WWE 2019 salaries revealed with Lesnar topping earnings at £9.3m but Rousey only getting £1.2m as the highest-paid woman
BROCK LESNAR remains the best-paid star in WWE – with the Beast Incarnate earning a staggering £9.3million last year.
The 42-year-old has been one of wrestling’s biggest box office attractions since returning to the ring in 2012, netting £375k per match and £75k from merchandise sales.
Lesnar signed a new 12-month deal with Vince McMahon’s company last year that runs until this summer, but still only competes on a part-time basis.
The WWE Champion had just EIGHT televised matches in 2019, but his base salary was comfortably higher than Hollywood star John Cena’s £6.6m haul.
According to The Express, the first full-time wrestler on the list is Roman Reigns, who despite main evening four of the last five WrestleMania’s, is third in the rankings with a cool pay packet of £3.9m.
Future Hall of Famer Randy Orton is up next with earnings of £3.5m and he is followed by AJ Styles on £2.7m and Seth Rollins on £2.3m.
Ronda Rousey’s arrival in WWE immediately put her top of the women’s division both in the ring and at the bank.
Yet the former UFC champ still made significantly less than the top male stars as she raked in just £1.2milion.
In fact, only one woman made over £1m last year as opposed to 10 of the men who did.
RAW and SmackDown Women’s champions Becky Lynch and Bayley earn about a fifth of Jeff Hard’s base salary, with the Enigma not wrestling since last April.
Yet these numbers only take into account base salaries for 2019 – with each superstar boosting their income from merchandise sells or contract extensions.
WWE'S MALE SUPERSTARS BASE SALARIES
- Brock Lesnar $12million
- John Cena $8.5million
- Roman Reigns $5million
- Randy Orton $4.5million
- AJ Styles $3.5million
- Seth Rollins $3million
- The Miz $2.5million
- The Undertaker $2.5million
- Kevin Owens $2million
- Dolph Ziggler $1.5million
- Sheamus $1million
- Jeff Hardy $1million
- Bray Wyatt $1million
- Jinder Mahal $900,000
- Kane $900,000
- Big Show $850,000
- Samoa Joe $800,000
- Rusev $800,000
- Matt Hardy $650,000
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Meanwhile, this will be the last time Nikki and Brie Bella will be on the list after they were confirmed as the latest inductees into the WWE Hall of Fame.
The pair – who officially announced their in-ring retirement in 2019 – returned to SmackDown on Friday where the announcement was made.
They have now joined Batista and New World Order members Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman and Kevin Nash in the Class of 2020.
WWE'S FEMALE SUPERSTARS BASE SALARIES
- Ronda Rousey $1.5million
- Charlotte Flair $550,000
- Nikki Bella $350,000
- Alexa Bliss $350,000
- Mickie James $300,000
- Brie Bella $300,000
- Natalya $300,000
- Asuka $250,000
- Becky Lynch $250,000
- Dana Brooke $200,000
- Bayley $200,000
- Lana $200,000
- Naomi $180,000
- Carmella $120,000
- Nia Jax 100,000
- Sonya Deville $100,000
- Mandy Rose $80,000
- Rubby Riott $80,000
- Sarah Logan $80,000
- Tamina $80,000
- Liv Morgan $80,000