AEW Threat? WWE Paid Undercard Talent $500,000 To Avoid Potential Switch

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is taking newly formed All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as genuine threats even though the former is the world’s most popular pro-wrestling promotion and is likely to be so for many years to come. But WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has confirmed that Vince McMahon is doing everything to ensure the promotion do not lose superstars from its roster to AEW.

Ross joined AEW on a multi-year deal earlier this year and revealed that the contract on offer was the best in his career. Similarly, Chris Jericho, a WWE legend, also joined the new promotion on what he described as an “NFL-Style” offer, which has turned heads of other pro-wrestlers in the WWE and other promotions.

McMahon has reportedly started offering members of the WWE roster new contracts, including double-your-money deals to anyone willing to commit on the spot. Ross, who was on Busted Open Radio recently, spoke about AEW and whether WWE is worried about the new promotion which is bank-rolled by Pakistani American billionaire Shahid Khan and his son Tony Khan.

The 67-year-old revealed that McMahon was supportive of his decision to join the new promotion and was quite certain that the WWE chairman will not be concerned about AEW’s “financial clout”. Ross wants AEW to steer clear of chasing the global power of WWE, but admitted that McMahon certainly has concerns about his company losing talent to AEW.

Ross spoke of an incident when he asked about the availability of an undercard talent in the WWE, but was immediately shut down, with the world’s most popular pro-wrestling promotion making it clear that he was unavailable. He was supposedly given a new deal worth $500,000 just so that he remains with the company and does not jump ship.

“I do not know that he is concerned about anybody. I really doubt it. He is bulletproof in that regard. The worst mistake AEW can make is trying to chase WWE,” Ross said on “Busted Open Radio”. “We do not need to chase them. I’m sure there is a financial concern. I asked about an undercard guy in WWE that helps the other guys learn and they said he was not available because he just signed a new WWE deal for $500K. Not because he would be used but just to keep him off the streets.”

AEW will be airing its first live event “Double or Nothing” on May 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and both WWE legends Ross and Jericho will be part of the action. It will be the first insight into the new promotion’s ability to compete with the behemoth that is WWE.