Backstage Update On How Much WWE Are Paying New Wrestlers

What are the former EVOLVE stars now making in WWE?

by Andrew Pollard
WWE NXT class of 2020
WWE

With WWE’s working relationship with EVOLVE having led to several EVOLVE talents recently signing with Vince McMahon’s sports entertainment juggernaut, now comes an update on what sort of deals these wrestlers have signed.

As per Fightful Select, those names recently signed from EVOLVE are on an initial deal that pays an annual $60,000 downside guarantee. On top of this, there’s a $500 bonus for every TV appearance made by these wrestlers.

This is an original short-term contract offered by WWE, with these deals to increase to $80,000 when January 2021 rolls around. Likewise, that $500 TV bonus will then go up to as much as $1,500 per appearance.

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The mood amongst those backstage is said to be positive towards WWE looking at more shorter-term deals, rather than the previous year or two of WWE signing talents to massive, multi-year deals that served as simply a stockpiling tool for the company.

In terms of the recent EVOLVE signings, just last month WWE announced the signings of Josh Briggs, Brandi Lauren, Curt Stallion, Anthony Greene, Joe Gacy and Leon Ruff – with Ruff shocking the world by winning the NXT North American Championship on last night’s episode of NXT.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.