WWE Hall of Famer Slams TKO Over Reported Drop in WWE Royalty Payments—Calls it Not Legal
Speaking on his Kliq This podcast, Nash revealed that both he and longtime friend Sean Waltman (X-Pac) noticed a sharp decline in their most recent royalty payments.
“I was talking to Mr. Waltman (X-Pac) this week. We had our weekly update,” Nash said. “Obviously you got your royalty check? I said, ‘Holy f***.’ I said, ‘The last one was good, this one was rotten.’ I mean, it was half.”
Nash went on to explain that WWE’s itemized royalty breakdowns — once showing specific categories like “nWo T-shirts” or “nWo Women’s Apparel” — have now been condensed into a single, vague line item: “nWo intellectual property.”
“When I was making huge money in my royalties, it was broken down… Now it just says ‘nWo intellectual property,’ and there’s just a number. There’s no subcategories.”
The Hall of Famer, known to fans as both Big Daddy Cool Diesel and one-third of the original nWo, says the lack of transparency feels intentional — and he’s not ruling out legal action.
“It’s going to be a forensic accounting, and I’ll f***ing sue them,” Nash said bluntly. “If you take all those guys and you cut that in half and put that back on the books, that’s several million dollars.” - Nash said talking about Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and other former stars receiving or have received large royalty payments.
The TKO Transition Fallout
TKO’s corporate merger became official in late 2023, combining WWE and UFC under one publicly traded umbrella. Since then, the company has aggressively pursued profit optimization — from higher ticket prices to premium international events, including WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia and John Cena’s farewell match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in December, which is expected to set box office records.
But behind the scenes, some veteran talent — particularly those with royalty-based legacy contracts — are reportedly seeing noticeable differences in how their payouts are structured post-merger.
🗣️ Wrestling.news | Backstage Take
Kevin Nash’s comments highlight a growing tension between WWE’s legacy performers and TKO’s new corporate era. The consolidation of royalties under vague “intellectual property” labels could reflect a shift toward centralized accounting — but to talent like Nash, it looks like a quiet cost-cutting move.
While most of today’s performers are paid under modern downside guarantees or flat contracts, legends with decades-long merchandising appeal (like nWo members) may feel the financial pinch more acutely. Nash threatening legal action isn’t just bluster — he’s savvy, financially literate, and has taken similar stands before.
If other veterans echo his concerns, this could snowball into a PR headache for TKO, especially as they continue positioning WWE as a “sports entertainment empire” built on nostalgia and history.
