Forbes Estimates WWE's 10 Biggest Earners For 2015
Which wrestler made the most money last year?
American business magazine Forbes has released its first-ever annualrankingof WWE's top ten highest-paid wrestlers, and 15-time world champion John Cena has topped the list.
While there have been many estimates regarding WWE pay floating around on the Internet over the years, Forbes's new list represents the most accurate look thus far at what the company's top superstars are earning.
According to the publication, researchers analyzed "court documents, SEC filings and WWEs booking contracts and spent hours speaking with industry sources" to gather the information.
The list - and the salaries of the ranked wrestlers - are as follows:
John Cena - $9.5 million Brock Lesnar - $6 million Triple H - $2.8 million Randy Orton - $2.7 million Seth Rollins - $2.4 million Roman Reigns - $2.1 million The Undertaker - $2 million The Big Show - $1.5 million Kane - $1.3 million Dean Ambrose - $1.1 millionTriple H, who only wrestled a single match in 2015, is also an outlier - he earned $1 million via base pay and $700,000 through bonuses, but his additional $1.1 million worth of compensation was paid due to his work as WWE's Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events, and Creative.
Rollins' high pay compared to that of his Shield team-mate Dean Ambrose is likely from working so many main events last year, particularly asWWEchampion.