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Many sports stars’ earnings are common knowledge to fans, but the same cannot be said for the men and women of WWE.
In 2019, a list containing over 70 names revealed the guaranteed annual salary of WWE Superstars, with Brock Lesnar ($12 million) and John Cena ($8.5 million) among those who earned the most money.
WWE does not publish employees’ annual earnings, so information about finances usually comes from other sources or, as we’re about to find out, sometimes even from the Superstars themselves.
In this article, let’s take a look at five WWE Superstars and the amount that they earned when they signed with the company.
#5 Mark Henry’s first WWE deal: $250,000 per year
In 1996, WWE took the unusual approach of handing somebody without any wrestling experience a 10-year contract worth $250,000 per year.
That somebody – Mark Henry – was among the strongest men in the world, but that did not stop the WWE locker room from questioning why he had been given such a lucrative contract.
WWE’s head of talent relations at the time, Jim Ross, said on his Grilling JR podcast in 2019 that other Superstars were jealous of Henry’s deal, and he did not have time for anyone who had insecurities with their own position in WWE.
“Well, there’s always jealousy. That’s what we’re talking about here, is basic jealousy. Insecurity and jealousy. So, I don’t know how you run your business, Conrad [host Conrad Thompson]. I know it’s successful, but I got a feeling you don’t put up with a lot of bulls***. I didn’t have time for insecurities and your jealousy. Go to catering and get a table together, I don’t give a s***. You know, be an adult.” [H/T 411mania.com]
The highlight of Henry’s WWE career came in 2011 when he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Randy Orton at Night of Champions.
The two-time Olympian remained an in-ring competitor with WWE until announcing his retirement in 2017. He has since been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, while he also works as a backstage mentor for the company.
#4 Erick Rowan’s first WWE deal: $750 per week
Erick Rowan began to make a name for himself in WWE in 2012 when he joined forces with Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper as part of The Wyatt Family in NXT, but the man behind the villainous character (real name Joseph Ruud) actually started his wrestling career nine years earlier.
In 2011, Rowan sent a tape to WWE officials in the hope of getting signed by the company. He then received a one-week tryout with the Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) developmental system, which involved a match against NXT Season 4 contestant Jacob Novak.
One week after the match with Novak, Rowan was offered a developmental contract by WWE. However, as he explained in a 2020 interview with Lewis Nicholls (09:30 mark of the video above), he had to take a big pay cut compared to the money he earned on the independent scene.
“Some guys were making as little as five hundred a week. Because I have a family, I made seven-fifty a week, which to support a family, that’s not really a whole lot of money. But I took a chance and you get paid to train, so…”
Rowan did not reveal how much money he went on to make as a member of WWE’s main roster, but it is safe to assume that he received a significant pay rise during his time on RAW and SmackDown.
#3 Ronda Rousey’s first WWE deal: $1.5m per year
Ronda Rousey is one of the most influential sportswomen of the last decade, so it is no surprise that WWE immediately made her the highest-paid female Superstar when she signed with the company in 2018.
After years of speculation about possibly swapping the octagon for the squared circle, “The Baddest Women on the Planet” appeared at the end of the 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble and pointed at the WrestleMania 34 sign.
It was confirmed later that day that she had signed a multi-year deal with WWE, reported to be worth $1.5 million per year.
In January 2019, Rousey’s WWE future was thrown into doubt after it was reported that she could leave the company after the event. WWE clarified that the former RAW Women’s Champion is under contract with the company until April 10, 2021, two weeks after WrestleMania 37.
Given that Rousey has not appeared on WWE television since April 2019, it is not known if her salary has changed in the second and third years of her contract.
#2 Scott Hall’s first WWE deal: $1,500 for 10 shows
Erick Rowan mentioned that some WWE newcomers earned as little as $500 per week in 2011, but that deal is still significantly better than the guaranteed amount of money that the likes of Scott Hall were given in the '90s.
Speaking on Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager At Sea: Part Deux in 2020, Hall disclosed that he was guaranteed $150 for each show across 10 separate dates. He also said that many other Superstars were on the same deal as him, except high-profile names like Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior.
"My contract, as was everybody's, except for maybe Hulk and stuff, Warrior, 10 days at $150 a date, guaranteed. Yeah, you made more than that, but that was what you were guaranteed. $1,500 and you give up everything for $1,500." [H/T Wrestling Inc.]
Hall said he asked Vince McMahon for more money because he felt that his value to WWE had increased but his pay had plateaued. The WWE Chairman refused to guarantee him a better deal, which ultimately led the former Razor Ramon to sign with WCW.
#1 The Rock’s first WWE deal: $150,000 per year
In 2019, Forbes reported that eight-time WWE Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson earned $89.4 million between June 1, 2018 and June 1, 2019, making him the highest-paid actor in the world.
WWE Superstars do not get paid anywhere close to that amount, but The Rock still earned a decent figure after signing his first contract with the company.
Writing on Twitter in 2018, “The Great One” responded to a tweet about his Survivor Series 1996 debut by revealing that he agreed a $150,000 per year deal when he signed with WWE.
The Rock, known as Rocky Maivia at the start of his WWE career, joined forces with Jake Roberts, Marc Mero and The Stalker to defeat Crush, Goldust, Jerry Lawler and Hunter Hearst Helmsley on his WWE debut.
Two years later, “The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment” won the WWE Championship at Survivor Series 1998 and, along with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, he went on to become one of WWE’s highest-paid Superstars during the Attitude Era.
