Rousey: WWE Does Not Leave People High And Dry
Ronda Rousey believes the WWE has a better pay structure than the UFC.
Rousey departed the UFC following her TKO defeat to Amanda Nunes back in December 2016. “Rowdy” — who alongside Conor McGregor was one of the highest-paid fighters in the promotion — would later join the WWE in 2018 on a lucrative deal.
And from her own personal experience, she believes it is the WWE that has the superior pay structure.
For one, Rousey believes WWE superstars are treated like employees rather than independent contractors. For another, unlike UFC fighters, they don’t only get paid when they perform.
“WWE is even better because everyone’s on salary,” Rousey told Steve-O in a recent appearance on his podcast. “It’s not like you show up for a fight, you get paid, you show up for a fight, you get paid. I think in WWE, they’re actually considered employees. [They’re independent contractors] but they’re treated like employees. They actually are on a salary. It’s much more secure. If people get injured and they can’t perform months and months and months on end, they actually continue to pay them and pay for their medical treatment and make sure they’re taken care of.
“… They really try their best not to leave people high and dry. They really invest in talent and spend time on building and developing them. … As soon as they hire people, they’re on salary right away, which is very, very different than having these lumps of prize money. So I would say it’s definitely more secure and job-like.”
Those comments will likely not sit well with UFC president Dana White if he comes across them. However, Rousey certainly does have a point.
While there are flaws in WWE’s own structure, the superstars are paid throughout the year with much more job security than a mixed martial arts fighter who only competes three to four times a year at most. And let’s not forget the cuts that have to be paid to a fighter’s manager and coaching staff.
Hopefully, this puts Rousey back in the good books of the WWE following her other recent comments.
