10 Times Vince McMahon Screwed His Own Talent
9. No One Knows How Much They'll Be Paid
Traditionally, wrestlers have been paid with a proportion of live gate receipts, merchandising, etc. Theoretically, this tied their earnings to their contribution to the promotion's revenue: the more the promotion makes out of having them perform, the more the wrestler pockets.
These days, downside payments are the norm, with the revenue-based payment model on top. For the majority of wrestlers, there's no contractual rate for earnings on a live gate. There might be a merchandising rate specified, but there might not: fundamentally, the company decide how much to pay, and the first the wrestler tends to hear about is when he or she gets paid.
Based on anecdotal evidence, if you're a big deal in the company and you raise the issue of a low payout in a respectful, low key way, you'll probably be casually slipped a second envelope a week or so later to keep you sweet... but you still won't be told how the payouts are calculated.
This lack of transparency has been queried before, but unless you're at the top of the card, you have almost no negotiating power. Remember, the talent know that there's a queue waiting to step into their spot if they're suspended, released or just sent home to twiddle their thumbs.
That payment structure might be based on some arcane accounting formula, or it might be down to the 3 am whim of a tyrannical, capricious septuagenarian. There's no way of knowing.