TKO reportedly planning to renegotiate Roman Reigns' WWE contract amid roster cuts

‘The OTC’ might not be safe from TKO’s recent budget cuts!

‘The OTC’ Roman Reigns is one of the biggest stars not just in the roster right now, but one of the biggest in promotional history. He recently headlined his career 10th and sixth consecutive WrestleMania this year, battling Seth Rollins and CM Punk in a triple-threat match.

However, it now seems like the biggest star isn’t safe from the recent budget cuts made by WWE’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings.

While speaking on Lucha Libre Online, Hugo Savinovich shared that he was at the gym when he began receiving unexpected information from Lucha Libre Online President Javier González and Vice President Michael Morales, and he dug deeper into the details, which turned out to be related to Roman Reigns.

“I was at the gym receiving information and studying what I’m about to share with you. And wow—honestly, the more I saw the data being shared with me by Lucha Libre Online President Javier González and Vice President Michael Morales, I couldn’t believe it.

After I finished at the gym, I sat down to look at everything, and what I’m going to talk to you about has to do with Roman Reigns. That’s right. Roman Reigns. I never thought we’d be discussing this topic. If I was surprised, I think you’ll be even more shocked.”

Savinovich remarked that on The Last Word podcast, hosted by Jonathan Coachman and Tommy Carlucci, it was revealed that TKO executives are reconsidering how to handle Reigns’ contract. While they don’t want to release him, they also don’t want to pay him $15 million a year.

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Roman Reigns receives a percentage of ticket sales along with multiple bonuses

Savinovich broke down Roman Reigns’ salary, his base salary was $5 million. Additionally, he also made extra money from pay-per-view matches, video game deals like WWE 2K, promotional events, merchandise, where he received 30% from sales, and bonuses for international shows like those in Saudi Arabia.

Reigns also received a percentage of ticket sales, bringing his total annual earnings to approximately $15 million. Savinovich also pointed out that Reigns is a massive brand even outside WWE, and while he has agents, the Stamford-based promotion still managed outside deals and took a cut.

“Now, why $15 million? Let me break it down. Roman Reigns’ base salary is $5 million. But then there are add-ons—pay-per-views, video game deals like WWE 2K, promotional appearances, merchandise royalties (he earns 30% on merch, which is huge), and special bonuses like appearances in Saudi Arabia. Plus, he earns a cut from ticket sales. All of this adds up to $15 million a year.“

However, Roman still earned millions. He was also being eyed for another Hollywood film, and because he is under contract, WWE would receive a portion of those earnings as well.

“Even outside WWE, Roman is a valuable brand. He has agents, but deals still go through WWE, which takes a percentage. However, the bulk of the money goes to Roman Reigns. Right now, there’s talk of him being cast in another Hollywood film. And because he’s under WWE contract, WWE still takes their cut. But Roman still walks away with millions.”

Savinovich noted that TKO is cutting costs across the board, citing the recent release, while also pointing out the rumors hinting that more releases are on the way. He also pointed out WWE President Nick Khan recently sold $4 million in TKO stock, which created a lot of buzz.

Savinovich concluded by suggesting that TKO might be questioning why they’re paying Reigns such a high salary if he’s not working a full-time schedule.

“And TKO? They’re cutting costs across the board. We’ve seen recent releases, and there are rumors of more. Remember when Nick Khan, a major WWE exec, announced he was selling $4 million worth of stock? That raised eyebrows. TKO is saying: Roman’s not around full-time. Why are we paying him so much? So, they want to renegotiate.”

[H/T: Ringside News]

Reigns has been absent from WWE programming since Raw after WrestleMania 41, where he tried to confront Paul Heyman for betraying him, but was attacked by Bron Breakker, Seth Rollins’ new faction member.

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