Ernest ‘The Cat’ Miller experienced a significant pay cut when he joined WWE after the collapse of WCW, according to the wrestler himself.
On a recent edition of the “Spotlight” podcast, Miller spoke about signing with WWE in the early 2000s and how different it was from his WCW run. He said,
“Those four or five years I was in WCW, I made a hell of a lot of money. I made enough money to where I said, ‘This is enough, I can leave wrestling now.’ When they decided to sell to WWE, I got paid another three years just to sit at home. I had three years of payment. That was enough money from wrestling to where I could go back in, teach karate, have money set aside for retirement and everything.
“Out of nowhere, Johnny Ace gave me a call and said, ‘You need to come up to WWE. There is an opportunity up here. I think they’ll like you up here.’ I said, ‘I don’t know if that’s what I want to do. If they like me, they know who I am.’ Johnny Ace [John Laurinaitis] said, ‘Vince [Vince McMahon] doesn’t know who you are.’ ‘Vince knows who I am.’ We talked a couple more times.
“They offered me a real kind of low-ball, wasn’t a lot of money, not enough money to make me come there and be happy. It was about $220,000 a year. I was making that in one month in WCW. I said, that’s bottom pay, but you get pay-per-view and all this stuff I used to get in WCW. If you hit this rating, you get a bump up and they give you a little more money. He talked me into it. I said, ‘I’m going to go up there so I can say I worked in the two largest companies in wrestling.”
Miller’s sold WWE pay-per-view appearance saw him compete in the 2004 Royal Rumble match. Miller was the 18th entrant and lasted 56 seconds before being eliminated.
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Ernest ‘The Cat’ Miller, a former professional wrestler, recently revealed that he experienced a significant pay cut when he joined WWE after the collapse of WCW. Miller discussed his transition to WWE and the financial differences between the two promotions during a recent episode of the “Spotlight” podcast.
During his time in WCW, Miller stated that he made a substantial amount of money, enough to consider leaving wrestling altogether. When WCW was sold to WWE, Miller received three years of payment just to sit at home. This financial security allowed him to pursue other interests, such as teaching karate and planning for retirement.
However, Miller received a call from Johnny Ace (John Laurinaitis), who urged him to join WWE, citing an opportunity for him there. Despite initially hesitating, Miller eventually agreed to join WWE. However, he was offered a significantly lower salary compared to what he was making in WCW. While he was earning around $220,000 per year in WWE, he used to make that amount in just one month in WCW.
Miller explained that the WWE contract included additional incentives such as pay-per-view bonuses and potential salary increases based on ratings. Despite the lower pay, Miller decided to join WWE to have the distinction of working for the two largest wrestling companies.
During his time in WWE, Miller’s most notable appearance was in the 2004 Royal Rumble match, where he entered as the 18th participant but was eliminated after only 56 seconds.
Miller’s story sheds light on the financial disparities between WCW and WWE during that time period. It highlights how wrestlers transitioning from one promotion to another could face significant changes in their earnings. Despite the pay cut, Miller chose to join WWE for the opportunity and the chance to add another major wrestling company to his resume.
In conclusion, Ernest ‘The Cat’ Miller’s experience with a pay cut when joining WWE after WCW’s collapse showcases the financial differences between the two promotions. It provides insight into the challenges wrestlers face when transitioning between companies and the factors they consider when making such decisions.