How much wrestlers get paid

Wrestlers go through tables, fall from 20 foot ladders and atop steel cages and sometimes even into thumbtacks just to entertain the fans in attendance. So the burning question here is, is the payout really worth the effort? WWE Superstars enjoy stardom and fan-following unlike any celebrity in any other industry. They are not just pro wrestlers, they are the heroes for those who look up to them to get inspiration. As much as every Superstar loves doing what they do, they get an equally lucrative amount in their bank accounts for the same.

With the recent emergence of a new rival promotion in All Elite Wrestling, WWE Superstars have been very clear in demanding higher pay from the company, and in most cases, the company has willingly done so. A few months back, a report revealed the salaries of many current WWE Superstars, and the numbers were very high for some of them. The top five highest earners on the list were -. While it wasn't much of a surprise to see the Beast Incarnate top the list, the fact that he has had just 8 matches on WWE TV in the year and even less in recent years makes the deal look extremely profitable for the WWE Champion.

There's no doubt that Lesnar is an attraction worth paying to watch for, but that right there is some huge money. Now, a simple question that arises in one's mind is whether pro wrestlers getting these gigantic paychecks is a new trend? Before the PG and Reality era arrived, WWE had already established itself as a pro wrestling giant, with numerous Superstars ruling the hearts of fans. And if you think they weren't charged much, think again, because Lesnar isn't the first star to receive an 8-digit salary!

It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that Hulk Hogan Real Name: Terry Gene Bollea had a huge part in making the company and pro wrestling popular in the 80s. Playing a pivotal role in establishing WrestleMania as the Show of Shows by headlining eight of the first nine, Hulkamania was running wild, and the business was flourishing.

It's reasonable to assume that Vince McMahon would have not been very hesitant in giving this package to a guy around whom he was building the WWF. And here we were talking about Big Saudi Money! The fact that when Warrior returned to the WWE and squashed Triple H in Wrestlemania 12, he individually sold out more tickets than most others.

While Hogan and others were the ones to give this industry a kickstart, it was people like Austin who contributed heavily to make it a massive success story in the late 90s and early s. In the past, WWE broke royalties down into merchandise and video sales, with each of the two categories getting further divided into very specific pieces. Merchandise is split into licensing and direct sales. It seems that the share of licensed merchandise sales is, along with base salary, a key area where more valuable performers have received a better deal than their peers.

It's unclear what that specific amount may have been. Multi-wrestler merchandise again tooks that same percentage share and splits it among featured performers. The other specific royalty section was video royalties.

These operated in a similar fashion to merchandise. That money was then pro-rated among featured wrestlers according to their share of the live event bonus money. In other words, because Hulk Hogan received Wrestlers were sometimes also entitled to receive an additional bonus if they were the featured wrestler in a non-PPV video product sold by WWE.

An example of this is provided in Brock Lesnar's contract, which states that The Rock was the featured performer of the video product "Just Bring It. Photo by John W. Such a featured bonus clause only appears in the contracts of Lesnar, Raven, Sanders and Kanyon. To reiterate, none of these specific clauses regarding merchandise and video royalties appear in the most recently available documents, which are in turn the most similar to current booking contracts.

All available booking contracts also stipulate that wrestlers are not entitled to some specific royalties. These include things like commentary, post-event production or voice-over work, which are considered work for hire. Wrestlers are also not entitled to royalties for any use of their intellectual property on WWE's website or in its magazine.

The more recent contracts also specifically state that the performer is not entitled to any share of fees from TV licensing, internet subscriptions or video-on-demand. In the past those revenue streams were likely minimal. That's no longer the case as WWE continues to bet big on its new online-only network platform , but live events and consumer products still generate a combined one-third of WWE's revenue.

That's good news for the many wrestlers relying on those revenue streams for valuable bonus income. Follow ChrisSmith I report on the business of sports for Forbes' SportsMoney group. My sports interests range from baseball and hockey to cricket and Formula One, though I specialize…. My sports interests range from baseball and hockey to cricket and Formula One, though I specialize mainly in college football and basketball. Studying sports business interests me both as a writer and a sports fan, and I've found that digging through financial reports is often just as enjoyable as combing a box score.

Many wrestlers also earn from merch agreements with a standard 3 to 5 percent of all earnings going to the wrestler. While no one intends to get injured, injuries do happen and, on many occasions, often come when least expected.

Moreover, injured wrestlers will also generate additional income from merch sales. However, since injured wrestlers will not be attending house and tv shows, they will not earn any of this additional income from the company. However, a standard deal often gives the WWE the option of paying the wrestler the minimum amount.

The Legends Contract is also known as the Contractor Nostalgia agreement has seen several retired wrestlers sign for 5 years with the WWE. Wrestlers also have an option to terminate the contract yearly. While it is not known whether the pay structure will change, many retired wrestlers will continue to renew their contracts. However, the contractor is expected to provide all the wardrobe, costumes, make-up, props for their performances, accommodations, and food.

WWE referees are among the highest paid in the world. This comes as a no brainer as referees are an integral part of the match ensuring that wrestlers can safely execute their moves.

Referees are also in charge of controlling the flow of the match and in relaying crucial information and instructions from the producers to the wrestlers. When a wrestler is unable to continue with the match due to an injury, it is the duty of the referee to inform the opponent and if necessary stop the match.

Apart from this basic income, referees are also entitled to proper facilitation and bonuses from the promotion. Just like it is the case with WWE wrestlers, there is also a huge gap between the earnings of male referees and that of female referees.