Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
According to reports, a number of top WWE officials were not very happy about Ring of Honor and Figure Toy Company releasing a Kevin Steen action figure recently.
They are upset because Owens is WWE’s hottest new star, and a non-WWE company was the first to release an action figure, and the Kevin Steen and Kevin Owens characters largely look the same.
It’s being said that officials are now trying to prevent something like this from happening in the future by getting non-WWE talent to sign merchandising deals before they get to ROH, TNA or another similar company. The idea going forward is that WWE wants to create a ‘pipeline’ to unsigned talent with potential, to get them to not sign with TNA or ROH if they have WWE aspirations down the line.
It was reported that a number of indy wrestlers have signed five-year contracts with Figure Toy Company, which means the company still can market Kevin Steen merchandise for much longer. The first series of Ring Of Honor action figures features Steen, Adam Cole and The Briscoes.
