Before one becomes a millionaire through professional wrestling, there are a lot of challenges to go through, unless you're born into the business. Apart from the numerous bumps in training, you've got the prospect of living in cheap motels, eating rather infrequently, and having to save up for gas money to drive from town to town. But if you can survive such a difficult lifestyle, the rewards are often manifold for those who make it to the top of the business. However, you've also got the all-too-common pitfalls of drugs and alcohol, as well as ring rats (or sometimes, colleagues) who could ruin marriages and cost you a chunk of your fortune when settlement time comes along.
Three years ago, we put together a list of the top 20 wealthiest wrestlers of all-time. But since a lot has changed in those years, we've decided not only to update the list, but also expand it to 40. And since we want to add tons of value to your reading experience, we've also got some facts, mostly obscure, but sometimes well-known yet interesting, about the things these wrestlers did (or could have done) to make a living in and out of the ring, or how they spent the money they earned in the business.
As usual, we've got some important notes before we continue. First off, we shall be limiting this list to people who have worked prominently as actual wrestlers. This means the likes of Vince, Stephanie, and Shane McMahon, all of whom have been in the ring quite a few times but mainly appeared on-air as authority figures, won't be in here. Managers and announcers who didn't wrestle (or didn't wrestle much) won't be included either, and neither will dead wrestlers who had amassed an impressive fortune while still alive.
Some Honorable Mentions (Net Worth: $5 Million): Rob Van Dam, Sid Vicious, Matt Hardy
40 40. Ric Flair (Net Worth: $5 Million)
Our first entry may come as a big surprise, given how he's been in the wrestling business practically since the time of horseless carriages and Abe Lincoln. But let's face it – many of us would kill to be as wealthy as Ric Flair is. This stylin', profilin', jet flyin', limousine ridin' (you know how the rest of it goes) son of a gun, however, would probably have been much higher up in the list had he not lived his catchphrase for most of his career, and had he not been taken to the cleaners repeatedly in a series of messy divorces.
Fun Financial Fact: No, I don't think I want to buy a used car from Ric Flair, if you remember last year's hilarious commercial. But as he wrote in his autobiography To Be the Man, he did make a living selling stuff after dropping out of college. His first real job was as an insurance salesman, and he made $30,000 in his first year on the job. If you adjust that for inflation, that's close to $200,000 (!) in today's money. No wonder he said he could have possibly made a career out of it, had he not gotten into pro wrestling.
39 T37. Alberto El Patron (Net Worth: $6 Million)
We don't think Paige fell for Alberto El Patron (formerly Del Rio) for his money, but the kayfabe Mexican aristocrat sure has a lot of it, having built a net worth of $6 million through almost two decades in the professional wrestling business. El Patron has competed in a myriad of promotions, and has since moved on to Impact Wrestling after a bitter exit from WWE. He also owns the San Antonio restaurant La Cantinita, which was infamously the site of one of Alberto's recent drunken anti-WWE rants.
Fun Financial Fact: Had El Patron not decided to enter the family business, there's a chance he could have been working the profession that lends its name to one of Seth Rollins' nicknames. Alberto has an architecture degree from the Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi, a Jesuit school which is one of Mexico's oldest (founded in 1624) and most prestigious universities.
38 T37. AJ Styles (Net Worth: $6 Million)
Oh, if he had only joined WWE much earlier in his career. AJ Styles would probably be in the upper half of this list if that was the case, but since he spent his 20s and most of his 30s in the indies, as well as the oftentimes-in-financial-jeopardy TNA/Impact Wrestling, it's only now that Styles is seeing some, or hoping to see some phenomenal paydays. Now that he's just turned 40, the clock is ticking on his wrestling career, so here's hoping he keeps making the most out of his time with the self-proclaimed "worldwide leader in sports entertainment."
Fun Financial Fact: Going back to how we never got to see AJ in WWE in his true physical prime, that has something to do with his decision to turn down a WWE developmental deal in 2001. At that time, he was newly-married and sending his wife to college, which made him decide to turn WWE's offer down, knowing that he might not be able to provide for his wife with whatever he'd be making as a developmental talent.
