During a recent appearance on the “Power Alphas” podcast, Dean Muhtadi (Mojo Rawley in WWE) revealed that he made $39,000 per year when he signed his first contract with WWE. He said,
“Coming in was kind of crazy. I had an injury in football with the Cardinals. My calf tore off and rolled up the back of my knee, it was four in a half inches. You could put your fist into the spot where my calf used to be, it was horrific. I was out for 18 months. I thought I was done. I had moved on in my mind. I signed a contract to work at Meril Lynch. I was fortunate enough to walk again, let alone return to the field of play. Rehab, I went to the Univerity of Maryland to try and come back. I was looking at trying to go back to football, and I knew then, I was talking to the Raiders and Jets, I thought I was getting a shot with one of those two teams. Even if I had, I could have been cut the next week. I was well aware of that. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I had this opportunity to check out what was going on with WWE because the Gronkowski brothers were some of my best friends and their dad was college roommates with Mike Rotunda. They made a phone call, we talked to Mike, he set up an interview tryout thing. That was it. I got the offer and I left football to come to wrestling. I spent my entire career to make it to football, I got to that level, I would’ve been compensated as such. I would have been making somewhere in the neighborhood of [$400,000 to $500,000] a year with football, if I made the team, which those are big ifs. I had the opportunity to come to WWE, making $39,000 a year, started from scratch in an industry that I had only watched on TV and had done nothing in. Sat down, really evaluated things and long-term aspirations and I was like, ‘I want to do this. I think this is going to be cool and something I can be good at.’“
During a recent appearance at Monopoly Events’ “For The Love of Wrestling” convention, Shelton Benjamin praised WWE NXT Superstar Charlie Dempsey, who is the son of William Regal. He said,
“Not only have I met him, I actually wrestled him a couple months ago [on Main Event]. He’s great. I worked with Charlie Dempsey, some of the other newer guys like Damon Kemp. Dempsey, he’s great. He’s gonna be so good.“
In a recent interview on the “Power Alphas” podcast, former WWE wrestler Dean Muhtadi, known as Mojo Rawley, opened up about his experience signing his first contract with WWE. Muhtadi revealed that he made $39,000 per year when he first joined the company.
Muhtadi’s journey to WWE was not an easy one. He had suffered a severe injury while playing football for the Cardinals, tearing his calf muscle off and rolling it up the back of his knee. This injury forced him to be out of the game for a grueling 18 months, and he thought his football career was over. He even signed a contract to work at Merrill Lynch, believing that his days as an athlete were behind him.
However, Muhtadi’s determination and resilience led him to make a remarkable recovery. He was able to walk again and return to the field of play. He underwent intense rehabilitation at the University of Maryland in hopes of making a comeback in football. During this time, he had conversations with the Raiders and Jets about potentially joining their teams. Muhtadi was aware that even if he had secured a spot on one of these teams, he could have been cut the following week. Despite the uncertainty, he decided to explore the opportunity with WWE.
Muhtadi’s connection to WWE came through his friendship with the Gronkowski brothers, who are professional football players. Their father was college roommates with Mike Rotunda, a former WWE wrestler. With their help, Muhtadi was able to set up an interview and tryout with WWE. To his surprise, he received an offer and made the life-changing decision to leave football behind and pursue a career in wrestling.
The transition from football to wrestling meant starting from scratch in an industry that Muhtadi had only watched on TV. He had no prior experience in wrestling, but after careful consideration of his long-term aspirations, he decided to take the leap. Muhtadi believed that wrestling would be a cool and challenging endeavor that he could excel in.
It is worth noting that Muhtadi’s decision came with a significant financial sacrifice. In football, if he had made the team, he would have been compensated with a salary ranging from $400,000 to $500,000 per year. However, in WWE, he started at a base salary of $39,000 per year. This stark difference in income highlights the uncertainty and risks associated with pursuing a career in professional wrestling.
In another wrestling-related news, Shelton Benjamin, a veteran WWE wrestler, recently praised Charlie Dempsey, a rising star in WWE NXT. Dempsey is the son of William Regal, a legendary wrestler and current WWE producer. Benjamin had the opportunity to wrestle Dempsey on Main Event and spoke highly of his skills. Benjamin believes that Dempsey has great potential and predicts a bright future for him in the wrestling industry.
These stories shed light on the challenges and sacrifices that wrestlers face in their pursuit of success. From overcoming injuries to making difficult career choices, the wrestling world is filled with individuals who are passionate about their craft and willing to put everything on the line for their dreams.