The idea of a wrestlers’ union has been debated in professional wrestling for decades — and now Ric Flair is weighing in on the issue and specifically called out WWE.
While appearing on the Legally Goff Podcast on March 11, 2026, Ric Flair spoke about the long-running discussion surrounding unionization in wrestling and questioned why WWE still operates without one despite becoming a multi-billion-dollar company. Flair began by reflecting on how different the business was earlier in his career, explaining that contracts were not always guaranteed in wrestling.
“You know, contracts just came around in the 90s. You didn’t go to work, you didn’t get paid. And that’s why it was such a hard business.”
After discussing the old pay structure, Flair pointed out that despite the evolution of the industry, one major thing has remained the same — professional wrestlers still don’t have a union: “We still don’t have a union.”
Flair then explained how the current system classifies wrestlers as independent contractors, meaning many protections available in other sports and entertainment industries do not apply.
“We’re self-employed. I mean, they take care of you if you get hurt in the ring, but if you have an issue outside of the ring, you’ve got to buy your own health insurance and everything.”
According to Flair, the situation is surprising considering the massive financial growth WWE has experienced over the years. Flair also talked about WWE’s sale in 2023, when the company merged with Endeavor to form TKO Group Holdings in a deal valued at roughly $9 billion.
“There’s no union, which is unheard of for a billion-dollar company. I mean, they just sold WWE for billion to—who bought them? I can’t remember, Endeavor or somebody. But it’s a whole different world now.”
The subject of a wrestling union has surfaced many times throughout the industry’s history. Wrestlers like Jesse Ventura attempted to organize talent in the 1980s, while figures such as Andrew Yang have pushed the topic in more recent years. For now, nothing has changed structurally in the industry — but Flair’s comments show that the debate about unionization in wrestling is far from over.
Do you think WWE wrestlers should eventually form a union, or is the current system still the best model for the business? Share your thoughts and leave your feedback below.
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