WWE is the largest wrestling promotion in the world that has become synonymous with professional wrestling – thanks to its highly entertaining WWE characters and the stories created around them.
So, who are the highest paid WWE wrestlers of all time, and how much do WWE wrestlers make?
Let’s find out.
Top 10 Highest Paid WWE Wrestlers
Roman Reigns – $15 Million
The highest paid WWE superstar in 2022 is Roman Reigns.
Reigns, whose real name is Leati Joseph ‘Joe’ Anoa’i, is the current and longest-reigning WWE Universal champion at 735+ days in his second reign. He is also the current WWE Champion (for the fourth time in his career), making him the undisputed world champion in WWE.
Brock Lesnar – $12 Million
One of the WWE highest paid earners and arguably, WWE’s biggest star is Brock Lesnar.
This Canadian American, who currently performs on the SmackDown brand, is a highly acclaimed fighter in the heavyweight division thanks to his athletic abilities.
He began his career as an MMA fighter in the UFC and is the only person to have won all of the primary heavyweight championships in UFC, WWE, NJPC, and the NCAA.
John Cena – $10 Million
John Cena is the face of WWE all around the world.
The Massachusetts native, who grew up watching wrestling, joined the sport after dabbling in bodybuilding. Once he was his, Cena’s rise to the top tiers was quick.
He won the Ultimate Pro Wrestling heavyweight championship in the same year as his debut and went on to win more than 15 world championships during his time with the WWE.
Randy Orton – $8 Million
Known as one of the best-looking WWE wrestlers of all time, Randy Orton certainly has a lot more to offer than just a handsome face.
He is a third-generation WWE wrestler – his father, uncle, and grandfather have all performed in the WWE–who has made his mark in the sport with his unique wrestling style and the super RKO.
Having won the world championship at just the age of 24, he is the youngest to ever do so in WWE history.
The Undertaker – $6 Million
The Undertaker, whose real name is Mark William Calaway, is undoubtedly one of the best-known and highest paid WWE stars in the history of the WWE.
He spent most of his career wrestling for the WWF/E, where he created ‘The Undertaker’ personality and gained significant mainstream popularity. The critically acclaimed ‘Deadman’ Undertaker gimmick won him the Wrestling Observer Newsletter award and his success got him a place in the WWE Hall of Fame.
Calaway is now 57 years old but remains employed for the WWE through a 15-year contract he signed in 2019.
Seth Rollins – $5 Million
Colby Daniel Lopez, better known by his ring name Seth Rollins, has wrestled for various independent promotions before joining the WWE.
He has headlined several major pay-per-view events for the promotion, including WrestleMania 21, and was on the cover of the WWE 2K18 video game.
He is the only wrestler to cash in a WWE Money in the Bank contract at a WrestleMania event and is the only wrestler to have held all three WWE top titles– WWE, Universal, and NXT Championships.
Goldberg – $4.5 Million
Widely regarded as one of the most popular wrestlers of all time, Bill Goldberg made his name in the late 1990s/early 2000s wrestling boom.
Goldberg, who is the inventor of the well-known spear move, rose to fame with a lengthy undefeated streak in WCW in the 1997-1998 singles competition and was the highest paid wrestler in WCW before it was sold to WWE.
During his time with the promotion, he became a WCW United States Heavyweight Champion, a WCW World Tag Team Champion, and a WCW World Heavyweight Champion.
The Miz – $4 Million
Michael Gregory Mizanin – or the Miz– is a one-of-a-kind WWE character that everyone loves to hate.
He signed with the WWE in 2004, after gaining some popularity as a reality TV participant in The Real World: Back to New York and its spin-off.
Since then, he has won 20 championships in the WWE– including the Intercontinental Championship a total of 8 times and is the only WWE Triple Crown and Grand Slam champion that has won the Deep South Wrestling Heavyweight Championship.
AJ Styles – $3.5 Million
Allen Neal Jones, who is professionally known in the WWE as AJ Styles, is another well-known wrestler who initially dabbled with World Championship Wrestling – WCW before joining the WWE.
He has won the championship twice and boasts nine world titles among more than 30 championships across the wrestling industry platforms.
Kevin Owens – $3 Million
Although he is not the highest paid wrestler of all time, Owens, who started wrestling when he was only 16, has had an interesting wrestling career.
Prior to joining the WWE in 2014, Steen (his real name) wrestled for ROH, where he held the World Championship title and the World Tag Team Championship. He also wrestled on the independent circuit for 14 years, where he held the PWG World Championship a record three times.
He has won many other titles and continues to perform within the WWE on the Raw brand.§
Conclusion: How Much do WWE Wrestlers Make?
WWE has a huge fan base that is a testament to the promotion’s popularity and success, allowing the best of the best to earn some dizzying numbers.
The highest paid WWE wrestlers are paid anywhere between $3 million and a whopping $15 million in a year. The man on top of that list? Roman Reigns (of course!).
FAQ:
How much a WWE wrestler earns per match?
Big names like Brock Lesnar and John Cena can make up to $500,000 per every WWE main event.
How much does a WWE wrestler make a month?
On average, WWE wrestlers earn $100,000- $500,000 a month.
Do WWE wrestlers get paid when injured?
When the highest paid WWE wrestlers get injured– or when any WWE gets injured– they mainly depend on their base salary. The WWE also covers all medical bills and expenses associated with the wrestler’s injury.