5 WWE legends and the biggest paydays of their careers
Unlike many sports stars, the amount of money that WWE Superstars earn is not usually common knowledge amongst fans.
In football/soccer, for example, players’ weekly salaries are widely reported when they join a new club, but that never happens in the ever-changing world of sports entertainment.
The majority of WWE Superstars have a downside guarantee in their contracts. This means they are guaranteed to earn a certain amount of money every year, regardless of how frequently they appear on television.
In addition to that figure, WWE Superstars also receive payment for matches, merchandise sales, and various other WWE-related appearances.
Although it is rare for people involved with WWE to publicly discuss their finances, some Superstars have been happy to let fans know which match earned them the biggest payday of their career – and some even revealed the exact amount that they earned that day.
In this article, let’s take a look at five WWE legends who willingly disclosed that information.
#5 Jerry Lawler (WWE WrestleMania 27 - $130,000)
Speaking on his Dinner With The King podcast in 2017, WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler revealed that he was paid $130,000 for his match against Michael Cole at WrestleMania 27.
The 14-minute encounter, which was refereed by Steve Austin, is generally considered to be one of the worst matches in WrestleMania history.
In fact, according to Cole, Vince McMahon described the WWE commentator vs. WWE commentator match as “the worst thing I have ever witnessed in 60 years”.
Despite the WWE Chairman’s low opinion of what he saw that day, Lawler still received a huge match fee.
“My lone WrestleMania match led to my biggest payday ever in the wrestling business. Here's me, an announcer, having a WrestleMania match with another announcer. In a matter of a few minutes, I got paid $130,000 for that match.” [H/T Wrestling Inc.]
Lawler, who had a legendary in-ring career before he joined WWE as a commentator in 1992, suffered a cardiac arrest in September 2012 after competing in a match on WWE RAW.
The 70-year-old has continued to wrestle at non-WWE shows in recent years. However, he said in 2019 that he is on WWE’s no-touch list and McMahon will no longer allow him to wrestle for the company.