The biggest wrestling star ever, the man who Vince McMahon decreed "the most profitable wrestler in the history of the industry." Austin's commercial appeal was immense, and his anti hero character saw the WWF boom into an entertainment colossus. Hogan had been big in the 80's, but Austin took the business to unrivaled heights - the "Austin 3:16" brand became a license to print money. What was so great with Stone Cold was his ability to connect with the audience. He had an aura of reality, mayhem and unpredictability that fans bought into. Literally bought into. His range of t shirts were among the best selling of all time, and his merchandise royalties were through the roof. WWF exploited Austin's popularity by putting his image everywhere. Even more so than Cena, Steve Austin has made massive money from merchandise sales. He was an excellent wrestler as well as a character. Austin was the name on the marquee that pulled the fans in. Bigger than Undertaker, bigger than Cena, bigger than anyone - the Austin name is the biggest wrestling draw ever. He sold out arenas up and down America, and the company was never the same again once they turned their star act heel in 2001. Austin at his peak was so far ahead of any other popular wrestler it is almost embarrassing. Vince rewarded Austin accordingly. A big contract gave Austin considerable cuts of the sold out houses he was drawing, and a large royalty bonus for merchandise was also written into Austin's WWE deal. Even after retiring in 2003, Austin remains on the WWE payroll, and he has supplemented his huge wrestling earnings with major roles on tv shows and feature films. The most profitable wrestler ever is easily worth $45 million.