8 Incredible Wrestling Paydays You Won't Believe

by Jamie Kennedy

1. David Arquette ($1m - 2000)

WCW Slamboree 2000
WWE.com

Dorky actor David Arquette was mortified by WCW's decision-making in 2000, and with good reason. The braintrust there planned to make the Scream star World Champion and have him main event the upcoming Slamboree pay-per-view in a triple-tiered steel cage match.

Those WCW folks, they were just full of great ideas...

Arquette could see that wrestling fans would hate what was coming next. As a fan since childhood himself, he knew only too well the sh*tstorm that was coming his way. That's why, when the show was all over and done with and he'd rid himself of the WCW Title, Dave decided to donate his entire earnings to the families of Owen Hart, Brian Pillman, Droz, and Bobby Duncum Jr..

It was a classy gesture, one that showed the kind of self-awareness WCW's creative team lacked. Arquette's wage was allegedly in the $1m range, which is an amazing figure anyway considering the state WCW's pay-per-view business was in by mid-2000.

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What other mind-blowing wrestling paydays can you think of? Let us know down in the comments section below!

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.