Forbes Reveals 10 Highest WWE Earners For 2016
Who made the most money?
For the second consecutive year, Forbes has released a list of the top ten highest-earning superstars in WWE, and Brock Lesnar has overtaken John Cena as the top-paid talent in the company - when his outside work is factored in. "The Beast" pulled in a cool $12 million for the 11 matches that he worked in 2016 and his major fight against Mark Hunt at UFC 200. Meanwhile, Cena - who missed more than half the year after suffering a shoulder injury and taping season two of American Grit - walked away with $8 million.
The top two spots are reversed from last year, when Cena was WWE's highest earner, making $9.5 million. Lesnar - who signed a new contract with WWE just prior to WrestleMania 31 and didn't work for UFC at all - only made $6 million over the course of the year.
Number three on the list was Triple H, who made $3.8 million total, which factors in his salaries as an active performer and an executive. Roman Reigns was fourth with $3.5 million, while his former Shield partner, Dean Ambrose, came in fifth with $2.7 million. Newcomer AJ Styles landed at number six with earnings of $2.4 million, and Shane McMahon, who only worked as an on-screen personality, was seventh with $2.2 million. The Undertaker and Seth Rollins were tied at number eight with earnings of $2 million apiece, while Randy Orton rounded out the list with $1.9 million.