As you can probably imagine, being a professional wrestler can be an incredibly rewarding job. It could bring fame, fortune and financial security for life once a wrestler gets to the top of their game. Although it can also be a pretty rough ride to get that point, with many of today’s stars having to struggle to get where they are today.

Despite the positive effects that pro wrestling can have on those involved, it can also take its toll on the wrestlers in a variety of ways. The constant battering of their bodies can lead to a wide range of health problems and injuries, while some might make bad decisions or let fame go to their head and get involved in activities they really shouldn’t. In other cases, they may live well outside their means and go on to suffer real financial hardship after they retire.

1 SHAWN MICHAELS: Shawn Michaels is considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and was one of the biggest draws for fans in the late 1990’s. However, he sustained a career threatening injury in 1998 when he was taking part in a Casket match against The Undertaker. He herniated several discs in his back, crushing one completely, leaving him believing that he would no longer be able to wrestle professionally. Michaels went into a downward spiral and began to heavily abuse drugs and has since admitted that he almost died during this time. Fortunately for everyone, he eventually recovered from his injury and drug abuse, allowing him to re-enter WWE.

2 Hulk Hogan: Although Hulk Hogan is arguably the most famous professional wrestler of all time, he has suffered significant hardships during his career. While earning vast sums of money during the peak of his fame, Hogan lived a lavish lifestyle wasting millions of dollars. He also went through a devastating divorce that saw his ex-wife awarded around 70% of his assets. Luckily for Hogan, he has since been able to recover and rebuild his finances thanks to new roles in WWE and a string of semi-successful businesses.

3 Matt Osborne: Matt Osborne has portrayed various characters in professional wrestling since 1985 but was most famous for his role as Doink the Clown. Despite his popularity and the fact that he was featured in a number of high profile fights, Osborne was unable to remain in wrestling consistently due to a number of drug problems. These issues eventually led to his death in 2013 when police found his body at his home. Tests shown that his death was the result of an accidental overdose of morphine and hydrocodone.

4 Kamala: Kamala was a popular wrestler who took on the role of a Ugandan warrior, complete with face paint and spear. Although he never reached the heights of the superstars of the sport, he had memorable clashes with the likes of Hulk Hogan. Though since retiring, Kamala has gone through severe difficulties. Diabetes damaged his legs to the extent that he had to have both amputated, leaving him wheelchair bound, and the ex-wrestler also requires dialysis to help his kidneys. As he is unable to work and continues to face huge medical bills, both he and his wife have suffered financial hardship. Touchingly, fans set up a Go Fund Me campaign to help raise some money for him last year.

5 Jimmy Snuka: Known by the nickname Superfly, Jimmy Snuka was one of the biggest stars of professional wrestling in the 1970’s and 1980’s and benefited massively from the huge surge of popularity the sport went through in that time. However, the 71-year-old is now only worth an estimated $200,000. His financial difficulties began due to bouts of alcohol and drug abuse and escalated in 1983 when he was suspected of being involved in the death of his then girlfriend, Nancy Argentino. He was later sued by her family and ordered to pay $500,000 but has never paid it due to a lack of funds.

6 Lex Luger: Arguably one of biggest stars in WWE, Lex Luger was destined to reach the heights of other high profile names such as Hulk Hogan. This never happened though, thanks to a large number of legal problems and controversies. Chief among them was the alleged domestic abuse of Elizabeth Hulette in 2003, although he also faced charges of driving under the influence, driving while suspended, drug possession felonies and breaking his probation. These issues effectively halted his professional wrestling career and led to him facing large fines and spending several weeks in prison.