Several top WWE executives were said to be very unhappy with Ring Of Honor and Figure Toy Company putting out a Kevin Steen action figure.
According to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is upset because a non-WWE company is the first to enter the marketplace with an action figure of WWE’s hottest new star. They were also upset at the fact that the look and character of ROH’s Kevin Steen and WWE’s Kevin Owens are essentially the same.
To avoid this happening again, WWE is putting pressure on Triple H and his department to get non-WWE talents with great potential signed to NXT with merchandising deals before they make it to a company like ROH or TNA that has their own merchandise and cable television deals.
Additionally, WWE is looking to create a pipeline to find the talents with potential before ROH or TNA does. The idea is not to sign talent from ROH or TNA for the main WWE roster and to get the word out to younger talents that if they have WWE aspirations, they shouldn’t sign with ROH or TNA, however there will always be exceptions to the rule for exceptional talent.
One of the worst parts about the Steen action figure situation is that most independent talent has signed five-year deals with Figure Toy Company, which in this case means ROH has the right to market Kevin Steen action figures for nearly five more years while WWE pushes him as one of their top new stars.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
