38-year-old top superstar had to take a huge pay cut to sign WWE contract

Undisputed Tag Team Champion Sami Zayn recently revealed that he had to take a significant pay cut to join WWE.

Zayn kicked off his wrestling career in the early 2000s. He competed for about a decade on the independent circuit before joining NXT in 2013. After spending nearly two years in developmental, the former Honorary Uce made his main roster debut in 2015. He has since been an active competitor on SmackDown and Monday Night RAW.

In a recent interview with Whiskey Ginger, Sami Zayn disclosed that his developmental contract was worth only 39% of what he made on the independent scene at the time.

"When I signed for WWE, I actually took a pay cut because it's like, okay, you're signing for WWE, it's like the opportunity to make money, right? I think my last year on the independent [circuit], I'm throwing all these numbers out willy-nilly, but whatever. (...) So, I think my last year on the independent, I made somewhere around $100,000 and I signed my first WWE contract for $39,000." [17:02 - 17:39]

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Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens successfully defended their title on WWE SmackDown

Earlier this month, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens defeated The Usos in the main event of WrestleMania 39 Night One to capture the Undisputed Tag Team Championship.

Last Friday, Zayn and Owens squared off against The Usos in a tag team title rematch on SmackDown. Although the former champions were close to recapturing the championship several times during the match, Zayn picked up the victory for his team by pinning Jimmy Uso following a Helluva Kick.