10 Wrestlers WWE Paid To Do NOTHING!
Now this is working, that's the way you do it.
There's a well-worn maxim that posits the most successful workers are the ones who make the most money with the least work. By that metric, today's crop of super-wrestlers are doing it all wrong. Forget six, seven, and soon, surely, eight star classics going an hour; really, they should be following in the footsteps - or the arse prints - of the legendary Lanny Poffo. Randy Savage's brother found himself paid to stay home by a forgetful WCW until they came up with work for him - or remembered he existed. 'The Genius' wasn't just a name.
Perhaps it's not the most noble way to earn a living, but who would say no - especially given the ludicrous demands on a wrestler's body, mind, and time? Can any of us honestly say we'd turn down an offer to earn our salary sitting home counting clouds? Don't lie, now.
There have been many examples of WWE superstars doing just that. Several have been rewarded for failure, an inability to move numbers resulting in weeks, months, and in some instances years, being paid to water the plants. Others have seen their insubordination - sometimes gross - 'punished' with a free holiday.
But the very best workers have turned calling spots into calling shots, earning that most coveted of things: tenure. It's funny how a job for life suddenly results in a lot less work.
10. Shawn Michaels
The body of Shawn Michaels' work is virtually unparalleled on the North American wrestling scene, with his magnificent second run miraculously managing to eclipse his phenomenal first. But perhaps the greatest work he ever did was the spell spent on the sidelines between 1998 and 2002.
Chronic back injuries threatened to derail Michaels' career just as he was hitting his prime, before an evil casket put the final nail in. After WrestleMania XV, the torch was passed to Steve Austin - though more accurately, prised from a reluctant Shawn's hands - as the Showstopper entered early retirement.
Inactivity didn't stop Vince McMahon keeping his buddy on the payroll, who for the next four years would infrequently turn up on Raw in a hat. In 2002, despite living the life of Riley, Michaels peculiar decided to step back between the ropes. We're glad he did.