Former WWE star Nic Nemeth recently discussed the financial impact that All Elite Wrestling has had on the industry.
Speaking on the Off The Ropes podcast with Jonathan Coachman, Nemeth revealed that his final WWE contract was structured largely to prevent him from leaving for AEW.
“My last contract was to keep me from going to AEW. That was it. It was winked and not said, but it was completely understood. I go, ‘I’m asking for this elaborate amount because I know you won’t pay me what I’m worth. I’m going to make a move. I’m going elsewhere.’ And they go, ‘nope, we’ll do it.’ I go, ‘What??? Okay.’”
Coachman then suggested that the presence of AEW has significantly altered contract negotiations across the wrestling business, creating potential bidding wars for top talent.
“If a big name gets into a bidding war as a free agent and selects AEW because of all the things that we’ve talked about today—the ticket prices, wanting fans to come to the show, all of those things—that could be a tipping point where other WWE stars say, ‘you know what, maybe this isn’t where I want to be anymore.’ Maybe watching Cody Rhodes make $10 million or Roman Reigns make $15 million for showing up 15 times—and I think those part-time deals, I think TKO Group Holdings is going to tighten the purse strings. Can you imagine letting Roman Reigns [go], when you’re making billions? Yeah, I don’t care if he wants $20 million. Yeah, you pay him to keep him from going there.”
Nemeth’s comments highlight how AEW’s arrival in 2019 has reshaped the financial landscape of professional wrestling, with multiple promotions now competing for top talent.
