On the latest edition of his “The ARN Show,” AEW producer Arn Anderson commented on the NWA using the classic World Title design, the size of the contracts for all of the promotions he worked for in his career, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On the NWA using the classic World Title design: “Yeah, buddy, they sure are. I am extremely interested to see how that goes. Billy [Corgan], I can tell I’ve — if I’ve met him, it was only one time in passing. And I’m not sure that I’ve ever met him, but after getting a TV deal, I think they’re going to be on the CW. Correct? It’s great for all the young guys that need places to go and to learn. And there’s such a rich history with the NWA. It’s very, very interesting to see how that goes.”
On the size of contracts for all of the promotions he worked for in his career: “Well, the one thing I know is the first contract I ever signed was WWF, okay? And I don’t remember how many pages it was. It was probably ten. But the thing that jumped off the page is what they guaranteed you. Now, their guarantee was for $150 a day times ten days. That’s all they guaranteed you. Do the math. I’m traveling the world for a guarantee of $1,500 for the year. It was as if you walked in the door and you wanted to be complete, or you were a complete asshole, or you were somebody who was going to poison their company from day one. They had themselves covered. I’m sure they never enforced it. I don’t think they could have actually enforced it. There was a clause in there, what is it when you, do not compete clause? If you took a walk, you couldn’t work anywhere else for a while. All things that if you had a good lawyer you could get out of, but it would cost you a fortune in lawyers fees. So, sure, it was one-sided. Everybody, my lawyer who looked at that one said, ‘well, they can never enforce this, but let me just tell you, they could tie that up in court and cost you a nice chunk of change.’ I didn’t count the pages. I just, ‘Where do I sign? What was it? What was the amount? Okay. Times times three years okay. Well, show me where to sign. Yeah. I’m going to be home except for eight days, not 24.’”
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In a recent episode of “The ARN Show,” AEW producer Arn Anderson discussed various topics, including the NWA’s use of the classic World Title design and the size of contracts in the wrestling industry.
Regarding the NWA’s decision to use the classic World Title design, Anderson expressed his interest in seeing how it goes. He mentioned that he hasn’t met Billy Corgan, the owner of NWA, but believes that the TV deal they secured with CW will provide opportunities for young talents to learn and grow. Anderson also acknowledged the rich history associated with the NWA and expressed his curiosity about the future of the promotion.
Moving on to the topic of contracts in the wrestling industry, Anderson shared his experience with his first contract with WWF (now WWE). He recalled that the contract was around ten pages long, but what caught his attention was the guaranteed payment of $150 a day for ten days. Doing the math, he realized that he would only be earning $1,500 for the entire year. Anderson mentioned that the contract seemed one-sided and heavily favored the company. Although he believed that the company couldn’t enforce certain clauses, he acknowledged that fighting it in court would be costly. Despite the contract’s limitations, Anderson signed it without much hesitation.
The podcast episode also included a video embed of “ARN #217: Ask Arn Anything (November 2023),” where fans can watch and listen to Anderson’s insights directly.
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Overall, Anderson’s comments provide an interesting glimpse into the wrestling industry, shedding light on the decisions made by promotions like NWA and the contractual dynamics between wrestlers and companies.