It is certainly possible to get rich off wrestling even if someone only worked for a major company for a few years. It's been done in the past as we have seen many former wrestlers live comfortably for the rest of their lives despite not having had the highest salaries. But it is not always possible nor is it realistic for everyone. It all comes down to taking proper care of your financial situation first and foremost, there are some wrestlers who expect the paycheques to continue coming in and don't prepare for the future.

That's why many of these wrestlers find themselves in a tough spot after a couple of years with most being either broke or bordering poverty. As fans, it is always sad to see these wrestlers fall from the top of the mountain. But regardless of their status, it is always important to live and have fun but not to the point where you find yourself in a rough situation. Sadly, most of these entries fall under that category as they once brought in a large income for a short period of time but have since fallen off.

As they got older, the industry moved on from these figures and they struggled to adjust to their new lives. Many are often forced to continue to wrestle many years past their prime, while others opt to make money off their legacy in various ways. The names on this list will certainly make fans feel a certain way, as we discuss 15 wrestlers who once broke the bank but now are just broke.

15 Brutus Beefcake

Brutus Beefcake will always be fondly remembered for his run as The Barber, but his wrestling career has been underwhelming since that stint. In WWE, he never truly advanced to the next level although he managed to stay on the roster for almost a decade before making the jump to WCW. In hopes of reviving his career, Beefcake underwent several transformations during his time in WCW with several gimmick changes, all of which ended up flopping.

But like so many former WWE stars, Beefcake was earning enough money to be set for life since plenty of that was going around during those times. But he couldn't hold on to most of it and Beefcake is yet another Superstar who is no longer breaking the bank. He was good friends with Hulk Hogan for many years which kept bringing in opportunities for Beefcake, but their relationship has taken a turn for the worse now.

14 Marty Jannetty

Marty Jannetty was one half of one of the most dynamic tag teams in wrestling history, The Rockers. His partner Shawn Michaels went on a solo career and never looked back as he reached new heights in his run, while Jannetty struggled to get out of his shadow. What began as a close friendship turned into a rivalry as competition and jealous led to conflict between the two Superstars. Jannetty was also living it up just like Michaels did, but the difference is that he didn't earn nearly enough to be able to maintain such lifestyle.

Once he found himself unemployed, Jannetty struggled to get back on his feet. There were talks about the WWE giving him a brief gig in 2005, but only turned out to be a one time appearance once they deemed Jannetty to be unreliable. Since then, Jannetty continues to make a living in any possible way but surely misses his old lifestyle.

13 X-Pac

Being a member of nWo and D-Generation X, X-Pac has plenty to brag about. Additionally, he had a respectable solo run as well and while he never became a top star like his peers, X-Pac remained active and wrestling outside of the WWE for years to come. But times haven't been too sweet for him as he also struggled financially as did so many of his peers. X-Pac was once a baller and making easy money during the Monday Night Wars - even jumping from one company to another depending on the pay.

But his income was spent just as fast as it came in as X-Pac neglected his financial status for a while. Reports suggest that he was barely getting by in recent years, which was sad to hear for many fans who had hoped that X-Pac would have taken better care of himself. But it seems like he is doing better health wise, so there's that.

12 Sunny

More money, more problems. Sunny is one of the many 90s stars who could relate to that statement as she went from being one of wrestling's hottest commodity to crash down instantly. After having been the ultimate Diva for many years and living a lifestyle that she couldn't maintain, Sunny found herself struggling once her wrestling days were behind her. Since then, she has resorted to make money in any possible way including intimate Skype sessions with fans.

And when Sunny was finally inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame, she celebrated the occasion by selling her Hall of Fame ring on eBay. As Sunny continued to run out of money, she found ways to pay the bills and it hasn't been great to see if you grew up watching her. Sunny was possibly the most over female in WWE before Chyna and Sable came through yet her legacy has been tarnished by her actions.

11 The Mean Street Posse

Pete Gas, Rodney and Joey Abs united to form a short lived faction known as The Mean Street Posse. Their gimmicks led us to believe that they were already millionaires upon joining WWE - although we should all be able to separate kayfabe by now - but yet that almost became a reality as all three members were earning sweet paycheques with the WWE.

While all members were having the time of their lives on and off screen at the time, the good times didn't last long as WWE released all three men after just a year with the company. They continued to wrestle on the independent circuit for a short period of time before moving on to new ventures. All three members are now far removed from their semi-famous days and working regular jobs to pay the bills since their WWE paycheques are long gone now.

10 Gorgeous George

In WWE, we all remember the iconic couple of Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth. Fast forward to his WCW run, Savage had a new valet by his new - although she wasn't as over or fondly remembered - known as Gorgeous George. They were together in real life for some time, and while she was flashy as The Macho Man during that era, today is an entirely different story.

Times haven't been so kind to her as she has struggled financially since WCW folded and she found herself unable to cash in easy cheques. A few years ago, she wrote a long post in which she practically asked fans to assist her in getting a second chance at life as well as her career. And although some felt bad for her, most happened to be very critical and saw it as a lazy plea from someone who was once rich.

9 Rico

Not many fans know that Rico was already at an advanced age when his biggest opportunity came in the WWE as he managed Billy and Chuck, then followed it up with a solo run. So his window was always short and Rico made the best out of it, as he managed to get over for some time and stuck on the roster longer than he should have. After leaving the WWE, Rico continued taking booking from independent promotions before leaving the wrestling industry for a new venture as he transitioned into a police officer.

