wwe developmental deal

Question
QUESTION: Hello Joe,



I was wondering how much a WWE/FCW developmental contract pays? Somebody told me $100,000 is that accurate? I also wanted to know what percentage of guys from FCW who have developmental deals make it to the main roster and become successful?

For example a guy like Justin Gabriel seems to be on the cusp.

Additionally, people say that most of the guys today are not on steroids/HGH/Painkillers etc which are a violation of the WWE wellness program. When you look at a guy like Batista its hard to believe that he is not using something. I mean getting into that kind of shape with that definition seems a bit more then genetics.

Sincerely,
Sue

ANSWER: Hi Sue.  Thanks for the question.  This is Dave btw...I don't know if there's another expert on here named Joe that you were trying to contact, but your question came to me.

Anyway, I can't say for sure how much they make, but I'm guessing it is far less then $100,000.  I've seen a few lists of WWE salaries, all with different figures, and there were several that weren't even making close to $100,000.  Based on the lists I saw, I would say the average salary for a lower card wrestler in WWE was anywhere from $75,000 to $200,000.  So I would find it hard to believe that a FCW wrestler would make more then WWE talent.

As far as a percentage of FCW wrestlers who make to the main roster and become successful, I guess it's kind of hard to put a number out there without following FCW regularly, which I don't.  I'm guessing the percentage can't be that high, just for the simple fact that the same guys have been getting pushed for years now.  

As far as steroids and the wellness policy goes, everybody has an opinion on who might be taking them, and how legit the policy is.  If I had to guess, I would say there are some who are taking steroids.  However, there's plenty of other products out there that can be taken legally which can help people build their body.  To go along with that, wrestlers today are generally smaller and less muscular then they used to be, so I would say steroids are being used less then they used to be.

That being said, I think the wellness policy is a joke anyway, and I always have.  First of all, after the Chris Benoit tragedy, it was revealed that he had a massive amount of steroids given to him by his doctor, yet he never failed a test.  Since the tests are random, it's kind of hard to believe he passed them all.

Also, it seems kind of fishy that the top stars never seem to fail the tests and get suspended.  I also found it quite ironic that shortly after the Benoit tragedy, all the sudden about 10 wrestlers failed a test and were suspended.  My question about that is, if the Benoit tragedy never happened, would those wrestlers have been suspended? I find it hard to believe they would have been.  I just think WWE was trying to make a point about the wellness policy being legit.

Thanks again for the question.  Let me know if you have anything else.

Have a great night.

Dave



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dave,

Thanks so much for the answers. I just had a few follows ups?

If you had to guess what would you think a WWE developmental deal pays? I figured because they are publicly traded that it would be public info.

Also in you opinion what do you think is the most important qualities that make you become WWE talent? Is it looks, skill, mic work or mostly politics?

Also how do any of these guys have families or girlfriends? It seems that what they do is travel from one place to the next just to work.

As for you feelings on steroids I totally agree. The wellness program is ridiculous! If you read the policy it says they are not allowed to take steroids, HGH or pain meds. If that was how it worked then how would any of these guys perform with the abuse they take?


Sue

ANSWER: Hi Sue.  Thanks for the question.

1.  I did a quick search on their salaries, and one place said a few thousand dollars a month, which is right around what I would have said.  FCW can be compared to the minor leagues in baseball, in that they don't get paid nearly as much as the pros do.  Also, as far as I know, FCW runs all their shows in Florida, so the wrestlers don't need to spend as much time traveling as the main roster does, which cuts down on travel expenses.  

As far as WWE being publicly traded, that is correct.  However, not really being into that kind of thing, I would have no idea where to look for that.  I would have thought it would have been on the WWE corporate website, but I don't see it on there.

2.  I would say skill is most important, if only because you have to train to be a wrestler.  It's not something that just anybody can do.  Mic skills and overall charisma are up there too.  If you aren't the greatest as far as in ring work goes, your mic skills and charisma are going to have to carry you a long way.  Hulk Hogan and John Cena are examples of that. Neither of them are considered great workers in the ring, but they are good on the mic, and have great charisma.  A good look doesn't hurt, but I don't think it's overally important.  There's several wrestlers who are pretty bland as far as their look goes.  

3.  I'm not sure if you're asking about FCW or WWE on this one, maybe it's both.  I'm sure it's not easy regardless of what situation the wrestlers are in.  

With FCW, at least they run almost exclusively in Florida, so they won't have to travel as much.  If they have family, girlfriends, etc. down there with them, they would be able to see them quite a bit.

With WWE, it's a different story.  They obviously travel a lot more, so they most likely don't get to see their families as often.  However, the schedule is not as rough as it used to be, and they do get 2-3 days off a week now, so they are able to get home.  Also, especially with bigger name talent, they might bring their families on the road quite a bit.

4.  I guess I don't know what else to add then what I already said.  The only thing would be that they can take those substances with a doctor's prescription, but with some of those guys, it would have to be a constant prescription.  

In the Benoit case, why would he need several months worth of steroids at once if he wasn't using them to gain an advantage?

Thanks again for the question.  Let me know if you have anything else.

Have a great night!

Dave  

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hey Dave,

Just curious in your opinion what are the factors that determine who becomes major talent in the WWE? Do they have a certain formula or criteria for who they push and if so what is it?



Who decides who gets pushed and why do certain guys seem to be doing well and then get dropped while other guys like Mark Henry seem to do nothing and get great contracts?

Thanks!
Sue

Answer
Hi Sue.  Thanks for the question.

1.  It's a combination of things as to who becomes major talent with WWE.  A few of them include the wrestlers look, ring ability, overall charisma, and how well they talk on the mic.  

However, I think the main factor is if the wrestler has a gimmick that can get over with the fans, whether it's all cheers, jeers, or someone in between.  Even in FCW, management is watching to see what the crowd reaction is the wrestlers.  If they're getting a good reaction, it might be something that will carry over into WWE.  

Even on the main roster, you see wrestlers who struggle to get over.  For instance, Shelton Benjamin is one of the most talented wrestlers for WWE, but he's never seemed to get over with the crowd enough to the point where he would get a main event type of push.  

2.  It all comes down to Vince McMahon in deciding who gets pushed and who doesn't.  It's basically all about the money, and if Vince thinks he can make money by pushing someone, he will.  That's kind of why we see the same guys at the top all the time, because they've proven they can draw ratings, and sell PPV's.

The thing with Mark Henry is that WWE sponsored him at the 1996 Olympics, and in turn made a huge mistake by signing him to 10 year contract, which I'm assuming was guaranteed.  Once Henry got into wrestling, WWE was hoping to capitalize on the "world's strongest man" gimmick, along with Henry participating in the Olympics.

The problem was that Henry could not stay healthy, and suffered several injuries where he missed extended amounts of time.  The reason I say I think the contract was guaranteed is that I believe Vince would have released him at some point, but he didn't want to pay Henry to just sit at home.  Either that, or Vince just had to big of an ego to release him, since it would look like he made a mistake in signing him to the contract.

Even though Henry hasn't had the greatest career, he's been with WWE for a long time now, and I think that's one reason why he still gets the push he does.  Vince also has been known to give younger wrestlers a push, and then pull them back.  I'm thinking this is so they don't get a big head with their early success, and they realize they have to keep working hard if they want to reach the top.  

Thanks again for the question.  Let me know if you have anything else.

Have a great day!

Dave