The Disturbing Truth Behind WWE's Backstage Talent Crisis

Vince McMahon Money
WWE.com

Based on information from the aforementioned Sports Business Journal article, we can run through some figures brought to light by the fantastic Brandon Thurston Howard of Wrestlenomics - the must-follow source for all WWE business analysis.

Thurston recently crunched the numbers on wrestler pay using an official WWE figure from 2011, stating that the typical main roster talent compensation stood somewhere around $555,000 annually. A 20% increase on this is a fair estimate for 2019's average salary. With this in mind, and given that we have already learned the average developmental wrestler earns about $80,000, we can multiply them by the estimated number of contracted wrestlers (215) to get roughly $75 million paid out in wages annually.

That sounds like a lot, but here's the kicker: WWE generated over $930 million in revenue in 2018, meaning talent compensation represents only 8% of this.

As Thurston points out, NFL, NBA, and MLB organisations spend somewhere in the region of 47-50% of revenue on wages: a percentage almost six times bigger than WWE's. So as well as forcing wrestlers to endure brutal road schedules, WWE seemingly compensate them with only a tiny fraction of what the promotion earns, though they continually bask in the glory of their own record-breaking financial reports. Until the most recent set, that is.

CONT'd...

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.