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Wrestling Doesn't Pay... Except when it does


Fantastic

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Is it true Hogan's WM IV check was 1 million?

 

I've never heard that. I'm not entirely sure of any "good" information regarding Hogan's Mania payouts. I know Hogan has said (which has to be taken with a shovel of salt) stuff to the effect that he got $3 million for the Mania 3 match with Andre. That's ludicrous to consider, given that $3 million of 1987's money would be the equivalent $6.3 million in 1987.

 

There is no way the WWF could have afforded to give any performer back then a check for one event to the tune of even $1 million, which probably rules out Hogan's WM IV check rumors. I suspect that Mania PPV bonuses back then for the top stars were between $75k and $150k, which is very respectable, given the ticket gates and PPV buys were nothing compared to what they are today. That's a typical mid card downside (in today's money) for one match in 1987.

 

Potentially speaking, I think they are only five or six occasions where a performer (s) has made $1 million or more from Mania:

 

Wrestlemania XIV: Mike Tyson

Wrestlemania X-7: Steve Austin

Wrestlemania XXIV: Floyd Mayweather

Wrestlemania XXVII: The Rock

Wrestlemania XXVIII: The Rock and John Cena

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The pay disparity in Mexico in between main event wrestlers and true-drawing card main event wrestlers is also staggering. I can't comment on pay rates nowadays because I'm so out of touch but back in the early 2000s you could book Blue Panther, Atlantis, Mr. Niebla and Negro Casas for less than you'd have to pay El Hijo del Santo.

 

This is one of the reasons why people talk all kinds of shit about Mil Mascaras but still would go out there and basically work a long squash match with him whenever it was requested. If you main evented with him you'd get double or triple pay depending on the city, with a nice bonus on top if it was a singles match for the IWA title.

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This is one of the reasons why people talk all kinds of shit about Mil Mascaras but still would go out there and basically work a long squash match with him whenever it was requested. If you main evented with him you'd get double or triple pay depending on the city, with a nice bonus on top if it was a singles match for the IWA title.

 

That's pretty much the same story for most of Hulk Hogan's 1980's matches. Everybody who was everybody inevitably wound up staring at the ceiling for Hogan. They may slander how he was booked and how he didn't want to put them over, but none of them flat out refused to do the job, they all agreed to it, simply because of how much money they'd make doing it. It would be foolish for anybody to turn down a big arena job to Hogan in his peak, given the potential earnings.

 

Diversion of topic, but still technically on topic, can anybody recall examples of wrestlers who have flat out refused to sign big money deals or do jobs that would net them money that they were idiots to pass up on, simply out of principle or ego? We all know Hogan refused going to a rubber match with Michaels in 2005, a program that would have netted him considerable money (possibly even more than the Summerslam match, had the rubber taken place at the following Mania?).

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This is one of the reasons why people talk all kinds of shit about Mil Mascaras but still would go out there and basically work a long squash match with him whenever it was requested. If you main evented with him you'd get double or triple pay depending on the city, with a nice bonus on top if it was a singles match for the IWA title.

 

That's pretty much the same story for most of Hulk Hogan's 1980's matches. Everybody who was everybody inevitably wound up staring at the ceiling for Hogan. They may slander how he was booked and how he didn't want to put them over, but none of them flat out refused to do the job, they all agreed to it, simply because of how much money they'd make doing it. It would be foolish for anybody to turn down a big arena job to Hogan in his peak, given the potential earnings.

 

Diversion of topic, but still technically on topic, can anybody recall examples of wrestlers who have flat out refused to sign big money deals or do jobs that would net them money that they were idiots to pass up on, simply out of principle or ego? We all know Hogan refused going to a rubber match with Michaels in 2005, a program that would have netted him considerable money (possibly even more than the Summerslam match, had the rubber taken place at the following Mania?).

 

 

Hogan's claimed in recent interviews that he wanted to do a series with Piper back in WWF that would involve them switching the title for a while, but Piper was unwilling to job for him. If I understood him correctly, the idea was Hogan would win, then Piper would win the title, then Hogan would win the title back. But Piper didn't want to do the initial job to show good faith or whatever.

 

No idea if there's any truth to this as Hogan has been prone to some real flights of fancy in his memory.

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This is one of the reasons why people talk all kinds of shit about Mil Mascaras but still would go out there and basically work a long squash match with him whenever it was requested. If you main evented with him you'd get double or triple pay depending on the city, with a nice bonus on top if it was a singles match for the IWA title.

 

That's pretty much the same story for most of Hulk Hogan's 1980's matches. Everybody who was everybody inevitably wound up staring at the ceiling for Hogan. They may slander how he was booked and how he didn't want to put them over, but none of them flat out refused to do the job, they all agreed to it, simply because of how much money they'd make doing it. It would be foolish for anybody to turn down a big arena job to Hogan in his peak, given the potential earnings.

 

Diversion of topic, but still technically on topic, can anybody recall examples of wrestlers who have flat out refused to sign big money deals or do jobs that would net them money that they were idiots to pass up on, simply out of principle or ego? We all know Hogan refused going to a rubber match with Michaels in 2005, a program that would have netted him considerable money (possibly even more than the Summerslam match, had the rubber taken place at the following Mania?).

 

 

Hogan's claimed in recent interviews that he wanted to do a series with Piper back in WWF that would involve them switching the title for a while, but Piper was unwilling to job for him. If I understood him correctly, the idea was Hogan would win, then Piper would win the title, then Hogan would win the title back. But Piper didn't want to do the initial job to show good faith or whatever.

 

No idea if there's any truth to this as Hogan has been prone to some real flights of fancy in his memory.

 

 

Certainly Piper could have main evented Wrestlemania 2 if he'd been willing to job to Hogan, and I'd imagine that would have been a bigger pay day than boxing Mr. T (although I have no idea at the size of the disparity).

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i would think bruiser brody fits into the category of "gave up a lot of money to avoid doing jobs", although it was more of a long-term practice than any particular program there.

This would be the most notable guy. When I see the words "smart worker" attached to Brody, stuff like this always comes to mind.

 

More common of a trait with workers in the Japanese scene I'd say.

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