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It's a well-known fact that WWE likes to tie its talent down to long-term contracts. A Fightful Select report has now revealed new details about several Superstars' contracts and what the fans should expect in 2021.
It has been revealed that many mid-2020 contract offers were labeled 'disappointing' when compared to the offers made in 2019.
2020, as we all know, was a challenging year for wrestling due to COVID-19. The pandemic's financial implications forced WWE to make several budget cuts, including releasing and furloughing many Superstars and employees. 2019 was a very different year as WWE handed out massive money offers to a plethora of talent. WWE intended to retain the Superstars' services, and the company splashed a lot of money to attain the objective.
The pandemic has changed WWE's direction. People within WWE told revealed that the company doesn't believe in hoarding talent anymore due to the pandemic's effects.
The new contract offers have not met the standards of 2019, nor have they met the Superstars' expectations. The report stated that at 'least half a dozen' talent 'shuffled their feet' or outrightly passed on the new deals that were offered.
WWE Superstars are waiting for the situation to improve
Some talent Fightful spoke to revealed that they were waiting for the situation to get better before signing new deals.
Thankfully for the talent, WWE is also reportedly open to talent playing the waiting game.
The names of the Superstars who reportedly turned down the opportunities to sign new deals weren't revealed. However, it was added that some of the names would be revealed soon. It should be noted that there are Superstars from both SmackDown and RAW who are waiting for better times to renegotiate terms.
We do know the name of one Superstar who wasn't initially interested in renewing his WWE contract. Fightful had reported earlier in the week that Matt Riddle wasn't too interested in extending his WWE stay based on the original contract offer.
WWE put together a better deal, and Riddle signed a contract extension last week. Riddle put ink to paper to a three-year deal, which would see him earn a total of $1.2 million, and an extra $50,000 for every Saudi Arabia show he attends.
Stay tuned for more updates on the developing story about the contracts of the WWE talent.
