Add as a preferred source on Google A major WWE rumor began making the rounds this week, claiming that a prominent talent accepted a 50 percent pay cut to stay with the company.
The story first surfaced through PWInsider, which reported hearing that a WWE talent who had been “pretty heavily pushed” was approached by TKO about taking a drastic reduction on their deal. No name was revealed, as the situation has not been definitively confirmed.
The rumor picked up steam after Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods left the company. According to Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer, with Fightful later confirming the report, the New Day members were not close to the end of their contracts but were called in to restructure their deals under TKO’s new terms. After they declined those terms, WWE released them.
On social media, many fans began speculating about names such as Gunther and Bron Breakker, largely because both have been featured heavily on recent programming. So far, however, no reliable source has connected either name to the rumor.
WrestleTalk also noted that, according to the Wrestling Observer, the talent in question is not believed to be someone at the absolute top of the company. WWE’s biggest names reportedly have not been approached about salary cuts.
The situation stands out because it comes just weeks after WrestleMania 42, an event WWE itself presented as one of the most profitable in company history, with 106,072 fans in attendance and records set in sponsorship and digital performance.