Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter
WWE is reportedly unhappy with Ring of Honor and Figure Toy Company’s recent Kevin Steen action figure release. With Owens’ being WWE’s biggest new star, the company isn’t pleased that a non-WWE company was the first to release an action figure since Owens hit the main roster, especially considering that the Steen and Owens characters look essentially the same.
WWE officials are now trying to prevent this from happening in the future and are considering how to get guys with big potential into NXT and thus signed to merchandising deals before they go to ROH or TNA, companies with merchandising deals. Complicating that is the fact that a lot of indie talent, including several who have tried out for WWE in the past few weeks, have signed five year deals with Figure Toy Company.
This also means that the plan is not to sign talent from ROH or TNA for the main roster and to spread the word that young talent with WWE aspirations should not sign with either company. One person said that this came about because of both the Figure Toy Company deal and the ROH/Destination America deal, both of which came about at the same time and WWE had no advance knowledge of. The plan may not apply to talent signed and kept in NXT, as there is some interest in some of the TNA guys whose contracts are expiring to work in the developmental brand and it isn’t the same as the main roster.
