Wide World of Wrestling- Wrestling With Money, Part I

Welcome to the Wide World of Wrestling. If you are a new reader, this is where I aim to explore the context of the shows seen on and off screen, comparing and contrasting with history to show its flaws and positives. This is about the issues and processes of today and the impact that has on the fans and the business.

Before I go any further, last week’s mention of The Rock somehow became unexpectedly relevant. It wasn’t actually relevant last week; but it is now, due to the rumours of Rock/Cena which started to seriously emerge after last week’s edition, where it was mentioned how fans would accept a return from him. Reminds me of how Kingston’s character changed soon after being brought up here several weeks ago.

Be it coincidence or the identities of certain readers, or even a bit of both, apparently around these parts, every so often you can get hints of future news/rumours, before it breaks. Regardless of whether anything comes to pass, I find it amusing.

In Edition #14, the Wide World of Wrestling turns to investigate the role money plays in two different areas- in the beginning of one’s career and the end of one’s wrestling career. Today, the questions to be pondered are why people care about how much wrestlers make and why they care little about the money if they choose to become wrestlers themselves.

In other parts, this mini-series will examine the role it has with wrestling training; the influence with on one’s early career due to the associated lifestyle; the impact money has towards the end of one’s career and what it can mean for those who have retired from pro wrestling as active wrestlers. Yes, I heard you, Jason. I guess that makes this a five-parter.

I couldn't work her name into the title without it being too long. Her name came about because money mattered to her. Image Credit: WWE

One of the more common questions asked about pro wrestling is, “How much money do WWE Superstars/Divas make?” This is in addition to the assorted variants that focus on whom made the most money of all time, the amount of money specific wrestlers make and how wrestlers compare to each other when it comes to income. If you were to really stop to think about it, the amount of money they make seems not to be of any particular use to the majority of fans, idle curiosity.

Yet, even as aspiring wrestlers often disregard the money factor, there remain similarities in the way they ask these questions, hinting that there is something else. Money is an important part of our lives and there may be some underlying reasons why it does play a role in the interest surrounding the subject.

Why this fascination with how much they make? People are generally curious to see how much people make, but the way these questions keep recurring is interesting. Perhaps you have come across these questions on Yahoo Answers, or on forums, or perhaps a myriad of other sites. On the Internet, the amount of money wrestlers get has generated so much interest that lists that claim to answer that question have been circulated. The fact that people have gone to such trouble when it is outside of both professional publications, (as with Forbes with their rich lists) and information distributed by the companies and wrestlers involved, is a curious one indeed.

There is always an element of idle curiosity, but the way the topic comes across as it there appears to be more to it. Similarly, there are a fair amount of questions out there concerning the marital status of certain wrestlers which are related, pardon the pun, to the subject at hand as there is also more than idle curiosity involved here. In perusing these questions, they seem rather immature, considering both the miniscule chances that their being single would lead to their establishing a relationship and the fact that most relationships with wrestlers do not end well.

Wishful thinking seems to be involved on the minds of at a considerable number of such questioners. Yet, accepting the nature of those questions, it serves to further complicate the issue when considering the fascination with the amount of money wrestlers make. This is because questions as to how much money wrestlers make, especially the generic, ‘How much does a WWE Superstar/Diva make?” are often in a similar, interested tone.

Of course there are the instances of simple curiosity, also evident in queries regarding the real names of wrestlers, but then there are the other cases. A comparison to establish this other element can be found in comparing it to when the question is asked by aspiring pro wrestlers. The tone, even the phrasing, is almost entirely the same. The primary difference is that the phrasing is usually a tad more formal, more mature and less direct. These questions often start with “I was wondering,” “I was hoping if you could tell me,” or “I would like to know,” to furnish some examples. This phrasing is opposed to the generic, blunt questions found when fans ask the question.

The phrasing doesn’t mean they are less interested; rather a matter of the medium in which they ask the question and to downplay the importance to them, given the unlikelihood of their attaining such an income anytime soon. The purpose is different, but the tone, phrasing and the level of curiosity is mostly the same.

This similarity is further curious since out of fans and potential wrestlers, the former should be wondering and the latter should have the vested interest in the answer, for they hope to have such an income one day if they become big stars. Why then are the fans just as interested, if not more so, than the very people the information could actually be of use to?

Logically, a possible conclusion is that the information is of use to the fans, at least to their perception. Contained within the statements above are possible reasons, which of course are unconfirmed but might assist in a direction towards some sort of understanding about the influence money can have- which would be helpful as the to have an understanding of as the series progresses.

John Cena has been often asked about. With Cena, extreme reactions are common. Image Credit: WWE

The similar tone between the relationship questions and how much a wrestler makes indicates suggests similar motivations.

Involving elements of  naïveté or perhaps escape into some kind of personal fantasy, as readers can understand as possible, if they have come across some of those fans with a strong liking for a wrestler. Some of the younger stars, like the divisive John Cena and Randy Orton, are often subjects of such inquiries.

