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WHAT IF WRESTLEMANIA CAN'T BROADCAST FROM SAUDI, WWE PAYING TRIBUTE TO TED TURNER, NICK KHAN VS. HHH IN PAY, MARK BRISCOE AND MORE

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS TO MIKE FOR THE PWINSIDER Q&A BY CLICKING HERE.

I was wondering if Nick Khan took a pay cut like some of these wrestlers?

He did not.  His pay went up to $2 million a year and will go up again to $3 million a year over the course of his new contract.  Khan received an $11 million stock grant to sign thr new contract.  That would be in addition to the annual stock target he receives of $7.5 million (which will increase to $8.5 million over the course of the contract) and he could receive ANOTHER $5 million as an equity grant bonus depending on the performance of Zuffa Boxing.  So, short answer, again, no, he did not.

Who gets paid more, Nick Khan or Paul Levesque?

Levesque's deal isn't made public, but my gut is Khan is certainly being paid more.  He's higher up on the list of importance within WWE and TKO.

Are you surprised WWE didn't pay tribute to Ted Turner?

No, I don't see any world where they would want to celebrate him.  It's possible he gets a mention from Michael Cole on Smackdown, but it's not like they were going to do a video package on the guy who bankrolled the company that almost put them out of business.

Where has Mark Briscoe been? Is he injured or just taking time off?

We've previously noted he is out with an injury, so he's probably in Sandy Fork, Delaware.

Does it surprise you with how many fans seem to want to believe that WWE/TKO exist for the benefit of wrestlers and fans? 20 years of corporate experience has taught me that in ANY business, loyalty does not exist. No matter who you are, if the company believes they can achieve a greater profit without you, you're gone. My company just laid off a large percentage of our workforce despite record profits. Although it hurts personally and professionally that it happened, I 100% understand why they did what they did. WWE/TKO is no different. 

Most fans care about the talents and the storylines, not profit margins, so no, I am not surprised.

A follow up to your question about Wrestlemania in Saudi Arabia.  Of course, they'll want to go ahead with the show as planned, and a lot can change, for better or worse, before next year.  But at some point, do you see them quietly booking a backup venue?  And what would it be?  I imagine a large city that has local fans but also is easy for travelers to get to, like LA, NYC, or London.  Or would they just default back to Las Vegas for a third straight year?  And a connected question to that, do you know if they've ever booked a backup venue in the past?  I know WM7 shifted locations, but that was changed well in advance of the event.  Thanks!

We are told that the company will move forward with shows in that region as long as Americans are allowed to travel there and that their security professionals (we are told they work with an outside firm who are experts in security in that area) tell them it's OK to do so.  We are told they always have contingency plans in place and let's be honest, if they ever needed, they could pivot right to the Performance Center and broadcast a show from there in case of an emergency at the last second.  I don't see them going back to Las Vegas.  There's lots of cities they owe Wrestlemanias too, so we'll see where the next year takes us.

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS TO MIKE FOR THE PWINSIDER Q&A BY CLICKING HERE.

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