Jim Ross is weighing in on the latest round of WWE roster cuts following WrestleMania 42, offering some insight into how WWE contracts are typically structured behind the scenes.
During a recent episode of his Grilling JR podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer discussed the misconception surrounding the “five-year deals” many WWE talents reportedly signed in recent years. According to Ross, those agreements almost always contain clauses that allow the company to release talent before the full term expires.
“I think probably most of them [the recently released talent] probably got a 90 day out, meaning they get paid for 90 days and they’re free to go where the hell they want,” Ross said. “So essentially when you sign those five-year deals, a lot of them have outs, all of them have outs of some sort, and if they don’t? You’re stupid…and WWE is not stupid.”
That’s the reality of the wrestling business.
Ross went on to explain that while longer-term contracts can provide performers with some added stability, they should not automatically be viewed as fully guaranteed deals unless that language is specifically negotiated into the agreement.
“Just because you got a five-year deal, it doesn’t mean you got five guaranteed years to pay at this particular rate,” Ross explained. “If I’m a talent, I like the five-year deal, cause it gives me a little bit of security, but it’s not guaranteed unless you negotiate that in your deal, that ‘I got five years guaranteed and my contract ends in 2032 or something.’”
The comments come after WWE made another wave of roster releases in the weeks following WrestleMania 42, continuing a trend the company has frequently followed in recent years after major events or corporate restructuring periods.
Typically, WWE main roster talent released from the company are subject to a 90-day non-compete clause, while NXT performers generally receive a 30-day restriction before they are able to appear for another nationally televised wrestling promotion.
