10 Most Overpaid WWE Stars Of 2017

3. Jinder Mahal

Brock Lesnar Loves It
WWE.com

Dave Meltzer, of the Wrestling Observer, confirmed via Twitter that Jinder Mahal's main event push generated as much top-end money as exasperated groans - not that it really required confirmation. The higher the wrestler's position on the card, the more money they make. This is true even in an age in which objective metrics, like PPV numbers and highly-rated segments, are either defunct or archaic.

Did Jinder earn that extra 0?

Since his push yielded zero main event-level onscreen material, nor made any appreciable difference in the domestic market either way, consensus subjective opinion and objective data points towards the negative. Had Jinder spiked interest in the intended market, that may have justified the outlay. He did not; the enforced reduction of December's India tour was an embarrassing failure and a grim omen for WWE's grand localisation initiative. It wasn't catastrophic so much as it was pointless - a word that summarises the folly of the push as well as any other. Jinder didn't move the needle, nor do anywhere near enough in the ring nor in promos to advance beyond his status as a stupidly glorified midcard act.

He did not earn that extra 0.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!