If you think WWE is huge now, imagine how big they were back in the day, when the likes of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant duked it out onstage for the millions of fans tuned in to the show. The ring matches and the acrobatics were a big part of the show, to be sure, but the drama on and off the stage, despite being largely scripted, was also what got fans enthralled. It was, to a huge degree, a testosterone-infused soap opera that included over-the-top acting and high-flying acrobatics—what more could people want? And because we know you’re interested, we’ve scoured the internet to find information about the most famous wrestlers of that bygone era. So, read on!
RAZOR RAMON—$3 MILLION
Scott Oliver Hall, who was known in and out of the ring by his stage name Razor Ramon, was definitely one of the most interesting characters of WWE. He is, of course, retired now (he should be, at 61 years old), but one will have an impossible time minimizing the man’s impact on the sport. He was a popular villain, and he always had that signature toothpick whirling about in his mouth which he also often took and flicked onto anyone who pissed him in the hallway. The man was, to a huge degree, hilarious, in no small part because of his waxed hair and ridiculous personality.
KANE—$9 MILLION
Kane was a character played by Glenn Thomas Jacobs. He was, to some degree, an incredibly popular character in the WWE, and was a huge behemoth. Indeed, Jacobs stood at 6 feet and 7 inches tall, and was, during his heyday, made of pure muscle. The character wasn’t very consistent—I mean, Kane has gone from being mute to needing a machine to speak, to being outright articulate. It was a weird progression, but as with everything in WWE, being consistent with reality isn’t really one of the goals. In any case, Jacobs, who is now away from his Kane persona, managed to leverage his fame and become a successful businessman and politician.
SYCHO SID VICIOUS—$5 MILLION
Sid Eudy, who played the character of Sycho Sid Vicious, was one of the earliest superstars of the sport. His career as a wrestler started all the way back in the ‘80s when WWE was just gaining popularity. Sid, to his credit, had a remarkable career as a wrestler, becoming an early fan favorite and winning more than a few championships in the process. Indeed, Sid has had a long and storied career in the sport and even came out of retirement in 2017 to do one last wrestling match. He won, of course, defeating Paul Rosenberg in Ottawa.
MIDEON—UNKNOWN NET WORTH
Dennis Knight, who played the character of Mideon in the WWE, was the sport’s resident exhibitionist, who was at one point set on fire just for the entertainment of the fans. In any case, Knight has an incredibly different life now and was able to transform himself from the wrestling superstar that he was into a star of the kitchen. Indeed, Knight worked as a chef in Café Ponte after his retirement from entertainment wrestling and now has his own catering service called Dennis Knight Catering. We hear he’s been flooring people with his wonderfully executed dishes these days, which is a far cry from his days in the ring.
KELLY KELLY—$1 MILLION
Kelly Kelly was a character played by Barbara Jean Blank, who is an actress and model. When Kelly Kelly first appeared, she was already flooring fans with her good looks. She was restricted to non-wrestling roles at first but eventually started participating in ring matches. In 2011, Kelly Kelly won a WWE Divas Championship only to leave WWE in 2012. Jean Blank came back to WWE sporadically, however, to do individual matches. After her stint at WWE she became one of the main cast members of the reality television series WAGS, and was able to land gigs on other television shows as well, including Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp, The Price is Right, and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
GOLDBERG—$14 MILLION
Goldberg, a WWE character played by William Scott Goldberg (who was a former professional football player), will be more popularly known to wrestling fans for his stint at World Championship Wrestling. He was so popular among wrestling fans that he was able to land a slew of roles for television and film while working as a professional wrestler, including NCIS: Los Angeles and Universal Soldier: The Return, to name a few. When WCW shut down, Goldberg did a brief stint for All Japan Wrestling Pro and then later went to WWE, where he eventually became a World Heavy Weight Champion.
THE ROCK—$220 MILLION
Perhaps one of the most successful people to have come out or WWE is The Rock, who was played by Dwayne Johnson. He was one of WWE’s most popular wrestlers, and is arguably, to some degree, the most popular wrestler in history. Indeed, even those who’ve never followed entertainment wrestling know The Rock, not least because of the dozen or so box office hits he’s been involved with. Following the end of Johnson’s wrestling career, he transitioned into acting and eventually became one of the highest-grossing actors of the decade, with a slew of films under his belt. It’s no wonder that Johnson’s net worth dwarfs that of many on this list.
HULK HOGAN—$25 MILLION
Hulk Hogan, played by Terry Gene Bollea, is one of the original wrestling superstars to have come out of entertainment wrestling. Indeed, one could argue that he was among the people who’s put entertainment wrestling on the map. In fact, IGN, an entertainment website, ranks Hulk Hogan as “the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s”. He has, to his credit, single handedly ushered the wrestling boom of the ‘80s and made entertainment wrestling and its fandom what it currently is. Now retired, he’s still in great shape and was even able to launch his own energy drink and nutrition website.
TUGBOAT—UNKNOWN NET WORTH
Fred Alex Ottman, who played Tugboat in the WWF, was another great character in entertainment wrestling who often played the ally of Hulk Hogan. Unfortunately, his mask was removed during one ring match, leading him to break character midstream. This was of course a no-no in entertainment wrestling where everyone wasn’t supposed to break character, and this boo-boo, to some degree, did in fact hurt his career as a wrestler, earning him the distinction of having the worst wrestling debut. Now retired from wrestling, Ottman now works a regular job, as a safety manager for a building cleaning services company in Florida.
