Slayer_X
02-26-2015, 11:26 AM
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
As noted, AJ Lee tweeted the following to Stephanie McMahon last night:
"Your female wrestlers have record selling merchandise & have starred in the highest rated segment of the show several times, And yet they receive a fraction of the wages & screen time of the majority of the male roster. #UseYourVoice"
Regarding AJ's merchandise claims, The Wrestling Observer reports that she was a strong merchandise seller when she was being pushed but the formula WWE uses for merchandise sales with most of the roster is the same with a few top stars getting higher percentages. None of the Divas sell anywhere close to the levels that top WWE Superstars are at.
As far as Divas being in the highest-rated segments on WWE TV, the Diva segments were rarely above average when weekly segment breakdowns were available. However, AJ was working main event segments with top stars such as Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, and those segments always did well.
Regarding pay, while there are exceptions, it is a general rule in WWE that the Divas on the main roster are paid significantly less than the men. Apparently that is not the case in NXT as there's a general rule that the Divas there make more than the men because so many of the men came from indie backgrounds and are willing to take low pay just to be a part of WWE. Most of the women hired come from modeling or athletic backgrounds and there's also the idea that the women need to earn at a certain level to maintain the kind of look WWE wants.
A source close to the situation with AJ told The Wrestling Observer that she did it completely on her own and the company was completely blind-sided by it. Stephanie was said to be absolutely furious at being made to look bad by one of their employees and at being shown up on Twitter. Vince McMahon, seeing the bigger picture, reportedly instructed Stephanie to reply with the tweet that she sent, thanking AJ for her opinion.
As noted, AJ Lee tweeted the following to Stephanie McMahon last night:
"Your female wrestlers have record selling merchandise & have starred in the highest rated segment of the show several times, And yet they receive a fraction of the wages & screen time of the majority of the male roster. #UseYourVoice"
Regarding AJ's merchandise claims, The Wrestling Observer reports that she was a strong merchandise seller when she was being pushed but the formula WWE uses for merchandise sales with most of the roster is the same with a few top stars getting higher percentages. None of the Divas sell anywhere close to the levels that top WWE Superstars are at.
As far as Divas being in the highest-rated segments on WWE TV, the Diva segments were rarely above average when weekly segment breakdowns were available. However, AJ was working main event segments with top stars such as Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, and those segments always did well.
Regarding pay, while there are exceptions, it is a general rule in WWE that the Divas on the main roster are paid significantly less than the men. Apparently that is not the case in NXT as there's a general rule that the Divas there make more than the men because so many of the men came from indie backgrounds and are willing to take low pay just to be a part of WWE. Most of the women hired come from modeling or athletic backgrounds and there's also the idea that the women need to earn at a certain level to maintain the kind of look WWE wants.
A source close to the situation with AJ told The Wrestling Observer that she did it completely on her own and the company was completely blind-sided by it. Stephanie was said to be absolutely furious at being made to look bad by one of their employees and at being shown up on Twitter. Vince McMahon, seeing the bigger picture, reportedly instructed Stephanie to reply with the tweet that she sent, thanking AJ for her opinion.