WWE: 10 Wrestlers With Salaries You Won’t Believe

1. John Cena, $3 Million, First Class Travel (Including Private Jet Access) And Accommodation (Owner Of Personal Tour Bus), 6.25% Bonus For Merchandise Sales


It will come as no surprise that the biggest star of the last ten years is far and above the holder of the best WWE contract. Cena is the star of the show, nearly always the main event, and his pay reflects this. $3 million is a great reward for Cena, and given his increasing time out injured in the last five years, the downside is a superb number for John. Pretty much a legitimate mainstream celebrity, the $3 million is certainly a reflection of Cena’s market worth. Numbers do not lie, ratings and pay-per-view buys drop without John Cena.
Merchandise is another key aspect of Cena’s contract. If you go to any WWE live event, you will know that Cena merchandise is huge. It’s everywhere, and huge swathes of the audience are kitted out in expensive Cena gear. The fact that Cena has got a 6.25% bonus on these sales will make John considerable money over the year. WWE doesn’t give Cena a tour bus, but he does own one. However, the fact is Cena makes so many appearances that WWE will often just book him on a private jet.
Outside of the WWE, Cena is also making huge money in other investments. He recently launched a new fitness lifestyle website, and estimates his “John Cena brand” to be worth over $100 million.
In the wrestling industry, only Vince McMahon and The Rock are worth more than WWE’s franchise player. However, I’ve discounted them from this list, along with others like Triple H and Brock Lesnar on the grounds that they’re part-timers or part of the company management.

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WWE: 10 Wrestlers With Salaries You Won’t Believe

2. Randy Orton, $2 Million Plus Allocated A Personal Tour Bus And Other First Class Travel, 2.2% Bonus On Merchandise Sales

 
















Under WWE’s wellness policy, Randy Orton is one strike away from being terminated. Considering his excellent contract, you imagine he is doing everything he can to keep on the clean side. Orton earns $2 million a year, although some leaks earlier this year put Orton on as much as $350k a month. As the current WWE champion and main event star, he may very well be hitting such high numbers.

Orton is a solid talent, no doubt about it. Efficient in the ring and a great mic worker, he is a worthy investment for WWE. He has spent some of the last couple of years in the mid card with no real story, but he is still perceived as one of the big draws in the company. When you consider Orton’s excellent downside guarantee and merchandise sales, he is in a superb position financially. A firm favorite of the McMahon’s, Orton will be around for years to come yet – provided he stays clean.

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WWE: 10 Wrestlers With Salaries You Won’t Believe

3. CM Punk, $1.7 Million Plus Allocated A Personal Tour Bus And Other First Class Travel, Also Some Creative Control And 3.25% Bonus On Merchandise Sales.

CM Punk’s contract negotiations with WWE in 2011 famously played out in WWE storylines. It was epic stuff, and the fact is that Punk’s frustrations and threats to leave the company really did help him secure a superb contract. Vince and Hunter knew that Punk was a brilliant talker and worker, and with the risk of losing him they began to appreciate the full scale of his talent.
Forgetting the money for a second, Punk got a contract which gave him the second best ‘spot’ in the company behind John Cena. The contract also afforded Punk a degree of creative control for his own promos. Punk was delighted. He also got to pick his own music, and went with the excellent Cult of Personality by Living Colour. A 3.25% bonus on merchandise sales will have also helped Punk feel more valued by the company.
Money-wise Punk is on a downside of $1.7 million but probably tops $2 million with bonuses. He lives in a massive million dollar apartment in Chicago, and is so rich that he could even afford to buy friend Joey Mercury a house when the bank foreclosed on his buddy. Punk famously hates the travelling in WWE vehicles, so the company has also given their star a touring bus and other first class travel.

Nevertheless, Punk continues to talk about retiring in the next few years.

