Westside Gunn Cuts Ties with WWE After Buffalo Incident: A Cultural Collision in the Wrestling World

 Westside Gunn vs. WWE: The Buffalo Blow-Up and the Rise of 4THROPE Wrestling | Hip-Hop and Pro Wrestling Culture Clash

💥 The Shocking Buffalo Incident: A Breakdown of the $5,000 Fiasco

The pro wrestling world was recently rocked by the news that Grammy-nominated rapper Westside Gunn—a known, lifelong, and vocal supporter of the WWE—has officially severed ties with the company. The breaking point? A jarring and deeply personal incident at a Monday Night Raw event in his hometown of Buffalo, New York.

According to reports from the rapper himself, the highly-anticipated evening turned sour just three minutes into the show. Despite having shelled out a reported $5,000 on tickets for premium seating, the Griselda Records founder was unceremoniously removed from the arena.

“Monday night raw starts at 8pm I was kicked out by 803 after spending 5k for a seat plus travel, hotel etc…. in my own city for absolutely NOTHING!!!!” he wrote. “The kid in me heart broke that day.”

The longtime WWE superfan, known for front-row attendance at major events, also revealed WWE previously threatened to “demolish” his music catalog over wrestling references in his songs.

“U don’t have to worry about me pushing that product over there again,” Gunn concluded, confirming he’s now focusing exclusively on his own promotion.

This wasn't just a simple fan dispute; this was a public, humiliating affront to a high-profile celebrity who has consistently championed the WWE brand across the cultural landscape of hip-hop for years. For Westside Gunn, a man who has woven wrestling’s larger-than-life aesthetic into the very fabric of his critically acclaimed music and visual art, the expulsion was a slap in the face that signaled a much deeper, more systemic issue in his long-standing, albeit turbulent, relationship with the global wrestling giant. The question on every fan's mind is: why? And what does this mean for the future of both the rapper's brand and the wrestling world?

📜 A History of Conflict: Copyright Claims and the Culture Clash

The Buffalo incident appears to be the final straw in a long series of escalating tensions between the Flygod rapper and the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). This conflict highlights a common friction point in modern media: the intersection of hip-hop culture's sampling tradition and the WWE’s rigorous intellectual property (IP) protection.

The IP Battle: Heels Have Eyes and Viral Billboards

Westside Gunn has never shied away from paying homage to his childhood heroes. His music, his visual art, and his overall aesthetic are littered with deep-cut references to wrestling legends.

 * The Copyright Strikes: For years, the rapper has faced copyright claims from the WWE over the use of audio samples—specifically famous catchphrases and announcer calls—in his music. Tracks featuring audio from classic wrestling moments have been pulled from streaming platforms like YouTube, leading to public outcry from his independent label, Griselda Records.

 * The Heels Have Eyes Trilogy: The controversy peaked around his acclaimed Heels Have Eyes trilogy of mixtapes. Gunn was reportedly threatened with a lawsuit for his iconic cover art, which prominently featured WWE legends like the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and his on-screen bodyguard, Virgil, even going so far as to put up a massive billboard of the pair in Times Square. Gunn, a champion of creative freedom and cultural homage, found himself directly at odds with the WWE’s corporate structure.

 * The Unacknowledged Loyalty: Gunn has publicly stated that he has spent "over 6 figures a year" on WWE tickets and merchandise, sitting front-row at virtually every big show to support a brand he genuinely loves. His argument is clear: his genuine, large-scale support served as invaluable, organic marketing and cultural validation for the WWE within the hip-hop community. To be met with lawsuits and cold shoulders, rather than collaboration, ultimately became unacceptable.

📈 The Pivot to Promotion: The Rise of 4THROPE Wrestling

The severance of ties with WWE isn't an exit from the wrestling world; it's an unleashing of creative energy into a new venture. The incident in Buffalo now serves as a powerful, high-profile catalyst for Westside Gunn to focus entirely on his own wrestling promotion: 4THROPE Wrestling.

What is 4THROPE? 

The name itself is a reference to the traditional three ropes of a wrestling ring, with the "4TH ROPE" representing the added layer of culture, art, fashion, and hip-hop that Gunn brings to the spectacle. It's an explicit acknowledgment that a new element is being woven into the established world of pro wrestling.

 * A True Cultural Blend: 4THROPE is positioned not just as a wrestling show but as a full-fledged cultural experience. It blends high-level, authentic independent pro wrestling talent with a world-class hip-hop/art aesthetic. Imagine a match card curated by a Grammy-nominated rapper, featuring underground legends, highly-sought-after collectible merchandise, and a show atmosphere unlike anything the mainstream has to offer.

 * A Platform for the Independent Scene: By stepping away from the WWE, Westside Gunn is signaling a commitment to the independent wrestling circuit and to an audience that values authentic, uncompromised artistic expression. His focus is on curating a show that truly respects the culture and the performers, an environment where he won't be threatened with legal action for celebrating the art form.

 * Future Impact: The rapper’s massive cultural influence—combined with the legitimacy he brings as a promoter—positions 4THROPE as a serious player in the battle for alternative wrestling audiences. The Buffalo incident, while painful, gifts 4THROPE a compelling origin story: a movement born out of a desire for artistic freedom and respect, now challenging the status quo.

The fallout from the Buffalo incident not only ends a long, complicated relationship but actively fuels a new competitor in the sports-entertainment landscape. Westside Gunn is no longer just a fan in the front row—he's a promoter building a new ring, one free from the shackles of corporate IP disputes. The $5,000 spent on a three-minute appearance in Buffalo may turn out to be the best marketing investment 4THROPE Wrestling ever made.