With WWE raking in record revenue of over a billion dollars in 2021, we take a look at which WWE Superstars have taken home the most dough over the last year.
Wrestling is big business and business does not get bigger in the industry than with WWE. Many of the company’s top stars are on massive seven-figure deals before royalties, merchandise, and ticket sales are even taken into account.
But who sits atop WWE’s money mountain? Here we count down the 10 highest paid stars in WWE.
10. Kevin Owens – $2 million
Kevin Owens sneaks into this list in 10th place after a stellar 2021 that culminated with the former Universal Champion signing a new deal with WWE in December.
Reports surrounding that contract suggest that Owens could move up this list in the coming year with Dave Meltzer suggesting the worth of his new deal on Wrestling Observer Radio at the tail end of 2021:
“He signed a three-year deal with WWE. Actually, I believe it was a couple of weeks ago when this happened. I’m sure they’ll be more tomorrow on it, but it’s a very good money deal.”
“I think the feeling is that it was a better deal than he could get in AEW. It’s in the 2 to 3 million, in that range.”
9. The Miz – $2.5 million
He came to play but made sure WWE came to pay with The Miz taking home a cool $2.5 million last year. The Most Must See Superstar started off 2021 in fine fashion as he successfully cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase to become WWE Champion for the second time.
That reign was short-lived however as Bobby Lashley made short work of the star just two weeks after The Miz had captured the crown. As WrestleMania 37 rolled around The Miz and then tag team partner John Morrison were involved in the show-stealing bout of the two-night spectacular as they faced, and lost to, the team of Damian Priest and Bad Bunny.
Despite his bumper pay packet, The Miz took some time away from WWE later in the year as he competed on Dancing With The Stars before returning to the ring in November, this time accompanied by his wife Maryse. At the 2022 Royal Rumble, the married couple lost to another wedded pair – WWE Hall Of Famers Edge and Beth Phoenix.
8. The Undertaker – $2.5 million (retired)
For someone that’s meant to be retired The Undertaker is still raking in seven figures after bringing the curtain down on his unique thirty-year WWE career.
The Undertaker last laced up his boots at WrestleMania 36 in 2020 when he defeated AJ Styles in a cinematic Boneyard Match. This turned out to be the final match of The Deadman’s legendary career as he announced his retirement on the final episode of the Undertaker: The Last Ride documentary.
That doesn’t mean that The Undertaker might disappear from lists like this in years to come as despite the end of his in-ring days he signed an astonishing fifteen-year contract with WWE in 2019 that will expire when he is 69 years old.
7. Goldberg – $3 million
Goldberg’s base salary is anything but basic as he took home a cool $3 million for his work in WWE over the past year. That work in 2021 equated to three matches with a total time in the ring reaching just over 21 minutes. This means the former WCW Champion took home over $142,000 per minute in a WWE ring. Nice work if you can get it.
Speaking on The Pop Culture Show back in 2020, Goldberg revealed that his current WWE deal runs to 2023 and originally had the star wrestling two bouts per year:
“I am contracted with the WWE for the next two years through 2022, ’23. I’ve got two matches per year. I’ve exhausted my limit this year quite early on April the fifth with WrestleMania under these really weird circumstances.”
6. Seth “Freaking” Rollins – $3 million
Seth “Freaking” Rollins needs a lot of money to unleash drip after drip and $3 million a year is seemingly enough.
Rollins’ 2021 began in earnest with a show-stealing performance at WrestleMania 37 with Cesaro. The two men continued their battles to the Hell In A Cell event in June. After a disappointing outing at Money In The Bank, his year was kick-started in a feud with WWE Hall Of Famer Edge.
Seth Rollins and Edge were one of the featured bouts at SummerSlam with The Rated-R Superstar coming out on top. A return match on SmackDown inside Madison Square Garden saw Rollins avenge the loss before Edge broke the tie at Crown Jewel.
Heading into WrestleMania 38, Seth Rollins’ story has been that he has no WrestleMania story this year. But if rumours are to be believed, Rollins might end up as part of one of the most highly anticipated parts of The Show Of Shows.
5. AJ Styles – $3.5 million
AJ Styles burst into WWE in 2016 after a long and tenured career in TNA and New Japan Pro Wrestling and since then The Phenomenal One has been taking home a pretty phenomenal pay packet.
In 2021 Styles spent the majority of his time mentoring his then-tag team partner, the giant Omos. With Styles’ wily instincts and Omos’ sheer size, the two men dominated The New Day at WrestleMania 37 to capture the Raw Tag Team Championship.
