Several WWE superstars earn millions of dollars, but who is the highest-paid in 2021?
WWE superstars are probably the highest-paid in-ring performers in the world. A few of them are even among the richest athletes in the world. Nonetheless, a few WWE superstars earn much more than others. While the salary of some exceeds ten million dollars annually, others receive less than a hundred thousand.
Most current champions are not among the highest-paid wrestlers in the company. Surprisingly, the list of the ten highest-paid WWE superstars in 2021 contains only two current champions. The rest are all former world champions. Some of them are even part-timers and have appeared only a few times on WWE TV this year.
Here are the ten highest-paid WWE superstars in 2021, according to The Mirror.
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#10. WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler has been a part of WWE for 17 years. He joined the company in 2004 before making his television debut a year later.
The 41-year-old kicked off his career on the main roster as a member of The Spirit Squad. Nonetheless, he later became a singles competitor.
Ziggler has had a very successful career in WWE. His accomplishments include two World Heavyweight Championships, two United States Championships, six Intercontinental titles, and four Tag Team titles. He is also a former Mr. Money in the Bank.
Due to all these accomplishments, Ziggler is among the highest-paid WWE Superstars today. The former World Champion earns an annual salary of one and a half million dollars.
Ziggler and his current tag team partner Robert Roode captured the SmackDown Tag Team Championships last January. However, they lost their titles five months later to The Mysterios. Ziggler and Roode recently moved to RAW.
On the October 25 episode, they challenged Randy Orton and Riddle for the RAW Tag Team Titles but came up short.
#9. WWE Superstar Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens is one of the most exciting WWE Superstars on the roster today. He joined the company seven years ago and has become one of the top guys ever since winning the Universal Championship and the NXT title. He is also a three-time United States Champion and two-time Intercontinental Champion.
Although he had a lot of success in the previous years, Owens has not had a good year so far. The 37-year-old has challenged several champions throughout the past eleven months but failed to capture any belts.
In January, he lost to Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble in a Universal Title match. He also lost six Intercontinental Championship matches to Apollo Crews on SmackDown and live events between April and August. Between October and November, Owens had three shots at the United States Title at live events. However, he lost them all.
Despite having a tough year, the former Universal Champion is still among the ten highest-paid WWE Superstars in 2021. He earns an annual salary of two million dollars.
#8. WWE Superstar The Miz
The Miz is also one of the highest-paid WWE superstars on the current roster. The 41-year-old earns an annual salary of two and a half million dollars.
The Awesome One probably earns a high salary due to his accomplishments. The Miz is a two-time WWE Champion, two-time United States Champion, eight-time Tag Team Champion, an eight-time Intercontinental Champion. The former WWE Champion has also acted in a few movies and has his reality show, Miz and Mrs.
The Miz has had some highs and lows in 2021. Last February, he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Drew McIntyre to capture the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber. However, he lost his title eight days later to Bobby Lashley on RAW.
The former WWE Champion, alongside John Morrison, lost to Damian Priest and Bad Bunny at WrestleMania 37. Miz then suffered a torn ACL during his match against Priest at WrestleMania Backlash.
After returning to in-ring action last August, losing two consecutive matches against Damian Priest and Xavier Woods, The Miz has not competed for three months.
#7. WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg
Despite being a part-timer, Goldberg is the seventh highest-paid WWE Superstar in 2021. He earns an annual salary of three million dollars.
The 54-year-old is a former two-time Universal Champion and former WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He is also a WWE Hall of Famer.
Goldberg has only had three matches in WWE in 2021. In January, he challenged Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble but lost.
A few months later, he returned to challenge the new champion, Bobby Lashley, for the title. They squared off at SummerSlam last August but again failed to capture the title.
Goldberg then went head-to-head with Lashley again in a No Holds Barred Falls Count Anywhere Match at Crown Jewel. The Hall of Famer walked out victorious.
#6. WWE Superstar Seth Rollins
Since joining WWE eleven years ago, Seth Rollins has become one of the top names in the company. He won all available titles and became the eleventh Grand Slam Champion in WWE history.
Rollins' accomplishments have earned him a place among the highest-paid superstars on the current roster in 2021. The 35-year-old earns an annual salary of three million dollars.
The four-time World Champion spent most of this year feuding with Cesaro on SmackDown. He also had a few epic battles with Edge. Their final match came at Crown Jewel inside Hell in a Cell. After an incredible performance from both superstars, The Rated R Superstar walked out with the victory.
