Wendi Richter
While some professional wrestlers move on to other careers that seem to go hand-in-hand with wrestling, others end up in rather unique, if not odd, professions — from realtors to motivational speakers, to even ordained ministers.
You might be a little surprised to learn how some of your biggest childhood heroes are now depositing dollars into their bank accounts, and even pleasantly humbled to learn that they’re probably more accessible than you’d believe…
Wendi Richter enjoyed a 25-year wrestling career with multiple wrestling championships wins, among them the NWA Women’s World Tag Team Championships and WWF Women’s Championships.
In 2011, she was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Now, she spends her time as a show dog breeder and has a career in occupational therapy.
Ivory
Ivory won the WWE Women’s championship during the early 2000, before retiring from the ring in mid-2007. After spending several months trying to figure out what to do next, she eventually opened up an animal grooming and dog-sitting business called Downtown Dog, which also includes a bus service for pets.
She started with just an animal shelter, before eventually offering additional animal-related services. She began the brand with a friend, almost as somewhat of a hobby, but it eventually turned into Downtown Dog, which now generates a sizable living.
Sable
Debuted in 1996, Sable was a popular WWE star in her days, especially as one of the divas during the Attitude Era. She left WWE in 1999 and returned to the promotion immediately after WrestleMania XIX.
She has worked with many companies like Pepsi, L’Oréal, and Guess during her modeling career. She has also appeared in movies like Corky Romano, The Final Victim, and Slaves of the Realm. Not only that but Sable was also featured thrice on the cover of Playboy magazine. Now, she enjoys her life with her family, happily married to Brock Lesnar with whom she had two sons.
Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase, also known as “The Million Dollar Man,” earned thirty titles over his professional wrestling career. While he is signed with WWE and working in their Legends program, he also has another unique profession.
After leaving WCW back in 1999, he formed the “Heart of David Ministry,” where he is an ordained minister. It preaches evangelism and encouragement, and challenges men and women to strive to be dedicated followers of Christ.
Beulah McGillicutty
Trisa Laughlin is better known by her ring name, Beulah McGillicutty. She made appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1995 through 1998.
However, after becoming a mother of two, she decided to turn it down a notch or two. Since her retirement, she has grown an interest in writing. In fact, she has written and published several books for children.
Steve Blackman
Steve Blackman wasn’t much of a talker during his time in WWE. A dominant powerlifter, a Shotokan karate master, and a serious problem with a weapon, the former Hardcore Champion let his Kendo stick do the talking.
These days, Blackman has his own bail bond business. He helps bail out people from jail in various counties throughout Pennsylvania.
Molly Holly
Molly Holly made appearances with both the WWF and WWE between 2000 and 2005. She defeated Trish Stratus for her first Women’s Championship at the 2002 King of the Ring.
She decided to leave the WWE and become a teen counselor. Later, she got her license to be a massage therapist. On top of that, she does charity work for organizations that help children.
Virgil
Michael Jones is better known by his ring name, Virgil. For eight years, Virgil was in the WWF. He was primarily Ted DiBiase’s personal assistant. Both men went on to have unique careers outside of wrestling.
Virgil loved numbers and wanted to share his love of math. As a result, he left WWE and became a high school math teacher.
Sunny
Sunny, born Tamara Lynn Sytch, was the blonde bombshell, considered the first World Wrestling Federation Diva. She gained great success in the 1990s within the WWF, including the Attitude Era. She was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.
In 2016, she began her work as an adult entertainer when she released her adult film titled Sunny Side Up: In Through the Backdoor. In 2020, Sunny created an OnlyFans account to upload adult content.
Haku / Meng
Tonga Fifita is best known for his appearances in the WWF and New Japan Pro-Wrestling as Haku. He also participated in WCW, where he wrestled under the name Meng.
After his wrestling days ended, he needed to find something else to keep him occupied and pay the bills. Sure enough, he became a manager at a Toyota dealership down in Florida.
Eve Torres
Eve Torres was a Divas Champion in WWE, which in part made her one of the most popular wrestlers from 2007 to 2012. However, she asked for a release from the WWE.
She wanted to focus on her Gracie Women Empowered self-defense program. She was drawn to this because she is trained in Jiu-Jitsu and is an accomplished kickboxer. Also, she and her sister-in-law started an event rental company called InJOY the Party.
