Here's How Much Money Vince McMahon Makes Per Year

In the annals of WWE put downs, few moments approach the greatness of CM Punk's "Pipe Bomb" promo in which the surly legend verbally slammed Vince McMahon and the golden boys who benefited from the boss's obvious favoritism. He let umpteen-time champion John Cena know that contrary to Cena's catchphrase, "You can't see me," Punk could see right through him: "There's one thing you're better at than I am and that's kissing Vince McMahon's a**. You're as good as kissing Vince's a** as Hulk Hogan was. 

Every fan knew it rang true. Heck, one company's most memorable inventions was the story-line Kiss My A** Club, which wrestlers involuntarily joined by shoving their faces against McMahon's mostly exposed, uncomfortably muscular butt in order to avoid suspension or firing. But Punk didn't simply vent about backstage brown-nosing. His verbal middle finger raised an interesting point about the nose-browner's bottom line: "Vince McMahon is going to make money despite himself. He's a millionaire who should be a billionaire." Hearing that, a fan might think, "Man McMahon is loaded" before wondering just how large his load is.

Whether you think Vince McMahon has the Midas Touch or the Merde Tush, he makes dump trucks of money which inevitably vary based on various factors year to year. According to Forbes, in 2018 he was worth $2.8 billion overall. Citing a 2019 SEC filing, Wrestling Inc. reports that the WWE chairman earned a total of $3,071,600 in salary in compensation in 2016 and $3,087,537 in 2017. However, his earnings climbed to the top rope in 2018, reaching $5,658,238. Once you add his wife's wealth and other massive transactions, you're looking at a gigantic stack of money.

McMahon earned $73 million from WWE stock sales in 2017. As of 2018, his wife Linda owned $37 million in WWE stock, and in 2017, she was tapped to head President Donald Trump's Small Business Administration. The political appointment might sound random, but she ran for a Connecticut Senate seat in 2010 on a platform that was open to lowering the minimum wage, according to Washington Monthly, and per NPR, in 2016, she was one of Trump's major donors. 

As cabinet members go, Linda earned the maximum wage, raking in $165,300, which made her "one of the government's best-paid employees." (In 2019 she announced her resignation from the post to work for a pro-Trump Super PAC). The sale of stocks and bonds netted another $14 million for the McMahon power couple in 2017, and their earnings exceeded $100 million. In other words, Vince McMahon earns more than enough money to tell any wrestler to kiss his green backside.