While WWE superstars are paid handsomely, a select few at the top get compensated better than the rest of the roster. The main event talent walk away with the biggest paychecks, and during his heyday, Stone Cold Steve Austin was nigh untouchable.
During the recent Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross and Conrad Thompson spoke about the WWE King of the Ring 1996 and Steve Austin’s monumental work at the event.
Jim Ross felt that Steve Austin’s KOTR tournament win was probably one of the most critical moments in wrestling as the Texas Rattlesnake built on the momentum from the victory.
JR recalled the true extent of Steve Austin’s success and how the former WWE Champion sold an incredible amount of merchandise. While Ross noted that Austin might have had more prominent years, the superstar once made an astounding $13 million a year.
The veteran announcer stated that Austin played a massive role in WWE entering the Attitude Era, and the superstar was rewarded for his efforts with incomparable monetary gains.
“Probably, based on where Austin took it. The merch he sold, you know, he eventually, not too many years after that, I remember, and he may have had bigger years, but he had one year where he made 13 million dollars. He was making over a million dollars a month. So I suggest strongly it was the right thing to do, and it was pivotal in the growth of the brand leading into the Attitude Era, and I would dare say, the company going public as well,” revealed JR.
“We had our guy” – Jim Ross on how WWE realized of Steve Austin’s potential as a main eventer
WWE officials knew they had a megastar on hand following Austin’s 3:16 promo at King of the Ring. Jim Ross revealed that the company wasted no time in reworking Austin’s contract after the pay-per-view.
WWE wanted Austin to feel appreciated, and the management didn’t wait for his deal to expire before negotiating new terms.
“Immediately. You know, what’s there to think about. We had our guy. So, it worked out. You know, it worked out fine, and you know, it was a time to keep your talent happy. Again, and Vince becoming more talent-aware. We’ve talked about this, Connie. And here’s our guy that is supposed to be our ‘it’ guy for what we thought was years to come and was to some degree until Steve got hurt, but it was just good stuff, man,” Ross added.
WWE’s main goal was to keep Austin happy as he was earmarked to be the promotion’s marquee star for years to come. While injuries cut short Austin’s run, the WWE Hall of Famer had an immense impact during his time as the company’s face.
“We didn’t wait till the contract ended. We didn’t wait to recycle this or that. We went right for it, and he was appreciative of it because he got the respect from the office that he had been looking for at every company he had worked for. Just respect me for what I do, and I’m a wrestler. So he got that respect. We wanted to make sure he knew he was appreciated. We sure as hell wanted to keep him happy,” Jim Ross concluded.
Steve Austin made the most of his push in 1996, and as the years progressed, the WWE Legend amassed earnings and merch sales unlike any other wrestler in the business.
Austin was one of the most popular names during wrestling’s most relevant era, and, astonishingly, he raked in $1 million a month at the peak of his powers.
Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
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