Are airfare and hotel accommodations paid for by the WWE?

Airfare is always covered by WWE. Hotels for big event weekends (WM, SummerSlam, international tours, Saudi show, etc.) are paid by the company. Things like car rentals, hotel stays, food outside of catering all come out of the talent's pocket. That's why you often here about people becoming buddies on the road. They'll split the cost of a hotel room and a rental car with a few others guys and get into a rhythm of doing it every night.

I'd assume most wrestlers try to get a good group going. Unless you're making really good money with the company, I could imagine these expenses would eat up a ton of your income if you did it on your own. A lot of referees all travel and board together. I think this was eventually even the basis of that WWE Network road trip show they did.

Some major stars get it written into their deals that they get first class airfare paid. I think HBK was famously disliked because he was one of the first people to do it, and it rubbed a lot of talent the wrong way that he was upgraded all the time. I think some really big names have it in their contract that they nice hotel stays paid for by the company. I believe Big Show had that on one of his deals before he left WWE.

Could someone answer this? Why aren’t WWE wrestlers compensated as much as other athletes when they’re on the road 24/7? I can’t imagine having to book hotels/flights etc while also focusing on working out, eating right, getting enough sleep, keeping your mental state right and not seeing your family and then also focusing on your matches as well. Seems like a lot of work no pun intended. Also, heard that they don’t get retirement/medical insurance.

It's all because they don't have a union fighting to get those privileges for them. Vince has always been anti-union, as are the top guys.

Same thing with AEW. There will never be a union in pro wrestling.

From what I understand there are hotel and rent a car places that they get a hefty discount

I remember punk saying he bought his tour bus himself during his wwe time. He’s quite notoriously frugal but saw it as his one luxury due to the time they spend on the road. Get plenty of sleep and recovery etc and save all the hassle.

That’s the thing people don’t always think about, not only are they wrestling however many nights a week but they have s to drive themselves late at night, get a few hours sleep, grab a workout, get to the buildings stupidly early snd inbetween all this eat

Yea and she got let go….went jobless for a few months and immediately went back.

She got let go because she was open about wanting a union.

Unions are useless if a large group of the workers don't stand together.

Unions would not kill the industry. Why do you think that?

They are severely needed because the wrestlers are absolutely getting screwed over. They make only a fraction of the revenue they bring in. Compare that to the NBA, where the players make over 50% of the money they bring in.

Think about it like the SAG. The bigger actors (ie the WWE and AEW guys) are in the union. The smaller actors (ie the independent guys) aren't required to be.