Jesse Venture where the wrestler-turned-politician called out the ‘independent contractor’ status of the wrestlers. Oliver also sarcastically criticized the ‘contractor’ status of the wrestlers:
“Maybe when wrestlers might work years ago for multiple, different organisations, it made sense to call them contractors. But now that the WWE has a chokehold on this industry, it makes just as much sense to call them that as it does to call Jimmy Carter a ‘panty-dropping f**k machine.’ It’s just clearly not true… anymore.”
Oliver’s show also went on to mention the wrestlers who died young due to various health or drug-related issues, including Eddie Guerrero, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, Chyna, and King Kong Bundy. Guerrero died at 38 due to a heart disease stemming from the use of steroids and recreational drugs. Randy Savage suffered a heart attack while driving and died from crashing the car. Chyna’s death at 46 also resulted from drug use, while Bundy died young due to diabetes-related complications.
Several other wrestlers, including Umaga, David “British Bulldog” Smith, Rowdy Piper, Brian Pilman, The Ultimate Warrior, and Sara Lee, all died young due to various health or drug-related issues. Notably, Chris Benoit’s death by suicide marred WWE with controversy in 2007 after the 40-year-old killed his wife and seven-year-old son before hanging himself.
Also Read: John Oliver TRASHES HBO’s House of the Dragon: Why is the Show a HUGE Letdown?
Former WWE Stars Including CM Punk Backed John Oliver’s Allegations
John Oliver also called out WWE’s contract which releases the promoter from all liability for damages resulting in permanent injury or wrestler’s death. Oliver shared a clip of former wrestler CM Punk, where he called out the ill-advised actions of a WWE doctor. Punk revealed in a 2014 podcast that his WWE doctor wanted him to ignore a concussion to attend a match in Europe the next day.
Oliver jokingly showed a made-up tweet about the matter from Punk, which the wrestler later actually shared on Twitter (now X) in Oliver’s support. Another wrestler, Gail Kim, called Oliver’s accusations “precisely accurate”. Professional wrestler Colt Cabana hoped that the “great piece” from Oliver “gets people talking”. Chavo Guerrero Jr., who was trained by his late uncle Eddie Guerrero, thanked Oliver for talking about the issue.
I shit my britches, please RT @LastWeekTonight (I love you!) @iamjohnoliver
— player/coach (@CMPunk) April 1, 2019
Will trolls call him bitter too? Sometimes you gotta hear it from an outside source. One who is precisely accurate https://t.co/Pun9cIVpgW
— Gail Kim-Irvine (@gailkimITSME) April 1, 2019
ESPN contacted me on doing a story about concussions for e60 years ago. I told them that wasn’t the story. The story was on “independent contractors”.
Congrats to @iamjohnoliver & #lastweektonite for their great piece & I hope it gets people taking.— Colt Cabana🦦 (@ColtCabana) April 1, 2019
@LastWeekTonight Thank you John Oliver!! #keepingupthefight #notindependentcontractors #union
— Chavo Guerrero jr. (@mexwarrior) April 1, 2019
WWE released a response to Entertainment Weekly at the time, calling Oliver’s allegations a “one-sided presentation”. They shared that Oliver “simply ignored the facts” and invited him to attend WrestleMania to learn more about WWE and their Talent Wellness Program.
Interestingly, John Oliver also criticized the Talent Wellness Program of WWE, stating that it was very basic. Despite including cardiovascular testing and testing for brain function, Oliver alleged that they served no purpose without the company providing actual health benefits.