37 T37. Trish Stratus (Net Worth: $6 Million)
Even in the ongoing Women's Revolution, there's still a lot of inequality when it comes to how much the men and women of pro wrestling make. With that said, Trish Stratus is wrestling's wealthiest woman (and the only female in this list), and a true WWE success story who went from inexperienced fitness model to skilled and decorated competitor in an amazingly short period of time. She's also done well in business, having run the yoga studio Stratusphere in her hometown of Toronto since 2008.
Fun Financial Fact: High school sweethearts Trish Stratus and Ron Fisico had been dating for 14 years when they finally tied the knot in 2006. But what does this Mr. Fisico do for a living, and how did he accumulate his impressive-in-its-own-right net worth of $2.5 million? Ron is a builder in the Toronto area, but by that we mean someone in the construction business, and NOT bodybuilder, as some sources have erroneously stated.
36 T32. Sheamus (Net Worth: $7 Million)
He and Cesaro just won the RAW Tag Team Championships back from The Hardy Boyz, so things are still looking up for the Celtic Warrior, Sheamus, as far as his WWE run is concerned. For about a decade now, Sheamus has been chugging along in the main event and upper midcard, but he's also kept himself busy away from the wrestling ring, acting on-and-off in minor roles, and also playing the evil mutant half-man/half-rhino Rocksteady in last year's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
Fun Financial Fact: With his size, Sheamus' most notable pre-wrestling odd job was, not surprisingly, that of a bodyguard to singer Bono and drummer Larry Mullen of U2. But he was also a rather large and intimidating IT technician right before he began his wrestling training. Hopefully he didn't deal with nasty viruses and malware by Brogue Kicking people's computers after they reached him at 1-800-FELLA.
35 T32. Wade Barrett (Net Worth: $7 Million)
Considering he never got beyond the upper midcard in his brief and disappointing (through no fault of his) WWE run, it may be a surprise to some to see Wade Barrett rank as one of the top 40 wealthiest pro wrestlers of all time. But the numbers don't lie, as the former "King of Bad News" may have made some wise career moves and investments along the way. He's currently lying low and only wrestling occasionally, as he hopes to further his acting career with more roles.
Fun Financial Fact: WWE's announce team often referred to Barrett's past as a bare-knuckle fighter during his matches, and being that he's 6'7" and a muscular 250-260 pounds, that shouldn't come as a surprise. But he did graduate from the University of Liverpool with a degree in marine biology, and had paid the bills and paid his way through wrestling training by working in a lab.
34 T32. Jerry Lawler (Net Worth: $7 Million)
As far as WWE is concerned, Jerry Lawler is far more on-air personality than wrestler, but that's mainly because he signed with the company in his mid-40s, just as his full-time wrestling career was winding down. But he's nonetheless been around the wrestling business for nearly five decades, and is – are you ready for this – a FIFTY-TWO-TIME AWA Southern Heavyweight Champion. He's also acted in a few films, including the 1998 Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon alongside Jim Carrey.
Fun Financial Fact: The real-life cousin of wrestling Elvis impersonator Honky Tonk Man actually tried his hand at being a recording artist in the 1970s, back during the height of his popularity in the Memphis area. Aside from recording a couple singles, "The King" also was instrumental in getting Jimmy Hart involved in the wrestling business, as the former Gentrys co-lead vocalist sang with Lawler in his late-'70s singles, with the two having known each other back in high school.
33 T32. Kane (Net Worth: $7 Million)
One day, you may be calling him Mayor Glenn Jacobs of Knox County, Tennessee. But since the early-'90s, he's gone by many other names – The Christmas Creature, Unabomb, Isaac Yankem, Fake Diesel, and of course, Kane. The Devil's Favorite Demon might not be as rich as his kayfabe half-brother The Undertaker, but after all those years wrestling in the main event, you shouldn't be shocked to learn that he's made a great living playing some gimmicks that might not have worked if used by another wrestler. He and his wife also own an Allstate insurance agency, and he's appeared in several films, including WWE Studios' 2006 horror thriller, See No Evil.
