Josh Lawless
A former WWE superstar leaked his royalty payments from the wrestling giants and complained about how much he made.
Ryback, a finalist in the Tough Enough reality show, signed a developmental contract and made his main roster debut in 2010, going on to win both the Intercontinental and United States championships before departing in 2016.
He proceeded to work on the independent wrestling scene and is a fitness YouTuber, podcast and content creator.
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On TikTok, 'The Big Guy' has a whopping 3.6 million followers and back in 2023, he shared his exact royalties with his fans. Even years after leaving WWE, superstars are still entitled to earn from merchandise and other revenue streams involving their name and likeness.
The document shared by Ryback and for quarter three in 2023, listed a number of WWE DVDs which he featured in over the years.
According to the piece of paper, WWE made $3579.79 off his brand and he was paid $289.88 for the quarter - though the 43-year-old was not satisfied and felt it was not a fair fee.
"This is exactly how much WWE royalties actually pays," Ryback explained in a video which is no longer available.
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"So this was my last royalty payment that I got the other month. A couple of interesting things to look at. One, the name Ryan Reeves.
"They have refused to acknowledge me as Ryback Reeves ever since I legally changed my name. Whether it was through the emails with the attorneys, on the various things that we had going on or stuff like this, they keep it as Ryan Reeves.
"So I’ve been off TV for seven and a half plus years and when I left WWE they did not make any new Ryback WWE merchandise. After winning the trademark they are never allowed to make anything new with the Ryback trademark.
"Right here is from the 3rd quarter, October 2023, in which I made $289.88. Now, what do WWE actually make for the quarter? This sheet right here, WWE made $3579.79 on the Ryback brand for the 3rd quarter of October 2023.
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So if you do the Steiner math on this you get a number of 12.34 and what you get with that is essentially every million dollars that WWE makes on royalties, they pay the talent $81,000. This is all ballpark. For every 10 million that the brand makes, they pay that talent $810,000. And for every 100 million a talent makes, they get $8 million, roughly."
Ryback was involved in a lengthy trademark battle with WWE that he won following a victory in a lawsuit and earlier this year said he was "at peace with" the situation and wished his former employers "all the best".
WWE legends like The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin are among the former stars who earn the most from royalty payments.