Is the ‘Tribal Chief’ Leaving WWE?
Recently, TKO has been attempting to reduce WWE’s budget, whether that be by releases or not renewing contracts. On June 5th, 2025, WRESTLETALES reported that Roman Reigns has shockingly been named as a potential candidate for a contract renegotiation, as ‘The OTC’ is currently earning a whopping $15 million per year. Reigns has been the top star of the WWE for the past decade and has certainly earned the contract despite his part-time status, though TKO doesn’t believe that’s the case. With potential contract negotiations falling through, could TKO end up releasing Reigns amid budget cuts?
From December 2023 to June 2025, Roman Reigns has only competed in nine matches and has taken multiple breaks due to being on a part-time schedule. However, every time ‘The Head of the Table’ does appear, he instantly becomes the most talked-about wrestler in the world. In 2023 and 2024, Reigns finished second in merchandise sales, just behind Cody Rhodes. WrestleMania 39 was the highest-grossing WWE event at the time with a gate of $21 million, but it was quickly surpassed by WrestleMania 40, which had a gate of over $38 million, both of which were headlined by Reigns.
Although his $15 million salary is hefty, it’s clear that Reigns makes up for it with how much money he brings in. However, TKO has recently been getting much more money-hungry than before, recently letting go of WWE legends Carlito and R-Truth. It’s clear that they want to start using the UFC pay scale on their WWE superstars, though it certainly won’t be appreciated, and many top stars could start leaving the company soon. It hasn’t been disclosed as to what extent TKO wants to alter Reigns’s contract, but it’s likely that the future WWE Hall of Famer is not open to taking a pay cut.
Roman Reigns was last seen on Raw after WrestleMania 41, and it’s been rumored that his next appearance could be at Money in the Bank 2025 this Saturday. However, if WWE and Reigns don’t come to a new contract agreement, his time in the sport could be done as a whole. Although AEW may be an option for ‘The Tribal Chief’, he has previously revealed that he is looking to leave wrestling soon and enter the acting business, and if a new deal does not come to fruition, that could be his next path. As of right now, it’s unknown what the current situation is between Reigns and TKO, but if these reports are true, then the WWE might be losing their top star.
