Former WWE NXT UK Ref Artemis Discusses The Brand's Low Pay

After two years working under the WWE NXT UK banner, one of the referees, Artemis, announced that she was leaving the company altogether in April and would be available to take bookings across the world. She chose to keep silent regarding her reasons for leaving; that is, until now.

In an interview with Cultaholic's "Desert Island Graps", Artemis revealed the main reason why she departed NXT UK.

"I'm going to be very blunt and very honest — the pay, the pay is a big issue," Artemis said. "I've never earned as little money as I did in WWE. I never thought I'd say that because I thought that would be my full-time job, that was going to be it. It was great. I took a massive pay cut from being a teacher to being a referee which is weird considering you're on TV every week in several countries. So, during my two years under contract — 'cause I did almost a year without a contract and then two years contracted — I offered to do other jobs to help and also to increase the pay. But I got told there was nothing. Just before my contract expired, they offered me a new 2-year contract, and when I asked what the pay was going to be, they said it was going to be the same.

"So, I said, 'I can't do it.' I've got a mortgage and I've got to take care of my mom. I can't stay on that little money. And it's a shame, but I need to take care of my family. So they extended my contract for two months, hoping to be able to negotiate, and then they came back to me. I was supposed to do one last camp back in April. They called me just a few days before to say, 'Okay, so you don't want to accept that contract? We have nothing better for you, so there's no need for you to come back next week.'

"And I thought that was really shi*ty — pardon my language — 'cause then I had already told the wrestlers and my crew, my friends, my family, my referees, that it was highly likely that I wasn't going to renew my contract. But we all knew we had one last camp to spend together, properly say goodbye to each other, to enjoy each other one last time. And also, I was on 96 WWE matches, so one last camp would've brought me to 100 at least."

Artemis was blunt about where she felt the NXT UK brand was going when asked about its future.

"I don't know where the brand is going," Artemis said. "Before the pandemic, I know they wanted to expand. I know they wanted to do these tours like go to Paris, Berlin, Madrid, everything, which would have been great. Now, with all the NXT 2.0, all the rebranding, I have no idea. And also, the fact that they didn't replace me and they're flying in a ref from the US every time, I'm thinking that's maybe not going to change."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Desert Island Graps and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription