No-Shows

When a wrestler no-shows an event, what happens? Do they simply not get paid? It’s one thing if it’s an indy show, but surely if it was a WWF/WCW show they could be fired or even sued.

​If it’s an indy show, yes, it’s mostly that they don’t get paid. If it’s Alberto Del Rio specifically then other wacky hijinx also seem to follow, but mostly guys just don’t get paid.

For a WWF/WCW show back in the day, it totally depended on the contract and the company situation. WCW contracts were so one-sided towards the talent that they could basically do whatever they wanted without reprisal, which gave you situations like Barry Windham pretty much showing up whenever he damn well felt like it. Someone like Flair typically made a guaranteed salary + a cut of the house + sometimes a bonus for certain money figures. Most guys just made a flat rate, and a bunch of guys in the middle made the money whether or not they showed up.

The WWF was totally different in that the contract stipulated pretty much nothing for money and all your income was from getting a cut of the gate and merchandise, so there was much more incentive to actually show up. And if you did no-show, Vince would typically tear you a new one.

And then there was ECW, where everyone showed up and no one got paid anyway.​