Summary

Court filings tied to the ongoing shareholder lawsuit over WWE's merger showed the company spent about $195 million on talent in 2022, a figure that worked out to roughly 15 percent of WWE's $1.29 billion in revenue for the year.

The documents also listed 15 percent of company revenue as the projected talent compensation rate through 2028, giving a clearer look at how WWE expected to balance roster costs against its broader business growth.

What the filings said about WWE pay

The filings broke 2022 talent spending down into several buckets. Main roster talent compensation was listed at $175 million for 2022, with that number expected to rise to $195 million in 2023. Developmental talent pay was reported at $14 million in 2022 and projected to increase to $16 million in 2023.

WWE was also listed as having about 130 main roster talents, about 130 NXT talents, and about 20 NXT UK talents. Based on those figures, the filings pointed to an implied average of about $1.5 million per main roster talent in 2022, though that number would naturally be affected by WWE's highest-paid names.

Celebrity compensation was reported at $6 million in 2022 and expected to drop to $3 million in 2023 because Logan Paul shifted from the celebrity category to the main roster group.

The documents also referenced contract changes for several notable WWE names. Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Logan Paul, Cody Rhodes, and Braun Strowman were identified among key talents whose renewals totaled $15 million. Brock Lesnar's contract renewal was listed at $4 million, while Bianca Belair, the Street Profits, Gable Steveson, Rhea Ripley, Asuka, and Baron Corbin were named among talents who received annual contract step-ups totaling $2 million.

What the merger lawsuit reveals about WWE spending

Because these numbers surfaced in the merger shareholder lawsuit, they offer a rare public snapshot of how WWE valued roster spending while the company was moving toward the Endeavor deal. The 15 percent benchmark matters because it shows WWE's talent costs were being framed as a relatively fixed share of revenue, not just a year-to-year expense line.

That also gives more context to why renewals for names like Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and Brock Lesnar stood out in the filings. If WWE planned to keep talent pay near that same percentage through 2028, major contracts at the top of the card would continue to shape how much room the company had for the rest of the roster.

Sources

As reported by POST Wrestling via court filings.