Hey Scott,
I was wondering about contracts in wrestling, particularly in the WWF/WCW/ECW era where talent would jump ship at the end of their contracts and it would be big news. Has there ever been an instance where another promotion actually BOUGHT OUT a wrestler's contract in order to bring him to their promotion rather than wait for his contract to run out? It happens in soccer all the time and I'm guessing in other sports too. Did Vince/Bischoff/anyone else ever buy out a wrestler's contract? Does the option to do so exist?
Also, has a wrestler even been so willing to leave a company before his contract runs out that he performed poorly on purpose so as to get his wish?
Thanks
Well, in 1997 Shawn Michaels whined a LOT about wanting to go to WCW and join the nWo, but no matter how badly he tanked it and messed around he was never going to be let out. Kevin Nash supposedly tried a similar tactic in 99 once he lost his job to Russo. It doesn't seem like a very effective tactic.
As for buyouts, no. Even if they could pay out the money end, standard contracts in both promotions had a 90-day no-compete clause anyway. There have been cases of promotions letting people out of a contract, like Davey Boy and Neidhart after Montreal, but that's a rarity. Plus TNA and WWE sharing contract information with each other turned into a lawsuit last time it happened, so I wouldn't hold your breath.