Kane
Kane is a WWE Champion, World Heavyweight Champion, and ECW Champion. He also wins in tag teams, finding championship success with partners such as X-Pac, Big Show, and twice with The Deadman.
Today, Kane would prefer to be known as Glenn Jacobs the politician. Jacobs decided to run for mayor of Knox County in Tennessee. Despite having very little political experience, he won the race and is currently the mayor.
Rockin’ Robin
Rockin’ Robin was the ultimate champion of the original Women’s title, defeating Sherri Martel for the belt in 1988. She held that title until its deactivation in 1990. In 1992, she retired from wrestling.
Robin remains pivotal in winning the Women’s division into the 1990s. Her efforts laid a sturdy foundation for the remarkable developments that would follow in the years to come. Now, she runs a real estate appraisal business in Hammond, Louisiana.
Diamond Dallas Page
Diamond Dallas Page was a former multi-time world champion during his time in both WCW and WWE. Shortly after hanging up his boots, however, he chose an entirely new career trajectory that was quite different from his former one.
DDP found tremendous healing through yoga and trained to become a certified yoga instructor. From there, he launched his own program and brand, originally called YRG, short for Yoga for Regular Guys. He eventually renamed his company to capitalize on his previous fame, and now operates DDP Yoga from its headquarters in Atlanta, GA.
Mick Foley
The four-time World Champion is one of the most respected wrestlers of the WWE. Foley had a multitude of nicknames throughout his career. He has been known as “Dude Love,” “Mankind” and “Cactus Jack.”
Foley has retired from wrestling, although he is still signed with the WWE. In 2013, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Other Foley ventures include authoring New York Times best sellers and starring in wrestling documentaries.
The Bella Twins
Nikki and Brie, best known as The Bella Twins, had a huge fan base in wrestling. Nikki even dated the most popular wrestler in the WWE, John Cena. Both twins have been Divas Champions, with Nikki holding the title twice and Brie once.
The twins now have their own fashion line, BirdieBee. It offers intimate, casual, and fitness wear. Also, they have their own reality show, Total Bellas. It has been running for five seasons.
Rick Steiner
As an individual wrestler, Rick Steiner didn’t do too well in the WWE. However, The Steiner Brothers won the WWE Tag Team Championship. They left the WWE for WCW, where Rick was successful, but then WCW folded.
Similar to Scotty 2 Hotty, Steiner also wanted to sell houses. So, he set up his own real estate company in Georgia. Also, he helped his brother open a restaurant.
AJ Lee
After winning a No. 1 Contender’s Divas Battle Royal on Raw, AJ defeated the aforementioned Kaitlyn to win the Divas Title. It was the first of three Divas Championships for her.
Later, Lee wrote an autobiography titled “Crazy Is My Superpower: How I Triumphed By Breaking Bones, Breaking Hearts, and Breaking the Rules.” The book’s success led to her becoming an executive producer, as the book is being turned into a TV show.
Tori
While Terri Poch has gone under several names like Taylor Made and Terri Power, she will always be remembered by wrestling fans as Tori. She joined the Ladies Professional Wrestling Association in 1990 and began wrestling for All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling in 1992.
In 2001, she was released by the WWF and concentrated on a career as a yogini. Currently, she runs a yoga studio in Portland.
Trish Stratus
Even though she lost at one point to Molly Holly, Stratus still became the most successful female in wrestling. Debuted in 2000, he won seven championships and was once the WWE Hardcore Champion.
Stratus still makes appearances around WWE every now and then, but for the most part, is retired from wrestling. The WWE Hall of Famer is now a mom and has her own yoga center, aptly named Stratusphere.
Scotty 2 Hotty
Scotty had a good run in the WWE but was released in 2007. The former tag team champ decided to retire in 2013 after 24 years of wrestling across multiple platforms. He ended up becoming a coach in Orlando’s WWE Performance Center.
Before coaching, Scotty became a firefighter and EMT. He said that aside from doing something good, the work schedule was appealing. He also ventured into the real estate industry as a realtor.
Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn was a WWE sensation. After winning NXT, she got a contract to be on the main roster. Unfortunately, when a feud with another wrestler ended, she ran out of storylines to stay relevant.
