World Wrestling Entertainment – or more commonly, WWE – appeals to various age groups worldwide. This unique form of entertainment is available in more than 150 countries and is currently valued at around $4.89 billion yearly.
That is a staggering amount of money, considering the entertainment company predominantly features only pro wrestling such as SmackDown Live and WrestleMania. However, there are many other areas where this iconic brand can also be seen.
These include video game tournaments offering generous prizes, online slots that proudly share the WWE theme, and merchandising such as figurines of all the most popular wrestlers.
Below, we’ve listed some of the biggest game prizes in the industries that you may not first think of when thinking of WWE. We’ve also listed the highest-paid WWE wrestlers to show how much money this popular entertainment generates.
- Esport Competitions
Esports first came onto the scene way back in 1980. However, the industry didn’t receive much attention at the time. Today, it is worth an estimated $1.8 billion and has almost 29.6 million viewers in the US alone.
It is no surprise that WWE has made its way into this growing industry. After all, WWE has a solid history of video games that proudly showcase the brand and let you play as your favorite WWE superstars. According to the official WWE website, the brand has released 28 video games.
These started with the arcade game Tag Team Wrestling, released over 35 years ago in 1983. The most recent iteration of the game is WWE 2K20 Showdown. This version is the newest adaption of the game and has been the game used in two notable esport tournaments.
Both tournaments took place in 2019 and featured players from the US, UK, and Canada – with most winners being based in the US. The prize pool for the first tournament (titled Showmatch) was a respectable $10,000. This is very small considering the size of other tournaments but only included two teams of four players.
The second and biggest tournament using WWE as the main game held a prize pool of $40,000. This tournament consisted of 18 players wrestling to claim the top prize. First place went to American player DenkOps, who was awarded $15,000 for his efforts.
Second place was also claimed by a US-based player (CMPuLs3 – $9,000), while third place was snatched up by a British player (SUPERZOMGBBQ – $6,000).
In November 2019, WWE filed a trademark in the US for WWE SGL (Superstar Gaming League). This led to much excitement and speculation that the brand would be starting its own esports gaming league.
Sadly, nothing more has been mentioned about this, so the two tournaments discussed above are all the action the game has had. However, more hopefully will be coming in the future.
- Slots
Another place the industry has infiltrated is the online casino industry. This entry came in the form of one of the most memorable names in the WWE brand – Andre the Giant. This iconic star had a dedicated slot game named after him that was developed and released by online casino game developer NextGen Gaming.
The slot features five reels and 25 different pay lines – giving you ample opportunity to win big. This is especially true if you play the game on maximum bet. Depending on the site you choose to play on, the maximum bet is capped at either $1 or $2 per spin.
However, hitting the game’s main jackpot will give you a staggering 5,000 times your bet as a reward. If you are playing on $1 per spin, this is an excellent $5,000. If you’re playing with the max bet on $2, this is $10,000 of easy money you can enjoy.
Unfortunately, there is no record of the largest jackpot that this fun game has paid out since it launched in 2013. What we do know is that the game has an RTP (or return to player) rate of 95.5% – meaning that you stand a pretty good chance of winning big.
And if the decent RTP and possible jackpot aren’t enough to convince you to try out this slot, the game’s extra features should. These include a gamble option that lets you wager your win to double it if you guess the correct card and a free spin bonus.
This free spin bonus is triggered by getting three scatter symbols on the screen. During these free spins, Andre will perform a special attack that will either grant you more free spins or give you bonus wins that you can enjoy and take home to the bank.
- Highest-Paid Wrestlers
If the large winnings from the slot and tournaments aren’t enough, looking at just how much the wrestlers in WWE earn should clarify just how prevalent this industry is. Below, we’ve listed three of the highest-paid WWE wrestlers.
Brock Lesnar
Famous as the most well-known wrestler in 2022, Brock tops the list as the highest-paid wrestler. No stranger to big cash prizes, this impressive pro currently earns around $12 million per year. This is generous compensation for how he employs the full strength of his 6’3” body during his matches against rivals.
John Cena
Popular for his roles in movies and memes, John Cena is also rated as the best-known wrestler in WWE history. He is estimated to earn around $8.5 million a year – which makes sense considering he has been a WWE champion for over 13 years.
Roman Reigns
Also known for his acting career in movies such as Fast & Furious Hobbs and Shaw, Roman earns around $5 million a year. This is much less than his counterparts but makes him easily one of the highest-paid wrestlers in the industry.
