10 most richest Wrestlers of All Time 2

2. Stone Cold Steve Austin – Net Worth: $45 million

It’s said that while nobody was on top of the wrestling industry as long as Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin reached unprecedented heights of popularity amongst wrestling fans. Austin broke many of Hogan’s records for the business, including pay-per-view buys and merchandise sales. In fact WrestleMania 17, headlined by Austin and The Rock earned 1.4 million buys, the first time a wrestling pay-per-view ever reached a million.

His popularity hasn’t waned, despite having been retired as a wrestler since 2003, following another WrestleMania matchup with the Rock. He began his career in 1989, but didn’t join the WWE until 1996. Once he uttered the words, “Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!” at King of the Ring ’96, he was a made man in the industry. He was a six-time WWE champion and he made every reign count. He was the main attraction when he wasn’t champion as well. Perhaps no wrestler had more passionate fans than the Texas Rattlesnake.

Steve Williams, the man behind the persona, had his dark days towards the end of his career. A neck injury suffered at SummerSlam 1997 ultimately shortened his career. He was also charged with domestic abuse in 2002. Since then, Austin has rebuilt his image, even legally changing his name to Steve Austin. He has also built a decent acting career for himself in the film industry. While he’s had some forgettable roles, he has been involved in feature films, such as The Longest Yard and the Expendables. That’s undoubtedly contributed to his fortune, but nobody comes close to what the next guy on this list has done outside of the wrestling industry.