WWE is known for being quite a complex and difficult place to work, being the number one wrestling company in the world, Vince McMahon has created an environment that works, churning out content on a regular basis.
However, things don't just run like a well-oiled machine for no reason, it is because there are tons of rules and regulations in place that wrestlers must follow, which is one of the big complaints from people who eventually leave the company.
Some rules might seem obvious, such as turning up at the arena for a set time or not swearing on TV, but there are many rules that not even the wrestling fans are aware of, and within this article, we will reveal 10 examples.
10 Travel Buddies
The classic rule that heels and babyfaces cannot travel together is something that is still enforced by WWE, with WWE not wanting fans to think that people who could hate each other on TV are actually friends.
This might seem like a pointless rule in this day and age where people post regularly on social media, with fans clearly being able to see who is actually friends backstage, regardless of on-screen storylines.
This must be a frustrating rule for the WWE Superstars themselves as there is a good chance that they cannot travel with their closest friends, simply because WWE says so.
9 WWE Can Make Money From Released Talents
This is a rule that probably drives the wrestlers themselves crazy, especially those who have suffered from this, but when a Superstar is released from the company, WWE is still able to make money from their name.
When merchandise is created for a talent, WWE makes a certain amount in every size and even if a wrestler leaves the company, Vince McMahon can keep pushing that merchandise until it is all sold out.
This has happened countless times, with WWE often lowering the cost of the merchandise as well, which lowers the star power of the wrestler involved.
8 No Tweeting About AEW
This one is a brand new rule that has been brought in by WWE recently, with the company clearly not wanting any attention to be placed on their new competition in AEW, placing new backstage rules to how wrestlers work on social media.
WWE doesn't want its talents tweeting about AEW or talking with AEW Superstars over social media, regardless of how close they might be as friends in real life, as WWE doesn't want fans to know AEW even exists.
This might be a very petty rule that WWE has created in the grand scheme of things, as fans are going to know about AEW regardless of Twitter, but not promoting the competition does make sense from a business perspective.
7 Never Leave Early
This isn't so much a rule that Vince McMahon enforces but is one that the locker room has created and is mainly a rule surrounding respect, with WWE Superstars expected to stay in the arena throughout the entire show.
You might think that considering WWE Superstars often have very long drives to do, that someone who is in the opening segment might be able to get off early to try and get to the next city quicker in order to rest up.
However, every wrestler is expected to stay until the night is done, meaning they will leave when the fans leave at the earliest, with wrestlers earning some serious heat if they choose to leave early.
6 Forced Media
Often you will see online interviews of WWE Superstars for websites, YouTube, or the radio, with the wrestlers often promoting and plugging the next big show, or discussing their careers with the likes of Sam Roberts.
While it might not seem like much of an issue for a WWE Superstar to go out and speak with the media, the fact is that they are forced to do this, with the company making them do it, often incredibly early on in the day.
WWE will even have wrestlers doing local interviews for house shows, meaning they have to be up and at it from a set time, despite the fact that it isn't even a televised event.
5 Unspoken Words
Everybody knows that one of the big problems in WWE right now is the over-scripting of talent, with WWE's creative team putting far too much focus on controlling what everyone says that it ends up coming off robotic.
However, while that is something that people know, what many fans don't realize is that things are controlled so much that there are actually a set of words that are banned by the company, with wrestlers and commentators not being able to use them.
Phrases such as "wrestler" and "title belt" are actually blacklisted by Vince McMahon with talents not being allowed to use them under any circumstances, showing just how micromanaged people are.
4 Referee To Call A Shoot
The WWE referee's play a much bigger role in wrestling than the fans realize, being the middle man from the back and the talents in the ring, communicating crucial information as the night goes on.
Of course, the referee is well aware of who is supposed to be coming out on top of every match beforehand, and that is going to be in the back of their mind whenever they count a pinfall.
However, referee's are taught to call the matches as if they are a shoot (real), and that means that if a wrestler forgets to kick out, they must count the third pinfall no matter what, ending a match even if it means the wrong outcome happens.
3 No Personal Sponsors
In other combat sports such as boxing or MMA, the athletes have an opportunity to earn some extra money by getting sponsored by different companies, putting it on their gear or tracksuits to make more money than just a winners purse.
That could easily happen in WWE as well, yet it isn't allowed, with WWE having a rule that wrestlers cannot go and get their own personal sponsors, which is a real shame as it stops talents from making more money and earning a living.
Brock Lesnar has a special deal in place with WWE, and that has allowed him to keep many of his UFC sponsors, which is why his ring gear is often full of sponsors.
2 Lose Ownership Of Your Name
There is a reason why someone like CM Punk is able to use their name wherever they go because they were smart enough to pay for it and make sure that they never gave the rights of it to WWE.
However, the company has learned its lesson since then and no longer do wrestlers get that opportunity, with the vast majority of people losing their names once they leave the company.
This is a huge rule that fans do not realize until wrestlers leave WWE and it certainly has an impact, after all, it stops someone from using the brand that they have built up over years of work.
1 Talent Find Their Own Travel
This is something that frustrates a lot of wrestlers and is something that non-WWE fans are quite surprised about, with people expecting WWE to provide travel for its employees, which simply does not happen.
WWE will provide air travel to the area for Raw or SmackDown, but from there on out the wrestlers are left to their own devices, meaning they must pay for a rental car, the fuel, their hotel accommodation, and food along the way.
Wrestlers must work out where they are going, how long it will take, find gyms and make sure they are on time for everything, which is why the life of a WWE Superstar can be so difficult and tiring.