Former WWE Champion and one of the promotion's top guys, Cody Rhodes recently opened up about the company's current salary structure and how it now compares with some real sports pay structures.
Recently, while speaking with the Flagrant podcast for a new interview, Rhodes was asked about WWE's current pay structure. There is no doubt that Rhodes currently finds himself at the top of the food chain with some names such as Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, and a few others. Earning well enough, Rhodes believes the money in the business is now good.
“The wrestling economy is different now because there’s other places you can go wrestle. The best way to put it, the money in wrestling and sports entertainment is very good. I feel like if you were my dad or any of these wrestlers we talked about on that list, you’d be shocked. My mom didn’t get it when I said, hey, X amount. Now the contracts are guaranteed. All that means to me, it’s like, that’s a huge responsibility,” he said.
When further asked what a new talent's contract would look like, Rhodes said, “I don’t know what our developmental, I mean everything is six figures. You know what, I’ll actually defer to Nick Khan, because Nick has a great quote about these guys are going to do well, these guys are going to do really well, and then these couple guys, he named a few guys, they’re going to do next level.”
He further claimed that WWE's current salary is now comparable with real sports, such as baseball and NBA contracts. “That next level pay is now comparable with sports. That’s the part that I’m so proud of being a wrestler because when you hear baseball contracts and NBA contracts and you know as a wrestler that you go all over the world and be known and seen but you weren’t on that level, you were on the level of penetration but not that level of income. Now, modern TKO and Nick have made it that you are,” Rhodes finished.
Article Continues BelowA former World Champion, Rhodes is currently in a World Championship rivalry with Randy Orton on Friday Night SmackDown, as well as being part of the upcoming Street Fighter movie.