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WWE: 10 Wrestlers With Salaries You Won’t Believe

4. The Big Show, $1.5 Million Plus Allocated A Personal Tour Bus And Other First Class Travel

 
















Paul ‘Big Show’ Wight has always enjoyed well-paying contracts. As a giant, he has been seen by promoters to be an excellent draw. Certainly in WWE he has done very well and his longevity as a main event act was demonstrated by him headlining Survivor Series 2002 and 11 years later still being the main event at Survivor Series 2013.

Show signed a contract extension in January 2013 that will keep him with WWE until 2018. He is probably worth it. His best year with the company was in 2012, and the intelligent worker is at the peak of his mastery in the ring and in segments.  Big Show is on $1.5 million and gets a tour bus, which given his size and mobility is an understandable consideration. The big man also likely makes considerable money on his multiple film and tv show appearances. He must be loaded with money at this stage in his career, Eric Bischoff had the giant on a million dollar contact with WCW as far back as 1995.

Considering Show’s significant pay, expect to see him back in more main event matches in 2014.

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WWE: 10 Wrestlers With Salaries You Won’t Believe

5. Sheamus, $1, 000, 000 Plus First Class Travel

Considering that Sheamus only debuted in 2009, he has done amazingly well to be on such a lucrative million dollar contract just four years into his career. WWE clearly values the Irish star very highly, and a lot of that is said to be down to the personal relationship Sheamus struck up with Triple H. The two became great gym buddies when Sheamus first broke into WWE, and Hunter was very impressed with the work ethic and enthusiasm that Sheamus demonstrated. Hunter went as far to book himself in a match with Sheamus at Wrestlemania in 2010 (although ‘The Game’ stopped short of doing the job for his friend).

WWE has consistently put Sheamus in the upper mid card and main event as they look to get value on his contract. They had the Irishman win the 2012 Royal Rumble and he is also a two time WWE champion in addition to being a world champion. With Sheamus earning so much money, you can guarantee that WWE are going to push him very strong when he returns in 2014. A match against The Undertaker at Mania, or another title chase will surely be in his near future.

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WWE: 10 Wrestlers With Salaries You Won’t Believe

6. Rey Mysterio, $985,000 Plus First Class Travel And 4% Bonus On Merchandise Sales

Over 20 years in the wrestling industry and 10 years into his WWE run, Rey Mysterio has earned the right to enjoy his significant pay pack. He is a great investment for the WWE, one of the very best wrestlers in the world when on form. Another aspect of Mysterio’s value is his image and merchandise performance – only John Cena can boast a better connection with the children’s audience. With this in mind, Mysterio has wisely negotiated a 4% bonus on merchandise sales into his contract.
The problem with Rey is that he is the most banged up talent on the roster. His knees are completely shot, and the rest of his body is suffering nagging injuries. He has spent most of 2013 on the bench, and has been sporadically out many times over the last 5 years. The problem got so bad that Rey developed a painkiller addiction, and had to spend time in rehab. Thanks to a $985,000 downside contract he has still managed to make great money, but his time out is reported to have frustrated the WWE.Considering that Mysterio was earning close to a million as far back as his WCW days, he must now be a very rich man. However, he is said to be one of the most excessive spenders in the wrestling industry. When with WCW, he spontaneously purchased an expensive sports car, and then spent more than the original worth of the vehicle to have it shipped around the American continent to his home in California.

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WWE: 10 Wrestlers With Salaries You Won’t Believe

7. The Great Khali, $974,000

Khali is one of the most limited talents on the WWE roster – but with his great size he has managed to command one of the best salaries in the company.  In fairness, anyone who has attended a WWE live event will attest that Khali is impressive to behold. He really is huge. But he’s so limited that it really does become pointless having him on the roster. Khali can barely walk, let alone work in a ring.

Vince McMahon brought Khali in with big plans in mind. Vince was clearly envisioning a new Andre the Giant, as well as an Indian star who could boost the company in the huge emerging Asian market. As a star of Hollywood and Bollywood films, Khali did have some pre-WWE value, and that likely helped him secure even more money. Vince pushed Khali hard, as he came in and squashed the Undertaker clean, which is pretty much unheard of. Khali went on to become a World champion, which for me was the beginning of the end for that title.

