Shane Haste reveals WWE offered him huge raise after RETRIBUTION collapse
Shane Haste is holding the GHC Heavyweight Championship in Pro Wrestling NOAH these days, but one of the most surprising stories from his career still comes from his short WWE run as SLAPJACK.
Speaking on Talk’n Shop with Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows, Haste opened up about the money behind RETRIBUTION, the negotiations with WWE management and the moment he realized the company was ready to pay him far more than expected.
The numbers caught attention fast.
Haste says WWE paid him $250,000 a year as SLAPJACK
Haste explained that moving from NXT to WWE’s main roster completely changed his financial situation. According to him, the jump was “more than double” what he had been making before joining RETRIBUTION on Raw.
The former WWE star revealed he signed a three-year contract worth $250,000 per year to portray SLAPJACK, the masked and heavily criticized RETRIBUTION character introduced during the pandemic era.
At first, WWE reportedly wanted a five-year deal.
Haste said he pushed back and shortened the agreement to three years instead. Even with the unusual gimmick and mixed fan reaction, he admitted he never hesitated once the money was presented.
RETRIBUTION members were reportedly given an ultimatum
One of the more interesting moments from the interview came when Haste described the contract talks involving the entire RETRIBUTION group.
According to him, former WWE executive Mark Carrano asked talent what kind of deal they wanted before the move to the main roster became official. Haste jokingly replied that he wanted “a million-dollar contract” before settling on a request closer to $330,000 annually over three years.
That request didn’t last long.
Haste claimed WWE responded by telling the group to either accept the proposed contracts or risk losing their jobs entirely. He didn’t sound bitter while telling the story, but the situation clearly stuck with him years later.
John Laurinaitis later offered him an even bigger deal
After RETRIBUTION quietly disappeared from WWE television, Haste expected his run with the company to end soon after. Instead, he says former Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis called him into the office with another offer.
This time the salary jumped to $350,000 per year.
The catch was two additional years added onto the contract. Haste laughed while recalling the conversation and admitted he would have signed almost anything at that point because he assumed his WWE run was already close to finished.
“They took away my name,” he joked during the interview.
Years later, Haste’s career looks very different. He recently defeated Yoshiki Inamura to capture the GHC Heavyweight Championship in NOAH and now heads into a title defense against KENTA.
Quite a turnaround for someone once wrestling under the name SLAPJACK on Monday Night Raw.
