Is WWE Wrong for Not Letting Wrestlers Take More Outside Projects?

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Caged birds accept each other but flight is what they long for. -Tennessee Williams

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I thought that quote was appropriate for the subject matter. WWE is a massive corporation with its fingers in many different entertainment pies. Besides wrestling, they are involved in the TV, movie, music and publishing industries.

They are quite successful with some projects, while others fall flat. One thing that has always bugged me, though, is that WWE limits what outside projects a wrestler can take on when under contract.

The bigger a star you are, the easier it is to get approval. Chris Jericho had no problem taking on a game show on a competing network while he still worked for WWE, but others have not been so lucky.

Mickie James wanted to be a musician outside the walls of WWE, but her hectic schedule and WWE's desire to keep everything in house did not make that easy for her.

Maryse will no doubt land some modeling gigs where she will either be referred to as a "former WWE superstar" or they won't mention WWE at all. If she was still with them, everything would say "WWE Superstar" giving them some free advertising.

Movie roles have always been encouraged, but other than that, wrestlers under contract to WWE are limited in what they can pursue outside the ring.

But why would WWE want to limit one of their superstars' success? Sure, some guys like The Rock have taken that success and used it to move on from the WWE, but not everyone will do that.

If WWE allowed their wrestlers to take on other projects that did not interfere too much with their wrestling, then they could get even more mainstream exposure than they already do.

I am not saying that wrestlers should dictate how WWE uses them, or how often, but WWE should not have an issue with someone doing something that would draw positive attention to their brand.

Rule out porn, other fighting events and other less than favorable activities and there is nothing left but opportunity for both WWE and their superstars.

Not everyone in the industry wants to do things outside of the wrestling business, so it is not like they would have half the roster recording albums and filming movies, but let a few do it and you have some free press that shows what a supportive company you are by letting someone off the leash for a while.

Frankly, I have always been shocked that WWE did not try to have their own record label to support guys like Cena, Truth, MVP, Mickie James and others who have expressed interest in recording music.

They would make more money, get more exposure in the music industry and it would be a lot less costly than making movies that go straight to DVD after a limited four-theater release.

The possibilities are endless for what superstars can do outside of WWE, and there are an equal number of ways this can benefit WWE.

Do you think WWE should be more supportive of outside projects for superstars?