These Are The Richest WWE Wrestlers In History – Here’s How Much They Are Worth Today
Being a wrestler for the WWE isn't easy. You might think it's all theatrics, but professional wrestlers are some of the best athletes in the world. While not every WWE wrestler becomes a star, those who do can make a pretty comfortable living thanks to their salaries and endorsements.
Many of these legendary wrestlers have also been able to carve out a role in other careers and business ventures, which only adds to their fortune. The net worths of these WWE wrestlers might make you consider trying your hand in the ring.
Brock Lesnar — $20 Million
After becoming the youngest WWE Champion at the time at the age of 25, Brock Lesnar's career and net worth have taken off. He began his career as a colligate wrestler and turned pro in 2000. He defeated The Rock to claim the title, but four years later, left wrestling to pursue an NFL career.
Lesnar's football career didn't go very far, so he instead went to fight in the UFC, but by 2008 he was back in the ring.
Hulk Hogan — $25 Million
Hulk Hogan has one of the most recognizable names and faces in wrestling (we can never forget that bleached blonde mustache). He's a six-time WWE champ and earned roughly $13 million between 1996-2000 just from wrestling.
Hogan also had a long-running reality show, Hogan Knows Best, which helped pay the bills, but his biggest win came in 2016 when he won a controversial lawsuit against the tabloid Gawker. The payout to Hogan for Gawker's defamation was a whopping $115 million, but the final amount was ultimately reduced to $31 million.
John Cena — $80 Million
In 2018, John Cena topped Forbes list as the highest paid WWE wrestler. He began in the WWE in 2000 and is still fighting in the ring today. While he's made a lot of money in the ring, he took a page from The Rock and has transitioned to acting.
The wrestler made his film debut in 2006 in The Marine and has since acted in huge films like Bumblebee and Blockers. In 2017 alone, Cena earned $10 million primarily from movie deals.
Chris Jericho — $18 Million
There's nothing Chris Jericho can't do. While he is best known for his wrestling appearances, beginning in WWE in 1999, he's also an accomplished actor, musician, podcaster, and author. During his wrestling career, Jericho became a main eventer after defeating Stone Cold and The Rock in the same night.
Outside of wrestling, he is also the lead singer of the rock back Fozzy. He's been cast in the 2019 reboot of the cult film Jay and Silent Bob, so we expect his net worth to just keep growing.
Big Show — $16 Million
The Big Show (Paul Wight) started his wrestling career after a mutual friend introduced him to none other than Hulk Hogan. Big Show wrestled in the WCW until 1999 when he signed a 10-year contract to be part of Vince McMahon's stable.
Big Show could have had a more successful wrestling career, but being a giant, he never really needed a title in order to draw in the fans. It didn't help that McMahon wanted to make sure The Rock stayed WWE Champion, so the two rarely went up against each other.
The Rock — $800 Million
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson debuted in the WWE (known back then as the WWF) as Rocky Maivia. When he started, he played a heroic character, but in 1997 turned into a WWE villain. From 1996-2004 he was a nine-time heavyweight champion but most of his money didn't come until after he left the WWE and turned to acting.
The Rock is now one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood. From 2017-2018 alone, he starred in seven different movies and brought in $125 million. His huge spike in net worth over the past few years is largely attributed to his ownership stake in the popular Teremana Tequila brand, which has a market valuation of around $2 billion.
Stone Cold Steve Austin — $30 Million
Stone Cold Steve Austin has made a name (and a fortune) stomping the competition in the WWE ring. While he's now retired from in-ring competition, he is still one of the most recognizable personalities. He has held 19 championships throughout his career and is the only three-time winner of the Royal Rumble.
Most of Stone Cold's massive salary is thanks to all of the pay-per-views he headlined as well as merchandise sales. That's not too bad for a guy who started his wrestling career making $40 a match.
Kurt Angle — $5 Million
Much of Kurt Angle's fame and fortune can be attributed to the fact that he's the only professional wrestler in WWE history to have also won an Olympic gold medal. Not only does Angle sell the storylines in the WWE, but he's technically one of the greatest wrestlers to ever lace up a pair of boots.
John Cena once referred to Angle as "the most gifted all-around performer we have ever had step into a ring."
Daniel Bryan — $12 Million
Bryan Danielson started out his wrestling career under his real name, but had to switch it around to Daniel Bryan when he signed with the WWE. He was known as one of the best wrestlers in the world before ever getting the call from the WWE when he was battling for the indy promotion Ring of Honor.
He retired from wrestling in 2016 after his health took a downturn thanks to multiple concussions, but has since been given a clean bill of health and has returned to the ring.
Bill Goldberg — $16 Million
Goldberg was one of the most popular wrestlers of the '90s thanks to his impressive win streak. He went undefeated for 173 single matches and still holds the record today. He boasted that record when he became the first to ever be an undefeated World Champion. Goldberg is also one of the few to have been a World Champion in WCW as well as in WWE.
Before he turned to wrestling, Goldberg was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams and planned to be a star football player.
JBL — $4 Million
John Charles Layfield has entered the ring by many names of the years. When he first entered the WWE, he was known as Bradshaw, which has since been shortened to JBL. His character was a "wealthy, big mouthed businessman" which was actually based on Layfield's real-life stock market success.
While he only held one heavyweight championship, Layfield has built a career around his character and now works as a financial commentator on Fox News Channel.
Dolph Ziggler — $3 Million
2011 World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler has created a career that he can be proud of since first signing with the WWE in 2004.
Ziggler has a World Tag Team Championship title, a FCW Florida Tag Team Championship title, and five Intercontinental Championships to his name. With all of those titles you might think his net worth would be more than $3 million.
