The WWE is a multi-million or possibly even a multi-billion dollar industry. For the wrestlers who are a part of the industry, they are loved by millions of people from around the world. Everyone has their favourite wrestlers and they’re usually one of the more popular competitors on the circuit. The likes of Brock Lesnar, John Cena and Randy Orton are household names with many people tuning in weekly to catch up on the latest goings on; or paying to watch box office events such as Wrestlemania and The Royal Rumble. The sport has reached to such a level that some established bookmakers, like www.sportingbet.com , will offer special betting markets for WWE events.
For most people, the amount these pro wrestlers earn won’t come in to consideration, but for some it causes a sense of intrigue.
First of all, every WWE wrestler is signed to a contract. These usually range from 1 to 5 years. This contract entitles every wrestler signed to the WWE a base salary and these vary massively from wrestler to wrestler. The reported lowest base salary paid to wrestlers is around $50,000 per year. If you take into account that health insurance and travel costs aren’t usually included, you can see it’s not really that great.
The average base salary though is believed to be around $100,000 with most in the WWE paid this amount or close to it. It’s not a bad base salary and even with costs deducted, it’s still pretty decent. Now, if you’re a big name in the WWE, this is where you can earn a hell of a lot of money. The most popular wrestlers or figures in the industry, the likes of John Cena and Triple H, will have a base salary upwards of $1,000,000. Many claim that Triple H earns doubt that. So the amounts you can earn if you’re popular are huge.
The base salaries are then built up by other things such as licensing deals. WWE games, promotions, advertisements and merchandise will all add more to the earnings of the top wrestlers on the circuit. To use a wrestler’s likeness, the wrestler has to be paid and these figures can see a lot of money change hands. Again, it pays to be popular.
Pay Per View events are hugely popular in WWE. They happen all year round with all the wrestlers on the roster eager to make an appearance. This is because they receive bonuses for taking part in these events on top of their base salaries. Some PPV shows are more high profile than others and there’s the potential for those participating to earn six figure sums.
It really does pay to be a wrestler in the WWE, a popular one anyway. If WWE stars are heavily involved in storylines and pay per view shows, they could find themselves earning millions. The average wrestler also earns a decent amount of money, especially if it’s boosted through PPV appearances. The recent Forbes list claims Brock Lesnar currently earns $12 million per year, with John Cena picking up a tidy $8 million; not a bad deal if you can get it!