She decided to leave and eventually started her own company. The clothing company is Celestial Bodiez and it caters to athletic women. The company name is likely related to her real name, which is Celeste.
Bret Hart
Hart won several amateur wrestling awards before turning to Olympic-style wrestling’s more theatrical counterpart. He’s considered by some of his peers to be the most technically proficient pro wrestler of his era.
His life wasn’t easy and relaxing after leaving WWE. First, he had a stroke and never fully recovered. Then, he got prostate cancer but managed to beat it. Somehow, he managed to start a business loan company, Sharpshooter Funding, during all of that.
Layla El
Layla El rose to prominence as one of the top women’s stars in WWE. Her journey began in 2006 when she entered the company through the Diva Search competition. From there, Layla’s popularity skyrocketed as she formed a formidable partnership with Michelle McCool, collectively known as LayCool.
Her wrestling career eventually came to a close in 2015 when she made the decision to retire. During her time away from the ring, Layla embarked on a new path as a real estate agent. Although retired, she remains open to wrestling appearances when feasible.
Vickie Guerrero
Guerrero was at one point the General Manager of both SmackDown and Raw. She was known for getting romantically involved with the talent on the roster she governed, including Superstars like Edge, who took advantage of Guerrero’s power to propel themselves to World Titles.
While she still makes some occasional appearances in the WWE world, she now has quite a different job. She works as a medical administrator.
Gene Snitsky
“Mean” Gene Snitsky was best known for his time spent with WWE. He had several feuds over the years, mainly with Kane. In fact, he wasn’t even supposed to be a full-timer at first, but he stole the show against Kane and was a mainstay thereafter.
These days, Snitsky acts from time to time, which a lot of former wrestlers do. However, more interestingly, he is a bodyguard and has been responsible for protecting Alex Rodriguez, the former baseball player.
Muhammad Hassan
Muhammad Hassan, born Marc Copani, was a WWE star who shared the ring with legends like Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, and John Cena. But at the peak of his career, it came to a halt when he was involved in a skit where masked men were portrayed as terrorists as they attacked The Undertaker.
Unfortunately, this happened three days before the 7/7 bombings in London, which affected Copani’s career. He later decided to leave the business and took up a normal job. First as a teacher, then now as a principal.
Rico
Americo Sebastiano Costantino performed under the ring names Rico Costantino and Rico in WWE from 2002 to 2004. He actually got his big break as the stylist for Billy and Chuck. Rico assumed a dual role, as both stylist and manager for the fashion-obsessed World Tag Team Champions.
Rico was a former bail bonds collector, American Gladiators champion, and motivational speaker. Today, he’s the sergeant for the Nevada Taxicab Authority and a part-time District Security Officer with the U.S. Marshals.
Mideon
During his 15-year wrestling career, Dennis Knight portrayed a Texas outlaw, a pig farmer, a hired bodyguard, a Satanic disciple, and WWE’s resident exhibitionist. Over the years in the ring, he went by names such as Mideon, Phineas I, and Tex Slazenger.
Now, he is a chef. First, he worked in the kitchen at Cafe Ponte in Clearwater, Florida before moving on to Sandpearl Resort. Thereafter, he opened his own catering business.
Santino Marella
Marella’s claim to WWE fame occurred in Italy when he was picked out of the audience. He eventually won the Intercontinental Championship. In 2014, he retired from wrestling to pursue other ventures.
He opened a workout facility to help train athletes. It’s called the Battle Arts Academy and is located in Canada. In 2016, Marella signed with TV company Sportsnet 360 as an analyst.
CM Punk
After wrestling, CM Punk took up MMA fighting. Punk learned quickly the difference between entertainment fighting and real fighting, as he was pummeled in his first match in barely over 2 minutes. However, he walked away with a huge paycheck of $500K.
Another interest of his is comic books. Recently, he’s worked with Marvel, where he has been working on a series about Drax the Destroyer.
Paul Burchill
Burchill’s potential in wrestling was never reached. He was constantly rebranded to try and appeal to fans, but it never quite worked. At one point, he was a pirate and then was even paired with an on-screen sister, Katie Lea Burchill.
