New details on WWE wrestlers asked to take pay cuts | Exclusive
An update is available regarding how many members of the WWE roster were recently asked to take a pay cut.
In addition to the post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts made by WWE recently, it has been reported that several wrestlers, including at least one major name, had agreed to take a 50 percent pay cut.
In today’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer provided more on the situation, writing that those “in a position to know” have said the number of wrestlers asked to take a pay cut is less than six, and that those wrestlers would have been cut had they not accepted.
Meltzer wrote:
“While there have been talks of large numbers asked to take pay cuts, those in a position to know have said that the number is less than a half dozen, and they were people who would have been cut had they not accepted it.“
“They were not the high end players and were people that creative had tabbed little interest in going forward and thus the idea is they could remain under contract while their in-ring aspect of their career would be phased down.“
However, Meltzer also confirmed that one major name wrestler agreed to a 50 percent pay cut, noting that wrestlers who wouldn’t be a fit in AEW do not have much leverage.
“There were reports, confirmed to us, that at least one major name wrestler agreed to a 50 percent pay cut. There are wrestlers who would not fit in AEW and are making well into seven figures, many in excess of $2 million per year, who simply couldn’t earn anywhere near $1 million elsewhere, so the leverage isn’t there.”
Meltzer also addressed the situation involving The New Day’s Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston specifically, stating that TKO had offered them a deal that would see them finish their current contract doing some in-ring work and working in a promotional capacity, but Woods and Kingston declined the offer.
Meltzer wrote:
“The New Day, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods, who were on the list of those without significant future plans, were essentially put in the position where they were going to be cut, but were offered less money to stay, wind down their in-ring careers and finish their current contract doing some in-ring and working in a promotional capacity.”
“They both decided to leave the promotion, given they had signed a five year-contract in 2025 at a certain number and one year in were being asked to have that money cut back while maintaining the rest of the contract.”
The full edition of today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter is available here for subscribers.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.