BIG SHOW—$20 MILLION
Professional entertainment wrestler, Paul Donald Wight II, plays the Big Show on WWE. Big Show has always been a fan favorite and was first introduced as the son of Andre the Giant. In any case, Big Show is one of the most successful wrestlers in the ring and holds the distinction of being the only entertainment wrestler to have held a Heavyweight championship in the WCW, WWF, WWE, and ECW. Away from the ring, Big Show is, to his credit, also a successful character actor, who got his first lead role in the movie Knucklehead back in 2010.
STACY KEIBLER—$4.5 MILLION
Former cheerleader and model, Stacy Keibler, was one of the most recognizable female entertainment wrestlers during her stint at both the WCW and WWE. She started out in entertainment wrestling as a member of the Nitro girls and quickly rose to prominence because of her stunning good looks. During her career as a wrestler, she was often referred to as “The Legs of WCW and WWE” because of her incredibly long legs. In any case, now retired, Keibler is now, to her credit, a moderately successful actress, having landed a slew of roles for television and film.
RIC FLAIR—$3 MILLION
Richard Morgan Fliehr, who’s more popularly known by his wrestling stage name Ric Flair, is, to a huge degree, one of the most successful wrestlers of all time. Indeed, many of his wrestling colleagues and many of the journalists who cover entertainment wrestling have Flair on their shortlist of greatest wrestlers of all time. Ric Flair didn’t retire until the age of 59, which many in the industry thought was too old to still be wrestling. Indeed, insiders have said that some wrestlers looked unfavorably at the fact that Flair was still wrestling at an old age. In any case, Flair is still actually signed by WWE on what they call a Legend’s contract.
REY MYSTERIO—$10 MILLION
Another popular masked marauder in the world of entertainment wrestling is Rey Mysterio, a character who was played by Oscar Gutierrez. ESPN listed him as the best cruiserweight in professional wrestling history, and many fans will happily find themselves agreeing, given Rey Mysterio’s high-flying acrobatics in the ring. Indeed, Rey Mysterio, to his credit, is said to have popularized the cruiserweight division in entertainment wrestling. In 2015, Mysterio left WWE and tried his luck in the independent circuit. However, he went back in 2018, and is still with the company, to the delight of fans everywhere.
SUNNY—$300 THOUSAND
Tamara Lynn Sytch, who many wrestling fans the world over will know by the stage name Sunny, will always be one of the most memorable female entertainment wrestlers in history. Indeed, she’s widely considered to be the very first WWF Diva, and even AOL mentioned sometime in 1996 that she was the most downloaded celebrity. That is how incredibly popular Sunny was during her time. And she, to her credit, paved the way for other female wrestlers to make it big in the world of entertainment wrestling. To absolutely no one’s surprise, Sunny was inducted to the WWE hall of fame in 2011, cementing her position in wrestling history.
SABLE—$1.5 MILLION
Sable is another famous female entertainment wrestler who came out of WWE. She was able to become the WWF Women’s Champion at one point in her wrestling career and was a key figure in numerous storylines within the WWF, including one where she played Vince McMahon’s mistress. To her credit, the issue of playboy where she was prominently featured became one of the highest-selling issues in the history of the magazine, which was further testament to Sable’s status as one of the most famous women in wrestling during the peak of her career. Sable finally retired and settled down, marrying another entertainment wrestling legend, Brock Lesnar.
THE COACH—$2 MILLION
Jonathan Coachman, otherwise known as The Coach in the world of entertainment wrestling, wasn’t actually a wrestler but an interviewer, analyst, and commentator. Indeed, The Coach was, to a huge degree, involved in many, some hilarious, segments where he interviewed wrestlers. One in particular that many fans remember was his interview with The Rock, who ended up forcing him to sing and dance for the camera. In 2008, The Coach started working for ESPN but departed after 10 years due to what he said were “frustrations” with the network. Currently, The Coach works for NBCUniversal, commentating on various sports programs.
SKINNER—$1.5 MILLION
Skinner was a character in the WWF played by Stephen Paul Keirn. He was very popular in the WWF during the ‘90s and was often portrayed as a very nasty individual who frequently spits at his opponents. He even had this weird, handy-dandy, alligator claw-like thing that he brought everywhere which he would also use as a weapon against those who annoyed him. To his credit, he played the guy everyone loved to hate quite masterfully. Outside of wrestling, however, Keirn was a wrestling trainer who was said to have trained many individuals in the sport, including Dennis Knight, Diamond Dallas Page, Dustin Rhodes, and more.
SCOTTY 2 HOTTY—UNKNOWN NET WORTH
Scott Ronald Garland played the very famous, albeit sometimes annoying character Scotty 2 Hotty. Interestingly enough, he was working for an insurance company prior to the WWF. He now works as a trainer for the WWE performance center, so he’s not technically retired yet, but he hasn’t had a ring match in a long time. He had a stint as a firefighter prior to coming back to the WWE to be a trainer, but it was really a short stint, and we’re not sure why he abandoned his plan of being a firefighter after getting a degree from the Lake Tech Fire Academy in Florida.
MCMAHON—$1.7 BILLION
Vince McMahon, who’s the chairman and CEO of WWE, is a huge figure in the world of entertainment wrestling. Indeed, he’s one of the people who’s turned the sport into the billion-dollar empire that it is. It was his father who introduced him to entertainment wrestling, and who owned the small wrestling company that Vince McMahon would eventually purchase and turn into a billion-dollar empire. Well, no wonder McMahon is worth $1.7 billion—he was, to his credit, able to turn a sport that very few were interested into something that millions all over the world watch and enjoy.