There is irony there, since the PG focus leads to some of the wrestlers, including the one wrestler in John Cena who is very much a PG style wrestler right now, being subject to desires from the target audience that aren’t so PG.

It is possible that in some cases there is a different relationship between these questions, as the interest in how much they make is an extension of their interest in marital status. This is especially possible with the teenaged audience who may be more inclined to have crushes. In most cases, however, a less direct relationship seems more feasible.

The marital status questions show that fans can identify with and connect on some level with wrestlers. Fans do not need to have to be that personally interested to care on some level for how they are going. Some level of interest is natural with one’s favourite wrestlers. In accordance with this, as money can indicate how well someone is faring in life, these questions can partly show hope that a certain wrestler is making a good amount of money because they deserve it in the eyes of that fan.

Considering the obvious lifestyle of WWE wrestlers in particular when it comes to travel and the various other demands made of them, it may be desired that they are making more than a certain amount of money to compensate for their lifestyle. When wrestlers like The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio are being inquired of for how much they make, this might be a compliment to what they have given to the fans over the years.

Apart from this concern, in a similar vein, fans may be aware of the relationship referred to on-screen, that the bigger stars make more money. Some of the questions might be due to a hope that through the amount they earn, they can get an indication how successful they are and whom is ’better’ than whom. Particularly for the fans that are not part of the Internet Wrestling Community and just occasionally view material on the web, or those that are a peripheral part of it, these questions can be a way of trying to obtain some reassurance through ‘inside information.’ For those with little knowledge of the ‘wrestling insiders,’ asking how much they earn seems a natural step for trying to find out a bit of how things are really like and where their favourites stand.

As far as questions regarding who made the most of all time, or how wrestlers compare with respective incomes, these questions have a higher proportion being asked in a serious manner for an obvious reason. The more money one makes, the greater an impact on wrestling it reflects. Money can be a measure of how much a wrestler is valued by their company. Some of the questions may be motivated by a desire to discover how much wrestlers past and present are valued, particularly those of an equivalent place in the company, namely that of the top singles champions. Thus, it could be desired whom might be seen as having the greatest role in the current product and who was most responsible for the product in the past.

There may have been wordplay involving 'Here Comes the Money' in the title, but I couldn't think of anything here either. Image Credit: WWE

As far as wrestlers like Triple H and former wrestlers like Shane McMahon go, the amount of money might be asked about in an attempt to discover their position of influence in the company and to confirm or refute suspicions.

If it seems unduly high considering their role, their incomes may be ammunition for a belief that they have too much backstage power.

Likewise, other wrestlers whom are getting a lower income yet are perceived to have great skill may be seen as misused.

So seeing as these are possible reasons behind why people ask so much about how much wrestlers make, why is the interest level not higher for those actually intending to join the business? One answer springs to mind- a different purpose in asking the question means that the above potential reasons for asking such a question aren’t present except in the background and rather, other reasons constitute their interest. Money is important for aspiring pro wrestlers and pro wrestlers in a different way.

Rather than having perceptual impact, the motivation for such a level of interest in asking how much wrestlers make is due to how it relates to their future. Logistical issues aside, money can be a motivating factor behind choosing a career. Professional wrestling is not for most people, but is considered by many who for various reasons never end up walking down the path. Sometimes this is due to having more passion in another area, but sometimes is partly influenced by the question of money. This isn’t necessarily because they just want a job with good money and merely like wrestling without being passionate about it and loving to entertain people.

Pro wrestling has a demanding lifestyle, whether one is in the major promotions or not. This is both physically and mentally. Money can make such a lifestyle easier, for one thing, because it can allow one to purchase comforts to assist with relaxation, or because it means that medical and travel bills would not need to cause worry. Of course, that applies only to the major promotions and even then, it may not be high enough for people to feel comfortable to become a pro wrestler, as they feel it is either not worth it if they weren’t suited to be a pro wrestler in the first place, or since they feel they just won’t be able to handle the pressure and do well.

The purpose to asking the question becomes more personal. It isn’t about how well someone else may be going, but how well one hopes to go in the future. In terms of goal-oriented thinking, money can be great at helping us keep a goal in mind. Some concepts cannot be quite understood by people outside of the business, like how it feels like to have a roaring crowd of tens of thousand people or how what it means to be a respected veteran. Money, on the other hand, is something anyone can identify with in comparison to other current state. When it comes to a goal of reaching the WWE, a particularly common goal, it is harder to gauge progress than recognising you are getting more money, as you work your way up the chain, a more familiar indication of progress.

There are other potential reasons for aspiring wrestlers asking the question, but not as many as the reasons fans may potentially have. In the end the level of interest is equal when it comes to asking the question of how much money wrestlers make because of the various ways in which money can play an influence and the role money is has in how we perceive things. Money may be more involved in what we think about pro wrestling than we may realise.

Any quoted opinion of any other entity selected by the author does not necessarily indicate that the view is endorsed or opposed by the Wide World of Wrestling. It may be included solely for illustrative purposes.

Any opinion expressed herein by the author or other entities is not necessarily representative of The Wrestling Daily.