Professional Wrestler's Salary

October 23, 2007

Name: Darin Childs
Job Title: Professional Wrestler
Where: I have wrestled throughout the world and run my own company throughout the State of Texas
Employer: Owner of Anarchy Championship Wrestling
Years of Experience: 10
Education: B.A., Ohio State University

Professional Wrestler’s Salary

If you enjoy body-slams, pile-drivers and head-locks, then don’t miss this Salary Story on how to become a professional wrestler. We spoke to to pro wrestler Darin Childs who gave us the inside moves on factors that can affect a professional wrestler’s salary and how to become a professional wrestler.

He also told us about pro wrestling franchises and Mexican professional wrestling. If you’re tough enough, keep reading our jaw-breaking info on this unusual career.

Professional Wrestler Job Description:

As a professional wrestler, I originally just sent out as many pictures, tapes and resumes as possible until companies took a chance on me. It is a word of mouth business in which you are only a value in a promoter’s eye and your reputation precedes you.

Do You Know What You're Worth?

As late as last year I was wrestling 30-25 times a month, in as many as 25 cities a month. Now I spend most of my time running Anarchy Championship Wrestling and only wrestle about 6-5 times a month.

Can you tell us how to become a professional wrestler? What was your career path?

When I was a senior in high school, I turned down a full sports medicine scholarship to the University of Texas and joined the Ivan Putski School of Wrestling in Austin, Texas. I trained under WWE Hall of Famer Ivan Putski for over a year before I debuted in my first match for the now defunct Southwest Wrestling Federation.

In 2000, I started making myself more of a national commodity and started to branch out to companies all over the United States. In 2003, I received the biggest break in my career as I was hired by the AAA promotion in Mexico, which can be seen on Galavision on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

After my AAA stint, I moved to Ohio and completed my education at Ohio State University. In December 2006, I started my own wrestling organization which runs mainly in San Antonio, Texas.

Do you recall any memorable moments during your career as a professional wrestler?

Every day is a story in the wild and crazy world of professional wrestling. We come in contact with a lot of very unique and borderline psychotic fans. My time in Mexico was especially odd as it was almost commonplace to see crimes, riots, and even murder in the border towns. Wrestling isn’t always a glamorous profession.

Any more advice on how to become a professional wrestler?

The only way to break into the business these days is to attend a professional wrestling school. There are hundreds of schools in the country and only a handful that are actually worth while. You really have to do your research and find a school where teaching the craft is their number one interest, as opposed to getting young kids to hand over their money.

Anarchy Championship Wrestling actually runs a Pro Wrestling Dojo in San Antonio, TX.

Wrestling is like heroin; it is as addictive and unshakeable as the worst drugs. Some people just know it is what they have to do in life, and to those I say just keep plugging away, open your ears, shut your mouth and work as hard as you can to perfect your craft both inside and outside the ring.

For those who just want to be wrestlers I say stay out. Those kinds of people, and backyard wrestlers specifically, severely hurt the credibility of the wrestling business. Wrestling is an art form that takes years to be able to pull off and has yet to be perfected.

What is the pro wrestling outlook on future jobs?

There isn’t much money in professional wrestling. For the last several years, attendance has been down, TV ratings have been down, the talent pool has been diluted, and the wrestlers are suffering. Things such as Chris Benoit killing his wife and child, the steroid scandal and other negative events have left a black eye on the business.

What factors can affect a professional wrestler’s salary?

In professional wrestling you are your biggest asset. You have to create a way to be marketable, be it by having the best body, most charisma, or being the best in-ring performer. In many ways, it is as simple as this: the better you are the more money there is to be made.

The main thing is you have to travel extensively and be prepared to lose a lot of money early in your career to garner the exposure needed to get noticed by Vince McMahon, owner of WWE, who is the only promoter prepared to pay enough to really support a family in the United States.

It is an extremely rough business both physically and mentally, and truth be told, not many have the toughness it takes to make it in the professional wrestling business.

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