Fun Financial Fact: We already told you about how Kane makes more money outside the ring, but what about what he could have done to make a living, had he not entered the wrestling business? The 6'8" Kane was a standout basketball player at Truman State University, where he holds the school's season field goal percentage record, having shot 62.1 percent (105-for-169) in the 1988-89 season. That, we'd say, could have at least earned him a shot at playing in Europe or in the U.S. minor leagues.
32 T32. Dean Ambrose (Net Worth: $7 Million)
The guy's worth seven million smackeroos and he still dresses like your average blue-collar worker dropping by the local bar for a few beers...and a few punches thrown if somebody tries getting in his face. Dean Ambrose may be the "poorest" of the three Shield "brothers" in this list, but thanks to his success in his brief-thus-far (if inconsistent as of late) WWE career, the Lunatic Fringe has made it as one of several rags-to-riches stories among wrestling's 40 wealthiest. And it goes without saying he's also a lucky guy in love, having recently married his longtime girlfriend Renee Young.
Fun Financial Fact: Dean Ambrose, a.k.a. Jon Good in real life, has made it no secret in interviews that he grew up poor in a bad Cincinnati neighborhood. And with his mother doing most of the parenting in the Good household, Ambrose made sure to pay it forward when he earned his WWE fortune, buying her a nice house far away from the rough neighborhood of his youth.
31 T27. Diamond Dallas Page (Net Worth: $8 Million)
He may have gotten his start as a pro wrestler at a time when most others are in the last few years of their prime, but Diamond Dallas Page learned fast, and achieved a lot. Yes, we can ignore his underwhelming WWE run and the whole "Sara's stalker" storyline with Undertaker, but he was one of WCW's most successful and popular homegrown stars till the very end. And you can bet this recent WWE Hall of Fame inductee is still raking it in, thanks to his DDP Yoga business that's helped wrestlers such as Scott Hall and Jake Roberts get their lives back on track.
Fun Financial Fact: Originally a manager in the old AWA and WCW, DDP also had a nice money-making operation away from the squared circle. In the late-'80s and early-'90s, he ran a bar called Norma Jeans in Fort Myers, Florida, where, as Mick Foley recalled in Have a Nice Day, he proved to his wrestling colleagues that his on-air persona was simply who he was, only turned up to 11. Now can we have a self-high-five for that factoid?
30 T27. Daniel Bryan (Net Worth: $8 Million)
Daniel Bryan may have often been maligned in storyline (and arguably backstage too) as a mere "B+ player," but he was an A+ earner in his brief, yet eventful WWE career. A+, that is, in comparison to average guys like you and me. And while injuries brought his in-ring career to an untimely end, he remains employed by WWE as SmackDown Live's General Manager, while also having made the transition to reality television, appearing on Total Divas and Total Bellas alongside his wife, Brie.
Fun Financial Fact: Since he graduated high school in 1999, pro wrestling has been his bread and butter, but D-Bry has had one particularly interesting side project not too many fans may be aware of. In 2011, Bryan (credited under his real name Bryan Danielson) contributed guest vocals to the Lou Albano tribute song "Captain Lou," which appeared in Kimya Dawson's (of Juno soundtrack fame) 2011 album, Thunder Thighs.
29 T27. Kevin Nash (Net Worth: $8 Million)
Kevin Nash wasn't the greatest worker of all time, but he did enjoy great success in both WWE and WCW, even if he had to suffer through some bad gimmicks in WCW (Oz, Vinnie Vegas) on his path to eventual greatness. As we pointed out in the original list, Nash could arguably credit his political, um, expertise behind the scenes for a good chunk of his $8 million net worth, and even if he was, to many, one of the worst-drawing WWE Champions of all-time, he was a champion nonetheless, and knew how to take good care of his earnings.
