Enzo Amore has never been shy about speaking his truth—and in a recent interview, the former WWE star opened up about just how little money he made when he first signed with the company.
While speaking with Tim Rivera, Amore recalled the shock he felt seeing his first paycheck from WWE. It wasn’t the amount that impressed him—it was how little he was making despite being signed to the world’s top wrestling company.
“I was broke as [__]. We were making $500 a week. So I was like, damn. I was like, 500 a week? Yeah. My first WWE check… Brody, I remember that first time that I got a check that said WWE on it for my tryout. They put me in an airplane—and I had never been in like airplanes, especially by myself. I was like, ‘What the [__]?’ They put me in a hotel…”
He shared how surreal it all was—getting flown out, staying in hotels for the first time, and being introduced to the WWE machine while barely scraping by.
Enzo Amore signed with WWE in 2012 and made his television debut on NXT in 2013 alongside Big Cass. The duo quickly became crowd favorites thanks to their charisma and catchphrases. Enzo eventually debuted on the main roster in 2016 and remained a regular presence on television until his release in early 2018 following allegations that led to an internal investigation. WWE cut ties with Amore in January 2018, though he was never criminally charged.
Despite the rough beginnings, Enzo Amore and Big Cass became fan favorites in NXT and later made a splash on the main roster. But Enzo’s recent comments make it clear he doesn’t see himself returning to WWE anytime soon.
“Opportunity to do it once. I don’t need to do this s** again. Even if God puts it in my, you know, future—like, I didn’t say I would take it right now. I got this, okay? I work for f****** Fourth Rope, bro. I work for Westside Gunn, okay? I got my s*** straight. Like, my s*** is tight, bro. Like, we doing all right.”*
Enzo also reflected on the competition he faced in WWE’s developmental system, naming Roman Reigns, The Shield, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Neville as contemporaries who pushed everyone to get better. But even in that star-studded environment, he and Cass held their own.
“Enzo and Cass are already a tag team and we were the guys that came together in NXT that were taught by WWE how to put on the product they wanted to see on the screen. And I saw a lot of people come and go, and competition breeds success, man.”
With his focus now on independent work and collaborations with Westside Gunn’s Fourth Rope brand, Enzo Amore is content outside WWE—and wants his past contributions recognized, not erased.
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