Top 10 Wealthiest Pro Wrestlers of All Time

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1CK1S Members Posts: 27,471 ✭✭✭✭✭
10. ? Foley – Net Worth: $15 million

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Foley always has a funny story to tell, and his fans are always willing to listen. He’s also learned how to branch out his work to non-wrestling fans due to his charm, sincerity and the fact that his writing skills are far better than what many would expect from a guy who’s been hit in the head too many times to count.

9. The Undertaker – Net Worth: $16 million

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Taker is no longer a full-time performer at 48 years old. He shows up around WrestleMania, steals the show at the big event, earns his money, and goes home to rest his banged-up body. He’s earned the right to do so, as his mere presence sells tickets and pay-per-views. He’s an icon in the business and is likely down to his final few matches, but he has accumulated a nice living for himself.

8. Shawn Michaels – Net Worth: $17 million

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Why wouldn’t the guy who constantly stole the show be on this list? Shawn Michaels was known as the Showstopper for good reason. Despite retiring due to a back injury in 1998, the Heart Break Kid returned better than ever in 2002 and wrestled well into his 40s. He was the best performer in the business up to the day his career ended when he put it all on the line and lost to the Undertaker at WrestleMania 26.
His career lasted about 30 years and despite going through drug problems in the 90s, Michaels cleaned up his act and had a very successful run in the WWE. He won every title there was to win, including four reigns as World Champion.

7. Chris Jericho – Net Worth: $18 million

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When he’s not on tour with FOZZY, Jericho wrestles under short-term contracts for the WWE. He is a busy man, and at 43 years old, he’s likely going to make even more. He has certainly paid his dues, having wrestled in Japan, Mexico and Germany before getting his break in the United States. Chris Jericho is a great performer in every sense of the word.

6. Kurt Angle – Net Worth: $20 million

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Nobody learned the craft of pro wrestling as quickly as he did. In his first year in the WWE, Kurt Angle won every title the company had. While at the time, the feeling may have been it was too soon for him to win everything, looking back we could see why he was booked to win so often. His run in the WWE lasted only seven years. His chronic neck injuries led him to painkillers and alcohol abuse and he was too banged up for the rigorous schedule of the WWE. Angle signed with TNA in 2006 and he’s still the crowning jewel of the organization. He was and likely always will be their best signing. Angle only performs part-time for TNA. He was the WWE’s highest-paid star at the time of his departure and he remains the only Olympic gold medalist in wrestling history.

5. The Big Show – Net Worth: $20 million

The Big Show has never been the face of the WWE, but he’s been a constant presence and has obviously saved his money very well. At 41 years old, he could comfortably retire today if that’s what he wanted.

4. Triple H – Net Worth: $25 million

He’s headlined countless pay-per-views, feuding with some of the industry’s biggest stars of all time, including Stone Cold, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, John Cena, heck, even Hulk Hogan. Sharing the main event with so many top stars and playing the perfect villain is how Triple H made so much money in the wrestling business. He’s truly lived up to his nickname, ‘The Game’. Nobody plays it better. If and when he inherits a good portion of WWE’s shares, he’ll likely be worth hundreds of millions.

3. John Cena – Net Worth: $35 million

He truly is the Hulk Hogan of the 21st century, being a role-model to kids (his main target audience) and with an unstoppable persona in the ring. He is a 14-time World Champion. When you’re the champ that often, you make the most money in the company for long periods of time. Cena has been dubbed the WWE’s ‘cash cow’. He sells an abundance of merchandise and is still their most popular superstar. He likely will be until the day he decides to call it quits.

2. Stone Cold Steve Austin – Net Worth: $45 million

His popularity hasn’t waned, despite having been retired as a wrestler since 2003, following another WrestleMania matchup with the Rock. He began his career in 1989, but didn’t join the WWE until 1996. Once he uttered the words, “Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your a$s!” at King of the Ring ’96, he was a made man in the industry. He was a six-time WWE champion and he made every reign count. He was the main attraction when he wasn’t champion as well. Perhaps no wrestler had more passionate fans than the Texas Rattlesnake.

