WrestleMania took place this past weekend, and it was one for the history books. It lasted two nights, and it was pre-recorded. Also, the event had no live audience, as it was held at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The show featured some of the top stars, including Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre, and WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg, and a few of the top stars have made the list of Forbes highest-paid wrestlers of 2020.
Roman Reigns made the cut, but he bowed out of WrestleMania due to health concerns. Nonetheless, he was one of the top draws this past year after missing most of 2018 due to his battle with Leukemia. Becky Lynch competed at WrestleMania, and she’s the first female wrestler to make the list. She won the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania last year, and she has held on to the title ever since.
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Forbes didn’t include John Cena on the list, despite having a reported $75 million net worth. He did compete in WrestleMania, but he’s been on leave the past year due to other projects. Ronda Rousey also didn’t make the list as she hasn’t appeared on WWE TV since WrestleMania of last year. Here’s a look at WWE’s 10 highest-paid wrestlers.
10. Braun Strowman – $1.9 million
Strowman, whose real name is Adam Scherr, has emerged as one fo the biggest stars in the last few years, and he beat Goldberg at WrestleMania this past weekend to win the WWE Universal Championship. In July, it was reported he signed a contract that guaranteed him $1.2 million. Now, he’s looking to be WWE’s top star when 2020 is all said and done.
9. Stephanie McMahon – $2 million
Stephanie McMahon has emerged as a top businesswoman, serving as WWE’s chief brand officer. She does mix it up in the ring occasionally, but she has done more work behind the scenes in the last few years. She is the daughter of Vince McMahon, who is the chairman of the board.
8. Shane McMahon – $2.1 million
Stephanie’s brother has also made a name for himself in WWE, as he works behind the scenes and he is an in-ring performer. Shane no longer has an executive role in the company, and he only wrestled in 15 matches in 2019. But he gets a strong reaction from fans and he brings everything he has when he gets in the squared circle.
7. Bill Goldberg – $3 million
Goldberg only completed in two matches in 2019. However, the WWE Hall of Famer reportedly brought in $2 million for facing The Undertaker at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia. The other match Goldberg took part in was against Dolph Ziggler at SummerSlam. This past weekend, Goldberg lost to Strowman at WrestleMania.
6. Becky Lynch – $3.1 million
Becky Lynch, whose real name is Rebecca Quinn, had a huge year, winning both Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships at the main event of WrestleMania 35, and she has held on to the Raw title ever since. She emerged as the top female star, and it looks like that’s not going to slow down anytime soon.
5. Triple H – $3.3 million
Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque has been a part-time wrestler for a few years, but he’s WWE executive who has gained his earnings through yearly salary, stock awards, and incentives along with his work in the ring. He also plays a role in NXT, as he pretty much runs that division.
4. Seth Rollins – $4 million
Seth Rollins, whose real name is Colby Lopez, was the Universal Champion the majority of 2019, and he was a main event performer on Raw. He defeated Brock Lesnar in WrestleMania and SummerSlam, and he’s one of the top sellers in the company when it comes to merchandise.
3. Randy Orton – $4.1 million
Orton recently signed a new contract with WWE, and he could earn as much as $6 million in 2020. He is one of the long-time veterans in the company, and he’s one of the most accomplished Superstars on the roster, winning the world championship 13 times.
2. Roman Reigns – $5 million
A former Georgia Tech football player, Roman Reigns, whose real name is, Leati Joseph Anoa’i, signed a contract extension with WWE back in August after returning to the company due to his battle with leukemia. Reigns has been on a roll since his return, and it looks like he will be world champion again very soon.
1. Brock Lesnar – $10 million
Love him or hate him, Brock Lesnar is one of the biggest draws in sports entertainment despite his lack of social media accounts and not being a big seller of merchandise. He was Universal Champion at the start of 2019, and he ended the year as WWE Champion. Lesnar works a part-time, schedule, but he is featured in some of the biggest matches of the year.
