Below are a couple of top WWE news stories of the day, featuring Vince Russo, Triple H and more.
• On last week’s RAW, Bayley defeated Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria to qualify for the Women’s Elimination Chamber Match. In a backstage segment after the match Ivy Nile mocked Lyra for losing to Bayley.
Former WWF writer Vince Russo wasn’t happy with Triple H’s booking decision and said the following on The Coach & Bro Show:
“Imagine this happening on Vince’s time, okay. Lyra Valkyria wins the Intercontinental Title, okay? Before she ever has a successful title defense, before there’s a title defense, she has a match with Bayley to be in the Elimination Chamber and she loses.
They didn’t even give her one successful title (defense) and this guy’s gonna tell me Triple H’s a good [booker]? Are you out of your freaking bird?”
• According to Fightful Select, the minimum salary for WWE wrestlers on the main roster (RAW & SmackDown) is in the range of $200,000 to $300,000. They also noted that several WWE wrestlers are earning millions per year.
Chris Jericho recently claimed that top WWE stars make $30-40 million per year, and that he played a significant role in making that happen.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Jericho explained that WWE previously had a structured salary system, capping guaranteed contracts at $1 million per year. While wrestlers could make more through bonuses and merchandise sales, that base salary was the limit.
However, Jericho believes his decision to leave WWE for AEW changed the game. He claimed that salaries skyrocketed in response, with even lower-card wrestlers now making $1 million annually, while top stars like Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes are reportedly earning anywhere from $30–40 million. He also noted that some performers make around $15–20 million, a pay scale that, in his view, only exists because AEW’s presence forced WWE to increase its financial offers.
Here’s what Y2J said:
“The moment I left to go to AEW, suddenly the entire salary structure changed. For years working in WWE, Vince’s magic number was $1 million a year—nobody got more than that guaranteed. You might make more if you were working on top with pay-per-view bonuses and merch sales, but on paper, $1 million was the max.
Now, opening match guys are getting $1 million a year, and top guys are making $30–40 million a year. You’d be surprised—yes, not all of them, but a few. Even $15 million, $20 million. I don’t think that would have happened if AEW hadn’t scared WWE into paying people more.”
