Bray Wyatt's WWE salary before release revealed, comparisons to Kevin Owens' new deal - Reports
In this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer opened up about Bray Wyatt's final contract before his departure while also discussing how WWE got Kevin Owens to re-sign with them.
A well-placed source told the Observer that talents in WWE were 'blinded' by the tabled offers, which ranged between the $2-3 million mark. Owens' latest deal with the company also ranges around that figure, according to reports.
Dave Meltzer compared Kevin Owens and Bray Wyatt's cases and noted how they agreed to similar deals with the company. It was pointed out that WWE Superstars essentially sign a 90-day contract as the promotion can trigger their release at any given point:
"The 2-3 million a year range is so blinding to people [like Owens, Wyatt, etc.], they sign, not realizing it's a 90 day contract that renews every day at WWE's sole discretion. It's how they 'got' Windham Rotunda. He was going to get 3 mil, 3 year term. They went to a 5 year term. He held. They inched up towards 4. He jumped at it. But it's still a 90 day contract. And with the higher number, it takes less and less to trigger the release," revealed a WWE source to Dave Meltzer.
As per the latest rumors, Kevin Owens has officially re-signed with #WWE! https://t.co/gcmjqqHQ6u
The back and forth between Bray Wyatt and WWE resulted in the promotion finalizing a 4-year deal that would have seen the superstar earn $3 million every year.
As things panned out, WWE parted ways with Bray Wyatt shortly after extending his contract. Meltzer clarified that Bray Wyatt's WWE release was unrelated to the money as other backstage factors contributed to his shocking exit:
"It should be noted that there were reasons not having to do with money for Rotunda's release and those reasons don't apply to Owens or Zayn," Meltzer added.
WWE released Bray Wyatt in July, and the timing stunned most fans as the former world champion had recently signed his massive new deal with the company.
Will Bray Wyatt return to wrestling?
What do we do now?
We wait for the right place.
We wait for the right time.
Then we turn Rome to Ashes.
“Groveling in the muck of avarice”🐍
I believe in you too
Bray Wyatt, now going by his real name Windham Rotunda, completed his non-compete clause in October. He has since been one of the hottest free agents in all of professional wrestling.
Rumors of possible moves to AEW and IMPACT Wrestling still make rounds on the internet; however, the former WWE Champion has stayed away from the ring so far.
While Windham Rotunda is scheduled to be involved in a horror film, the 34-year-old star is still expected to resume his wrestling career soon. Fans around the world can't wait to see what he has in store from a creative perspective.