As of 2024, WWE employs over 800 full-time employees as part of its business operations, spread across its three segments: Media, Live Events, and Consumer Products. In addition, they contract with other vendors and service providers. [2] As part of WWE's Live Events segment, their performers are described as "independent contractors", [1] with contracts for performers typically ranging from short developmental to multi-year deals. [3] [4]
Brands
Since the reintroduction of WWE's brand extension in 2016, performers are assigned to one of two primary "main roster" brands: Raw and SmackDown.
A third brand, NXT, had originally been designated as a developmental brand for the main roster. In 2019, it was elevated to the third main roster brand. [5] [6] [7] But in 2021, the brand's weekly television show was rebooted as "NXT 2.0", and was reinstated to its original status as the developmental division for the main roster (Raw and SmackDown), though it has since dropped the "2.0" name. [8]
In 2025, WWE introduced a fourth brand, called Evolve, which features wrestlers who are just beginning their training at the WWE Performance Center under the WWE NIL program, as well as wrestlers in independent promotions that are part of the WWE ID program, with the goal of advancing to NXT. [9]
Main roster performers primarily appear on Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown . Advanced developmental wrestlers appear on NXT , while beginning developmental wrestlers appear on Evolve . Supplementary shows include Main Event , which features Raw and SmackDown wrestlers (with occasional appearances from NXT wrestlers).
Performers may also appear on WWE's other weekly television programming, as well as pay-per-views, and on untelevised live events.
A majority of personnel in WWE's developmental system and the active roster are additionally assigned to train at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Subsequently, this is where the majority of them live, with many residing in surrounding areas such as Alafaya, Oviedo, Downtown Orlando, and Southchase. For some talent, usually those considered by the company as "top stars", they are not required to live in Florida.
