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AEW New details have emerged on how much money AEW spends on talent contracts, with a new estimate for the year reportedly revealed.
Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter pointed out that AEW recently submitted a tax credits form covering Double or Nothing week, featuring the TV taping and pay-per-view across June 24-25, 2024.
A brief analysis of the AEW salary spend based on the Nevada figures suggests AEW spends $104 million per year on salaries, per the report.
This is because the tax form reportedly stated that AEW spent $2 million on salaries during Double or Nothing week, one week out of 52 a year which AEW operates.
It’s worth noting that the salary figure includes all talent and other workers, according to the analysis in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Discussing the tax credits form submitted by AEW’s Mike Mansury, and the estimate he included in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer wrote:
“Mike Mansury filed forms for tax credits in Nevada listing the expresses for the TV taping and Double or Nothing PPV show on 5/24 and 5/25.
“The key number was $2 million in salaries, which would include all talent and other workers and the complete expenses for the two shows was listed as $3,868,200.
“Since talent is paid based on annual contracts, this would indicate the total talent number to be in the range of $104 million per year, which is very high.
“Someone familiar with the budgeting said that the way pay is done for some includes per-match figures and all the highest-paid available top guys were working that weekend and the usual weekly pay is below that figure.
“Still I’d safely put it at below the $104 million, but not a lot below it.”
AEW is currently building towards its next pay-per-view, Forbidden Door, which will take place on June 30.
For the latest updates on AEW ahead of this show, click here.
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21 mins ago by Dave Adamson
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