10 Things In Triple H's WWE Contract You Need To Know

10. His Downside Guarantee Is $1 Million Per Year

WWE pay is structured using what's called a "downside guarantee." A downside guarantee means that if you choose to be paid based on your event payoffs, pay-per-view bonuses, merchandise royalties, and so on, if the amount totals less than the downside guarantee for the year, you get a balloon payment to make up for the difference. If someone is active and on the road, they usually make more than their downside guarantee. Someone like JTG, who was barely working for years until being released recently, is obviously someone who chose to collect his downside guarantee as a salary. As noted in the heading, Triple H make $1 million annually. Being that well, he's Triple H, the belief is no WWE wrestler gets a higher guarantee. So for say, The Undertaker, it's believed that his guarantee is basically his Wrestlemania payoff. From Triple H's contract:

7.1 (a) Unless terminated pursuant to the terms herein, PROMOTER shall pay WRESTLER each Contract Year the total sum of One Million US Dollars ($1,000,000.00) (referred to hereinafter as €œMinimum Annual Compensation€). PROMOTER agrees, commencing with the Effective Date, to pay WRESTLER the Minimum Annual Compensation in fifty-two (52) weekly installments consistent with PROMOTER€™s regular payment procedures. [...] (c) Unless terminated for breach pursuant to Sections 12.1(a) through (f) and 12.2, if applicable, at least one hundred twenty (120) days after each Contract Year, if it is determined that WRESTLER has earned more than the Minimum Annual Compensation for services rendered during that Contract Year, WRESTLER shall be paid subject to any permitted deductions or credits in accordance with Section 7.1(b), in a one lump sum the difference between the Minimum Annual Compensation and what WRESTLER actually earned for services rendered during that Contract Year.

WCW generally had much different contracts. Wrestlers were paid straight up guaranteed money regardless of performance. With a handful of exceptions like Hulk Hogan, performance didn't matter. It didn't matter what you drew, your pay stayed the same.