The wrestling world has been buzzing for the past few months about WWE’s and its parent company, TKO’s, business practices and creative decisions. Since the insertion of Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll into the Cody Rhodes/Randy Orton WrestleMania feud, TKO, in particular, has drawn the ire of the WWE fanbase for perceived meddling in creative affairs.
Now, after the events of this week, the public perception of TKO amongst the WWE fanbase has taken yet another hit. The New Day, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods announced their shocking departure from the company.
Two superstars who seemed like they would be WWE lifers were suddenly gone from the company. At first, fans were perplexed about the reason for their exit, but soon the picture became clearer.
50% Paycut
Mike Johnson of PW Insider was the first publication to report that another superstar took a 50% pay cut after news came out about why Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods walked away.
“I’m not naming the talent because I have no way, yet, to confirm this was the case, but the timing of that claim and what happened the very next day [Kofi and Woods’ departures] was very, very interesting, to say the least,” Johnson said. “As always, until fully confirmed, take that for what it is, but the timing, especially coming out of WrestleMania season, is notable.”
Bryan Alvarez of The Wrestling Observer further explained the mentality behind TKO’s attempt to get several talents to reduce their pay.
“These people signed pretty big money deals quite a while ago, and they’ve been making that money for quite a while, and now they’re not where they were,” Alvarez said.
“Things are very different now than when you signed this deal. You’re not doing four house shows a week; you’re on the road one day a week,” Alvarez continued. “You’re wrestling maybe twice a month. We want to pay you less for what you’re doing because you’re doing less now.”
This mentality among TKO executives can be frustrating for talent, who rely on WWE’s creative to be used in storylines, and if they’re not used, their salaries will be impacted.
Handcuffed By Creative
Part of the frustration among certain talent in WWE is that their value to the company is largely built on their booking, which, in most cases, is out of their control. Wrestling is not a meritocracy, and how well a talent performs may not be reflected in their position on the card or their salary.
In 2016, following his departure from the company, former WWE superstar Ryback discussed how being booked a certain way can be a tactic for WWE to suppress wages in contract negotiations. Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report wrote about Ryback’s thoughts at the time.
“Why not pay the talent equally? The winners have more MERCH as it is, or are supposed to anyways so they get that extra perk, but why make the guy who is told to and agrees to lose earn less and sacrifice spots in big pay per view match ups etc. This is one of the major problems with wrestling and WWE today,” Ryback said.
“Most guys take great satisfaction in helping making other talent, the bitching and the moaning we always hear about stems from the fact they know they are ultimately over time going to make less and live in fear of being released,” Ryback continued.
With middle-class earners in WWE less secure than ever in their place in the company, the ripple effects of these pay cuts and releases could span the entire pro wrestling industry.
WWE Reportedly Approached Several Superstars About Massive Pay Cuts