Trevor Murdoch, born William Mueller, is one of the few redheads we have on this list. The former pro got his start in the industry in ’97, and signed on with the WWE in 2005. He won his very first match, a tag-team round with partner Lance Cade, and fans were impressed.
Murdoch officially retired from pro wrestling in 2017. He lives with his wife, Amanda, and a newborn son in Missouri, where he owns heavy machinery and a fiber optic installation business. Murdoch has been made into a playable video game character in a few of the WWE’s games, including ‘WWE: Smackdown vs. Raw’, both in 2007 and 2009. Murdoch still makes appearances at events every once in a while.
Dean Malenko: The Man of 1,000 Holds
Dean Simon, or Dean Malenko, as he was known in the biz, grew up in a family of wrestlers and started at a young age. He started wrestling professionally in '79, and by 1998 he had won a number of championships, such as Cruiserweight and U.S Heavyweight. The former pro worked with the WWE as a road agent for over 17 years, until he left in April of 2019.
During his career, Malenko was hailed by many as the “man of 1,000 holds." These days, Malenko is still active within the industry and works as a senior producer with All Elite Wrestling. He has been married to his wife for decades, and they have 3 children together. In 2010, he gave his family quite a scare when he experienced a heart attack, although he luckily recovered from it.
Kurt Angle: a Father and an Author
Angle started building up to his professional wrestling career in college, while he attended Clarion University, where he won the NCAA Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. He signed with the WWF in 1998 and immediately started showing signs of a lengthy and promising career in the industry. Over his many years in the business, he’s won more than 20 championships, including 6 World Championship Heavyweight titles, and the WWE Championship, for which he is the first pro-wrestler to win.
In August of 2006, Kurt was released early from his WWE contract, citing his injuries as the reason. In 2015, he had to have emergency surgery due to fluid buildup on his spinal cord, only a week after he’d undergone another surgery to have a (benign) tumor removed from his neck. The former wrestler is married to his wife, Giovanna, with whom he has 3 daughters and an adopted son. Angle released a book in 2001 called 'It’s True! It’s True!'.
Sable: Family Woman
Sable basically laid the groundwork for the modern-day ladies of the WWE. The blonde bombshell debuted in the mid ’90s, when she first appeared in the ring with Triple H. She developed a huge fan base, due to her fierce looks and incredible skills in the ring. Sable used her celebrity status to get her foot in the door of the acting world. She appeared in a few major shows and films, including 2001’s 'Corky Romano', starring Chris Kattan.
Sable’s first husband was killed in a drunk-driving crash 5 years before her WWE debut. She married fellow pro-wrestler Brock Lesnar in 2006. The couple has two sons together and has been married ever since. Sable is said to have an estimated net worth of nearly $10 million, and currently focuses on her family life.
Rey Mysterio's Life Is Documented in Two Films
Oscar Gutierrez, better known as Rey Mysterio, hooked fans with his wild style in the ring, and of course, his colorful signature masks. Believe it or not, Mysterio started his career in professional wrestling before he turned 15 years old. He is credited with helping to popularize the Lucha Libre style and won several awards over the course of his career, including the World Cruiserweight Championship. In fact, he basically helped launch the entirety of the Cruiserweight division! He is a 2-time Intercontinental Champion and 4-time tag team champion.
Mysterio retired from WWE in 2015, but he is still very active in the world of wrestling. He returned to the AAA, where he had been for a few years before his career took off. In 2015, he signed with Lucha Underground and worked with them until 2018, when he returned to the WWE for the men’s rumble match. There are two documentaries about his life, called 'Rey Mysterio: 619', and 'Rey Mysterio: The Biggest Little Man'. He has also been made into a character in a number of WWE video games.