Roman Reigns — $14 Million
Roman Reigns was born into a wrestling dynasty as part of the Anoa'i family. The American Samoa family of wrestlers have spawned several tag teams and even boast The Rock as a member. Reigns' connection to the family even made WWE want to make him the next "face of the company" but fans never picked up on it.
Despite never quite making it as the face of the company, Reigns has still headlined four straight WrestleManias and appears to be a fixture in the business for a long time.
Ric Flair — $500,000
He might not have the greatest net worth on this list but Ric Flair has been ranked as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. His career spanned more than 40 years and even today he's still signed to the WWE under its Legends contract.
Flair began wrestling in 1972 under the American Wrestling Association and in the 1980s began wrestling for the WWE. Flair's legacy is so great that he was the first person to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice.
Dean Ambrose — $7 Million
The third member of The Shield tag team with Rollins and Reigns is Dean Ambrose. Although he spent years wrestling on the independent circuit under the name Jon Moxley, he signed to WWE in 2011 and has been one of their most reliable stars ever since.
Ambrose is best known for his "wildcard" temperament and many thought he wouldn't go far in the WWE. Fans disagreed and loved him so much that he was voted "Most Popular Wrestler" in 2014 and 2015.
Kevin Owens — $3 Million
Kevin Owens rise to wrestling fame was fast and furious. He's had an interest in wrestling since 2000 but didn't pursue it professionally until years later. In 2014, he joined the WWE and quickly became a fan favorite. He made his debut in 2016 and in 2017, he was listed as a headliner for 60 wrestling events.
His $3 million net worth is thanks in large part due to his captivating skills both in the ring and on the mic. He always seems to be in a big-name feud, usually against his longtime friend Sami Zayn.
Jeff Jarrett — $15 Million
You may not see Jeff Jarrett taking part in the action anymore, but he's still a major figure in wrestling. He began his career in his father's Continental Wrestling Association then signed to the WWE in 1992.
While he had a successful wrestling career, he quickly turned his focus to the business side of wrestling. Jarrett was an investor for Total Nonstop Action and started Global Force Wrestling in 2014. A majority of his net worth is thanks to those business efforts.
Mick Foley — $8 Million
Mick Foley has spent nearly 30 years as a wrestler. He's a four-time world champion but you might recognize him from his other ring names: Dude Love, Cactus Jack, and Mankind. He's worked for nearly every wrestling promotion out there as well as some in Japan.
In 2013, Foley was inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame and labeled as one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of the WWE.
Shawn Michaels — $10 Million
It's no surprise that "Mr. WrestleMania" has a net worth of $10 million. He's known for being one of the greatest wrestlers in history and had a career that spanned over thirty years. Even after his retirement in 2010, he returned as a trainer for the WWE to grow the next batch of wrestling greats.
He's only grown his net worth since retiring by publishing an autobiography and hosting the outdoors television show Shawn Michaels' MacMillan River Adventures.
Bret Hart — $7 Million
Bret Hart wasn't just a popular wrestler in the '90s. He is credited with bringing technicality to the in-ring performance. Hart is frequently referred to as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time because he pioneered many of today's common moves.
Hart's $14 million net worth is largely due to his continued legacy. Wrestlers weren't paid much in the '70s and '80s and had to rely on promotional appearances. He's also appeared as an actor in Natural Born Killers and The Simpsons.
Sting — $4 Million
The singer Sting has a net worth of about $400 million, but the wrestler Sting has to settle for a net worth of only $4 million. Also known as Steven Borden, Sting gained his net worth thanks to being a 15-time world heavyweight champion. In the nineties, Sting was primarily the face of the WCW.
Finally, in 2015, Sting wrestled in his first ever WWE pay-per-view event. Unfortunately, he suffered a career-ending injury in that fight and was forced to announce his retirement the following year.
Diamond Dallas Page — $10 Million
Dallas Page began his wrestling career behind the scenes. He worked as a manager for the AWA and then the WCW from 1988-1991. Page just couldn't resist the itch to get in the ring himself and in 1991 he became a wrestler too.
He wrestled in the WWE for only one year before shifting his focus for creating a yoga business. A majority of his net work is thanks to DDP Yoga, which brought in $3 million in revenue in its first three years.
The Miz — $14 Million
Born Michael Mizanin, The Miz gained his fame as a frequent reality show contestant. He was a cast member on MTV's The Real World, The Inferno, The Gauntlet, and even won an episode of Fear Factor. His reality fame launched his WWE career and in 2006.
David Otunga — $10 Million
He might have the shortest WWE career on this list but David Otunga has definitely made a name for himself as a wrestler and actor. Otunga also got his start on reality TV in 2007 as a contestant on I Love New York 2, and one year later he ventured into the WWE. Otunga debuted in 2009 under the ring name Dawson Alexander.
He wrestled until 2015 and retired to become a color commentator. You might also recognize him as the former spouse of powerhouse singer Jennifer Hudson.
Rob Van Dam — $5 Million
Also known by his abbreviated RVD ring name, Rob Van Dam began his wrestling career in the early nineties in the WCW. Much of his net worth came from headlining multiple pay-per-view events over the course of his 30-year career.
Over his career, Van Dam won 21 championships and is the only wrestler to have held the WWE Championship, ECW Championship, and TNA Championship. In 2002, Van Dam was ranked the number one wrestler in the world.
Matt Hardy — $2.5 Million
The other half of the Hardy tag team, Matt Hardy also began his wrestling career at a young age when he created his own wrestling league with his brother Jeff. Hardy began wrestling as a tag team in the late nineties but by 2002, he ventured out into a solo wrestling career.
Matt Hardy is best known for his various gimmicks. His "Version 1" persona was awarded Best Gimmick in 2002 and in 2017, he won the award again with his "Woken" gimmick.