JACQUELINE—UNKNOWN NET WORTH
Jacqueline DeLois Moore, who was known simply as Jacqueline during her time as an entertainment wrestler, began her career as a wrestler for various low-level organizations before finally getting into the WWF (later WWE). In fact, in one of WWE’s storylines, she had Sable as her rival. She was able to win the Women’s WWE Championship twice during her wrestling career, as well as the WWE Cruiserweight Championship once. In 2004, she transferred to TNA and worked as manager but had occasional ring fights. In 2016, Moore was, to her credit, inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN—$45 MILLION
Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of a few wrestlers who’ve come out of the WWE that have been able to transition into Hollywood. Indeed, during his wrestling days, he was one of the WWE’s biggest draws. Even his signature wrestling moves have become part of the prevailing zeitgeist at the time. He was brash, vulgar, and referred to himself in the third person. He also always had a can of beer with him which he eventually either smashes onto someone’s head or opened and drank. Weird stuff, we know. In any case, he was, to his credit, one of the most memorable characters in entertainment wrestling.
MICK FOLEY—$15 MILLION
Mick Foley is an incredibly successful professional wrestler who played more than a few characters on the entertainment wrestling scene. Some of the characters he has played were Cactus Jack, Mankind, and Dude Love. And don’t ask us how he comes up with those names, because we’re scratching our heads about it, too. His physical body wasn’t really, how shall we say, wrestling material, but he was, rather remarkably to his credit, able to pull off many highflying acts despite this. He was always a fan favorite, no matter which persona he came to the stage as, but retired relatively young in the sport.
BATISTA—$13 MILLION
Batista was another high-flying, acrobatic, musclebound freak of nature who was extremely popular in the world of entertainment wrestling. Indeed, he headlined a wrestling event that was eventually ranked as one of the highest-grossing pay-per-view events in the history of the sport. He’s also one wrestler who was, to his credit, able to transition into Hollywood with ease. In fact, many will know him as Drax the Destroyer in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers films. Batista also has other lesser-known films under his belt, and will definitely be someone who will be seeing a lot of him in the future, on television or in films.
RANDY ORTON—$11 MILLION
Randy Orton, who is currently signed by the WWE, still competes to this day. Interestingly enough, he comes from a family with a history that is steeped in entertainment wrestling. Indeed, his grandfather, father, and uncle were all at one point entertainment wrestlers. Orton was a character people loved to hate. In fact, in one storyline, he was referred to as the “Legend Killer” because of all the choice words he had for wrestlers that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame—his words were all bad, in case you were wondering. Orton has also had a moderately successful acting career, and among his film credits are the films That’s What I Am, Countdown, and Changeland.
EDGE—$14 MILLION
Adam Joseph Copeland, who was known in the entertainment wrestling industry as simply “Edge,” was a popular wrestler during the late ‘90s to the mid-2000s. Before hitting it big with the WWF/WWE, Copeland wrestled for smaller wrestling promotions and was even trained by famous Canadian wrestler, Ron Hutchinson. It was in 1997 when he was eventually signed by WWF/WWE and was later catapulted to Stardom as Edge. During his stint at WWE, he was able to win the Heavyweight Championship several times. Outside of wrestling, Copeland has a very successful television career, with credits that include The Flash, Haven, and Vikings.
LITA—$4 MILLION
Lita, who was played by Amy Christine Dumas, performed for the WWE during the early to mid-2000s. Prior to her stint at WWE, she wrestled for various wrestling promotions in Mexico, and eventually ended up wrestling for the ECW. She was signed by WWE in 1999, debuting as Lita, the character for which she would eventually become famous. Lia, to her credit, had a relatively successful stint at the WWE and was included in a couple of popular and fan-favorite storylines. When Lita retired in 2006, she and her friends formed a rock band called Luchagors. They released their first album in 2007.
SHAWN MICHAELS—$17 MILLION
“The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels is widely regarded as one of the best entertainment wrestlers in the history of the sport. His decades-long career saw him in dozens of storylines, headlining multiple pay-per-view events, and winning many championship belts. Shawn Michaels was, to his credit, one of the most highly regarded veterans of the sport, and is indeed a two-time Hall of Famer. And we didn’t even know one could be inducted into the Hall of Fame twice—but that’s Shawn Michaels for you. Also, one of, if not the most, famous rivalry in the history of the sport was the one between him and Bret Hart.
ALUNDRA BLAYZE—UNKNOWN NET WORTH
Alundra Blayze is just one of the characters played by Debrah Ann Miceli when she was performing for the WWF/WWE. Another character she played in entertainment wrestling was Madusa, and while Miceli is probably best known for playing the latter, it’s the Blayze character that more contemporary wrestling fans will remember. Miceli, to her credit, would win a lot of firsts in her career; she was the first woman to be Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Rookie of the Year, and she was the first woman to be WCW’s World Cruiserweight Champion. Outside of wrestling, Miceli drives a monster truck and competes in various monster truck competitions.