These consistent changes led to him leaving wrestling. Like Scotty 2 Hotty, Burchill became a firefighter. He still works in that profession full-time.
Trevor Murdoch
While he was mainly known as Trevor Murdoch in the wrestling world, he also wrestled as Stan Dupp in Extreme Championship Wrestling. He appeared in WCW and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Initially, Murdoch opened a restaurant, even though he was still wrestling. When he retired permanently from wrestling, he worked for a fiber optics installation company and specialized in heavy equipment.
Shawn Stasiak
Stasiak was never a star in the WWE, but he did gain some fans as “Meat” doing favors for the Pretty Mean Sisters. Soon, the WWE forced a gimmick on him that he never overcame. He was released shortly thereafter.
The release may have been a blessing in disguise, as Stasiak became a chiropractor. So he went from hurting people in the ring to helping people relieve their pain.
Simon Dean
Known as Simon Dean in the WWE, Michael Bucci also went by names such as Nova, Super Nova, and Hollywood Nova. He appeared in Extreme Championship Wrestling and went overseas for other promotions before finding a home with the WWE.
When his heyday ended, he became manager of a branch of the Woodforest National Bank. He is a licensed mortgage broker.
Sean O’Haire
O’Haire had a passion for wrestling. He traveled all over the world in order to make a living. However, it became too much effort for not enough money. He couldn’t pay the bills, so he had to find a new job.
Ironically, O’Haire left wrestling to become a hairdresser. Unfortunately, he continued to struggle financially and eventually took his own life. There were reports that he had struggled with addiction.
Jimmy Wang Yang
Jimmy Wang Yang’s Fu Manchu mustache and cowboy hat resembled a redneck costume you’d find at a party store, which was weird considering he was Asian. He was part of several teams over the years including the Jung Dragons.
After retiring, he was first an exterminator but ended up not liking the work. Perhaps influenced by his wrestling look, he organized his own redneck party bus company.
Barry Buchanan
The 275-pound and 6’6” wrestler’s career wasn’t too awe-inspiring. However, he once won the Tag Team Championship with the Right to Censor group. He was eventually released from his contract.
Buchanan then went into the field of law enforcement. He now works in the role of Investigator for the Carrol County Sheriff’s Department in Georgia.
Spike Dudley
Dudley’s wrestling career spanned several promotions. While he was best known for his time in the WWE and WWF, he also participated in ECW. Often, he tag-teamed with his on-stage brothers Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley.
Once wrestling wasn’t his main focus, he became a financial planner. He helps individuals and families strive for financial success. He was even a teacher’s assistant prior to wrestling.
Shawn Michaels
Tabbed as one of the most prolific pro wrestlers ever, Michaels’ nicknames included “Mr. WrestleMania” and the “Heartbreak Kid.” His career spanned over three decades. Over the course of his long career, he won the WWE World Championship 4 times, WWF Championship 3 times and the WWE Heavyweight Championship once.
Since retiring from the WWE, he co-hosts his own hunting show, Shawn Michaels’ MacMillan River Adventures. Michaels also published his autobiography titled Wrestling for My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar.
Booker T
Booker T has a long list of accomplishments in wrestling. He is a four-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and a three-time WWE United States Champion. He’s also in the WWE Hall of Fame as both an individual and as part of a tag team.
Months after retiring from WWE, Booker T announced he would be running for Houston political office. However, when ballots came out, he was not one of the twelve names listed who applied for the election. He also opened a wrestling school in Houston in the past with his brother and even started his own wrestling promotion, Reality of Wrestling.
Kevin Nash
Over the course of his career which was more than two decades, Nash won the WCW Championship and the WCW Heavyweight Championship five times. He also won many tag team championships.
He retired from wrestling in 2010 but has kept himself busy. He has appeared in films such as The Longest Yard and Magic Mike.
Eric Bischoff
Bischoff entered the ring rarely but made most of his money through being a businessman with ties to wrestling. His best-known role was as Executive Producer and President of WCW.
He’s an entrepreneur, pro wrestling booking agent, TV personality, and TV producer. Before his wrestling career, he had several jobs that included owning a landscaping business and competing as a professional kickboxer.
