5 WWE Superstars who wanted more money than their colleagues
Former WWE executive Jim Ross often says on his Grilling JR podcast that almost every backstage complaint in WWE is either about cash or creative.
Some WWE Superstars speak to the company’s Talent Relations department because they want their on-screen character to receive better opportunities, while others have let it be known that they should earn more money.
On one occasion, a WWE Hall of Famer even sent a letter to Vince McMahon demanding that he should earn as much as WWE’s highest-paid Superstar at the time.
Another backstage story about WWE finances emerged in 2020 when Ross revealed that a female Superstar once requested as much money as Stone Cold Steve Austin.
In this article, let’s find out the full details behind those two stories, plus three others, as we take a look at five WWE Superstars who wanted more money than their colleagues.
#5 Kurt Angle wanted as much as WWE’s highest-paid Superstar
The inspiration for this article comes from an interesting conversation that Kurt Angle had with Steve Austin on WWE Network show Broken Skull Sessions.
During a discussion about Angle’s initial business dealings with WWE, the Olympic Gold medallist revealed that he was offered a 10-year deal worth $500,000 per year after his Olympic success.
Angle decided to reject the offer after listening to some advice from his agent at the time. Then, two years later, he got back in touch with WWE and asked if they still wanted him.
Jim Ross immediately signed Angle after watching just 20 minutes of his tryout. However, the former Head of WWE’s Talent Relations could only give the Olympian a five-year deal worth $50,000 per year, as well as a promise that they could renegotiate the contract once Angle was on television.
One year later, Angle had already won the WWE Championship and he was regularly headlining shows with the likes of Austin and The Rock.
When it came to contract negotiations, he decided to ask for the same amount of money as WWE’s highest-paid Superstar.
“My fight to get more money was pretty easy because I’m main-eventing with Stone Cold Steve Austin when we’re talking about negotiations for a new contract. So I said, ‘You know what, I want what Austin is getting.’”
Austin, who had never heard the story before, burst out laughing when Angle told him what he said.
“Motherf*****! You can’t do that!”
Angle did not reveal how much he went on to earn after those negotiations with Ross, but he confirmed that he did not get the same deal as Austin.