Lex Luger is widely regarded by many was one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. It probably has something to do with the fact that he’s a 5-time WCW US Heavyweight Champion, a 2-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and a WWA World Heavyweight Champion – among others. He never won one during his time in the WWF, but he still managed to accumulate a net worth of nearly $3 million.
Luger, who was born Lawrence Pfohl, is semi-retired and fought his final match in 2006. In 2007, the athlete was temporarily paralyzed after he suffered an injury to the neck. Today, he still works closely behind-the-scenes of WWE, in an effort to help prevent any young athletes from violating the wellness policy. Lex has been made into a playable character in several of the WWE’s video games, including 2K16, 17, 18, and 19.
Lita Went From Music to Acting to Producing
Lita, born Amy Christina Dumas, started her professional wrestling career in Mexico, using the stage name of Angelica. She moved back to the United States and signed with the WWE in 2000, where she became a 4-time champion over the course of her 6-year long career with the organization. In 2006, she left to pursue her dreams of being a rock star, which started with launching her band, The Luchagors. She stayed with them until 2014.
The former wrestler has appeared on several different television shows, including Dark Angel, Headbangers Ball, and Fear Factor. She’s also been turned into a character for dozens of WWE video games, like WWF No Mercy, WWF SmackDown 2: Know Your Role, WWF SmackDown: Just Bring It and WWF Raw. Dumas is reportedly a vegan and animal welfare activist. She has even started her own non-profit organization called A.D.O.R.E (Amy Dumas Operation Rescue and Education). She is also back with the WWE working as a producer.
The Great Khali Is Great on TV
The Great Khali is known for being a real-life giant, towering over the rest of us puny humans at a whopping 7-feet tall. But his height isn’t the only thing that made him (understandably) feared in the ring. If the ex-wrestler climbed up on the ropes and threw himself on top of you – you had better brace yourself for about 350 pounds of rage to flatten you into a pancake on the mat. Before Khali went into the WWE, he terrified perps working as a police officer.
The wrestler, born as Dalip Singh Rana, made his WWE debut in 2006 in an epic SmackDown and retired in 2014. Shockingly enough, before he fully retired, he left temporarily due to a head injury. He surprised everyone when he was back just days later to take on 3 other wrestlers in a tag team match. These days, he teaches future stars of the sport at Continental Wrestling Entertainment, the school that he established himself . He has also been dabbling in acting since 2005 and has had numerous cameos in film and TV.
Stacy Keibler Maintains a Family and a Career
Stacy Keibler is fairly well known in the entertainment world, even to those who don’t follow professional wrestling. She started out as a model and actress before she found her place as a “Nitro Girl” for the WWF. The Nitro Girls were basically a cheerleading/dance team that would entertain the crowd at live televised events. Once she found her footing in the federation, she became known as “the Legs” of the WWE.
Stacy has been featured in several television shows and even hosted her own at one point, a show called Supermarket Superstar. She has appeared on hits such as How I Met Your Mother and Psych over the years, before marrying her current husband and raising a family with him. Before the couple met, she was actually known to have dated A-lister George Clooney for a bit. She has also been made into a character in several video games, including Dancing with the Stars.
Randy Orton Uses His Background for Acting
Unlike almost all of the other (former) pro wrestlers on this list, Randy Orton is still currently signed with the WWE and going strong in his career. Orton is a 13-time WWE World Champion and has headlined several pay-per-view events. In 2011, Orton suffered a neck injury, which went untreated for years and nearly ended his career. After finally treating it, he came back to the ring in early 2020.
Before Orton got into professional wrestling, he was fighting a different kind of opponent as a U.S Marine. Because of his credentials, he was initially cast to play the title role in The Marine 2, but his injuries caused him to be replaced before filming. He has appeared on screen a few times since, including in the WWE Studios own The Condemned 2. Orton is now married to his 2nd wife, with whom he had a daughter in 2016.