Net Worth: $17M
You may recognize Shawn Michaels’ face even if you haven’t seen him in the ring. The “Heartbreak Kid” wrestled with the WWE until an injury to his back forced him to retire in 1998. But he wasn’t ready to let go of the spotlight just yet, so he decided to pursue a career in acting. Michaels has appeared in several films and television shows, including “Baywatch,” “Pacific Blue,” “The Marine 6: Close Quarters,” and “Pure Country: Pure Heart.”
He has also been the host of his own outdoorsy show called Shawn Michaels MacMillan River Adventures. The former wrestler released an autobiography in 2015 about his life that was titled “Wrestling for My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar,” with whom he said to have co-authored with David Thomas.
Dean Malenko
Net Worth: N/A
Dean Simon, or Dean Malenko as he was known in the biz, grew up in a family of wrestlers and started at a young age. He started wrestling professionally in '79, and by 1998, he had won a number of championships, such as Cruiserweight and U.S Heavyweight. The former pro worked with the WWE as a road agent for over 17 years until he left in April 2019.
These days, Simon is still active within the industry and works as a senior producer with All Elite Wrestling. He has been married to his wife for decades, and they have three children together, the oldest of whom was born in '97. In 2010, he gave his family quite a scare when he experienced a heart attack, although he luckily recovered from it. Malenko is hailed by many as the “man of 1,000” holds, and as of May 2019, it can be found on Starrcast at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Kurt Angle
Net Worth: $25M
Angle started building up to his professional wrestling career in college, while he attended Clarion University, where he won the NCAA Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. He signed with the WWF in 1998 and immediately started showing signs of a lengthy and promising career in the industry. Over his many years in the business, he’s won more than 20 championships, including six World Championship Heavyweight titles and the WWE Championship, for which he is the first pro wrestler to win.
In August of 2006, Kurt was released early from his WWE contract, citing his injuries as the reason. In 2015, he had to have emergency surgery due to fluid buildup on his spinal cord, only a week after he’d undergone another surgery to have a (benign) tumor removed from his neck. Angle released a book in 2001 called "It’s True! It’s True!"
Sable
Net Worth: $10M
Sable basically laid the groundwork for the modern-day ladies of the WWE. The blonde bombshell debuted in the mid-90s when she first appeared in the ring with Triple H. She developed a huge fan base due to her fierce looks and incredible skills in the ring. Sable used her celebrity status to get her foot in the door of the acting community. She appeared in a few major shows and films, including 2001’s "Corky Romano," starring Chris Kattan.
Sable’s first husband was killed in a drunk-driving crash five years before her WWE debut. She married fellow pro wrestler Brock Lesnar in 2006. Sable is said to have an estimated net worth of nearly $10 million and currently focuses mainly on her family life.
Rey Mysterio
Net Worth: $10M
Oscar Gutierrez hooked fans with his wild style in the ring and, of course, his colorful signature masks. Believe it or not, Mysterio started his career in professional wrestling before he even turned 15 years old. He is credited with helping to popularize the Lucha libre style and won several awards over the course of his career, including the World Cruiserweight Championship. In fact, he basically helped to launch the entirety of the Cruiserweight division! He is a two-time Intercontinental Champion and four-time tag team champion.
Mysterio is still very active in the world of wrestling, but he retired from the WWE in 2015 after a 13-year stint. He returned to the AAA, where he had been for a few years before his career really took off. In 2015, he signed with Lucha Underground and worked with them until 2018, when he returned to the WWE for the Men’s Rumble match. There is a documentary circulating that has been made about his life called "Rey Mysterio: 619," along with a follow-up titled "Rey Mysterio: The Biggest Little Man." He has also been made into a character in a number of WWE video games.