Bengaluru, January 13: We are at a time in pro-wrestling when the female superstars’ faces are showcased in WrestleMania posters as they are capable of main-eventing the scene.

If that’s not enough then they also represent the very final matches of a PPV card, back to back these days. (Survivor Series & TLC 2019) But even that may not be enough for them see a rise in the WWE payscale chart.

In a recent report revealed by express.co.uk, WWE superstars’ salaries were revealed for the calendar year 2019 which shows there’s a huge gap in paychecks reserved for the male and female stars.

Here’s the full list that fuelled up controversies as a gender pay gap was noted,

Brock Lesnar: $12m

John Cena: $8.5m

Roman Reigns: $5m

Randy Orton: $4.5m

AJ Styles: $3.5m

Seth Rollins: $3m

The Miz: $2.5m

The Undertaker: $2.5m

Kevin Owens: $2m

Dolph Ziggler: $1.5m

Sheamus: $1m

Jeff Hardy: $1m

Bray Wyatt: $1m

Jinder Mahal: $900,000

Kane: $900,000

Big Show: $850,000

Samoa Joe: $800,000

Rusev: $800,000

Matt Hardy: $650,000

Ronda Rousey: $1.5m

Charlotte Flair: $550,000

Nikki Bella: $350,000

Alexa Bliss: $350,000

Mickie James: $300,000

Natalya: $300,000

Asuka: $250,000

Becky Lynch: $250,000

Dana Brooke: $200,000

Bayley: $200,000

Lana: $200,000

Naomi: $180,000

Carmella: $120,000

Nia Jax: $100,000

Sonya Deville: $100,000

Mandy Rose: $80,000

Ruby Riott: $80,000

Sarah Logan: $80,000

Tamina: $80,000

As you can see, the Universal Champion Brock Lesnar remains the highest-paid employee of the WWE as he draws a whopping $12 million a year. This is just a base salary which excludes the live event fees.

John Cena takes the second place with $8.5 million despite not being a full-time performer. The regular performer, Roman Reigns has the third spot with an annual base salary of $5 million.

When it comes to the female superstars, Ronda Rousey is the highest-paid in the company with a $1.5 million salary. Then there is a big gap between her and Charlotte Flair ($550,000). The third-place jointly belongs to Nikki Bella and Alexa Bliss with an amount of $350,000.

As you can see, the highest earner from the male division gets 8-times bigger base salary than the female counterpart. It is the harsh reality of the pro-wrestling circuit even at a time when Ronda Rousey was part of the historic women’s WrestleMania main event match.

Speaking of this leads us to the name of Becky Lynch who was perhaps the biggest reason behind WWE setting up the match.

The winner of the mentioned marquee match was the most popular superstar of last year and she also moved better merchandise than top male superstars. Despite being the first woman to earn the accolades, Becky’s salary is stuck at $250,000 which is similar to male jobbers like Heath Slater, Curt Hawkins or Apollo who are barely seen on TV.

Could 2020 be bringing a change to the tradition, or pro-wrestling will still be known as an industry dominated by the male locker room?

The Man Becky Lynch has already openly mentioned her contract on TV during Monday Night Raw and social media in recent times. Hopefully, the current women’s champion can lead a movement that trounces the existing gender pay gap for good.