Things have changed since World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk made his return to WWE in 2023, including how much wrestlers are paid.
He broke down the changes in an interview with Mostly Sports With Mark Titus and Brandon Walker (via Cageside Seats). Back in the day, there was more incentive to be in the main event of shows — something he always strived for with WrestleMania — due to the higher pay. Nowadays, everyone gets a bigger piece of the pie.
“The business has radically changed,” he said. “It was a different place when I signed, than when I debuted, and then when I came back — it’s such a radically different place. The thing with the title too is also it means you made more money. That does not exist anymore… It’s good and bad.
“We all make more money now, which is — thumbs up… My paycheck was always predicated on how many people were in the building, so I was driven towards ticket sales and the business of it. And when you’re in the main events, you got paid more money,” he explained.
These days, every WWE Superstar is “on salary,” which is a double-edged sword. Some wrestlers may not be as incentivized to aim as high if they are all on salary. “I think that's good and bad,” Punk conceded. “It's good for the boys. But I also feel there's not the same ambition, you know?”
How much is CM Punk paid by WWE?
The exact amount that Punk is paid by WWE is unclear. He is one of their top stars, though, and is currently a world champion. Luckily, it sounds like the pay structure is a lot better for all wrestlers nowadays.
Currently, Punk is the reigning World Heavyweight Champion in his second reign. He recently beat Jey Uso to win the vacated title after Seth Rollins had to give it up due to an injury.
Coming up, Punk will team up with Cody Rhodes, the Usos (Jey and Jimmy), and Roman Reigns at Survivor Series. They will face the Vision's Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, as well as Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre, and Brock Lesnar in a WarGames match.
