A rare payroll document revealed the secrets of one of WWE’s most famous events in SummerSlam 1991.WWE presents the 2025 instalment of its summer spectacular next month but, decades after the show rocked Madison Square Garden, pay-outs from the show remain the topic of conversation.Hulk Hogan was top of the bill and the paysheet for SummerSlam 1991, along with Ultimate WarriorWWEAt the top of the card that night were Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior, teaming up in the so-called Match Made in Hell. But behind the scenes, Warrior was threatening to no-show unless boss Vince McMahon paid him hundreds of thousands in back pay. McMahon eventually relented and agreed to pay Warrior what he was asking for – not to mention a cool $75,000 for the match about to take place – only to fire him as soon as the event was over.The McMahon-Warrior saga and legal mess that followed played out years later in court. In 2006, Warrior sued WWE over his portrayal in The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior DVD. As part of that lawsuit, an internal pay sheet from SummerSlam 1991 was submitted into evidence, later detailed in a WhatCulture feature that revealed not just what Warrior and Hogan were paid for that hot summer’s night at MSG, but what the entire locker room pocketed, too.How much did WWE pay their wrestlers at SummerSlam in New York?That pay sheet showed WWE spent $724,150 on talent bonuses – nearly double the $404,150 brought in gate receipts for the show, even back then still established as the company’s second biggest behind WrestleMania.Some of the figures are incredible. Others are just plain baffling.Jacques Rougeau, performing as The Mountie, earned $20,000 for his Jailhouse Match against Big Boss Man – more than the man who beat him, with Boss Man pocketing $17,500. The comedy-heavy bout ended with Mountie being handcuffed and thrown in a mock New York jail cell, but it was rewarded as one of the night’s biggest paydays.Even Mr. Perfect, who wrestled injured and dropped the Intercontinental Championship in a classic against Bret Hart, only earned $20,000.And the Hitman’s loot for is part in one of the best SummerSlam matches ever? He walked away with $17,500 – and of course the Intercontinental title and one of the most celebrated performances of his career.Years later, it’s a contrast that seems difficult to grapple with. Hart’s match with Perfect helped launch his iconic, Hall of Fame singles career. It’s regularly cited as one of WWE’s finest technical bouts of the era. Warrior’s pay dispute with McMahon threatened to derail SummerSlam’s main eventWWEBret Hart against Mr Perfect at SummerSlam 1991 is an icon of WWE matchesWWEOn that night in NYC, however, Bret was out-earned by multiple mid-carders playing out cartoon feuds lower on the card, and dwarfed by Hogan, who netted four times more than the Canadian despite his Hulkamania powers being on the wane in 1991.Even more fascinating is the fact that just one year later, Hart defended that same Intercontinental title in the main event of SummerSlam 1992. Bret Hart netted huge payday at Wembley Stadium SummerSlamThis time, he was on the losing end. He was downed by The British Bulldog in front of 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium – and was paid $55,000 for the night. Over three times more, just for switching cities and taking the pin – and having a stellar year in between.It’s clear that in 1991, WWE wasn’t just paying for match quality or title prestige — it was paying for moments, names, and leverage. Warrior got his $75,000 after threatening to walk. Hogan got the same just for being Hogan. Bret, delivering a match that’s still replayed on highlight reels decades later, got a fraction of that.Even the Legion of Doom, who won the tag titles that night, reportedly earned $25,000 each. Of the 40 wrestlers listed on the document, 17 would be gone within two years.The Big Bossman and The Mountie earned a fair bit for their outing in New YorkWWEBy SummerSlam 1992, McMahon was paying Hart top dollarWWE Five years later, though, WWE knew Bret Hart’s worth alright – he’d been locked into a $20 million ‘lifetime’ contract that McMahon feared could bankrupt the company, setting the stage for one of the most brutal real-life double-crosses in wrestling history: The Montreal Screwjob. Back at SummerSlam 1991, however, WWE bagged The Hitman for an absolute bargain.