Net Worth: $50M
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is another household name that can be recognized even by those who have never seen a single WWE event. That’s because Austin has also created a successful career for himself as an actor/producer and has appeared and helped to put together some major Hollywood hits, including “The Condemned” and “Grown Ups 2.”
Several key players in the wrestling industry have called Austin the single most popular figure in the sport of all time. He’s won over 15 championships over the course of his career and even become a 6-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion. He spends his time bouncing back and forth between his two homes in Nevada (The Broken Skull Ranch) and California. The wrestler and entertainment guru has a current estimated net worth of nearly $50 million and counting.
The Great Khali
Net Worth: $15M
The Great Khali is known for being a real-life giant, towering over the rest of us puny humans at a whopping 7 feet tall. But his height isn’t the only thing that made him (understandably) feared in the ring. If the ex-wrestler climbed up on the ropes and threw himself on top of you – you had better brace yourself for about 350 pounds of rage to flatten you into a pancake on the mat. Before Khali went into the WWE, he terrified perps working as a police officer.
The wrestler, born Dalip Singh Rana, made his WWE debut in 2006 in an epic SmackDown and retired in 2014. Shockingly enough, before he fully retired, he left temporarily due to an injury to his head that occurred in the ring, but he surprised everyone when he was back just days later to take on three other wrestlers in a tag team match. These days, he teaches future stars of the sport in a school that he launched himself called Continental Wrestling Entertainment. But it seems as though training others gave him the itch to get back in the ring himself, as he did just that in 2017 when he showed up to the Battleground to throw down with Jinder Mahal.
Batista
Net Worth: $14M
Dave Bautista is a wrestler turned mainstream actor who is most recently noted for playing the beloved role of Drax in the "Guardians of the Galaxy films." He started wrestling professionally with the WWF in 2000 and went on to become a six-time World Champion. Batista officially announced his retirement from pro wrestling in 2019. He plans to focus on his mainstream acting career these days.
Aside from "Guardians of the Galaxy," Bautista can be seen in other huge hits such as "The Man With the Iron Fists" and the James Bond film "Spectre. "He’s also appeared in several magazines and on reality shows like "Iron Chef" and MTV’s "Cribs." In 2007, he was wrapped up in a scandal that alleged he and some other wrestlers were using steroids. He released an autobiography two months later that he called "Bautista Unleashed."
Trish Stratus
Net Worth: $6M
Trish Stratus is one of the most recognized names in the game when it comes to WWE women’s wrestling. That’s probably because she’s a seven-time champion who has been a part of the organization since 2000. She’s got quite a few rivals because every other woman in the business wants to dethrone her from her current place as queen of the ring. But then there are also countless others who say that Stratus has inspired them to make it just as far as she has, such as Kelly Kelly, Bayley, and Maria Kenellis.
Stratus started her career as a fitness model and has graced the cover of several magazines. She’s also appeared in a few shows and even hosted her own reality-style travel show, dubbed "Stratusphere," in 2008. That same year, she opened up her own yoga studio in Ontario, which has been hailed as the largest eco-friendly yoga studio in all of Canada. Both she and the studio have won awards, including Business Woman of the Year and Best New Business. Stratus has also made it into more video games than any other woman in the industry – 25 of them!
Lex Luger
Net Worth: $3M
Lex Luger is widely regarded by many as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. It probably has something to do with the fact that he’s a five-time WCW US Heavyweight Champion, a two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and a WWA World Heavyweight Champion – among others. He never won one during his time in the WWF, but he still managed to accumulate a net worth of nearly $3 million.
Luger, who was born Lawrence Pfohl, is semi-retired and fought his final match in 2006. In 2007, the athlete was temporarily paralyzed after he suffered an injury to the neck. Today, he still works closely behind the scenes with the WWE in an effort to help prevent any young athletes from violating the wellness policy. Lex has been made into a playable character in several of the WWE’s video games, including 2K16, 17, 18, and 19.