BOOKER T—$5 MILLION
Booker T is another colorful character in the world of entertainment wrestling. He was played by Robert Booker Tio Huffman, who, interestingly enough, was able to extricate himself out of a life of crime prior to hitting it big in entertainment wrestling. Booker and his brother first signed with wrestling outfit WCW, and even competed as a tag team, eventually winning the tag team championship in 1994. Booker T was also, to his credit, the first African-American to win the World Championship belt in WWE, leading veteran wrestler Kurt Angle to call him “one of the top five best of all time.”
TRIPLE H—$40 MILLION
One would have to be crazy not to consider Triple H as one of the greatest of all time. Sure, many can lay claim to being the greatest, and there wouldn’t be much agreement among fans over one single individual taking the crown, but definitely, if a list of best of the best was made, then Triple H would have to be in the shortlist. He’s just been around for so long and has helped move the sport to where it now is. Indeed, Triple H is, to his credit, now a big wig in the company, occupying a number of executive positions.
TRISH STRATUS—$6 MILLION
Trish Stratus got the distinction of being the youngest wrestler to be inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame. Indeed, it was all well deserved, because Stratus has had a long and storied career in the sport. She used to be a fitness model but began performing for the WWF in 2000, to a lot of fanfare. She started flooring fans with her good looks the moment she stepped in front of the cameras. She even won a “WWE Babe of the Year” award at one point. Trish was, to her credit, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013, but sporadically came back to the ring after to perform.
ROAD DOGG—$1.2 MILLION
Road Dogg, played by Brian Girard James, had a decades-long career that saw him performing for both the WWE and TNA. Indeed, he’s come from quite the wrestling pedigree, with his father and brothers all having been involved with the sport at one time or another. He rose to prominence following the popularity of D-Generation X, a team that he at one point became a part of. He left WWE in 2001 and transferred to TNA (Total Nonstop Action Wrestling), where he found success as a tag team wrestler. In 2019, James was, to his credit, inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, as part of the once highly successful wrestling team, D-Generation X.
MARK HENRY—$4.5 MILLION
Mark Jerrold Henry, who’s more popularly known as just Mark Henry in the world of entertainment wrestling, was an Olympic weightlifting and strongman prior to finding success in the WWF/WWE. Indeed, Henry was a three-time US Weightlifting Champion and the winner of the very first Arnold Strongman Classic, among many other awards he’s won in the field. When Henry was signed by the WWF, he also went on to win various wrestling championship belts throughout his career. And, much to his credit, he was eventually inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.
JEFF HARDY—$12 MILLION
Jeffrey Nero Hardy, who’s best known as simply Jeff Hardy, is famous for his multiple runs in the world of entertainment wrestling, and was, alongside his brother Matt, a force to be reckoned with in the Tag Team division. As a solo wrestler, Hardy also saw a lot of success, winning six World Championships, as well as the WWE Championship back in 2008. Indeed, those are only a few of the championships that Hardy won—he’s won a lot, and they are, in fact, too many to list. Outside of wrestling, Hardy is also, to a huge degree, successful in motocross and music. Hell, even the book he authored went on to the New York Times Bestsellers list.
MATT HARDY—$5 MILLION
Matt Hardy is a wrestler who is currently signed by AEW (All Elite Wrestling) but was very popular during his stint at WWE. Indeed, the Hardy Boyz Tag Team, which consisted of Matt and his brother Jeff, were a force to reckon with in the Tag Team division not least because these two won more awards as a team than most. And, to his credit, it’s not just performing inside the ring that Matt Hardy was good at, he was also known in the industry as a consummate entertainer, who went through a variety of gimmicks and character changes to keep audiences interested.
X-PAC—$500K
Sean Michael Waltman was known inside the ring as X-Pac and was one of the most recognizable characters in WWF/WWE during the late ‘80s and early 2000s, not least because of his involvement with D-Generation X. Waltman has been able to collect a dozen or so championships from various wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, and TNA. Indeed, one of his matches with legendary wrestler Bret Hart was ranked the third most-watched match in the history of wrestling. He retired in 2019, and was, to his credit, subsequently inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame in the same year.
KURT ANGLE—$25 MILLION
Kurt Angle is another famous figure in wrestling who’s been able to win many championships throughout his career. Part of his spiel was to announce himself as an Olympic Gold medalist, and we always thought that that backstory was just part of the script, only to learn that, no, it’s actually true! Apparently, Angle did win the freestyle wrestling gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. In any case, he was, to his credit, named by some outlets as one of the top 15 college wrestlers of all time, and we don’t have any reason to doubt it given his performances in the ring.
CHRIS JERICHO—$18 MILLION
Chris Jericho was huge during his stay at WWE. His rockstar persona was a hit among fans, and he was also involved in a lot of hilarious storylines that will be remembered in wrestling entertainment history. He is still working as a professional wrestler, for All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Jericho holds the distinction of being the first-ever Undisputed WWE Champion after beating two of the most famous wrestlers at the time, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. Outside of the wrestling world, Jericho is a frontman for the rock band Fozzy, which, to their credit, had already released seven albums.
KEN SHAMROCK—$1.5 MILLION
Ken Shamrock had a fairly long stint in and around wrestling circuits but was more famous as a full-contact fighter. Indeed, Shamrock is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of MMA, having become a UFC Superfight Champion at one point. Shamrock’s rivalry with Royce Gracie, another legend of MMA, was one of the best rivalries in sports history. When Shamrock transitioned into wrestling, he was also, to his credit, able to accomplish quite a lot, including becoming the Intercontinental Champion and the 1998 King of the Ring. Indeed, the wrestling world never knew the ankle lock submission hold until Shamrock was said to have done it inside the ring.
RICK STEINER—$2 MILLION
Rick Steiner was the stage name of Robert Rechsteiner, who had quite a successful tenure at WCW, having won the Tag Team Championship a whopping 8 times. Of course, it’s not like the matches weren’t all scripted, but who cares! Interestingly enough, Steiner was an actual wrestler in college—and we mean real wrestling, not entertainment wrestling—who won quite a few wrestling competitions at the same time. After earning his bachelor’s degree in college, he immediately went into entertainment wrestling, and the rest as they say is history. Outside of wrestling, Steiner is a real estate broker, who put up his own brokerage in the Atlanta area.
BILLY KIDMAN—$22 MILLION
Billy Kidman, the wrestler who was famous during the ‘90s to the early 2000s and who many fans pretty much hated for his rivalry with their wrestling heroes, was played by Peter Alan Gruner Jr. He was, to his credit, able to win a slew of wrestling awards, including the Cruiserweight Championship and World Tag Team Championship. He also became a member of various wrestling groups during his tenure, like The New Blood, The Filthy Animals, and Raven’s Flock. Currently, Kidman still works for the WWE as a producer, but his days of hurling opponents onto the mat are long gone.
TITO SANTANA—UNKNOWN NET WORTH
Merced Solis, who played the character of Tito Santana (and actually still does), was a famous wrestler during the greater part of the ‘80s. Amazingly, despite being in his late ‘60s, he still appears in and around independent circuits. In any case, he was able to bag more than a few championships during his stint at the WWF, including the Intercontinental Championship, the WWF Tag Team Championship, and the 1989 King of the Ring Tournament. Solis was, to his credit, inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004, cementing his position as one of the greats in the sport.
DAMIEN SANDOW—$2 MILLION
Damien Sandow, whose real name is Aron Steven Haddad, and who currently wrestles for the National Wrestling Alliance using the stage name Aron Stevens, will be more popularly known to fans of wrestling for his relatively long stint at the WWE. The gimmicks and character changes he went through just to keep audiences interested were, to a huge degree, all over the place. But he did eventually win the WWE Tag Team Championship with The Miz, another WWE personality. Sandow is also known to be somewhat of a comic inside the ring, at one point dressing as Magneto to address guest star Hugh Jackman.
DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE—$8 MILLION
Dallas Page, who was known in and around wrestling circuits as Diamond Dallas Page, is another relatively famous personality who had a long career in various mainstream wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, TNA, and AEW. It’s a lot of abbreviations, we know. Before getting inside the ring, Page was actually a manager in the American Wrestling Association. eventually signed onto WCW in 1991, and his decade-long career saw him winning the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, the WCW World Tag Team Championship, and more. And in 2017, Page was, to his credit, finally inducted to the hall of fame, after more than 30 years of working in the industry.
KAMALA—UNKNOWN NET WORTH
Kamala was a semi-famous wrestler in the mid-’80s who was played by James Harris. The character was supposedly a primitive yet fearsome Ugandan fighter who painted his face and liked to wrestle in what seems to be a piece of loincloth. It was all weird, we know, but this was the ‘80s. If you think entertainment wrestling can be weird, well, entertainment wrestling in the mid-’80s was degrees of magnitude much weirder. Kamala was also one of Harris’s many personas. He did in fact wrestle as other characters, including one that was called “Sugar Bear”—hey, don’t ask us why.
JOHN NORD—$1 MILLION
John Nord, who played more than a few characters in and around various wrestling circuits, including Nord the Barbarian and Yukon John, is another retired wrestler who many fans today might not have heard of. He was, to his credit, trained by Eddie Sharkey, who was considered the “trainer of champions” because he trained many of the biggest names in the sport. After retiring from the world of entertainment wrestling, Nord chose a quiet and simple life, working at his brother’s auto dealership. Unfortunately, not too many people know John Nord, but he was one of the sport’s best journeymen.
JAKE “THE SNAKE” ROBERTS—$500K
Jake “The Snake” Roberts, whose real name was—wait for it—Aurelian Smith Jr., was an extremely popular character in entertainment wrestling during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The man often brought an actual python in the ring, after all. Clearly, it’s why he was named Jake “The Snake” Roberts. He was, to some degree, one of the first wrestlers who pushed the boundaries of the kinds of gimmicks wrestlers can do to keep audiences interested. He was also a key subject of the documentary Beyond the Mat, which chronicled his attempts to sober up after a life of addiction.
MARC MERO—$3 MILLION
Marc Mero, a retired professional wrestler, is best known for his work in WWF/WWE and WCW. He was, to his credit, one of a few wrestlers who used their real name. Actually, he did use the handle Johnny B. Badd during his stint with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling but was known as Marc Mero for the better part of his wrestling career. He won the Intercontinental Championship in the WWF but departed the company in 1998 due to personal problems. Outside of wrestling, Mero is a motivational speaker who authored a book entitled How To Be the Happiest Person on the Planet.
HARVEY WIPPLEMAN – UNKNOWN NET WORTH
Bruno Lauer, or professionally known as Harvey Wippleman, has an on and off appearance on-screen for the WWE. He’s known for being a wrestler, manager, and referee for the company for many years now. His best known time on the ring was when he took on the character of Dr. Harvey Wippleman and managed his real-life friend Sid Justice. His antics like carrying around medical bags and listening to the heartbeat of Justice’s opponents made him one of the most popular managers at that time. He recently appeared in an episode for Raw 25 Years. From the way his career went on, he never faced any issues like bankruptcy and other things similar to that.
