Kevin Nash Urges WWE Superstars to Unionize Amid TKO Reportedly Slashing Pay

WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash has called for the immediate unionization of talent in the wake of reports that WWE’s parent company, TKO, is asking several talents to take significant pay cuts to retain their spots in the promotion.

Earlier this month, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods exited the company, leaving many shocked. The duo had signed multi-year deals with WWE in 2025. Later, it emerged that TKO offered them restructured deals, which Kofi and Woods didn’t agree to, and hence, they mutually agreed to part ways. Following this, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported that several wrestlers have been asked to take pay cuts, with one talent allegedly agreeing to have his deal slashed by 50 percent.

In the latest episode of his Kliq This podcast, Kevin Nash, who played a role in changing the wrestling industry’s financial landscape during the 1990s, claimed that the current corporate structure under TKO has rendered the traditional “independent contractor” model redundant and predatory.

“This could be one of those times where this whole 1099 thing finally just… You know, it’s not. Bring the folders out. Bring them all out,” Nash said as he invoked the spirit of Jesse Ventura previous efforts regarding the same.

Kevin Nash on disparity in treatment towards TKO executives and WWE Superstars

Nash further highlighted the stark difference between the treatment meted out to the corporate executives and the WWE Superstars, with the execs reportedly receiving massive pay hikes and talent handed out pay cuts and, worse, released from their contracts.

“You can’t have it both ways. You can’t play Endeavor at the top with the 300% increases and 1099 the dock workers… If they’re going to play by those rules, let the boys play by the same rules.”

Nash urges WWE Superstars to look toward the entertainment industry for inspiration

“Go through the Screen Actors Guild. They’ll be more than happy to take their cut of your money. It won’t be 50%, but it’ll change the ballgame. Take one of the programs that’s written down, and you tell me that that program isn’t more heavily written and more produced than Curb Your Enthusiasm was when all those actors got SAG paid.”