WWE is the biggest wrestling promotion in the world and its wrestlers often earn huge pay packets for working for Vince McMahon's company.
But, the appointment of Nick Khan as WWE President and Chief Revenue Officer has seen some big shakeups take place in WWE, with a ton of talent being released at several points throughout the year, many of which coming as quite the surprise to fans.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently reported another way that Khan has made changes that will have a big effect on the wrestlers - how much and how they get paid?
How Did WWE Superstars Used To Get Paid?
Previously to this alleged change, WWE Superstars were paid with a combination of a downside guarantee, which is a set amount that they must be paid each year of their contract regardless of everything else that happens, and bonuses for merch sales, live event appearances and pay-per-view matches.
It's worth nothing that this applies generally to WWE Superstars, as top talent like Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns obviously have slightly different deals with higher pay because they have the clout to call their own shots a bit more.
How Has WWE Changed The Way It Pays Its Wrestlers?
According to WrestlingInc it was recently reported that several top WWE talents are making a few million dollars per year. It was claimed that Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar are making above $5million per year and that a lot of other top talents are now making $2-4million per year.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has stated that the total a wrestler is paid is now made up entirely from the downside guarantee with no extra pay for appearances or merch sales. But to offset this, the set amount they get each year in the downside guarantee has been increased significantly.
Previously wrestlers were being signed for anything between £450,000 to $1million per year with the other bonuses adding up to $2million but now it is alleged that the downside guarantee for all wrestlers is the highest it's every been in the company's history.