Jon Moxley talks about the business side of WWE.
While it's no longer his problem, Jon Moxley (formerly Dean Ambrose in WWE) isn't a fan of how payouts work in WWE, specifically related to house shows. The WWE production model has changed over the years with the advent of the WWE Network, less reliance on pay-per-view money, and more significant television contracts. All while live event revenue and attendance are down.
Speaking to Wade Keller of PWTorch, Moxley discussed his issues with how WWE handles house show payouts and the overall schedule.
"I don't know how they [Network payouts] work. The explanation was, they have a pool of money that they use, and we get the same amount as we would for pay-per-views. I don't know what that means, but my pay-per-view checks never went down. But I only had one or two to compare them to before we went to the Network. [CM Punk] might have had a comparison because he was a top guy at that point. I don't know how they do it because the whole model has changed."
Moxley continued, "That's another thing they have to update; the house show model. This 80s model where everyone gets paid off the house show, but that's not where WWE is making their money. They are making their money off giant TV contracts and the boys aren't seeing any of that. That's got to change. This whole house show thing has to change because it doesn't make any sense. The schedule is not why I left but I did that schedule harder and longer than anybody while I was there. It is brutal. Maybe it's not as bad as it was in the 70s, 80s, or 90s but it is brutal. And we're not all on painkillers and stuff. And we're doing way more athletically and physically demanding matches. The schedule is harder than it needs to be for quality of life. They ride [talent] like a pony. They don't treat the talent like the commodity that they are. Without the talent, there is no show. At least eliminate half the house shows. Eventually, they are gonna have to do an offseason or cycle guys in and out or just lighten the schedule drastically. And they're gonna have to start paying guys more on their downside. Their whole business model has to change."
Moxley went on to say that he doesn't understand why Becky Lynch is wrestling in Pikeville at a house show a week before headlining WrestleMania.
You can view more quotes from Moxley from various interviews he's done by clicking here.
