Fact Check: Are Roman Reigns & TKO Having WWE Contract Trouble?

An account called @Wrestletales posted that "TKO is reportedly loo@Wrestletales postedking to renegotiate Roman Reigns's $15M contract deal, as they believe it's an expensive contract for Roman's part-time schedule." They add, "This is INSANE. A massive disrespect to the man who carried WWE to billion-dollar deals."

On the one hand, the potential confirmation that Reigns is earning $15 million per year working the limited dates he appears (no house shows, few Raw and SmackDowns) and only key premium live events (PLEs) is a potential shocker. In November 2024, SI.com reported that Reigns was earning approximately $5 million per year. However, GiveMeSport offered their own Top 10 list in May of 2025, confirming the $15 million number.

While other stars like Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Seth Rollins were also high on the list, these stars work far more often than Reigns.

Second, the idea that WWE and TKO are under the impression that Reigns will stick with WWE if they try to rework his deal has many of the 1.2 million people who viewed this post thinking the company would never dare attempt this. Reigns knows he's earned the right to work limited dates. He has also hinted in the past that he's nearing a point where he's ready to move on. He isn't suddenly going to show up all the time to collect his paycheck.

Is TKO Really Feeling The Crunch Here?

This is not like the Bret Hart situation, where Vince McMahon regretted his deal with Bret and told him to go to WCW if he didn't renegotiate. TKO is making a lot of money from WWE. They can afford Reigns' deal.

Admittedly, this is a lot of money to be paying for one star. If that star only shows up 15 times per year, that's about $1 million per appearance, which is understandably ludicrous. However, Reigns is far and away the biggest draw in WWE, and his appearances generate massive revenue for WWE, as well as garner millions of social media views and shares. The ROI is what WWE and TKO are looking at.

One could argue Reigns has earned every penny he makes based on how he led WWE through their toughest years and is the main reason they are making the record revenues they currently make. What message does it send if a talent does that and the company then turns around and says, 'You've earned this, but we've changed our minds.'