But health problems continued to arise, which not only affected him physically but his pockets also felt the struggle. It was recently revealed that Rico was doing poorly and couldn't afford his treatment. Some fans contributed to his GoFundMe page, as did many wrestlers which show that his WWE money is long gone by now.

8 Lex Luger

There was a time when Vince McMahon envisioned Lex Luger as his next top Superstar. He was brought to be Hulk Hogan's replacement, who had bolted to WCW as the company was determined to find a new top face. Luger had success towards the beginning but his momentum didn't last too long and all previous plans were dropped. But Luger earned millions of dollars in the 90s - especially after he made a bold move to jump to WCW in 1995.

Luger was one of the highest paid wrestlers for many years and most would agree that it was unwarranted, but the paycheques continued to come in until the death of WCW. With WWE having no interest in bringing him back, Luger would continue his career by appearing for TNA and various other promotions. These days, Luger has had health problems and is now borderline broke as reported by many sites.

7 Jake Roberts

Jake Roberts was once one of the biggest draws in professional wrestling. After working many years for the WWE, his addiction got the best of him as he struggled to maintain his life together. During that period, Roberts neglected his financial situation until it got bad to say the least. By his own admission, he wasn't even able to afford paying child support anymore and it seems like he was heading towards a massive decline both physically and financially.

Thankfully for him, Roberts had enough friends in the industry to continue supporting him, most notably Diamond Dallas Page, who took Roberts under his wing and helped him get back healthy. Although Roberts is still struggling financially and is no longer a rich man like his younger days, at least he is healthy these days and seems to have gotten his life back together in the past few years.

6 Sabu

Aside from Rob Van Dam, Sabu has a strong case for the being the most popular ECW wrestler of all time. His innovative style - as reckless as it was - was an instant hit among fans, which is why Sabu managed to remain relevant even after ECW died, Since then, Sabu went on to work for both WWE and TNA - but as he got older, the demand understandably decreased by a significant amount.

His injuries started to pile up too, which meant that he wasn't as available to wrestle as he once was. And his attitude has gotten him on the wrong side with many bookers, which only further adds to Sabu not being in demand. While some fans may be unaware, Sabu was once a big spender as he loved to party in private. But he can no longer spend enough to maintain such lifestyle, as evident by a recent GoFundMe page.

5 Virgil

Someone should have probably told Virgil that nothing stays forever. As Ted DiBiase's sidekick, Virgil enjoyed his best stint in WWE which should have had him set for many years to come. But it is said that Virgil neglected his financial responsibilities and ran through the money at a relatively fast pace. He went from partying on the daily to a struggling former wrestler who struggles to make ends' meet. In the past few years, Virgil has developed a bad reputation for scamming fans out of money.

He has forged signatures to sell merchandise and performed some shady actions that made fans lose all respect for him. But this just goes to show that he had been going through some difficult times, and is only attempting to profit off the past. But let's be honest, Virgil is better off getting a real job since fan interest is definitely not as high as he thinks.

4 Buff Bagwell

Buff Bagwell is a name that you don't hear often. He is practically semi-blacklisted from the WWE following a bitter departure from the company. But despite his brief yet terrible run with the WWE, we can all agree that he had a decent stint in WCW. Bagwell was known for being flashy and talking plenty of trash during his entrance, and we are willing to bet that he would love to return to the good ol' days.

Since his departure from WWE, it's been difficult for Bagwell to make an income which is why he turned into a gigolo. Some suggest that he may have been broke at the time and it was a last resort to continue to survive. And if the reports are true, Bagwell may be able to pull himself out of the tough times since his demands are pretty high considering he lost most of his muscles.

3 Scott Hall

Scott Hall was cashing in millions of dollars in his prime days. Not only did he become one of WWE's biggest Superstars as Razor Ramon, but he also was a forming member of nWo which ran WCW for several years. As a result, all three members were getting generously paid with Hall bringing in millions of dollars despite not being consistently active. But even during his best years, Hall was going through personal problems which led to him being reckless with his money and eventually losing most of his fortune.

Despite facing addiction and being out of shape, Hall continued to work the independent circuit in hopes of making money - which created further issues and lawsuits as he was an unprofessional at times. And while he did live it up to the maximum for a number of years, Hall finds himself just barely getting by these days.

2 Jeff Jarrett

The wrestling world was recently shocked to hear that Jeff Jarrett was welcomed back into the WWE as one of the inductees of the 2018 Hall of Fame class. He had one of the flashiest characters back in the day, and bragged plenty about his riches. Jarrett was much more business savvy than some of his former WCW peers, as he founded TNA and led the company to become the second biggest in the industry.

As of the past few years, Jarrett seems to have gone off track and lost sight of what is truly important as his real life problems piled up. Rumours claimed that he was broke and couldn't afford to find the necessary help that was needed. With a return to WWE, he has a chance to turn the ship around and get out of the funk that he has been in for several years.

1 Ric Flair

When someone is as flashy as Ric Flair, it's only expected that he is also a big spender. Not many wrestlers have earned more money than Ric Flair did throughout his career, but his pockets have taken a deep hit for living so lavish. And after four divorces, Flair doesn't have much money left as he has had to pay plenty amount of alimony in his life. All of his divorces have been costly, made only worse by Flair's irresponsible spending habits.

In fact, Flair was supposed to be truly done from wrestling after his WWE retirement, but The Nature Boy ran into financial problems shortly after - forcing him to get back into the ring and wrestle a couple more years. Flair's bad financial decisions have come back to haunt him as he seems to always be in trouble or just getting by when he should be swimming a pool of cash.