JBL explains former Vince McMahon’s unpredictable WWE payout system.
The former WWE Champion JBL didn’t hold back when discussing Vince McMahon’s payout structure during a recent Q&A episode of the Something to Wrestle podcast. JBL mentioned he earned nearly ten times his downside guarantee, trusting that Vince McMahon would reward strong performance.
“My contract, you know, when I had my best run, I probably made, I think nine to ten times what my downside was, because I never cared about the downside, because, you know, I just believe that you should eat what you kill. I always thought that if I do well, Vince is going to pay me. He was a great pay guy. I wasn’t worried about it.”
When asked if Vince McMahon used a consistent formula for payouts, JBL called it “100% bullshit.” “Yes, of course he did. He had a full methodology and it was 100% bullshit. 29%, I remember the number, went to the building, employees, and talent. That number may have been legit. I’m not saying that number is not legit, but how that number got dispersed was absolutely bullshit.”
Vince McMahon’s formula was bad, but his payouts were still great
JBL says he asked around about how Vince McMahon would calculate pay, and it was largely based on his opinion of drawing power.
“It was Vince. Vince would go through, and I’ve talked to guys who’ve done payroll, including [Gerry Brisco], and Vince would come through and go, ‘Nope. Change this to that. Change this to this.’ He would base it on what he thought guys were drawing, what he thought they were worth, the ticket sales he thought they sold, and where they were on the card. It was all feel.. That was 100% feel. To my knowledge, not many would bitch about paydays. Vince was a great pay guy, the best I ever saw.” [H/T: Fightful]
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