In the world of professional wrestling, contracts hold significant importance, particularly when it concerns top-tier Superstars. Currently, there are several WWE contracts nearing expiration, but a recent shift in company policy suggests that they might not be eager to rush into new deals.
According to Sean Sapp of Fightful, “2021 saw some major WWE contracts expire in Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole, but a gigantic part of the roster is signed through 2024 after huge contacts were handed out in 2019.” Additionally, it’s worth noting that, “2022 witnessed a significant regime change, yet an implemented negotiation method seems to have remained.”
It appears that WWE has altered its approach to contract talks. While their previous policy involved securing talent well in advance, that seems to have changed in recent times. The report elaborated on this tactical shift within WWE.
“In many cases, WWE would start to reach out to talent to extend their deals a year and a half before they expired, but we’re told that is already changing. Completely separate from the Adam Cole and Pete Dunne contract situations in 2021, where deals expired without the company realizing, Fightful learned that a change in talent relations, internal turnover, and new faces at the top of the company have influenced the way contracts were negotiated in the last year or so of Vince McMahon’s regime before he left. As of Summer 2021, negotiations often commenced closer to the contract’s expiration date, marking a significant departure from WWE’s previous practice of locking down talent well in advance.”
It’s still uncertain how things will unfold under the leadership of Triple H, but currently, there haven’t been many instances where talent negotiations occurred well ahead of time, indicating a continuity of the existing method.
The future remains uncertain for wrestlers like Drew McIntyre, who have contracts set to expire at the end of the year without a new deal in place. If significant contracts expire, the WWE landscape could witness notable transformations. The course of action the company will take in response to these developments can only be revealed with the passage of time.