SPIKE DUDLEY – AROUND $300K
Wrestling fans of the ‘90s grew up in awe of the death-defying stunts and wild moves of the stable known as The Dudley Boyz. Buh Buh Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley, and Spike Dudley were the deadly trio that dominated the ECW wrestling ring. However, the stable had to be broken down and the team of D-Von and Buh Buh Ray went on and joined the rival wrestling promotion company, while Spike Dudley remained on ECW’s roster. Unfortunately, ECW went into bankruptcy at the dawn of 2001. The trio eventually reunited a couple of years later but Spike pretty much retired from wrestling.
LANCE STORM – UNKNOWN NET WORTH
Lance Storm was one of the well-known mainstream professional wrestlers back in the day. He was making a huge sum of money in wrestling during his prime and that’s why he decided to make a smart investment about it and founded a wrestling school after his retirement from the mainstream wrestling landscape. His professional wrestling clinic, the Storm Wrestling Academy, in Calgary, Alberta provides all necessary training, techniques, and even pieces of advice that would help any aspiring wrestlers in the right path. After all, Lance Storm already experienced it all and already knew the ins and outs of professional wrestling.
BEULAH MCGILLICUTTY – UNKNOWN NET WORTH
Beulah McGillicutty was a professional wrestler, model, and dancer during her prime. She used to be part of Prince’s backup dancers right before she ventured into the mainstream professional wrestling scenes. During the ‘90s, her reputation as a personality in the wrestling realm soared sky-high and a big thanks to her success in the field was his on-screen partnership Tommy Dreamer during their time with Extreme Championship Wrestling. Fans constantly bought tickets using their credit cards just to watch the duo of Dreamer and Beulah and all the dramas happening at the sides. In the end, the two became a real-life husband and wife duo along with their twin daughters.
HARDCORE HOLLY – $200K
Hardcore Holly was one of the fiercest competitors in the professional wrestling scenes back in the days. Don’t get us wrong because up to this date, he still competes as a professional wrestler and that same fiery eyes still burn down the gas left in his tank. He has more than two decades of experience dealing with pro wrestlers under his belt so he knew very well how this business works. Aside from his wrestling endeavors, he also has a passion for race cars and at one point, managed to grab a gold chip in one of his races. Holly also appeared in a couple of films including the film Operation Sandman and the short film Thanks for Reading.
GLACIER – UNKNOWN NET WORTH
Raymond M. Lloyd was one of the top brass when it comes to professional wrestling and he was known while going with the ring name Glacier. He currently has a semi-retired status for his employment around the ring. Aside from his busy schedule as a professional wrestler, he also used to be an actor and a stunt man. In fact, he was part of Disney’s roster for their Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! up until his departure in the tail-end of 2004. It looks like he still has mileage in his gas tank and he’s still working in the professional wrestling scenes but not as an athlete but as a trainer.
LEX LUGER —$4.5 MILLION
Lex Luger was one of the most successful and well-known individuals in the world of professional wrestling. He not only confined himself in that industry alone. In fact, he played a couple of sports along the way while appearing to the public as a wrestling superstar. He and his lawyers recently signed a contract with his former employer, WWE, as one of their fitness and wellness experts. He is pretty much responsible for steering new and aspiring athletes about their overall wellness, providing nutrition guidelines, and properly taking care of their bodies. He knew the toll athletes had to pay when choosing professional wrestling as their career so he would like to teach the young ones how the expert did it in the past.
DEAN MALENKO – UNKNOWN NET WORTH
Dean Malenko was one of the most influential personalities in the world of professional wrestling. He was a big inspiration to the younger generation of pro wrestlers and that impact was well-recognized by his peers around the industry. Pro Wrestling Illustrated named Malenko as the number one in the world in their 1997 power rankings and was one of the inductees in the 2015 Hardcore Hall of Fame. Wrestling fans got their fair share on their credit cards with the wrestling style he provided day-in and day-out. After his retirement from the wrestling ring, he worked as a road agent for WWE for almost two decades and now as a senior producer of All Elite Wrestling.
MOLLY HOLLY – UNKNOWN NET WORTH
The 2000s were the hey years for the female wrestler Molly Holly. She built up a good credit score during this time thanks to her in-demand performances as a tough female competitor in the World Wrestling Federation’s roster. She’s a three-time champion during her time with the WWF (now WWE – World Wrestling Entertainment) and now works as an athletic coach at The Academy School of Professional Wrestling in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Judging from the way she looks recently, she never lost that flair and still carries her gorgeous, beautiful body paired up with a bright and radiant face that defies the law of time. She also never reported any signs of bankruptcy either!
TREVOR MURDOCH – UNKNOWN NET WORTH
The former professional wrestler Trevor Murdoch found the best and the most effective way for him to reach out to his fans – by playing cool and comical antics while showing his fierce and competitive side as a pro wrestler! He was known for doing funny little tricks that made a huge difference for a great and entertaining match from just your run in the mill wrestling brawl. Murdoch still sparingly appears in a couple of storylines for the wrestling web program NWA Power. In an interview back in 2014, he said that he’s currently engaged with installing fiber optic cables for a heavy equipment company. Good thing, he never showed any signs that he went through any bankruptcy or something similar.
