WWE And AEW Stars Dominate 2022 Cameo Earnings With Over $1 Million

WWE and AEW stars were in high demand on the popular Cameo app in 2022.

Cameo allows fans to purchase customized video messages from celebrities, athletes and public figures with prices ranging from $4 to $840. Per an October 2022 study by Betting.com, pro wrestling is the top sport on Cameo according to earnings, with WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley occupying the the top spot as Cameo’s highest-earning athlete overall.

Foley, Bret Hart (No. 4), Matt Hardy (9) and Danhausen (10) all ranked inside the Top 10 for Cameo’s highest-earning athletes. All told, pro wrestling raked in $1.251,033 in estimated total earnings, outpacing NFL, baseball, body building and football.

Mick Foley Tops Cameo’s List of Highest Earning Wresters

Though he’s been largely retired since 2010—his last credited match was a cameo appearance at the 2012 Royal Rumble (no pun intended)—Mick Foley’s connection to wrestling’s intensely loyal fanbase remains strong.

Foley has never been shy about sharing intimate details of his personal life with his fans, as was the case with the transcendent autobiography Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. In 1999, the critically acclaimed bio reached No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller List. Have a Nice Day was the catalyst for additional WWE Superstars to pen their own autobiographies during the Attitude Era. Unlike his successors, however, Have a Nice Day was written entirely by Foley himself. Foley went on to write three more books Foley is Good: And The Real World is Faker Than Wrestling, The Hardcore Diaries and Countdown to Lockdown: A Hardcore Journal.

Foley has leveraged his lovable, approachable demeanor to strengthen his relationship with fans through additional revealing projects such as the 2017 reality show Holy Foley and WWE Network’s first stand-up comedy special 20 Years of Hell.

The Hardcore Legend is the top star on Cameo, with almost $500,000 in total earnings according to the 2022 study. This is more than double the No. 2 wrestler Bret Hart who, similar to Foley, has remained transparent with his fanbase about every aspect of his legendary career. Prior to Foley, Hart penned his own autobiography Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling alongside Marcy Engelstein.

Matt Hardy, Danhausen and Diamond Dallas Page, who round out the Top 5, have all successfully transcended their wrestling careers through social media in different ways. Hardy, one of the pioneers of wrestlers using social media, continues to produce content through his MATTHARDYBRAND YouTube channel, including his current podcast “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy.”

Danhausen is a fixture at wrestling conventions, where he has built a cult following big enough to earn him a contract with AEW. Diamond Dallas Page has built a yoga empire with DDP Yoga, all while giving back to the community by working with troubled wrestlers through the Accountability Crib. Jake “The Snake” Roberts and the late Scott Hall were two of Page’s most prominent clients.

Wrestling is the Highest-Earning Sport on Cameo

In addition to wrestlers making up for almost half of the Top 10 highest-earning athletes on Cameo, pro wrestling is the most requested sport on the app in almost every metric. Wrestlers have garnered over 15,000 reviews while earning close to $1.3 million in total earnings. Wrestlers also make over $35,000 in average estimated earnings, more than NFL, baseball, body building and football (soccer).

Pro wrestling is unique in that fans follow a wrestler’s character arc in real time through a live, yearslong journey. Those who make it as top stars, let alone prominent characters, are able to develop a stronger relationship with these passionate fans as they follow their favorite stars through their evolution. This connection lasts long after they retire, and as suggested by Cameo, it only grows stronger post-retirement among wrestling’s nostalgic fanbase.