5 times WWE gave its Superstars a bonus 

#1 Jim Ross gave WWE Hall of Famer Edge a much-appreciated bonus early in his career

ON THIS DAY 🤘 ... in 1998, we got our first in-ring look at @EdgeRatedR! pic.twitter.com/ovxlx7tlrg

— WWE (@WWE) June 22, 2020

Sometimes, it is not the amount of the bonus received by a WWE Superstar that matters, but rather the impact of the bonus upon that individual's life. When 2021 Royal Rumble winner Edge signed a developmental contract with the company in 1997, he was a young rookie who had only recently finished college.

The real-life Adam Copeland graduated from Toronto's Humber College with a degree in Radio Broadcasting. In the process of obtaining his education, though he had amassed $40,000 in student debt.

On an episode of the E&C Pod of Awesomeness in 2018, Edge talked about the stress he felt in owing such a considerable sum of money at a young age.

"Well, I'm going to tell you for my end as a kid coming out of college, who owed $40,000, which was more than money than I ever made in a year, and no way in the future besides my only goal to pay it, $40,000 at that time is a chunk of change and it's still a chunk of change for a lot of people."

Edge's guest on the podcast that day was former WWE Head of Talent Relations Jim Ross, the man who ultimately helped the Canadian Superstar pay off all of his student debt with a single bonus payment.

Ross gave Edge a signing bonus after putting pen-to-paper on his first WWE deal that enabled him to pay off his student loans in full. Edge recalled how much he appreciated the act.

"I remember thinking to myself, 'okay, now I'm signed. Right, the first thing I've got to do is pay off this debt.' And (Jim Ross) paid it off. It was a signing bonus and I've never, ever forgotten that because it got me out of a hole. Now I was starting at zero, and, man, it put me in such a different place."

"It's happening...and it's awesome."@EdgeRatedR looks back on an incredible night after his storybook win at #RoyalRumble. pic.twitter.com/CApx1l4mA7

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) February 1, 2021

Looking back, that investment was not a bad one for WWE. Edge went on to become an 11-time World Champion for the company and will look to add to that impressive number at WrestleMania 37 in April.

Despite all the success he has achieved since, Edge has never forgotten how significant the bonus he received when signing with WWE was to him.