When it comes to pay scale, sports and entertainment don’t mix.
Ryback went home Monday after unsuccessful negotiations with his boss Vince McMahon. Ryback wrote a blog telling his side of things, fueled by frustrations of wanting pay equality for performers in WWE regardless of how many matches they are winning or losing — considering the outcomes are pre-determined.
Calling it sports entertainment is an accurate description with the athleticism of pro wrestlers earning the “sports” tag, and the soap-opera storylines holding up the “entertainment” end of things. WWE compensates as though it’s a sport, even though the work fits better in an entertainment pay scale.
Ryback wrote: “Wrestling is pre determined, we as performers know before we go out to that ring or perform a backstage scene who is winning and losing etc or have a general idea of what we are going to say. It blows my mind how in a sport which is pre determined from a company standpoint winners are paid so much more than the losers. Every single person who works for WWE from top to bottom is absolutely just as valuable as the next. The winners cannot win unless the losers go out there and agree to lose to them.”
This is a viewpoint to which anyone in the middle or below on the roster can subscribe. However, try convincing the elite guys that money has to be taken from them and spread to others on the roster to make it more even.
Professional wrestling is built on one big hustle. It’s physical entertainment built around illusions and getting you to pay to see it. Naturally, pro wrestlers always want a little more. It’s the nature of the game, even more so than any other athlete or entertainer. It’s why there never will be any kind of union for pro wrestlers — everybody is out to get the best deal they can for themselves.
No matter how much trust there is in the ring, when it comes to pay, it’s survival of the fittest negotiator. The closest thing to a union in pro wrestling was Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in 1996.
Those two communicated and negotiated together on big paydays when jumping ship to WCW. They also set the bar for wrestlers having guaranteed base pay, even if injured, whereas before they only got paid based on days worked.
While WWE can determine if you’re going to win or not, the aspect of getting over and connecting with the crowd falls mostly on the performer. If you’re getting over with the crowd, then usually it will translate into more money via merchandise and better opportunities for bonus payouts.
CLICK HERE for the rest of column with getting over, WWE allowing that and the reality of the future for Ryback.
