Former UFC Star Chael Sonnen Says He Turned Down $5 Million To Appear At WrestleMania

Chael Sonnen recently was a guest on CBS Sports’ “In This Corner Podcast”, during the interview Sonnen claimed that WWE offered him $5 million to appear, but he ultimately turned them down due to still being under contract with UFC.

“I was still under contract with the UFC and I never took this to Dana. I handled it on my own. I told [WWE], ‘No’ and that was the end of that. I never told Dana White this story, but here’s why I didn’t tell him. I knew if I called Dana and said, ‘I’ve got a $5 million offer from Vince McMahon,’ Dana would have matched it.”

Sonnen goes on to say that WWE wanted him to be a part of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania, but that he was unable to get the date cleared, and that his schedule prohibited him from appearing.

“I kind of pissed those guys off,” Sonnen said. “I was asked to be a contestant in a [battle royal] and I wasn’t against it, but I just couldn’t get the date. I actually worked hard and I tried to clear it. I tried to do it but [WWE] thought I blew them off. I haven’t really heard back and whenever they come to down, they invite me and give me and some friends some really good tickets and we have a real blast.”