WWE’s recent wave of roster cuts was not only about clearing out names fans stopped caring about. In several cases, it was really about clearing out massive salaries.

During a recent Fightful Select Q&A, Sean Ross Sapp reported that some released wrestlers had been earning between two million and three million dollars a year, while others let go were somehow making less than what many believed was WWE’s own main roster minimum.

At least two wrestlers cut this year were reportedly earning under that expected baseline, which genuinely surprised other talent once word got around. Many wondered why WWE would release someone that cheap rather than simply keeping them on the roster.

There was also one lower midcard male wrestler locked into a three-year, $500,000 deal, even though WWE had little creative direction planned for him. That wrestler was essentially just collecting a paycheck for as long as possible.

The biggest numbers came from a separate group entirely. Some releases over the past two or three years involved multimillion-dollar annual salaries, landing in that 2-3 million-dollar range.

That context helps explain why WWE later brought back or signed names like Big Cass, Zilla Fatu, and Baron Corbin for a fraction of the cost, reportedly around thirty or forty percent of what some released stars had been earning. Those new deals are as close to veteran minimum pay.

While WWE is not short on money, it is clearly done overpaying for wrestlers without a defined creative plan attached to their name.