The two men held the belts until SummerSlam when they were dethroned by RK-Bro and as often happens, AJ Styles and Omos soon found out that they could no longer co-exist.
Heading into WrestleMania 38 AJ Styles has been targeted by Edge after answering the WWE Hall Of Famer’s open challenge for the event.
4. Randy Orton – $4.5 million
If you were to list Randy Orton’s achievements in WWE over the past twenty years, it would be quicker to list what The Viper hasn’t done. An Intercontinental Champion, US Champion, multiple-time Tag Team Champion, four-time World Champion, ten-time WWE Champion, Mr. Money In The Bank, two-time Royal Rumble winner, and a two-time WrestleMania main eventer, Randy Orton really has earned his millions in WWE.
Orton has competed in 17 WrestleMania events during his time in WWE and will hope to add to that tally at WrestleMania 38 as he will enter the event as one half of the Raw Tag Team Champions with Riddle.
Back in 2019, Randy Orton signed a new 5-year deal with WWE that will keep The Apex Predator with the company until 2024.
The 3 most dangerous letters in sports entertainment- #RKO
just re-signed with the 3 most dominant letters in sports entertainment- #WWE
Looking forward to pi$$ing off the #WWEUNIVERSE for at least 5 more years #WWEBACKSTAGE@FS1@WWE— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) November 6, 2019
3. Roman Reigns – $5 million
The top paid full-time WWE Superstar should come as no surprise as Roman Reigns has ruled the company with an iron fist since he made his return after a short hiatus at SummerSlam 2020.
Mere days after his return Reigns captured the Universal Championship from The Fiend in a match that also included Braun Strowman from a time that feels like a lifetime ago. Since then, the wins, the victims, and most importantly the money has piled up for the man who sits at the head of the table.
Reigns has amassed a colossal run as Universal Champion and will main event his second straight WrestleMania when he tangles with Brock Lesnar in what will be the two WWE icon’s third WrestleMania main event against each other.
2. John Cena – $8.5 million
John Cena made his highly-anticipated comeback to WWE in July 2021 at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view and he certainly had plenty of money to put into his own bank by the end of it.
Although Cena’s return only lasted just over a month, the now-established Hollywood star wrestled sixteen times while back in WWE. Only one of these bouts however was televised and that was Cena’s SummerSlam main event against Roman Reigns where he unsuccessfully challenged The Tribal Chief for the Universal Championship.
The rest of John Cena’s appearances were reserved solely for live event crowds or in dark matches following Raw or SmackDown. Cena’s last match in this short run came in September at Madison Square Garden. Fans of the 16-time champion of the world will be hoping it’s not long before Cena stops keeping the peace and returns for a fight once again.
1. Brock Lesnar – $12 million
Who else? Brock Lesnar is leaving the rest of the WWE roster in his wake with his staggering eight-figure pay packet.
The Beast Incarnate gave Roman Reigns a shock when he returned to WWE at the end of SummerSlam in 2021 after Reigns had just defeated John Cena. Lesnar competed in only one match in 2021 and that came at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia where he failed to unseat Reigns as Universal Champion.
In a marked departure from his usually part-time status, Brock Lesnar has been an ever-present since the turn of the year as he captured the WWE Championship for a sixth time at Day 1 from Big E. That reign was cut short when Roman Reigns cost him his match with Bobby Lashley at the Royal Rumble but Lesnar was back in the saddle that same night when he won the 2022 men’s Royal Rumble match and quickly let Reigns know he was challenging him at WrestleMania 38.
Lesnar’s icing on the cake came when he re-captured the WWE Title at Elimination Chamber ensuring his bout on The Grandest Stage Of Them All would be the biggest in WWE history as both the WWE and Universal Titles are on the line in a ‘winner take all title unification’ bout. The cherry on top of the icing is the $12 million Lesnar took home for all his hard work.
At today’s prices, Brock Lesnar could buy himself over 7,400 top-of-the-range El Amo cowboy hats from Stetson with his take-home pay. Yeehaw!
Where Are The Women?!
The WWE Superstars on this list all take home a healthy pay packet but you may have noticed a distinct lack of female WWE stars as part of it. ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey is reported to have the healthiest base salary of the company’s women’s division, taking home $1.2 million. Her WrestleMania 35 vanquisher Becky Lynch is second on that list with a base salary of $1 million.
All figures for this list were issued as part of a report by The Mirror.