Slim Jim has reportedly cancelled their sponsorship of the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble.
Slim Jim and professional wrestling have a long history together, with late WWE Hall of Famer Randy Savage serving as the face of the brand for many years. In fact, according to Eric Bischoff, Savage’s sponsorship with the company even paid his WCW salary for a number of years.
Fast forward to 2023, and the meat snack brand was heavily featured as part of SummerSlam in Detroit, MI. Their branding was front and center for the Slim Jim Battle Royal, won by LA Knight.
However, plans for the company to once again partner with WWE’s upcoming premium live event on January 27th have been cancelled according to a new report. WrestleVotes reported on social media:
“Hearing rumblings that Slim Jim has notified WWE they are pulling their sponsorships from tomorrow’s Royal Rumble event. It is yet to be determined if they will remain partners in the future.”
Why Did Slim Jim Pull Cancel Sponsorship Of The Royal Rumble?
This news comes just one day after serious allegations were levied against former WWE CEO and current Executive Chairman of the TKO Board of Directors Vince McMahon. In an official statement, Slim Jim explained that they are pausing their relationship with the sports entertainment giant in light of these allegations, writing:
“Slim Jim values integrity and respect in all of our partnerships. Given the recent disturbing allegations against Vince McMahon, at this time we’ve decided to pause our promotional activities with WWE. This decision reflects our commitment to our brand values and responsibility to our community.
We will continue to monitor the situation and base our future engagements on our values and what’s best for our brand.” (h/t PWInsider)
In an update to this story, following the resignation of Vince McMahon from TKO, Slim Jim has confirmed it is back on board for the Royal Rumble.
On January 25th, Wall Street Journal reported that former WWE employee Janel Grant had filed a new lawsuit against Vince McMahon. The lawsuit contains horrifying allegations and graphic descriptions of sexual assault, emotional abuse, and sex trafficking at the hands of McMahon and former Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis.
The suit is seeking to void a previous NDA and for financial damages, which the amount is unspecified. This is the latest in allegations about Vince McMahon that began back in 2022 when it was reported that the WWE Chairman paid $12 million in hush money to four women. McMahon would retire from the company amidst the allegations in July 2022 before returning in early 2023.
Vince McMahon has vehemently denied the claims made against him.