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Real Reason TKO Is Restructuring WWE Contracts Revealed

By Sridhar Krishnan • Published May 05, 2026 13:10 EDT
WWE TKO
WWE stars asked to take pay cut (Image via - X/@WWE, X/@TKOGrp)

Last week saw four prominent names get released from WWE.

Two out of them were those of Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods of the New Day faction. Following their departure, it was revealed that they mutually decided to part ways after being asked to take a substantial pay cut.

It ended Kofi’s two-decade-long stint with the Stamford promotion, whereas Xavier was a talent on the roster for 16 years.

Amid reports of TKO restructuring the contracts of WWE stars, it was revealed that one talent decided to take a 50% pay cut, although their identity remains unknown.

A latest report by Bodyslam+ has now claimed that the reason behind TKO asking the wrestling company’s talent to restructure their contracts was the result of what they view as the talent rate of production vs. what they are being paid.

Another inside source also stated that TKO’s reason behind asking wrestlers to take a pay cut was to maximize revenue due to Endeavor’s debts.

How Much Did WWE & TKO Top Executives Earn?

The release of talents like Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods did not sit well with wrestling fans. Add to that the contract restructuring reports, fans began asking how much money the WWE & TKO top executives had pocketed while raising ticket prices, and other such shenanigans.

A tweet shared on X by Brandon Thurston compares the earnings of the likes of TKO’s Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro and WWE’s Nick Khan from 2024 to 2025.

Turns out that Emanuel earned 272% more in 2025 than he earned in 2024. Likewise, Shapiro and Khan received a 33% and 303% boost, respectively, to their earnings.

Another surprising element in the Kofi Kingston-Xavier Woods departure is that they had signed a five-year contract only in 2025. So, only one year into their latest contract, the duo was asked to restructure their deal.