5 WWE legends and the biggest paydays of their careers

#1 Jesse Ventura (WWE SummerSlam 1999)

Jesse Ventura officiated the WWE SummerSlam 1999 main event

During his term as governor of Minnesota, former WWE Superstar and commentator Jesse Ventura worked as the special guest referee for the Steve Austin vs. Mankind vs. Triple H match at WWE SummerSlam 1999.

The event took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is why Ventura returned to WWE to make a one-off guest appearance.

In a similar way to how Jerry Lawler received a huge payday several years after his full-time in-ring career came to an end, Ventura was also rewarded with a big payoff for his role at SummerSlam.

He said on The Steve Austin Show in 2016 that he received more money for that appearance as a referee than he did during his time as a wrestler.

“The biggest payday I ever received in wrestling when I refereed the match in Minneapolis. As a wrestler, how can I say my biggest payoff was being a referee? I’m a wrestler!” [H/T Wrestle Zone]

Mankind won the SummerSlam main event to reclaim the WWE Championship. However, the match is arguably best remembered for a famous botch involving Austin.

The Texas Rattlesnake’s knee brace accidentally got tangled up in the ropes after he tried to taunt Shane McMahon at ringside.

Triple H had to break character by unhooking his babyface opponent’s knee brace to help him back into the ring.