Dave Bautista
Bautista made his debut with Evolution and Randy Orton. Like a lot of wrestlers, he eventually went solo and headlined many events. In total, he won the World Wrestling Championship six times and the World Heavyweight Championship four times.
After he retired from the WWE, he went into MMA and acting for the most part. He has several recurring roles in Marvel films as “Drax the Destroyer” and also recently starred in My Spy.
Edge
Edge started wrestling with various independent groups before joining the WWE. He has won 31 total WWE championships, making him one of wrestling’s most decorated wrestlers. In a scary scenario, Edge broke his neck during one of his routines. He was known for not faking his stunts, which wasn’t common. He was forced into retirement for a period of time.
He made a brief return to wrestling in 2019 but now focuses on acting. He took the role of Ketill Flatnose in the History channel show Vikings. In addition to that role, Edge has appeared on several TV shows across multiple networks and has even made it onto the cinema screen.
Chris Jericho
Jericho is one of the longest-tenured modern wrestlers. While best known for his time with the WWE, where he has been a six-time World Champion, Jericho is currently with All Elite Wrestling. In fact, he was the inaugural World Champion for the promotion.
Outside of wrestling, he is the lead singer of his own rock band, Fozzy. He has even appeared on TV shows such as Dancing with the Stars. Like Mick Foley, Jericho has written New York Times best sellers.
Brock Lesnar
After winning the WWE Championship, Lesnar decided to try something new. In a different twist to a lot of his counterparts, Lesnar actually tried to play pro football after wrestling, as opposed to starting with pro football and then moving to wrestling. He made the Minnesota Vikings practice squad but never cracked the active roster.
Thereafter, he excelled with the UFC and eventually won the Heavyweight Championship. Lesnar is the only WWE member to have held both the WWE Championship and the UFC Heavyweight Championship. He remains a top draw for WWE, which explains why he has won multiple titles. Despite limited appearances, Lesnar was the highest-paid WWE wrestler in 2019.
Kurt Angle
Unlike many of his WWE opponents, Angle actually wrestled competitively beforehand. Incredibly, at the 1996 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal for the United States. However, there’s not a lot of money in competitive wrestling, so Angle turned to professional wrestling. Angle was a WWE Hall of Fame Inductee in 2017.
Angle has worked with Fortune 500 companies as a speaker and spokesperson. As an ambassador for both the Olympic Games and Professional Wrestling, he has also made many public appearances worldwide for AAFES (Amy Air Force Exchange Service), Walmart, K-Mart, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Walgreens, NASCAR, GNC, and more.
Triple H
Triple H has had an outstanding career in WWE, winning more than a dozen World Championships and several other titles. Along the way, he also married Stephanie McMahon, who is the daughter of the boss of WWE, Vince McMahon.
Perhaps that marriage is part of the reason that Triple H has started to transition over to the executive side. He’s WWE’s Executive VP of Global Talent Strategy & Development, Senior Producer of NXT, and still a part-time WWE wrestler.
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin is a six-time WWE world champion and one of the few to have won the WWE Royal Rumble at least three times. He’s also one of the biggest fan-favorites in WWE history, thanks in part to his rivalry with Vince McMahon.
While injuries forced him to retire earlier than other famous wrestlers, Stone Cold stayed busy. Since being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, he has been in movies and on TV shows. He also has his own podcast and a beer brand, which makes sense considering he used to crack open beers in the middle of his matches.
John Cena
John Cena is one of the most popular modern wrestlers. He’s a record 16-time World Champion in WWE and a future Hall of Famer. While he started out as a trash-talking rapper in the ring, his character evolved into the face of the brand.
Hollywood and philanthropy take up most of Cena’s time these days, but he still returns to WWE every now and then. One of his biggest recent movie roles was for the Fast & Furious franchise. With the Make-a-Wish foundation, Cena has granted the most wishes ever at over 600.
The Rock
The Rock is a 10-time World Champion who came from humble beginnings. He went from being broke out of college to one of the most recognizable figures in the world. While he still makes appearances for WWE from time to time, his focus is on Hollywood.
Thanks to his acting, The Rock has managed to earn more money outside of the ring than in it. In 2019, he was the highest-earning Hollywood actor. He is one of the main characters in the Fast & Furious movies, while also starring in other films like Jumanji.