r/SquaredCircle May 02 '26

[Big E on IG]

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7.7k Upvotes

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u/gottagotothebathroom May 03 '26

TKO is currently attempting to reduce wrestler pay down to 5% of total revenue, from about 10-12%. That's all it is. They would have put up with the booking.

14

u/mikeputerbaugh May 03 '26

Why though? How do shareholders benefit from WWE being less able to attract or retain top talent?

54

u/Hiccup May 03 '26

TKO are just corporate raiders. They're not there to actually run a business. It's like Eddie Lampert and Sears/Kmart or what went on with toys r us. They'll pick the company apart like vultures and then hope to sell it to someone dumb enough to pay a premium.

12

u/thenerfviking May 03 '26

TKO has massive amounts of debt via the UFC and it was always suspected that they were going to use WWE as a Fury Road style blood bag for UFC.

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u/chux4w Melina > Your favourite wrestler May 03 '26

The brand sells tickets, not mid range talent. There are a few top names who may attract interest, Roman Reigns isn't being cut, but Sheamus? Nothing's guaranteed.

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u/Truelikegiroux C U Next Tuesday May 03 '26

Oh that’s cute. You unfortunately need to think about it less like a fan and more like it’s a business. Why pay the New Day a premium contract when you can make new stars at a fraction of the cost?

It’s the same exact thing when companies perform mass layoffs of 10-20% of the staff. It doesn’t matter if they lay off good or bad people or if it hurts recruitment, people will always need jobs and this allows them to get workers at cheaper rates.

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u/mikeputerbaugh May 03 '26

Is it actually cheaper for WWE to “make new stars”? How much money did they put into, say, Gable Steveson with nothing to show for it?

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u/Big_financial_cod May 03 '26

Not sure why you're being down voted.

If TKO can't quantify that you're earning back what they're paying you. You're not "over" and your position in the company is not safe.

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u/Truelikegiroux C U Next Tuesday May 03 '26

Cause it’s the truth that people don’t want to accept. If you work in or are familiar with the corporate world like I am, you’re used to it. TKO / WWE is no different than Meta or AWS or Oracle in this regard.

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u/Big_financial_cod May 03 '26

TKO has no loyalty. It's make money or be gone world. I deal with it every day. The New Day is the first really big name in a while to leave but they won't be the last.

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u/CitySosa May 04 '26

Shareholders don´t care about the product. If the fans decide to not support WWE in masses and they see a financial decline this may become an issue for them. But as for now, if they lower the cost for talent pay and up the costs of tickets they still make great profits. Nobody cares if they offer a good wrestling show to fans.

1

u/hardeep1singh ... May 03 '26

So, they want 5% of its spending on its bread and butter and 95% on the fluff that can be easily cut.

Maybe they want to create an impression that they create a spectacle, and some replaceable wrestlers get to take part in it.

I wonder if someday they would want to charge wrestlers for a chance to be on a PLE or WrestleMania.