WWE quickly lost interest in trying to get Khali over as a main eventer. He is a comedy act now, but still makes $974,000 downside. He has to pay his own travel which must be an issue given his size, hut Khali has done very well out of WWE and especially for a wrestler who can’t wrestle.
                                               

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WWE: 10 Wrestlers With Salaries You Won’t Believe

8. Kane, $905,000 Plus First Class Travel And Accommodation


A true veteran of the WWE, after 18 years he stands as one of Vince McMahon’s loyalest talents. Glenn ‘Kane’ Jacobs is handsomely rewarded for this, he is on $905,000 and also gets first class travel and accommodation. Given the success of his gimmick he has also made significant money in merchandise and event bonuses. He’s certainly deserved it – Kane has consistently been a top performer in the ring, and has been very active in all of his 18 years with the company.
Kane will have also made money from starring in the WWE Studios film ‘See No Evil’, and the forthcoming sequel. A vastly intelligent man, he’s also involved at a low level in politics, championing libertarian philosophy. Kane is well-liked by his peers and is one of the most respected wrestlers of all time. In fact, he’s so respected that Undertaker went as far to champion the idea that Kane should end his Wrestlemania streak, but Kane refused.
Aged 46, Kane is surely approaching the end of his career, but with a recent gimmick repackaging as ‘corporate Kane’, there are no signs of any impending retirement. He will have a job for life with WWE whatever happens.

                                           

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WWE: 10 Wrestlers With Salaries You Won’t Believe

9. Mark Henry, $877,000 Downside Plus First Class Travel

When WWE first signed the Olympic weight-lifter in 1996, it looked like a huge mistake. Henry was initially signed to a lucrative 10 year contract, and it looked to be a terrible investment – he was awful in the ring and on the mic.
Mick Foley commented on this in his first memoir, stating that the WWF office was obsessed with brain-storming for Mark Henry t-shirts and merchandise at the same time they kept knocking back Steve Austin’s ideas for t shirts. Mick comments that Austin would go on to outsell Mark Henry t shirts by 10 to every one – 10 million to every one, that is.
Despite the problems with the often injured Henry, things improved. He managed to get another contract, but it was in 2011 that WWE’s faith finally paid off. Henry was a revelation as a main event heel, and had suddenly found the ability to cut superb and believable promos. His ring style improved significantly too – don’t get me wrong, he’s no Big Show, but he isn’t a Great Khali either. Henry can be fairly good at times.
WWE has Henry on $877,000 a year and he usually floats around the mid card to main event level. Henry is also afforded first class travel, which given his size is understandable.
                                                                                                                                                                

                                       

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WWE: 10 Wrestlers With Salaries You Won’t Believe

10. Alberto Del Rio – $675,000 Downside Plus First Class Travel    
 
















                                                         

Alberto Del Rio is a constant upper mid card to main event act for the WWE. For good reason too, he is one of the very best in ring workers in the company and a real veteran in the industry. WWE pulling off the signing of Del Rio (then Dos Caras Jnr) in 2010 was a major coup for the McMahon empire – Caras Jnr was a huge draw in Mexico and a revered wrestling talent.

WWE has Del Rio on a salary of $625,000 a year before bonuses and other royalties. Del Rio also enjoys the perk of WWE booking first class travel, an honour that was traditionally only reserved for the champion. Alberto’s salary is testament to his skill and standing in the industry. Aware of the Mexican’s strength as a performer, the WWE has consistently booked Del Rio in the upper mid card to main event scene. He won the 2011 Royal Rumble, as well as the 2011 Money in the bank briefcase. Alberto has held the WWE title on two occasions, and the world title also two times. Not bad for a man who has only been with the company for three years.
The fact that Del Rio has enjoyed such consistency as a main eventer means that he will have earned far more than just $625,000. Bonuses for his high position on WWE cards will have made Del Rio a very rich man.
                                                                                                    

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