Nic Nemeth, formerly known to WWE fans as Dolph Ziggler, recently shared insight into how the wrestling pay landscape has shifted since the arrival of All Elite Wrestling.

Speaking on the Off The Ropes podcast with Jonathan Coachman, Nemeth revealed that the final contract he signed with WWE appeared to be motivated largely by preventing him from jumping to AEW. According to Nemeth, the situation was never explicitly stated but was clearly understood during negotiations.

Nemeth explained that he intentionally asked for a significant amount of money because he believed WWE would not agree to the figure. His expectation was that the request would push him toward exploring opportunities elsewhere.

“My last contract was to keep me from going to AEW. That was it. It was winked and not said, but it was completely understood. I go, ‘I’m asking for this elaborate amount because I know you won’t pay me what I’m worth. I’m going to make a move. I’m going elsewhere.’ And they go, ‘nope, we’ll do it.’ I go, ‘What??? Okay.’”

During the conversation, Coachman discussed how AEW’s presence in the market has helped drive up salaries across the industry. He suggested that if a high profile name were to enter a bidding war and choose AEW, it could encourage other WWE talent to consider their own options.

Coachman also referenced the kind of money top stars can command in the current landscape.

“If a big name gets into a bidding war as a free agent and selects AEW because of all the things that we’ve talked about today the ticket prices, wanting fans to come to the show, all of those things that could be a tipping point where other WWE stars say, ‘you know what, maybe this isn’t where I want to be anymore.’ Maybe watching Cody make $10 million or Roman make $15 million for showing up 15 times and I think those part time deals, I think TKO is going to tighten the purse strings. Can you imagine letting Roman Reigns go when you’re making billions? Yeah, I don’t care if he wants $20 million. Yeah, you pay him to keep him from going there.”

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