Fun Financial Fact: Nash worked a series of jobs before his wrestling debut at age 30, but his job as an European basketball journeyman center . A legit 6'10", Nash averaged just 6.5 points and 4.9 rebounds as a Tennessee Volunteers junior, but since he left school early with pedestrian stats, he was off to Europe instead of the NBA. He would retire from pro basketball at 22 after suffering a torn ACL while playing in Germany. Hopefully he didn't tear it while walking back to the bench.
28 T27. Sting (Net Worth: $8 Million)
It may be a bit surprising to see former top 20 wealthiest wrestler Sting rank so low on the list, given the tons of merchandise he sold as the Icon of WCW, but he's been away from the ring for almost a couple years now, and $8 million isn't too bad at all by anybody's standards. In 2014, 55-year-old Sting became probably the oldest WWE "rookie" in the company's history, and while one can argue his brief run should have been MUCH better, he's got a legendary three-decade career to look back on now that he's finally retired from the ring.
Fun Financial Fact: Like Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, both of whom you'll see much later on in this list, Sting wasn't much of a pro wrestling fan growing up. In fact, he was already in his mid-20s when he became a fan for the first time, but he was so inspired by what he saw that he switched careers from bodybuilding, and began pro wrestling training, en route to said three-decade career in the sport.
27 T27. CM Punk (Net Worth: $8 Million)
He'd probably make a sarcastic jibe at you and block you on Twitter if you as much as suggested he's still a wrestler, but let's call a spade a spade – before switching careers to MMA, CM Punk WAS a wrestler, and a pretty accomplished one at that. No, he didn't get those ice cream bars he demanded in his 2011 "pipe bomb" promo, but he did move a lot of merchandise in his eight-year-plus WWE, while, of course, becoming the longest-reigning post-Hulkamania WWE Champion. That's got to count for something, you know.
Fun Financial Fact: Back when he was reigning as WWE Champion for well over a year, CM Punk was banking about a million-plus per year, and that's no piddling amount of money by WWE main eventer standards. But for getting submitted by Mickey Gall in just 2 minutes and 14 seconds at UFC 203, Punk bagged a cool $500,000 for one of the worst UFC debuts in the company's modern history. Hey, at least he was MUCH better than those "make your own martial art" guys who got squashed in the earliest days of UFC.
26 26. Rey Mysterio (Net Worth: $8.5 Million)
No, not $6.19 million, if we're to get the obvious joke/pun out of the way. Having been in the wrestling business since his teens, Rey Mysterio is still going strong at 42, years removed from his WWE glory days, yet still doing pretty good for himself in Lucha Underground. Given his popularity with fans, especially younger audiences, he was a big-time merchandise seller back in the day, and even up to now; his mask is one of the very few ones in the world of pro wrestling that's instantly recognizable to casuals, and even to non-fans on occasion.
Fun Financial Fact: As we mentioned, Rey Mysterio's merchandise was very popular with WWE Shop customers. But Rey-Rey was clearly in the doghouse in 2012, after he incurred his second Wellness Policy violation, to say little of his increasingly brittle body. That was when WWE had temporarily placed his merch on sale, with discounts as big as 75 percent on some items! In the end, that was just a small bump in the road for a man who's still among the top 30 wealthiest wrestlers of all-time.
25 T23. Roman Reigns (Net Worth: $9 Million)
Can you imagine how high up Roman Reigns would be in this list if WWE keeps on insisting on his God-push as a babyface? Fans may object vehemently to how WWE pushes The Big Dog as a conquering hero and the next "face of the company" after John Cena, but the statistics suggest WWE has good financial justification for this push. He's WWE's number one merchandise seller, he's well-known, and apparently loved, among casual fans, and he is, in terms of physical appearance, just the kind of wrestler Vince McMahon likes to see dominate opponents.
Fun Financial Fact: Despite being born into a prominent wrestling family, while earning some money after college as a CFL defensive lineman, Joe Anoa'i had to pay his dues working odd jobs before embarking on his wrestling career. On a recent episode of Talk is Jericho, Reigns talked about his time working for his older sister in a furniture store alongside his cousins The Usos. And it was all to support his newly-born daughter and his girlfriend (now wife), who was still in college. You may hate how WWE pushes him, but you've got to love that commitment.
