World Wrestling Entertainment issued a statement Monday warning that additional roster reductions may be necessary if OpenAI increases ChatGPT subscription pricing in the coming months, citing recent cost pressures following the launch of GPT-5.5.
The announcement comes two weeks after OpenAI doubled its API pricing for the new model, a move WWE Talent Relations described as creating immediate budget concerns. The company confirmed it currently maintains ChatGPT Pro subscriptions for creative staff and has begun incorporating AI-generated content into weekly programming.
“We’ve built our creative infrastructure around these tools,” said a WWE spokesperson. “If subscription costs continue rising at this pace, we’ll need to make difficult decisions about resource allocation between AI services and talent contracts.”
WWE released over twenty-five wrestlers following WrestleMania 42 in late April and reportedly asked several others to accept reduced contracts. While the company attributed those cuts to standard post-WrestleMania evaluations, internal sources now say future reductions would be directly tied to OpenAI’s pricing structure. Talent agents have been advised to monitor ChatGPT’s subscription tiers as contract negotiations proceed.
