The WWE may be known for paying sumptuous amounts of money to its top stars, like John Cena, but Triple H and Co. have also been criticized on multiple occasions for allegedly underpaying the lesser-known faces in the promotion. (via WrestleTalk)
However, considering CM Punk and AJ Lee’s massive following in the community, it wouldn’t be wrong to include both of them in the league of the most renowned current WWE stars. The WWE continues to be tight-lipped about the salaries of its stars, but Punk and Lee’s stature among the fanbase indicates that the real-life couple takes home a lucrative amount of wealth in the form of WWE pay cheques.
Nevertheless, it’s also important to note that renowned stars of the caliber of Punk and Lee often earn from multiple sources, instead of depending on a single source of income. Most fans know that several icons from the world of sports entertainment earn staggering amounts of money from brand endorsement deals.
Do Punk and Lee have a similar secondary source of income? Also, how much does the WWE pay them? We will have a look, but instead of learning about the couple’s combined earnings, we will pit Lee and Punk against each other to learn who earns more from the WWE and which one of them has a bigger fortune in terms of net worth.
AJ Lee vs. CM Punk: WWE Salary Comparison
The WWE is one of the most significant reasons behind both Punk and Lee’s popularity. So let’s start the contest by comparing how much they earn from their WWE contracts.
AJ Lee’s WWE salary
AJ Lee made her main roster debut during the May 27, 2011, episode of SmackDown and has been involved in multiple exciting storylines since then. ‘The Pocket Rocket’ has also proven her versatility in the WWE by doing justice to other roles, including the Raw General Manager, besides being a former WWE Divas champion as a wrestler.
Lee’s ability to portray multiple roles on-screen shows that WWE should reward her with a lucrative paycheque. But the WWE salary of the first phase of her career (2011-2015) is expected to be significantly different from her current salary, given that she returned to the promotion after a decade.
Check out AJ Lee’s return to the WWE:
However, fans might be shocked to know that Lee earned a meager $104,000 as her WWE salary in 2013 and 2014. (via The Richest) Hence, it can be predicted that she earned around the same amount in 2015.
Lee returned to the WWE in September 2025 by signing a full-time contract with the promotion, months after the WWE reportedly boosted its minimum salary range to $200,000 – $300,000. (via The Sportster)
So, it can be safely said that Lee takes at least $200,000 home as her WWE salary, but given WWE’s secrecy regarding payouts, nothing more is available about Lee’s current reported WWE salary.
CM Punk’s WWE salary
Punk steps into the field with an advantage, as his WWE debut happened on August 1, 2006, five years before Lee. In an interview, the former WWE Diva, Maria Kanellis, revealed that nobody initially liked Punk. But the Chicago native’s remarkable in-ring skills and dedication to his craft gradually made him one of the most renowned WWE stars of the post-2000s era.
Punk has locked horns with almost every other top-tier star of his era, including Cena and Randy Orton, and entertained fans with a plethora of memorable in-ring encounters. ‘The Best in the World’ has also proven his nickname twice by holding the promotion’s most prestigious title, the WWE Championship.
Check out how CM Punk won the WWE Championship against John Cena in 2011:
The 46-year-old has given Triple H and Co. enough reasons to give him the staggering amount of money he currently receives. Punk reportedly takes home a whopping $2.2 million as his WWE salary. (via TimesNow)
Here’s a summary of Punk and Lee’s WWE salaries:
The reported figure for Lee’s current WWE salary may not be available. Still, it would be outrageous to think that she earns more than a $2.2 million salary from Triple H and Co. Hence, Punk emerges as the victor regarding WWE salaries.
AJ Lee vs. CM Punk: Net Worth Comparison
Punk may have trumped Lee in the field of WWE salaries, but as already mentioned, athletes of their stature hardly depend on a single source of income. So, can Lee level the scores by winning when it comes to a comparison of net worths with his husband, Punk? Let’s find out.
AJ Lee’s Net Worth
Lee’s reported WWE salary during her first tenure in the promotion might have been far below the mark, but that didn’t stop her from making a fortune of her own. Following her WWE exit in 2015, the 38-year-old took up multiple roles, including public speaking and opening her own production company, Scrappy Heart Productions.
Lee came up with her autobiography, Crazy Is My Superpower, in 2017, which debuted at the no. 10 spot of The New York Times Best Seller List in the non-fiction category. ‘The Pocket Rocket’s’ memoir earned praise from critics for its remarkable commentary about overcoming obstacles and battling mental health issues.
Lee’s bank balance might increase significantly, considering she has signed a full-time contract with the WWE. But as of now, a combination of all her professional ventures culminates in her reported net worth of $4 million, with only a meager part of it coming from her WWE salary. (via TimesNow)
CM Punk’s Net Worth
Lee’s first tenure in the WWE may have ended in 2015, but Punk severed his ties with Triple H and Co. for the first time in 2014. Later that year, Punk signed with the UFC and started training in MMA, along with taking up a few acting projects. His cameos in the horror movies Girl on the Third Floor and Rabid earned him a lot of appreciation from fans.
Punk’s UFC dream flopped badly as he endured defeats in both scraps inside the octagon. Still, the 46-year-old reportedly made around $1.5 million to $2 million from his two-fight MMA career. (via The Sportster)
Punk officially declared his departure from the UFC in 2021 to join AEW later that year, with a reported salary of $1 million. ‘The Best in the World’ finally returned to his former home, the WWE, in November 2023 and hasn’t looked in any other direction.
Check out Punk’s return to WWE in 2023:
Besides his earnings from the WWE, AEW, UFC, and movies, Punk also pockets substantial money from his endorsement deals with brands like Roots Of Fight and Mattel. As a result, the 46-year-old’s reported net worth stands at a whopping $12 million. (via TimesNow)
While Punk and Lee boast a massive fortune of $16 million together, Punk comfortably trumps his wife, Lee, in both the fields compared above: WWE salaries and individual net worth.
However, with no reports providing an estimate of Lee’s current WWE salary, do you think it can be more than Punk’s $2.2 million payout? Let us know in the comments below.
