Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns Headline Forbes' List of WWE's Highest-Paid Wrestlers

Universal champion Brock Lesnar is the highest-paid member of WWE's active roster, according to Forbes' David Bixenspan.

Lesnar received $10 million, doubling the earnings of the next-closest star, Roman Reigns.

Bixenspan noted the list didn't include John Cena or Ronda Rousey, both of whom were absent on WWE programming for most of the past year. Neither Cena nor Rousey is considered an active member of the roster, though Cena returned in February to feud with "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt ahead of WrestleMania 36.

WWE Highest-Paid Wrestlers

1. Brock Lesnar, $10 million

2. Roman Reigns, $5 million

3. Randy Orton, $4.1 million

4. Seth Rollins, $4 million

5. Triple H, $3.3 million

6. Becky Lynch, $3.1 million

7. Bill Goldberg, $3 million

8. Shane McMahon, $2.1 million

9. Stephanie McMahon, $2 million

10. Braun Strowman, $1.9 million

According to Bixenspan, Becky Lynch is the first female full-time performer to make the list. Stephanie McMahon has remained an on-screen presence, but her earnings reflect her dual roles as a performer and the company's chief brand officer.

Lynch's momentum began building toward the end of 2018 and culminated at WrestleMania 35, when she defeated Rousey and Charlotte Flair in the first women's match to main-event WrestleMania.

Although each wrestler receives a downside guarantee to lock in their minimum salary, this list could look a lot different next year because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on WWE programming.

The promotion was forced to move WrestleMania 36 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando with no fans in attendance. Weekly programs such as Raw and SmackDown have emanated from an empty Performance Center as well.

WWE's next step is unclear after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order for 30 days. Even if the company continues with its regular television schedule, the ratings are trending downward despite the fact that recent episodes are leading up to the biggest pay-per-view of the year, per Awful Announcing.

Wrestler salaries are bound to take a hit as WWE attempts to navigate its way through the pandemic.