Peter Kafka

About the author: Peter Kafka writes articles on contemporary businesspeople and current issues in business for Forbes, a business and financial news magazine.

Although professional wrestlers are both showmen and athletes, unlike other entertainers and pro athletes, pro wrestlers have little control over their fate. Promoters determine the roles wrestlers will play, when they will perform, and what percentage of revenues they will receive. Like other pro athletes, wrestlers suffer painful injuries, yet only a select few earn more than a million dollars. Most agree, however, that the business has improved from wrestling's early years, and some pro wrestlers have devised ways to increase their earnings. For example, Stone Cold Steve Austin, portrayed by Steve Williams, frequently changes his catch phrases to boost sales of merchandise, and others have used their fame...