Why WWE employees are disgruntled revealed in leaked reports

WWE is reportedly dealing with major internal issues on The Road to WrestleMania 41. Everything is not all positive after the Endeavor acquisition as new accounts from WWE HQ claim morale is down. Employees have provided inside details on issues in the biggest pro wrestling company in the world.

Multiple World Wrestling Entertainment employees are dealing with a drop in morale due to a heavier workload from the increased integration with UFC, a reduction of benefits, and limited pay raises. A new report from Wrestlenomics notes how WWE HQ is also experiencing a growing disconnect between corporate messaging and what employees are experiencing on a daily basis.

WWE higher-ups have publicly reiterated the value of their staff, as we've seen Triple H do numerous times, but multiple current employees stated, on the condition of anonymity, that they are feeling more and more undervalued these days. One major issue within the WWE workforce has to do with the end of the company's stock purchase program. The program, which ended when the merger was finalized, let employees buy WWE stock shares at a discount of 15%. As the company is currently enjoying its most successful period since around the Attitude Era, the stock price is up more than 50% in the past 18 months, and this means employees have lost out in a major way.

The stock program isn't the only employee perk that is contributing to the demoralization. Company higher-ups have done away with complimentary employee tickets to live events, which was a perk that goes back years. It also nixed the internal WWE Superstar program, which allowed co-workers to recognize and reward each other with points that could be redeemed for cash, gift cards, or in-person experiences.

It was acknowledged that officials may have stopped providing complimentary employee tickets due to the increase in consumer demand, but some employees still believe this move represents more widespread practices. Interestingly, all three perks are still listed on the company's corporate website.

HQ morale has also taken a hit due to a limit in pay raises. Despite the obvious success, multiple employees noted to Wrestlenomics that this has not led to worthwhile raises. Employees claimed they received a 3% cost-of-living raise for 2025, but those with strong performance reviews were told they would not receive more than the cost-of-living increase due to budget constraints. Before that, there had been chatter that significant raises would be given and promotions, but people said they were told the significant increases were not possible because of the merger. Employees added that this barely keeps them level with the rising costs in the area of New York and Connecticut.

Internal morale has been dropping for some time, according to the report, and the pay raise issue has exacerbated everything. It was noted that grievances submitted to low-and-mid-level managers were blamed on decisions made by executives. Frustrated employees do respect the company but feel obligated to speak out as they want to receive fair compensation.

Pay has not increased, but workloads have, according to the report. Mainly during WrestleMania season, some employees claim to be working 50-60 hours per week. Another issue is how some employees have been given more UFC-related assignments post-merger, and there's concern over how employees will be expected to add even more to their workloads due to TKO-Endeavor expansion.

A WWE HQ source noted to Wrestlenomics how morale has taken such a hit that some employees are not as willing to go above and beyond as they were before.