TNA President Dixie Carter worked very hard to retain Sting for another year because she feels that his name associated with TNA helps the company pick up profitable licensing deals as well as helps them look more like a major league promotion. Sting is one of the top paid workers in TNA, making nearly $500,000 a year. Spike TV, another supporter of Sting in TNA, even helped kick money for Sting’s initial deal with the company.

While TNA has not paid some people as much that would have more long-term value, the feeling is that Sting’s price tag is not comparable because Spike helped TNA make a sizeable offer to get him to work for the company.