WWE remains one of the most popular wrestling promotions for millions of Americans. Plus, there’s an increase in the popularity of this sport globally. Its popularity is so high that it has become one of the unique things about the USA, meaning that it has become a part of its culture.
The popularity of this sport is so big that it has served as an inspiration in other industries. Gambling is one of them. Several WWE-themed slots are not only available in the US, but among the best Australian online pokies as well. That means that the popularity of WWE superstars is international. Let’s have a look at how much money WWE wrestlers make and what factors contribute to their earnings.
Factors Influencing WWE Wrestler Salaries
Like in any other business, there are multiple elements that affect how much money WWE wrestlers make. This applies to both male and female wrestlers. The most important elements are:
- Wrestler’s popularity – Every wrestler uses their time on the stage to connect with their audience and work on their popularity. Despite all of them working hard to give their best performance, some will always be more popular than others. This will automatically put them at an advantage when they’re negotiating their base salary.
- Wrestler’s availability – Some wrestlers are willing to go the extra mile and promote events by attending events, showing up on popular shows, and other similar places. Each of these appearances is paid, and those who do them more often tend to earn more money.
- Number of main event matches – Main events are paid on top of the base salary, and the most popular athletes will earn more money this way.
- Appearance fees – This is directly tied to the popularity of a WWE star. They can negotiate higher appearance fees and grow their income.
- Merchandise fees – A percentage of merchandise featuring them will go to the WWE star. Again, this will vary from one athlete to another.
Top-tier superstars can earn between $50,000 – $70,000 per main event match, while others may earn significantly less. When you look at the big picture, though, additional potential to make money comes from the popularity, as it brings potential endorsement and acting deals.
Top-Earning WWE Superstars
Here’s the list of the top-earning WWE superstars. It includes their earnings both inside and outside of the ring. You’ll quickly see why we’re ranking them like this.
- Vince McMahon – $3.2 billion
- The Rock – 800 million
- Stephanie McMahon – $250 million
- Triple H – $250 million
- John Cena – $80 million
- Steve Austin – $30 million
- Hulk Hogan – $25 million
- Stacy Keibler – $25 million
- Nikki Bella – $20 million
- Chris Jericho – $18 million
The list goes on as the promotion counts dozens of superstars such as the Undertaker, Goldberg, Batista, and many others.
The discrepancy in earnings comes from popularity factors, but also additional income outside of the ring. Vince might be a wrestler, but he is also the owner of the business. As its popularity grew over time, his wealth automatically increased. The same applies to Stephanie McMahon, who used to run a female promotion that was taken over by WWE.
Essentially, all the other names in this list ventured outside of WWE and made additional money due to their popularity. Take John Cena as an example. He appeared in very big franchises as an actor. He’s still a part of the WWE, though.
The list also features female wrestlers, so if you were wondering how much female WWE wrestlers make, you’ll like the list above as it has several women in it.
Mid-Tier and Developmental Contracts
While the main roster contracts are valued at millions of dollars annually, beginners and mid-tier wrestlers have a more reasonable income of approximately $60,000 – 80,000 for developmental contracts and $100,000 up to $500,000 mid-tier contracts.
Who are mid-tier wrestlers? Well, you’ll often see them appearing on TV, but not so often at main events.
Developmental contracts are specific to new talent that undergoes heavy training in terms of on-stage performance and character development. All the participants of this program can be featured on WWE NXT after initial training is done. Those who are the most successful will eventually join the main roster.
Merchandise Sales and Additional Income
Merchandise sales are another significant source of revenue for wrestlers. A percentage of all the sales with their character will go to them. Of course, every athlete will earn money differently, depending on the popularity of their character. First, the volume of sales will be higher, and second, they can negotiate a higher percentage of the revenue due to their popularity.
The true potential for a superstar to earn additional income comes from their engagements in other industries. The Rock is one of the best examples of an individual who has earned a high salary as an actor. He used his popularity to create an additional income source in a different industry.
Many other wrestlers have done the same through smart investments and appearances to promote WWE events.
Comparison to Other Wrestling Promotions
Even though the WWE is extremely popular, there are other alternatives for those who want to see a different spin on wrestling. The most popular wrestling promotions are:
- AEW
- MLW
- NJPW
- TNA
- NWA
WWE still remains the biggest one as it has the most interesting fighters. The company today is valued at more than $15 billion, which places it far at the top of all the wrestling promotions.
Likely Growth Ahead for All Wrestling Promotions
Judging from the past, it’s safe to assume that WWE will keep growing in popularity, like plenty of other wrestling promotions. Those at the top who are leading this company have organized well, and with up-and-coming stars in development, we’re yet to see new stories, events, and characters.
