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

6. There's No Set Formula For Event Payoffs

Back in the day, while it varied by the promotion and how honest the promoters were being, the alleged rule of thumb was that about 32% of an event's gate receipts went to the wrestlers, with 16% going to the main event. Some promoters, like Paul Boesch in Houston and Sam Muchnick in St. Louis, were known for using that exact formula honestly, with Muchnick paying down to the cent. The WWF and NWA World Heavyweight Champions would also make a specified percentage of the gate. Not so in current WWE (note that there are nearly-identical sections for TV tapings and house shows):

7.2 (c) If WRESTLER appears and performs in connection with an arena or studio Event produced by PROMOTER which is aired or broadcast via satellite broadcast or pay-per-view distribution technology for use by PROMOTER (€œPay-Per-View€), WRESTLER shall be paid by PROMOTER an amount in accordance with the nature of the match in which WRESTLER performs, i.e., preliminary card, mid card, main event, etc., or any other standard PROMOTER, in its sole discretion, establishes specifically for that Pay-Per-View.

The sole discretion of the promoter is exactly how to put it. Various top stars have spoken of Vince McMahon making their payoffs right if they complained. In his second book, Chris Jericho noted that his WrestleMania 18 payoff, which was initially mid to high five figures for his headliner, was multiplied several times when he complained about the pay disparity with his opponent: Triple H.