From Ted DiBiase to Donald Trump himself, the WWE has never been afraid to make wealth and exorbitant spending a part of the storylines on its programming. Wrestlers and managers have used money to get a variety of things on-screen.
But off-screen, superstars have been known to be just as bold in their expenditures, and it’s even more impressive that those aren’t fictional in the least. Here are five of the most noteworthy examples of such spending by household names from the wrestling business.
Cena’s cars
John Cena is a big star in the WWE, and big stars get big paychecks. For Cena, those paychecks often get put into an extensive vehicle collection that includes cars from the 1960s, 1970s and 2000s.
In all, he has more than a dozen cars made by mostly American manufacturers like Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet. And you thought Eddie Guerrero and Alberto Del Rio were the only WWE superstars who placed a high priority on their rides. Maybe Cena will cruise into the arena in an old-school Corvette one day!
Ric Flair’s life
You don’t have to be a huge wrestling fan to know that Ric Flair’s on-screen character is and was a man who rode in limousines, flew in private jets, wore Rolexes and lived a life that was larger and more extravagant than the average man.
From all accounts, this was just an extension of the hard-partying life that Flair really lived when he was off-screen. In his later years, Flair’s expenditures have not been as successful, which has led to financial woes and even bankruptcy for a company he owned.
A truck for Haku
So this hardly counts as a splurge, but it’s still a neat story, so it makes the list. To completely appreciate it, the back story is necessary, as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson credits Haku – also known as Meng – for loaning him trunks for his WWE tryout match.
As a result, the Rock – who calls Haku his uncle – gave Haku a Ford pickup truck in late 2015. Since The Rock is a spokesperson for Ford, an American vehicle manufacturer, it’s unclear how much he would’ve actually had to spend on the truck, but it’s still nice to see him recognize the man who helped him get started.
Tank for Titus
Titus O’Neil returned to the ring from a 60-day suspension recently, but he was busy during his time off. In addition to his frequent charity work, O’Neil appeared on the Animal Planet show “Tanked,” which focuses on high-end aquarium purchases and the related design work.
For O’Neil, who played football for the University of Florida Gators, that meant a saltwater aquarium that included an 80-pound gator head logo in a tank that weighed 4,000 pounds overall, held 375 gallons of water and measured 7 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet.
The competition
Was there really a better way to finish this list than with someone who actually bought his biggest competitor? You see, that’s exactly what Vince McMahon did in 2001 as WCW was in its final days as a company.
After years of battling during the Monday Night Wars, the WWE – then the WWF – purchased its top competition and made the purchase a part of the storyline, in which Shane McMahon actually bought the company out from under his father. In reality, it was all becoming a part of the McMahon empire that also included ECW, another major competitor.