The Drip God recently moved from SmackDown to Monday Night RAW in the 2021 WWE Draft. On the October 25 episode of the Red Brand, he defeated Finn Bálor, Kevin Owens, and Rey Mysterio in a Ladder Fatal Four-Way match to earn a shot at Big E's WWE Championship.
#5. WWE Superstar AJ Styles
AJ Styles is another superstar from Monday Night RAW on this list. The Phenomenal One is the fifth highest-paid WWE Superstar in 2021, with an annual salary of three and a half million dollars.
Styles joined WWE five years ago, debuting at the 2016 Royal Rumble match. He went on to become one of WWE's top guys. He has won the WWE Championship twice and the United States Title three times in the past few years. He also captured the Intercontinental Title and the RAW Tag Team Championships to become a Grand Slam Champion.
Earlier this year, Styles joined forces with Omos to chase the RAW Tag Team Titles. They captured the Championships at WrestleMania 37 after defeating The New Day. Nonetheless, they lost their titles to RK-Bro at SummerSlam.
Styles and Omos attempted to re-capture the RAW Tag Team Titles at Crown Jewel last month. However, they lost again to Orton and Riddle.
#4. WWE RAW Tag Team Champion Randy Orton
Randy Orton is one of the most popular WWE Superstars and has been one of the company's top guys for nearly a decade and a half. The Viper is currently active on Monday Night RAW, where he is now part of team RK-Bro.
Orton has achieved everything in WWE since his debut in 2002. The 41-year-old is a 14-time World Champion, three-time Tag Team Champion, a former United States Champion, and a former Intercontinental Champion.
The Viper is currently the fourth highest-paid WWE Superstar in 2021. He earns an annual salary of four and a half million dollars.
This year has seen Orton win his third Tag Team Title. At SummerSlam, he joined forces with Riddle to defeat AJ Styles and Omos to capture the RAW Tag Team Titles, and they have held the championships ever since.
#3. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns
The Universal Champion Roman Reigns is not the highest-paid WWE Superstar in 2021, unlike many might think. Nonetheless, he is the third on this list with an annual salary of five million dollars.
Reigns joined WWE nearly a decade ago. His accomplishments include winning five world championships, an Intercontinental Title, a United States Title, and a Tag Team Championship.
The Tribal Chief is currently the leader of the Bloodline stable, which includes his cousins The Usos and Paul Heyman. The Head of the Table and his group have been dominating SmackDown for more than a year now.
Throughout 2021, Reigns has defended his Universal Title against legends such as Edge, John Cena, and Brock Lesnar. The 36-year-old also retained his championship against a few other superstars, including Rey Mysterio, Finn Balor, and Cesaro.
#2. WWE legend John Cena
John Cena is one of the most accomplished superstars in WWE history. He has also been the face of the company for many years. Nonetheless, the Leader of the Cenation is currently a part-timer. The 16-time World Champion has made only a few appearances on WWE television in 2021.
Following Roman Reigns' victory over Edge in the main event of the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Cena returned to WWE after more than a year of absence to confront the Universal Champion.
Cena then squared off against Roman Reigns in a Universal Title match at SummerSlam but came up short. The 16-time World Champion has also competed in a few dark bouts on SmackDown and at live WWE events between July and September.
Despite being a part-timer, Cena is still the second-highest-paid WWE Superstar in 2021. He earns an annual salary of eight and a half million dollars.
#1. WWE legend Brock Lesnar
Like Goldberg and John Cena, Brock Lesnar is also a part-time WWE Superstar. Nevertheless, he is still the highest-paid wrestler in the company in 2021. The 44-year-old earns an annual salary of 12 million dollars.
The Beast Incarnate has been absent from WWE television for most of this year. However, he finally returned at SummerSlam to confront Roman Reigns following his victory over Cena.
Lesnar went into a feud with The Head of the Table in the following weeks. The two squared off in a Universal Title match at Crown Jewel. Nonetheless, he lost the bout after interference from The Usos.
On the following SmackDown, Lesnar attempted to attack Reigns, but The Tribal Chief escaped. The Beast Incarnate then beat down several WWE officials, which forced Adam Pearce to announce the suspension of Lesnar. The former Universal Champion then went down to the ring and attacked Pearce himself.