It’s common knowledge that stars under the development contract in NXT are paid less compared to the stars in the main roster who have full-time deals but the actual amount they are paid is often kept secret.
However, during a recent interview with Dan Matha’s Spark in the Dark, former WWE star Cezar Bononi talked about his time in WWE and he revealed how little he was making as a trainee in NXT.
Bononi, who moved to USA from Brazil to pursue a wrestling career revealed that he was only being paid $600 a week for the first six months:
“It took a long time for them to help me out a little bit.’ Hey, here’s a raise.’ It took me almost two years. I was getting $600 (a week) for like six months and when I finally got paid off, it felt like a raise because I was getting $750. ‘Oh good, I can buy a TV, but I cannot get cable.’ It was hard at the beginning, but it helped build my character even more,”
Cezar Bononi was signed by WWE to a development deal and he was even named “Future Star of NXT” at the 2017 NXT Year-End Awards. However, he failed to become a regular for the Black and Yellow brand and the Brazilian star was released from the promotion in April earlier this year.