Steve Williams, the man behind the persona, had his dark days towards the end of his career. A neck injury suffered at SummerSlam 1997 ultimately shortened his career. He was also charged with domestic abuse in 2002. Since then, Austin has rebuilt his image, even legally changing his name to Steve Austin. He has also built a decent acting career for himself in the film industry. While he’s had some forgettable roles, he has been involved in feature films, such as The Longest Yard and the Expendables. That’s undoubtedly contributed to his fortune, but nobody comes close to what the next guy on this list has done outside of the wrestling industry.

1. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – Net Worth: $70 million

The Rock debuted for the WWE in 1996 and by the time he retired in 2004, he had accomplished everything one could possibly accomplish in wrestling in a span of just eight years. He won every title multiple times, including seven runs as WWE champion. He had the most catchphrases of any wrestler, cut the most entertaining promos, sold tons of merchandise, and was just everything you could want in a superstar.

After seven years, he returned to the WWE on a part-time basis in 2011. He hosted WrestleMania 27, and headlined WrestleManias 28 and 29 against Cena. He even won his eighth WWE championship against CM Punk at the 2013 Royal Rumble. After dropping the title to Cena, Johnson had fulfilled all contractual obligations to the WWE and is back on the silver screen. We will probably see him back in the ring some day, but in the meantime, he’s keeping his schedule and his wallet full. There’s just not enough space to list all of Dwayne Johnson’s accolades.

Comments

  • Idiopathic Joker
    Idiopathic Joker Members, Moderators Posts: 45,691 Regulator
    I didn't know he legally changed his name to Steve Austin. Cool.
  • DOPEdweebz
    DOPEdweebz Members, Moderators, Writer Posts: 29,364 Regulator
    #Black excellence
  • jono
    jono Members Posts: 30,280 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I'm surprised Chris Jericho is on that list at all let alone that high. Hes awesome.

    Anyone with a brain knew Rock would be #1 though.

    I expected Hulk Hogan to be there. He did movies, had a TV show, he owns all his likeness licenses and stuff. Hulkamania has to be worth that what Big Show has at least. Maybe that divorce did him in.
  • Trollio
    Trollio Members Posts: 25,815 ✭✭✭✭✭
    jono wrote: »
    I'm surprised Chris Jericho is on that list at all let alone that high. Hes awesome.

    Anyone with a brain knew Rock would be #1 though.

    I expected Hulk Hogan to be there. He did movies, had a TV show, he owns all his likeness licenses and stuff. Hulkamania has to be worth that what Big Show has at least. Maybe that divorce did him in.

    it did
  • dalyricalbandit
    dalyricalbandit Members, Moderators Posts: 67,918 Regulator
    Knew rock would be #1 was expecting Taker to have more $$$$ tho
  • Broddie
    Broddie Members Posts: 11,750 ✭✭✭✭✭
    DUB wrote: »
    jono wrote: »
    I'm surprised Chris Jericho is on that list at all let alone that high. Hes awesome.

    Anyone with a brain knew Rock would be #1 though.

    I expected Hulk Hogan to be there. He did movies, had a TV show, he owns all his likeness licenses and stuff. Hulkamania has to be worth that what Big Show has at least. Maybe that divorce did him in.

    it did

    Pretty much. Before his divorce Hulk was in the spot HHH is in now with about $30 million and now his net worth is around $5 million. Linda Hogan's lawyers took him to the cleaners.

  • Copper
    Copper Members Posts: 49,532 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I'm glad Foley and big show on the list
    They both seem like cool dudes that's been in it for a long time and put in alot of work

    But I'm proud rock is #1
  • TalaNight
    TalaNight Members Posts: 54 ✭✭
    Vince McMahon got stiffed
  • lethal5
    lethal5 Members Posts: 1,889 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Im surprised sum of these guys made so much money of wrestling. I heard/thought Vince McMahon was the Puff Daddy of the wrestling industry, meaning that he wasnt paying his wrestlers that much, and thats why they were constantly on the road & over-worked.
  • spayspay
    spayspay Members Posts: 428 ✭✭✭
  • Angeles1son85
    Angeles1son85 Members Posts: 13,544 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Damn austin aint too far behind rock considering all rocks movies