WWF News: nWo flop, Rock taking time off soon, paycuts, more
Submitted by Calvin Martin on Tuesday, March 19, 2002 at 2:23 PM EST



Submitted by Mr. Tito on Tuesday, March 19, 2002 at 2:14 PM EST




The following news and notes comes from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter by Dave Meltzer. Subscription information can be obtained by Clicking Here.

Internally within the WWF, the New world Order has been talked about as a major flop due to the lack of higher ratings since their debut.

The Rock now has tenative plans to take a few months off this summer, again, to film a movie. If you remember last year, the Rock took time off from a few weeks after Wrestlemania until just before Summerslam Pay Per View to film the "Scorpion King". This puts a wrench in the split plans, as one show was supposed to focus on the Rock while the other on Stone Cold Steve Austin. The movie that the Rock will be filming will be sort of an action-comedy.

Several WWF wrestlers have been asked to take paycuts recently, thanks in part to economic conditions today and since the WWF isn't profitable as it used to be when carrying a large amount of wrestlers. It's also felt that since there's no strong competition, the downside guarantees won't be as guaranteed as before.

All wrestlers are subject to the new paycuts, from the former Alliance members who have yet to return to television, to the wrestlers whose contracts are due soon, and to even some of the television performers.

It's said that 40 wrestlers fall under the category of getting a paycut from the WWF.

Roughly, about $25,000 will be cut from each wrestler in the category. For some, like those who make $100,000, it's losing 25% of their salary and forcing them to greatly change their lifestyle.

Some wrestlers have been offered 3 separate options. One, they could receive a buyout on their contract. Two, they could be sent to Puerto Rico for a long while (the WWF has a good working relationship with one fed there). OR finally, they could agree to new terms on a contract.

There are some wrestlers who will receive a paycut of some kind that have been asking about the new start-up federations for any possible work (like the XWF or WWA, for example). However, it's said that any alternatives for any federation in the United States is risky business. For example, it's been reported that both the XWF and WWA regularly promises guaranteed contracts or high paying contracts, but neither has come through for wrestlers.

The final question is what to do with wrestlers who have a contract coming up. Among those, one of the biggest names with a contract due is Chris Jericho. (I believe he signed in late summer, maybe around August, of 1999, which was reportedly a 3 year deal.) Some who are clearly bigger stars now than when they signed a contract, like Jericho, you could argue that they deserve a raise. However, if a Jericho receives no raise, it will show that a star like Jericho won't have any leverage against a monopolistic management, which is what the WWF is without any competition in the marketplace.

[ Credit: Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter ]

(Note: When using this news, please have the dignity to credit Dave Meltzer for the news AND Mr. Tito/Lordsofpain.net for compiling the Observer news. Thanks.)








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