The life of WWE superstars is nothing short of sunshine and rainbows for an outsider. From what we see, they have this huge fan following, their own merchandise, supercars, hot girlfriends and most importantly fat paychecks.But things arent that easy, almost all the wrestlers are pretty much on the job for literally every day and the traveling, training and all take a big toll on their body apart from the in ring action.Its not clearly a rock stars life that we assumed it to be and the earnings they get are simply the pay for the effort they put in. so here is a look at some of those numbers that float up in the salary checks of some WWE Superstars.
#10 Mark Henry: $877,000 downside/first class travel
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Henry might not be getting a main event push like he used to be, but he clearly outclasses many current main events when it comes to the pay check he receives.
He receives a downside of $ 877,000 while also receiving the facilities for first class travel across the world. Henry was obviously bought into WWE with some major plans and even was considered to break Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak.
But things didn’t turn out that well for the World’s strongest man after some botched face runs and ineffective heel runs ended him up in the pits of the jobber land.
#9 Kane: $905,000 downside/first class travel and accommodation
Kane recently came out of his suit and unleashed the monster inside him to take out Daniel Bryan. It probably is going to be the final run of Kane in the main event scene as he started an insurance company with his wife which may take him away from wrestling.
With the money he’s receiving now, one may wonder why Kane would leave that. But the physical aspects clearly come into play here.
Kane receives a downside of just above $ 900,000 and also receives accommodation and travelling arrangements. Even if he gets relegated to the office after this, Kane still would have a lot of bank balance left to explore new areas.
#8 The Great Khali: $974,000 downside
Arguably the most surprising name on the list, Khali is someone who never had the skills to make it in WWE.
He had the size that could scare everyone and Vince McMahon tried to cash in on that by pitting him against undertaker in a high profile feud. But his limitation soon got the eye of the fans and they realized that he has nothing to offer in the ring.
The huge size of Khali restricted him from adapting well and he could barely walk inside the ring once he gets in. but still he ranks among some of the top earners in the company which certainly is a good thing for someone who can’t wrestle.
#7 Rey Mysterio: $985,000 downside/first class travel arrangements/receives an additional 4% bonus for high merchandise sales
Though he is a bit restricted in the ring due to his bad knee, Mysterio is still very much over with the WWE fans.
He has a great deal of marketability and merchandise sale potential in him that substantiates that pay he receives even if he wrestles less. Mysterio is an integral part of WWE’s popularity in Mexico as well.
There were rumors recently that Mysterio might take up the role of ambassador and take lighter in ring schedules due to his physique.
This might cut down his pay check by a bit but still the former World Heavyweight champion is just one of those handful of masked luchadors who made it in WWE.
#6 Sheamus: $1,000,000 downside/first class travel arrangements
The Celtic warrior was laid off for a long time due to the injury he had and his return hasn’t yet taken him back to the main event scene.
But despite fighting it out in the upper midcard, Sheamus gets a million bucks and first class travel facilities. Before making it in the WWE, Sheamus had his run back in Ireland.
Once Sheamus made it to WWE, McMahon gave his fellow Irishman a good push and Sheamus ended up winning the WWE title. he is also very good friends with Triple H who also trained him a bit during his development days.
#5 Big Show: $1,050,000 downside/allocated a personal touring bus/first class travel
Show is also one of those veterans in the company who has been limited the ring time due to some reasons. Last year Show received a main event push which saw him main event WrestleMania but he never took off after that.
But WWE is using him well for the promotion event and even had him send to India recently.
His illustrious roller coaster career is what gives him such a good pay day and Show is one of those wrestlers who survive in the modern era due to the nostalgic popularity he has.
The chances of us seeing him getting a big title aren’t that high but Show will get his wishes granted as long as WWE don’t review his contract.
#4 CM Punk: $1,220,500 downside/allocated a personal touring bus/first class travel arrangements/ merchandise sales
Punk may have walked out of the company but the fact is that he is still in contract. He is not suspended or fired and receives his checks right on time.
He however, wouldn’t be receiving the touring bus and travels facility while a percentage of merchandize sales could still be going into his account. It was a shame that he didn’t stay in WWE to complete the contract which runs till July.
If Punk decides to go to another promotion, he is clearly not going to get such fat paychecks. But knowing him, he might find something other than wrestling which is more suiting for his needs.
#3 Triple H $1,550,000 downside/ allocated a personal touring bus/first class travel arrangements/ merchandise sales
The most likely successor of Vince McMahon, Triple H has his pay cut into two parts. He receives around 550,000 as part of being an executive in the office while the rest comes part of his talent contract.
This however is a rare case from the other names as Triple H practically runs almost everything in WWE. He could receive any facility he wants or even he could give himself a bigger contract since he is the head of Talent management along with his wife.
There is nothing more to be said about Hunter and his pocket because in the near future, it won’t be Vince McMahon who holds the major shares of WWE, it’s going to be Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
#2 Randy Orton: $1,600,500 downside/allocated a personal touring bus/first class travel arrangements/ merchandise sales
The Third Generation superstar has been in WWE for more than a decade now and has established himself as a big draw.
Randy Orton is the second highest earner in the WWE and also is active inside the ring than most of the other names in the list. Orton throughout his career has achieved many titles and slowly was built as a superstar which landed him all these facilities.
Orton still has a lot of years left in him and WWE has full faith of him being a main event which smells more money for the Viper.
#1 John Cena: $2,750,000 downside/first class travel and accommodation/merchandise sales
No Matter who ever denies it, there won’t be many wrestlers in the modern era who could match the popularity of Cena.
He is quite simply the biggest draw that WWE has and though it’s not mentioned he is the real face of the company. Cena is the top merchandise seller as well which adds more to the already big pay day.
However, one has to admit that he deserves this amount of money since he has been busing his rear even in house shows for a long time. He is also someone who rarely gets some free time to spend since he will be invested in some thing or the other.
Cena might not be Daniel Bryan inside the ring, but he came from nothing and became the guy that everyone wants to be, and the pay check is only one of the rewards he got for that.