THE GREAT KHALI —$17MILLION
The Great Khali showcases a unique talent in the WWE roster. He’s a towering giant that imposes a threat to anyone that went against him with his sheer power and strength. Because of his one of a kind attribute, he became an instant superstar in the professional wrestling realm. Aside from doing wrestling, he also built up good credit scores through his roles in a couple of Hollywood films over the last few years. Dalip Singh Rana, his real name, was also engaged with the police authority in Punjab, India. We are sure he’ll provide plenty of highlights if ever he’ll do a big comeback.
VIRGIL – UNKNOWN NET WORTH
Michael Jones, or professionally known as Virgil, was one of WWF’s top-notch talents. He rose to fame as the bodyguard for Ted DiBiase which was also known as “The Million Dollar Man.” He was like the meatshield of DiBiase back then, enjoying the beat-up of his employer while fleeing from the scenes. At one point in the storyline, he reached the boiling point of his patience and turned against DiBiase that catapulted his reputation as one of the fan favorites in the WWF’s roster. He never showed any signs of bankruptcy at any point in his career which is a healthy sign of his financial prowess.
BRET “THE HITMAN” HART – $14 MILLION
Bret Hart, or also known as The Hitman, was one of the most popular personalities that ever set foot on the wrestling ring. His charisma was overflowing and wrestling prowess showed no limit. Most of his peers even placed him at the top of the leaderboards when it comes to the greatest wrestlers of all time. Over the course of his career, he managed to get a hold of the championship belt more than thirty times, and with his fame, and successful financial career, he kept his financial advisor on his toe. He was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2006 and in 2019, he made a spectacular milestone as one of the four people to be inducted in the Hall of Fame twice!
JIMMY WANG YANG – $8 MILLION
James Carson Yun, or professionally known by his ring name Jimmy Wang Yang, made a ton of paycheck during his time in the squared circle. He was part of the World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment’s roster for nearly ten years. After stepping away from the blinding light of the wrestling arena, he decided to establish a couple of investments as his back up avenues for his finances while he’s out of the ring. He founded a professional wrestling school in Ohio and started a pest control business that operates in Cincinnati and other neighboring areas.
PERRY SATURN – UNKNOWN NET WORTH
Perry Saturn was one of the hit wrestlers during the ‘90s. He rose to fame as part of the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Championship Wrestling’s roster (WCW). In the later years, he reached the peak of his career as a wrestler and received tons of paychecks as part of WWF where he became a champion a couple of times. After he vanished from the limelight, news about him became scarce but his peers reported that he was dealing with financial issues and was almost on the verge of bankruptcy. Some of his former co-workers even set up a GoFundMe page to help him and his family about their situation.
RIP ROGERS – UNKNOWN NET WORTH
Rip Rogers, or Mark Sciarra in real life, had a pretty successful career as a professional wrestler back in the days. Right before he entered the professional wrestling scenes, he used to work as a teacher for almost a year and that was after he earned his college degree at Indiana Central College in the mid-’70s. He was one of the leading personalities in independent promotions around the country and his name became well-known in corners of the wrestling world. After retiring from professional wrestling, he was offered the head trainer job for Ohio Valley Wrestling, and even to this date, his name still carries a significant deal around the industry.
ONE MAN GANG – $50K
George Gray was known with a couple of names inside the wrestling ring. At one point, he was known as the One Man Gang and later as Akeem, the African Dream. His biggest gig was him teaming up with Big Boss Man as they formed the stable called The Twin Towers. He had a pretty successful career but his personal life wasn’t that much. In 2016, his house and most of his belongings were destroyed or damaged by the infamous 2016 Louisiana floods. Unfortunately, he didn’t opt for any flood insurance since his area was not listed as a flood zone.
MAVEN – $100K
Maven Huffman was one of the inaugural products of the reality television series Tough Enough. However, he only appeared for a couple of years under WWE and later stepped away from the squared circle. He was known for his good muscular build and he used this to his advantage and worked as a bouncer in a couple of clubs around New York. With his strong will and smart money management decisions, he was able to bounce back financially and recently became one of the account executives of the NBA team Brooklyn Nets. He was part of the organization up until the latter part of 2019.
ADAM ROSE – AROUND $500K
Adam Rose, or Raymond John Leppan in real life, was one of the top athletes in WWE’s roster. He had pretty rough childhood years and poverty was all over his surroundings. The fact that he ran away from home at the age of 14 also made matters worse for him. He spent two years living on the streets without any cash or credit cards to help him, but when he got into wrestling, he was able to bounce back from his predicament. He became part of independent wrestling circuits around the country up until his retirement in 2019. In 2018, it is said that he has an estimated net worth of around $500K.
BRUTUS “THE BARBER” BEEFCAKE – AROUND $100K
The retired wrestler, Edward Harrison Leslie, was known for many names but the one that stands out was Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake. He was a popular figure in the professional wrestling scenes as one of the personalities that fought alongside Hulk Hogan and against Money Inc., which was composed of The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase and I.R.S Irwin R. Schyster. At one point he even battled against Hogan and other wrestling legends such as Diamond Dallas Page and The Honky Tonk Man. He has outstanding credits in the world of pro wrestling and that earned him a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame last year.
JUSTIN CREDIBLE – $200K
Justin Credible rose to the top of the leaderboards of wrestling superstars after his appearance in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and in World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). He tallied a two-month winning spree during the ‘90s and that instantly became his golden ticket towards the top. His successful career in ECW continued until the company filed for bankruptcy in the early 2000s and was later bought out by WWE management. His stint in the mainstream wrestling scene went on for a couple of years more and he later joined independent wrestling circuits during the final leg of his professional career. He’s now enjoying the fruit of his labor as a retired professional wrestler!
