Meltz: Several Wrestlers are Thinking of Leaving

[dh86]

Most guys, even guys more talented than Cody, aren't going to have the success Cody has had on the indies. Cody lucked out with NJPW needing a new BC member and then getting to ride the wave of the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. Before that, he was trying and failing to do all the workrate promotions doing matches no one gave a shyt about. Had he not been able to attach himself to Bullet Club and the Bucks, he'd be be working those baseball stadium shows and no name indies in the Mid West with Honky Tonk man and Greg Valentine in 2017.

The majority of guys are going to have to go the Drew McIntyre way of working much harder for much less for a longer period to get some buzz around you and hope WWE calls you back and thinks you're worth more than the last time they had you. No one else is getting the path Cody got to go on until Cody or Kenny leave.

The money is apparently so funny lower in the card & in the cruiserweight division, that necessarily doesn’t apply. Austin Aries says he’s made more the last six weeks in indies than he did his last 4 months in WWE.

 

[dh86]

The fukk these 3 getting into.

Bray and Bo have travelled together for years.

 

[Beautiful Bobby Eatin]

An example closer to Cody than Drew: Shelton Benjamin recently said on a podcast that while he loved working in Japan, they were lean years financially and that's the main reason he came back to WWE. This is a guy who had a bigger career with WWE than Cody, and spent the bulk of his 7 years out of WWE working ROH, NJPW, and NOAH, and he wasn't making particularly good money. A bigger star, with steady gigs not having to kill himself with the indie schedule and indie style, and it took him 7 years to get back to the company, mostly because they needed people to fill out the roster after the split.

That's going to be best case scenario for most talent that walk out and try to go out on their own.

Shelton also wasnt seeing any kind of merch money either he was only paid through his bookings. Cody has a top selling shirt in a nationwide brand. He is also a Rhodes and a tall white guy. Lets not act like Shelton was ever seen as equal to a Cody Rhodes no matter how good Shelton is in the ring

 

[Jmare007]

An example closer to Cody than Drew: Shelton Benjamin recently said on a podcast that while he loved working in Japan, they were lean years financially and that's the main reason he came back to WWE. This is a guy who had a bigger career with WWE than Cody, and spent the bulk of his 7 years out of WWE working ROH, NJPW, and NOAH, and he wasn't making particularly good money. A bigger star, with steady gigs not having to kill himself with the indie schedule and indie style, and it took him 7 years to get back to the company, mostly because they needed people to fill out the roster after the split.

That's going to be best case scenario for most talent that walk out and try to go out on their own.

Shelton also wasnt seeing any kind of merch money either he was only paid through his bookings. Cody has a top selling shirt in a nationwide brand. He is also a Rhodes and a tall white guy. Lets not act like Shelton was ever seen as equal to a Cody Rhodes no matter how good Shelton is in the ring

Shelton also wasn't a main eventer for most of the promotions that pay good enough money. He never had a standout indy run and was a midcarder in Japan for 90% or more of his time there.

I agree that card position has to be part of the equation when it comes to leaving WWE. If you wanna make good money outside of Vince's bubble, you gotta be a main player in a couple of "important" places.

 

[boriquaking]

Shelton also wasnt seeing any kind of merch money either he was only paid through his bookings. Cody has a top selling shirt in a nationwide brand. He is also a Rhodes and a tall white guy. Lets not act like Shelton was ever seen as equal to a Cody Rhodes no matter how good Shelton is in the ring

I agree with everything you said, let me also add that shelton left well before internet streaming took off.

To elaborate, its easier to watch NJPW now for us stateside than it used to be. These wrestlers have way more visibility right now (in a good way) because of how we can watch.

 

[dh86]

Shelton also wasnt seeing any kind of merch money either he was only paid through his bookings. Cody has a top selling shirt in a nationwide brand. He is also a Rhodes and a tall white guy. Lets not act like Shelton was ever seen as equal to a Cody Rhodes no matter how good Shelton is in the ring

Neville gonna walk into NJPW a star and a martyr and play into the ‘cease & desist’ story

 

[stro]

The money is apparently so funny lower in the card & in the cruiserweight division, that necessarily doesn’t apply. Austin Aries says he’s made more the last six weeks in indies than he did his last 4 months in WWE.

Austin Aries is pretty cagey to not acknowledge that those 4 months in the "big league" is impacting his money at "bingo halls", and that WWE pay checks usually come months after PPVs.

Shelton also wasnt seeing any kind of merch money either he was only paid through his bookings. Cody has a top selling shirt in a nationwide brand. He is also a Rhodes and a tall white guy. Lets not act like Shelton was ever seen as equal to a Cody Rhodes no matter how good Shelton is in the ring

Which is unique, as Cody in no way would have that kind of merch had he not hitched his wagon to the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. Cody had absolutely nothing to do with Bullet Club shirts being sold at Hot Topic. He was able to cash in on an established brand and get his own version of their branding into Hot Topic that he otherwise would never, ever have been able to do. Cody had so many things fall into place all at the right time that is not going to be replicable for 99% of talents, even big names.

 

[dh86]

Austin Aries is pretty cagey to not acknowledge that those 4 months in the "big league" is impacting his money at "bingo halls", and that WWE pay checks usually come months after PPVs.



Which is unique, as Cody in no way would have that kind of merch had he not hitched his wagon to the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. Cody had absolutely nothing to do with Bullet Club shirts being sold at Hot Topic. He was able to cash in on an established brand and get his own version of their branding into Hot Topic that he otherwise would never, ever have been able to do. Cody had so many things fall into place all at the right time that is not going to be replicable for 99% of talents, even big names.

Well of course Aries time on Raw boosts his pay on the indies, but ‘exposure’ has a limit. Like Cesaro has over 5 straight years of WWE television exposure, there’s little difference between 5 years and 6. Also WWE sells minimal ppvs now outside of Wrestlemania and I don’t recall any Austin Aries merch so that’s just show $

 

[Breh Obama]

Cody Rhodes is overrated as fukk

 

[Psychosis]

Cody lucked out with NJPW needing a new BC member and then getting to ride the wave of the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. Before that, he was trying and failing to do all the workrate promotions doing matches no one gave a shyt about.

Not trying to hate on the kid, but this is all truth.
He also happens to have a hot wife/valet taking bookings, promoting with him

Cody has a top selling shirt in a nationwide brand

 

[Lucha Vandross]

Not trying to hate on the kid, but this is all truth.
He also happens to have a hot wife/valet taking bookings, promoting with him

fukk u CAWdy

 

[stro]

Objectify your wife at a 3 star hotel so you can sell more t-shirts to neck beards, brehs

 

[LastEmperor2k2]

The money is apparently so funny lower in the card & in the cruiserweight division, that necessarily doesn’t apply. Austin Aries says he’s made more the last six weeks in indies than he did his last 4 months in WWE.

Would you expect him to say he made less in the last month that he did in one week?

I get it, but to me wrestlers are basically high schoolers. They stunt a lot

 

[mrken12]

Objectify your wife at a 3 star hotel so you can sell more t-shirts to neck beards, brehs

 

[TransJenner]

CAWdy Rhodes