Missy Hyatt says one of her biggest frustrations from her WCW run involved money she claims she was owed from merchandise and hotline revenue.
Speaking on Talk Is Jericho, Hyatt said she was not only upset about what she went through personally in wrestling, but also about how she claims WCW handled money tied to her name and likeness.
It wasn’t really the sexual harassment I was mad about.
It was mad about getting my calendar sold more calendars than the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders that year.
The ’94 calendar.
Hyatt became emotional while discussing the calendar and said she received a very small payment for it.
Sorry, it makes me cry.
And I get a check for $18.
Chris Jericho reacted by saying the amount was “insane.”
Hyatt said she believed she was supposed to receive a percentage of the money.
I was supposed to get 20%.
Hyatt also discussed money she said she received from WCW’s 900 hotline.
One year on the hotline, I got $33,000 for the 900 hotline.
They [expletive] me.
Hyatt said she later believed the amount should have been much higher.
I should have gotten, when we got the forensic accounting, it should have been about 66,000.
Hyatt claimed the hotline generated major money for WCW.
I made them over a half a million dollars a year alone on Sundays on the 900 hotline.
Hyatt said her salary at the time was $65,000 per year, which she acknowledged was good money in the early 1990s, but said her issue was not receiving what she believed she was due.
I got paid $65,000 a year.
Now, that’s a lot of money in the early 90s.
But pay me what I was due.
Hyatt said she later filed a lawsuit, mainly over money she believed WCW owed her.
I filed a lawsuit and it was mainly for my rights as my money that they owed me.
Hyatt said she also did not receive money she expected from the hotline that year.
They didn’t give me any money for the hotline either.
And that year I did just as well.
Hyatt said she expected another hotline check, but claimed she received nothing.
I was expecting another screw job check of $30,000 and I didn’t get anything.
Nothing.
Hyatt also claimed she received nothing for other merchandise and licensing items.
Nothing from the hotline, $18 for my calendar, nothing for the trading cards, nothing for the video games.
Hyatt said her contract included a merchandise percentage.
My contract was strictly I got, it was either 20 or 30%.
It was a high amount.
Hyatt said the structure of the deal came from a contract renegotiation with Kip Frey.
When Kip Frey, when we renegotiated my two-year contract, he was like, “I’d rather give you less money and a higher merchandise thing because you’ll work harder.”
And he was right.
Hyatt said her salary was lower because of the merchandise percentage, but claimed WCW still did not pay her properly on that end.
He’s giving me 65 one year and 75,000 another year and then I think it was 20%.
But they still [expletive] me on that.
Hyatt said she learned more through her lawyer.
I found out later, my lawyer did that.
Hyatt also claimed WCW tried to deduct unrelated costs from hotline revenue.
On the hotline, they tried to make me pay for people’s parking and all kinds of stuff in there.
Like, why is that being taken out?
What is this being taken?
Hyatt said the matter eventually went to arbitration.
We settled.
We had arbitration and I got like $175,000 or something.
Not a lot.
Jericho noted that figure was tied to the harassment claims and back royalties.
Hyatt said the settlement was primarily for back royalties.
All I got was like the back royalties basically.
I didn’t get anything for the harassment.
Hyatt said the whole situation remains painful because she believes she generated significant money for WCW but was not paid what she was owed.
Pay me what I was due.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Talk Is Jericho, with a h/t to Wrestling Headlines for the transcription.
