Is the WWE changing its Superstars' contracts? A recent report from Fightful Select suggests a change in policy for how the WWE handles negotiations with Superstars who deals are set to expire:

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Fightful has learned that numerous talent, including several top stars, have not been approached for contract extensions. WWE signed dozens of wrestlers to new deals in 2019 that are expiring, but also some that were shorter-term are coming due in 2024. WWE has top talent with expiring deals all throughout the year.

H/T Fightful Select

This approach could see a practice similar to AEW where the company chooses not to renew contracts rather than flat-out releasing wrestlers. The WWE has a large roster and while TKO seems pleased with Triple H's efforts in creative, they may not be pleased with the cost of the roster he's built.

WrestleLamia recently discussed how Drew McIntyre's WWE deal is believed to end sometime in April of 2024 and that there is no indication a new deal has been signed. Check out our recent article and news video for more details on how Drew's lack of a new deal may affect his push.

Superstars' Concerns About Their Paydays

One of the big questions concerns what new deals will look like. The WWE is doing extremely well financially but that doesn't mean TKO-Holdings will be throwing money at incoming wrestlers or wrestlers looking to ink a new deal. According to the Fightful Select report:

Talent themselves have been interested and speculating what that could mean for their future negotiations, and if the deals presented will be increased, decreased, or on par with their previous deals since the merger.

H/T Fightful Select

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Readers may recall that the WWE signed many talents to long-term big-money deals when AEW debuted, looking to keep talent from jumping to AEW. However, the WWE's so-called long-term contracts (and all of its contracts for that matter) are designed so the WWE can end them with a 90-day notice. Thus, a five-year contract could lead to a wrestler being released 90 days after signing it should the promotion choose to do so. Many wrestlers found this out during the pandemic when the WWE released wave after wave of wrestlers. On the other hand, wrestlers are locked into their deals if the WWE wants to keep them around, regardless of whether the wrestlers want to leave.

It will be interesting to see how TKO-Holdings negotiates new deals. One possibility is that the company will be generous with paydays for top-tier talent it really wants such as Will Ospreay. However, other talent could find the WWE offer less money compared to their current deal with the idea that mid-card and upper-card talent may be happy to stay put rather than risk finding work elsewhere.

How do you think TKO-Holdings will handle new contracts?