The WWE (formerly known as the WWF) Has been around for many years – and its popularity has never waned. Whenever we review sportsbooks, we look to see what sports they offer – and it’s always good to see WWE on the list. Fans simply can’t get enough of the nail-biting action. Watching their favourite fighters take to the ring on the quest for glory. There might be money in it for wrestling bettors, but there’s even more money in it for those big name fighters.
Even when on the verge of retirement, fighters such as Shawn Michaels can command a huge fee for a one-night-only melee. Wrestling is well-known for dishing out the big bucks for just one-off, token appearances. Let’s look at some of the biggest paydays in the history of wrestling.
No 3 – The Undertaker in 2014 – $2m
Many of wrestling’s older fans will have plenty of top WWE memories involving the Undertaker, although many might say he doesn’t hold the same pulling power he used to have. However, whether or not you think he deserves a mega payday is irrelevant – the fact that in 2014 he bagged $2m for very little action at all.
In 2014, his ‘limited dates’ appearances actually meant just one – and that was his fight against Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania XXX. The $2m purse is just the minimum he earned from that matchup. There would also likely have been a Pay-Per-View bonus as well… which would have all added up to a very pretty payday for a one-off appearance. Whether he could command this figure these days is questionable…
No 2 – Jeff Jarrett in 1999 – $100k to $500k
This one isn’t quite as straightforward, given that numerous people have had an opinion and say on it. The late, great WWE star, Chyna, claimed in her book that Jarrett was paid an additional $300,000 to put her over in a ‘Good Housekeeping’ match in 1999. However, this wasn’t how The Wrestling Observer recalled it. They reported that the actual sum was between $100,000 to $200,000… but probably higher than he would normally have received.
There are alternative sources, such as online opinion pieces and social media commentators that have even put the figure up at $500,000 for his one night of work back in 1999. However, whatever the figures, it’s definitely somewhere between $100k to $500k, which is a pretty decent payday for a mid-card fighter!
How he got his money was quite incredible. As reported by The Observer, he insisted on securing unpaid money before leaving for the WCW, so he held Vince McMahon up for it, declaring that he wouldn’t fight unless he got his assurance. After this, he snagged a $400,000 per year deal with the WCW.
No 1 – Mike Tyson in 1998 – $3.5m
Mike Tyson was the biggest fighter in the world back in 1998 – although primarily known for being one of the world’s greatest ever boxers. He was coming fresh from his ear-biting controversy against Evander Holyfield in 1997 and was known by many as the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’. This was exactly what Vince McMahon and the WWF wanted to launch the new Attitude into outer space. He would need to spend a bit of money though…
It was just a few months after he had gone back on a deal with the Hart Foundation’s Bret Hart – and he threw the money at Mike. He knew exactly what he was doing. There was no doubt that Mike Tyson would attract masses of media attention to his new product – and he intended to hint at a collision with Stone Cold, tying Tyson into the hype for the upcoming Wrestlemania XIV.
This reportedly cost more than $3.5 million – and all Tyson had to do was sit in a box at the Royal Rumble, have a confrontation with Stone Cold on Raw and temporarily join D-Generation X, before helping Steve Austin be crowned the new champion. In just one night, he earned more than 99% of what the WWF’s locker room did in one year.
