WWE wrestlers represent the greatest and the best in sports entertainment. The wrestlers fly across the ring, fall from impossible heights, absorb heavy blows, and dish out a lot of pain. While many are aware that the WWE hands out scripts for each fight, the wrestlers are expected to enact what is expected of them and make the audience believe their antics. Their main role is to garner sympathy or generate enthusiasm from the crowd. This means that WWE wrestlers are expected to be good actors, extremely athletic and speak well in front of the crowds. The owners of WWE certainly pay the wrestlers well.
Here are the ten richest WWE wrestlers of all time.
10. Mick Foley – $15 million
Born Michael Francis Foley Sr., Mick Foley is a true legend of the WWE. He has wrestled under several stage names such as Dude Love, Mankind, and Cactus Jack. These three characters are called the Three Faces of Foley. Mick has won three WWE championships and was the tag team champion an astonishing eight times. He was also the first Hardcore Champion to be crowned. Mick Foley was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in April 2013 and still appears as an occasional commentator on the show.
9. The Undertaker – $16 million
Born Mark William Calaway, the Undertaker is renowned for his unbeatable Wrestle mania record of 21-1. The Undertaker has been the WWE Champion four times and the WWE tag team champion six times. His specialty matches include the Buried Alive match, the Casket match, and the Last Ride match.
8. Shawn Michaels – $17 million
Born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom, Shawn Michaels was famously called the Heartbreak kid. He is the most gifted and stylish WWE wrestler of all time. Shawn Michaels won the WWE Championship four times and still manages to drive all the women crazy whenever he makes an appearance in the ring.
7. Chris Jericho – $18 million
Chris Jericho’s real name is Christopher Keith Irvine. He has won the WWE Championship six times and the Intercontinental Championship nine times. Chris Jericho is best known for introducing the ‘Y2J’ phenomenon to the WWE fans.
6. Kurt Angle – $20 million
Kurt Angle was an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling at the 1996 Atlanta games. He won the European Championship, the King of the Ring, the Intercontinental Championship and the WWE Championship in his first year with the WWE.
5. Triple H – $25 million
Born Paul Michael Levesque, Triple H is currently the Executive Vice President of the WWE. He holds the all time record by winning the WWE Championship an astonishing thirteen times. Triple H is married to Stephanie McMahon, the daughter of WWE Chairman, Vincent Kennedy McMahon.
4. Big Show – $30 million
The Big Show’s real name is Paul Wight. He has won the WWE Championship seven times and is one of the few wrestlers to have won the WWE Championship, ECW Championship, WCW Championship and World Heavyweight Championship at least once in his career. The Big Show is one of the biggest wrestlers in the WWE and can be seen beating wrestlers to a pulp even today.
3. John Cena – $35 million
John Cena has won a total of 19 championships in the WWE. These include winning the WWE Championship ten times. He has also been the World Heavyweight Champion twice in his career. He was the longest reigning WWE champion, with the record standing at 380 days. This is the fourth longest reign in wrestling history behind Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino.
2. Steve Austin – $45 million
Stone Cold Steve Austin was one of the most feared wrestlers of his time. His finishing move, the Stone Cold Stunner, remains one of the most effective finishing moves in the history of the WWE. Stone Cold won the WWE Championship six times and has won many accolades including the Royal Rumble in 1997, 1998 and 2001. Stone Cold Steve Austin was forced to retire in 2003 following a severe knee and neck injury. Stone Cold was known for his beer drinking and anti hero antics in the WWE.
1. The Rock – $70 million
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is the most popular wrestler in the world. His popularity and charisma has no bounds and this can be seen in the way the crowds go crazy when he enters the arena. The Rock used to play football for the University of Miami and was forced to discontinue due to a knee injury. The Rock has won the WWE Championship ten times and was tag team champion five times. The Rock no longer wrestles full time as he has successfully completed the transition from a WWE wrestler to a Hollywood superstar. His popularity as a wrestler has resulted in packed houses for his movies as well.
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