JOEY MERCURY – $600K
The Joey Mercury that we all saw during his peak in the wrestling scenes may be different than the one we recently saw in the past couple of years. His long and braided hair is now all gone and it seems like there’s little to no trace of his rough and rugged style that we all used to see from him during the earlier part of his professional wrestling journey. In fact, his image is more similar to a man wearing expensive suits in a corporate office surrounded by top executives and high-level financial advisors. He was working recently as one of the producers, trainers, and was part of the creative team for the Ring Of Honor.
GANGREL – $500K
Gangrel was one of the top personalities in the professional wrestling field during the late ‘90s up until the 2000s. During his time with the ECW, his reputation grew after he was matched against Tommy Dreamer who had a direct link to his wife, Luna Vachon. We are not sure if it has something to do with them hiring a divorce attorney in the latter part of their life but that could probably fit into another story. David William Heath, in real life, brought to his audience the character of Gangrel in the late ‘90s with a vampire-like persona. After his retirement from the wrestling ring, he appeared in a couple of films including a music video and uncredited part in The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence) in 2015.
KURRGAN THE INTERROGATOR – $2 MILLION
The Canadian actor and professional wrestler Robert Maillet was one of the industry’s top pro wrestlers during the ‘90s and early 2000s and he was popularly known as Kurrgan The Interrogator by many wrestling fans. He earned the reputation as one of the “bad guys” in their storyline and his role pretty much stayed that way up until his retirement from the industry. Aside from doing professional wrestling, he also works as an actor. In fact, he already had a couple of movie credits under his name. If you have seen the epic movie 300 you probably remember the oversized immortal soldier that was held in chains? Yes, that one was Maillet!
DUKE “THE DUMPSTER” DROESE – $100K
Michael David Droese portrayed the epic Duke “The Dumpster” Droese, who was an iconic character from the ‘90s wrestling scenes. Just like what the name implies, he used to carry around a dumpster to the ringside. That was probably his depiction of what “clean up” means and he happily obliged to clean up his foes who were standing opposite to him. He later decided to step away from the industry to make room for his body to catch up and recuperate from the damages he received from all of his past fights. News broke out that he became a teacher after his retirement and we hope that his current occupation has good medical insurance coverage!
RICO – AROUND $500K
Americo Sebastiano Costantino, or popularly known around the wrestling ring as Rico, was one of the most popular personalities in the world of professional wrestling. During the 2000s, he appeared as the manager and the stylist of the duo Billy and Chuck. Collectively, they were known as the villains of major storylines. Though he was known as a manager that can be seen on the sidelines, he wrestled a couple of times against some of the greatest individuals in the industry such as the legendary Dudley Boyz and the man known for his iconic “Woooh!,” the one and only Rick Flair. Reports suggest that Rico now works as a Police Sergeant so you better get your lawyer if you have any plans to mess with him!
STEPHANIE MCMAHON – $25 MILLION
Stephanie McMahon sure knows how to run a business as a wrestling promoter. After all, she’s the fourth generation of well-known promoters in her family. McMahon also established herself as the chief brand officer (CBO) of WWE and occasionally works as a writer. For those who don’t know, her relationship with her current husband, Triple H, was initially part of a storyline that became a reality. Currently, they have three kids and show no signs that they will be needing any service from a divorce lawyer. The couple pretty much run most of the storylines in the current WWE and their sub-brands.
THE HONKY TONK MAN – $4 MILLION
Elvis Presley sure is an influential man and his charisma even reached the wrestling ring. Yes, you heard it right, The Honky Tonk Man’s inspiration for his persona was none other than the King of Rock and Roll. The Honky Tonk Man, or Roy Wayne Farris in real life, set a couple of records while he was part of the wrestling scene including his reign as the Intercontinental champ of the World Wrestling Federation, which he held for a record-breaking 64 weeks. He’s considered a pro wrestling legend and that status alone gave him a spot in the 2019 induction ceremony for the WWE Hall of Fame. He had a pretty good investment plan already laid out and he pretty much enjoys playing golf now that he only sparingly appears in a wrestling match.
KEVIN NASH – $8 MILLION
Kevin Nash was one of the powerhouses in the world of professional wrestling back in the days. He appeared in the wrestling ring carrying different names over the course of his career but he was well-known for his ring name as Diesel. He was also a key member of the stable called New World Order or NWO along with Scott Hall, X-Pac, and Hulk Hogan. Overall, he had a pretty successful career as a wrestler and it looks like he never faced any issues financially because of his great money management skills. He also had a few movie credits in the past such as his role as Super Shredder on the 1991 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and a brief role in Magic Mike and its sequel Magic Mike XXL.
DEBRA – $667K
Debra Marshall was one of the classic wrestling divas of the late ‘90s. She was one of the most popular wrestling celebrities at that time, but she decided to take a long break from the wrestling landscape and focused on her personal life during the 2000s. Reports suggest that she was attending Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute as part of her future plans. For those who don’t know, she not only has the looks but she also has brains that earned her a degree from the University of Alabama, which she finished with flying colors as a Cum Laude. As of 2013, Debra was pursuing another degree to her long list of achievements in Criminal Justice at the University of Alabama.