24 T23. Seth Rollins (Net Worth: $9 Million)
We've covered one Shield "brother," now let's move on to another. Seth Rollins has had a successful, if rough last two years in the WWE, dealing with injuries, a leaked photo scandal, and a face turn which some people still can't believe is a face turn. But he's sitting pretty financially, as like Reigns, he's worth almost $10 million despite his relative youth. And he's even ventured out into acting as of late, notably debuting last year on the fourth Sharknado film, with an upcoming film, Armed Response, billing him alongside big-in-the-'90s stars Wesley Snipes and Anne Heche.
Fun Financial Fact: One other money-making venture Rollins has is his wrestling school, The Black and Brave Wrestling Academy. The school was co-founded by Rollins and his former indie tag team partner Marek Brave, and it takes part of its name from Seth's old ROH and PWG ring name, Tyler Black. According to Rollins, it's all his way of giving back to the Midwest independent wrestling community where he first made his name over a decade ago.
23 T23. JBL (Net Worth: $9 Million)
You'd think John Bradshaw Layfield would be worth a whole lot more money, given his longtime WWE employment and second career as a financial expert. Heck, he's even written a book, Have More Money Now, which showcases said financial expertise through some helpful planning and investment tips. But no, JBL is "only" worth $9 million, and that may be because he spent most of his WWE career in the midcard and didn't get the endorsement opportunities or movie/TV roles many of his main event peers got when he became JBL. He's no J.R. Ewing, but there's no doubt that JBL has earned a big fortune in the wrestling business.
Fun Financial Fact: We would have liked to include some tidbits on John Layfield the financial analyst, but we'd rather go back to a much younger, less financially-secure time for the future APA member and kayfabe/real-life rich Texan. JBL was an offensive lineman at Abilene Christian University, and after going undrafted and failing to make the then-Los Angeles Raiders' regular season lineup, he played one season in the World League of American Football, playing alongside future Dallas Cowboys backup QB/head coach Jason Garrett as the San Antonio Riders' starting right tackle.
22 T20. Pat Patterson (Net Worth: $10 million)
Younger fans might only know him for his role as one of Vince McMahon's bumbling "stooges." But Pat Patterson has been in the wrestling business for all of his adult life, and part of his teens, having debuted in 1958 at the tender age of 17. He's also recognized as the first-ever Intercontinental Champion in WWE history, having won the belt in 1979. And with almost six decades in the wrestling business, it would seem that Patterson has saved and invested his money wisely through the years.
Fun Financial Fact: As Patterson told it in an ECW Press video promoting his autobiography Accepted, he grew up poor in Montreal, and first caught the wrestling bug in his teens, selling hot dogs at shows, but apparently not doing a very good job at it, as he was too busy watching the matches. But the real catalyst for his wrestling career in the U.S., as it turned out, was the moment he innocently told his parents that he had fallen in love with another man. Still in his early-20s at that time, he was kicked out of the house, and took a Greyhound bus to Boston, never to turn back in his chosen career path.
21 T20. Kevin Owens (Net Worth: $10 Million)
Earn, Owens, Earn! Despite only being on WWE's main roster for two years, Kevin Owens has raked in a lot of dough, with his net worth estimated to be at around $10 million. Apart from his quick rise to main event status, we're guessing a lot of his riches are related to his consistently high merchandise sales, which includes the money he earned as one of the greatest, most recognizable ROH wrestlers of all time. It may be unusual for a heel to earn so much through merch, but such has always been the appeal of KO.
Fun Financial Fact: Truth be told, wrestling is pretty much the only thing Kevin Owens has done to make a living. But even with his relative newness in the WWE, he has some long-term plans for his future in the company, having said in a 2016 interview that he's fascinated with what goes on at Gorilla position, and wouldn't mind working backstage for WWE once his time as a wrestler is done.