Andrew Ravens
Steph De Lander and her husband, Mance Warner, have officially parted ways with TNA Wrestling. In an interview with Sean Ross Sapp for Fightful, De Lander pulled back the curtain on the financial and logistical frustrations that led to their abrupt exit.
The former TNA star revealed that the majority of the TNA roster is no longer on a conventional salary. The reason for that is due to them having transitioned to a “pay-per-appearance” model that leaves talent vulnerable to sudden scheduling changes.
De Lander explained that under the current management structure, wrestlers only receive payment if they are present and used at a taping. This “day rate” system can lead to financial instability if a performer is left off a loop or if tapings are infrequent.
De Lander noted that while some long-tenured talent may still be on older salary-based contracts, the new standard in the company is a lack of guaranteed income. This is something that can create a problem.
“As far as I’m aware, most talent aren’t on salary. They are on pay-per-appearance, which basically means if you get booked for this day, you will get paid whatever your rate is… It’s not a conventional weekly salary paycheck. You can go months without getting paid if they don’t book you,” De Lander stated.
The final straw for the couple reportedly came during the preparations for the upcoming TNA Sacrifice and Impact tapings in New Orleans, scheduled for March 27–28 at the Alario Center. De Lander revealed that she and Warner were initially booked for both days, only to receive a last-minute email informing them they were only needed for one. Because independent wrestlers often plan their months around these dates and decline outside bookings to remain available for TNA, such changes can have a financial impact.
“Even for the tapings next week for New Orleans, we were told we were on both of them… then I got an email that we were only needed for one day. That was kind of part of what made me think like, ‘Okay… I’m unbooked for one of the days,’ which again, also means that you’re not getting paid for one of those days,” she added.
