The WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) is one of the most money-making endeavors out there. It has been around for decades, owned by renegade businessman Vince McMahon. The professional wrestling industry has been able to capitalize not just on the wrestlers’ skills, but the pageantry of it all as well.
The first professional wrestler in history was Josef Smejkal back in 1913 (or, at least, that was the first time the industry began recording revenues). The first Golden Age in Wrestling began a few decades later with a new emphasis on gimmicks and looks, in addition to the wrestling moves themselves – all of which eventually built a billion-dollar industry.
There have been many dozens of household names in WWE history, each with their own unique persona, bringing attention and money with their blend of sports and entertainment. What isn’t unique to each of the pro-wrestlers on this list is the amount of money they have made from a career in the WWE and other, independent appearances after their retirement.