10 highest paid WWE Superstars of 2018
Behind the spotlights and intensity of the WWE ring, the WWE is a business, and just like any business, aims to make money.
To do so, WWE tries to employ the best wrestlers from across the world, making them into their own brand of superstars.
This method has worked well for the company, which has grown from one of several small territories in the 1970s, to being the biggest, most successful company in the world, under the reigns of Vince McMahon.
If a wrestler is chosen to be a WWE superstar, they'll presumably earn more than they ever have before on the independent scene. It makes sense though. The biggest company can afford to (and will) pay the biggest bucks for the best talent.
This has been particularly noticeable in recent years, with more and more superstars being brought over from the indies (Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens etc) as opposed to being grown inside the WWE.
Here are the top 10 highest paid WWE superstars of 2018, thanks to Forbes.
#10 Kevin Owens (Earnings: $2 million)
A former Universal Champion, Kevin Owens has certainly become a force to be reckoned with in WWE.
Winning the NXT Championship just two months into his career, Owens has kept that momentum going over the next 4 years, becoming Intercontinental in 2016 and the United States Champion as well in 2017.
A lengthy reign as Universal Champion has only added to the prizefighter's value, with him being the main event of several PPVs, as well as TV and Live events.
#9 Dean Ambrose (Earnings $2.2 million)
Despite missing the majority of this year, Ambrose's impressive time before that has brought a serious bank to the Lunatic Fringe.
Winning the WWE championship in 2016, Ambrose became the face of the revamped SmackDown Live brand, after the brand extension of July that year.
In 2017, Ambrose had an incredibly busy schedule, second only to AJ Styles.
Capturing the RAW Tag Team Championships at Summerslam 2017 would probably be the year's highlight for the Lunatic, even if a serious injury in December put a damper on the year.
Now that Dean is back (and with the Shield) expect his value to go up from here.