10. Nobody Really Knows How Much The Network Is Affecting Talent Earnings
One of CM Punk's biggest gripes was that he seriously wanted to know how much money he stood to lose as a main event talent because WWE was switching from their traditional pay-per-view driven revenue model to one where multiple streams of revenue would be counted almost equally. If looking for a real answer regarding Punk's question, note that none other than John Cena decided to work as a mid-card champion in WWE in 2016. While yes, Cena makes a ton of money, it's VERY rare to see someone so willingly take the "pay cut" of sliding down the card. Perhaps that's just it? Maybe there really isn't much of a "pay cut" anymore in WWE. Perhaps with the level of merchandise that Cena sells, losing the added revenue of being a main eventer was not so much of a burden. Let's note that during Cena's US Championship run he's had three different t-shirt designs and one full-scale design shift in his wardrobe. While Cena won't see those first and second fiscal quarter of 2015 checks until later this year, CM Punk's fears? If not receiving John Cena-style chances for earning supplemental revenue, are certainly well grounded.