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Top 5 Wrestlers Who Went Totally Broke No Money In The Bank - Part 1
5 THE DYNAMITE KID: Thomas Billington, aka “The Dynamite Kid,” was seen as one of the most influential wrestlers of the 70s and early 80s, teaming with Davey Boy Smith to form the tag team The British Bulldogs. His innovative style made him inspire wrestlers such as Chris Benoit and Jay Lethal, who adopted a skillset similar to Billington.
Billington had a reputation for working injured and working stiff, notoriously coming to a tag team match against the Hart Foundation while still recovering from back surgery, and not being able to even walk on his own.
Billington was equally fiery backstage, and made few friends with his aggressive attitude. In 1997, the constant toll on his body added up and he lost the use of his leg, confining him to a wheelchair. In 2013, Billington suffered a stroke, and in 2015 he decided to sue the WWE for concussion-based injuries.
4 In the 90s, everyone wanted “The Total Package” Lex Luger. Gifted with an Adonis-like physique, Luger was essentially the ideal wrestler for wrestling promoters everywhere (actual technical wrestling skill notwithstanding).
Luger became a top babyface in both companies, defeating Yokozuna and battling against the original iteration of the nWo. Although he appeared onscreen as a babyface, Luger battled his personal demons throughout his heyday.
Luger had issues with multiple addictions and after his semi-retirement in 2003, these problems came to light. Luger was charged with a misdemeanour battery charge after his girlfriend, Miss Elizabeth, was found with multiple injuries in their home.
A couple days later, Luger was arrested after he rear-ended another vehicle and was found to be under the influence. In 2007, a neck injury temporarily paralyzed Luger, who cannot walk unassisted to this day.
Luger has since become a born-again Christian, and lives a much simpler life. 3 MARTY JANNETTY: Along with Shawn Michaels, Jannetty was one half of the coolest late-80s/early 90s WWF tag team, The Rockers.
Unfortunately for Jannetty though, Vince McMahon saw Michaels as the company’s new star, and dramatically broke up The Rockers in 1992. Jannetty was sent off to a middling solo career, and was gone from the company by March.
Maybe this was punishment for the Chuck Austin incident, wherein Jannetty performed a patented “Rocker Drop” on Austin at a house show. Austin didn’t take the move correctly, which instantly paralyzed him from the neck down. He sued The Rockers and the WWE, and eventually was paid $26.7 MILLION dollars from the company.
Jannetty has since wrestled for various indie promotions, but is probably best-known recently for a curious Facebook post which implied he wanted to get with his own daughter.
2 X-PAC: The 1-2-3 Kid, Syxx, X-Pac – Whatever you call him, you know Sean Waltman was a staple of professional wrestling throughout the 90s and early 2000s.
Even throughout his heyday, Waltman dealt with addiction issues, which he claims stemmed from traumatic experiences he had as a child. After being released by the WWE in 2003, Waltman continued to descend into his addictions.
He joined TNA for a time, performing as Syxx-Pac. He was brought back to the WWE in 2011, and has made sporadic appearances since then, oftentimes with his Kliq brethren.
In 2013, he had major surgery due to a botched Bronco Buster, and in April of 2017 he was arrested in an airport for possession, charges he vehemently denied.
Waltman is currently signed to a WWE “Legends” contract, and hosts a popular wrestling podcast, so hopefully things are on the mend for this once-fantastic performer.
1 KAMALA: Kamala worked in Jerry Lawler’s Memphis territory before being brought into the WWE during the 80s to be the latest monster in a string of big men that were meant to be defeated by Hulk Hogan.
He feuded with Hogan, the Undertaker, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts (where it was revealed that Kamala’s one fear was, unsurprisingly, snakes). This imposing, painted warrior jumped around from promotion to promotion until he had his last match at an indie show in 2010.
A diabetic since the 90s, Harris’s left leg was amputated in 2011, with his right leg amputated the next year. He set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for the medical costs.
In late 2017, Harris was put on life-support after an emergency surgery to remove fluid from his heart and lungs. While he is now able to breathe on his own, he remains in intensive care.