Nick Khan: Top guys in WWE are ‘getting rich,’ middle have ‘really good life’
Nick Khan believes WWE has a pay structure where the top stars are getting rich and the middle class are able to live a really good life.
The WWE president spoke with Max Kellerman this week for an interview on Ring Magazine’s Inside the Ring. During their conversation, Khan discussed the Muhammad Ali Reform Act and the pay structure that boxing has had historically. In boxing, Khan says there have only been “rich” fighters and fighters who are “not rich.” He does not feel WWE has that same issue.
“It’s a meritocracy. If you make it to the top and you’re marketable — you get paid. That’s how any job should be. Your job, my job, any job,” Khan said. “Similarly in WWE, if you’re Roman Reigns, if you’re Brock Lesnar, if you’re Cody Rhodes, all the guys at the top of our game, CM Punk. They’re getting rich. If you’re in the middle, you’re not getting rich but you have a really good life. In boxing, to your point, it’s not that way. It’s not that way. There’s really only rich or not rich.”
Khan, UFC’s Dana White, and Saudi official Turki Alalshikh are heading up Zuffa Boxing, which is TKO’s attempt to break into the sport. The new organization has signed a media rights deal with Paramount that will begin in January 2026. Khan told Inside the Ring that he wants to use the promotional muscle of TKO to elevate stars in boxing and create new ones.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.