Endeavor Cuts Ties With Controversial Longtime WWE Partnership

WWE has seen a lot of changes over the past few years, especially when it comes to their corporate structure. Endeavor merged the company with the UFC, and that also called for nixing a long-standing tradition.

In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer noted that Endeavor dropped the Susan B. Komen breast cancer research partnership. For years, WWE has teamed with Susan B. Komen for an annual awareness and donation tradition that the company pushed hard on television every year, with commercials and special merchandise.

Komen has faced criticism for alleged “pinkwashing.” The term refers to organizations receiving significant publicity for minimal donations or using the pink ribbon to promote products that may cause cancer. 36% of the budget is used for fundraising and administrative costs. The other 13% is divided among research, treatment, and screening efforts.

There have been a few people to speak out against Susan B. Komen over the years, including CM Punk. The Second City Savior was quite bold during his time away from WWE, as he pointed a finger at the organization and how they spend their money.

In 2015, CM Punk tweeted out to say, “If you’re going to give money to a company that claims to raise money for finding a cure for cancer, please do some research. Komen is a scam.”

In more recent memory, AEW received some flack for partnering up with Susan B. Komen. We will have to see how the charity appears in popular culture in the years to come, but WWE has distanced themselves from such a partnership.

What is the most controversial WWE partnership in history? Let us know in the comments below.