Recently, reports came out that WWE and its parent company, TKO Group Holdings, pushed for pay cuts for some wrestlers. At first, fans made all sorts of speculations, especially after recent talent releases and how sudden and big these cuts were, but now we have a clearer idea of why it’s happening.
According to Bryan Alvarez of Figure Four Weekly, WWE is mainly targeting upper mid-card talent, like those wrestlers who are just below the top stars and were earning big money under the old system.
Why are WWE talent reportedly being asked to restructure their deals?
Alvarez recently talked about it on the Wrestling Observer podcast. “These people who have been asked to restructure their deals are upper midcard-ish talents, maybe even higher than that,” he said. According to him, stars like Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes did not have to engage in negotiations.
“These people signed pretty big money deals quite a while ago, and they’ve been making that money for quite a while, and now they’re not where they were,” Alvarez added.
TKO reportedly believes things have evolved since their inking. Back then, wrestlers had a heavy schedule, working multiple house shows every week along with TV shows. Now, the workload is much lighter.
One of the biggest points is how large these pay cuts are. Reports say some wrestlers would have to take up to a 50% pay reduction. “They want a 50% restructuring of these deals,” Alvarez said.
A major example is The New Day. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods reportedly left WWE on May 2, 2026, after refusing to take a pay cut, even though they still had time left on their contracts.
“Things are very different now than when you signed this deal. You’re not doing four house shows a week; you’re on the road one day a week. You’re wrestling maybe twice a month. We want to pay you less for what you’re doing because you’re doing less now,” Alvarez explained TKO’s perspective.
Alvarez also pointed out the tough reality for wrestlers who say no. If they don’t agree to the new terms, WWE is willing to let them go.
“They’re going to pay you six figures, but they’re going to determine the value of you’re working one day a week and you’re working two matches a month. And this is what we’re going to pay right now. And if you don’t want it, that’s fine. You can talk to Tony Khan or you can go to New Japan or you can do whatever. I mean, that’s I think the way it’s going to be going forward,” he said.
Read More: Multiple WWE Stars Have Accepted Pay Cuts — Report