Audience members

Question
I love watching wrestling. My all time favorite wrestler is Stone Cold. However my question deals with the audience participation part of the shows. When audience members are pulled in the ring to be part of the story line are they compensated in any way? Do they have any training?

Answer
Hello Nelly,

You didn't originally ask this question of me, but I found it in the question pools so I am answering it.

It depends what shows exactly you are talking about. Whenever an audience member is used, they are really what is called a 'plant.' That is, they have been inserted into the audience for a particular purpose. Sometimes it is just to try to generate some enthusiasm for the show. At other times, it is to get involved, be it a one-time thing or in order to debut for the company. Depending on the kind of involvement, a contract or release form (basically saying 'I will not hold the company responsible if anything bad happens')may have had to be signed.

The exception is segments such as Ted DiBiase's which involved real audience members. In those cases there is no compensation. Appearing and getting to contribute is its own reward. They volunteer and are selected without the incentive of payment- they never say, 'we'll pay you $100 if you this.' Instead, they simply say what they are looking for from the audience.

Otherwise, the individuals used are often wrestlers, celebrities or family members. In any case they have been told what to do and they only wrestle if they have been trained. If it is a one of appearance they are paid for the night. If, however, they are being part of a storyline that last longer than one show, they would be on a short-term contract. If the individual is making a debut as a long-term character, they would already been signed to a contract.

The actual money earned for an appearance would depend on the success of the show, the extent of the contributions and in the case of celebrities, the starpower and what it takes to persuade them to accept.