John Cena has been the centerpiece of WWE for longer than any other wrestler in the company’s history. He won his first title in WrestleMania 21 and is still on the top of the cards more than a decade later. With that level of success comes merchandising, company support and MILLIONS OF DOLLAS *dances*. How many millions?
Well, according to Dave Meltzer, John Cena is earning upwards of $10 million a year now, including merch benefits and bonuses. That’s a ton of money, and up there with any single-year earnings of guys like The Rock and Stone Cold. We can all argue about John Cena, but it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t deserve the money. Cena only misses time (except for the end of 2015) if he’s got a devastatingly critical injury. He’s been the stable, headlining presence for 10 years and he’s done more Make-a-Wish appearances than anyone ever.
The amount Cena’s earning is making his 2015 even more remarkable. While he could just sit around and collect his money, Cena instead decided to evolve into a top-tier wrestler, putting on classic matches all year. This is like Hulk Hogan joining the NWO and busting out top-rope hurricanranas just to put out a better product for the fans. But yeah, $10 million for Cena. Imagine how nice a wedding ring he’ll never get Nikki Bella would be.