Analyzing Forbes's List Of WWE's Highest Earners
Who was worth their hefty price tag?
For the second consecutive year, financial magazine Forbes has released a list of the 10 highest-earning superstars in WWE over the course of the previous fiscal year. This list, covering 2016, provides insight into just how much money the top stars of the company managed to pocket during what was a very unpredictable twelve months.
Wrestlers' incomes, it should be noted, are notoriously difficult to estimate. Every wrestler in WWE gets a contractually mandated "downside" salary - an amount of money that they're paid regardless of activity - as well as lots of additional cash depending on how much they work and their place on the card. That income includes merchandise revenue, cuts from ticket sales and PPV buys, and the like. Still, Forbes - which routinely covers WWE - has managed to compile the list.
With all the information available for mass consumption, the only question for fans to ask is - was it worth it? Did the ten men who were ranked in the article really earn their money, or did they end up costing WWE more than they actually brought to the table?
Of course, the answers vary depending on the superstar in question. This list looks at who made the top ten, and whether or not they were worth the millions they brought home.
10. Randy Orton - $1.9 Million
For Randy Orton, 2016 was a year of low lows and fairly low highs, as well. As the year started, Orton was convalescing from a shoulder injury suffered in October, one which threatened to keep him on the sidelines for WrestleMania 32. As it turned out, not only did Orton miss the show of shows, but he was on the sidelines until July.
When Orton did return, he went straight into a feud with Brock Lesnar. Their infamous bout headlined SummerSlam and saw Lesnar concuss Orton in a more-than-successful attempt to split him open hardway. That kept Orton on the shelf for another month, though he managed to participate in a very sub-par feud with Bray Wyatt. When Orton could return to the ring, he ended up joining The Wyatt Family and capturing tag team gold.
In 2017, he turned on Bray and won the Royal Rumble and the WWE Championship in a seeming make-good for the injury he suffered in an unsafe working environment. In 2016, though, he only worked for a few months and didn't capture anyone's imagination in the process.
Was he worth it? No.