It would be hard to imagine being in class one day as an adolescent only to turn on the TV later and seeing your seventh-grade science teacher clotheslining another woman on WWE Raw. Well, that happened to be the case for Michelle McCool who prior to becoming a pro-wrestler was a teacher in Palatka, Florida. It also doesn't hurt that she was actually a quality athlete that would consistently leave her opponents mangled on the ring floor. Not to mention, Michelle McCool has one of the most complex finishing moves on this list in her patented Faithbreaker.
After ditching her teaching gig in her hometown, Michelle took her talents to the 2004 WWE Diva Search, despite losing to Christy Hemme, she signed a three-year deal with the world's largest pro-wrestling platform. After training in the WWE's developmental territories for two years, McCool made her main roster debut in 2006 and didn't look back. Throughout her five-year stint with the WWE, McCool became the inaugural winner of the WWE Divas Championship and later won the WWE Women's Championship making her the first to hold both titles. At 2010's Night of Champions event, McCool united both belts making her the first and only WWE Unified Divas Champion to this day.
Not all celebrities have fame and fortune, some are just famous – and in a ton of debt. They came from rags to riches, then went back to rags. Whether they’ve filed bankruptcy, ended up in court, or just can’t stop spending, celebrities mismanage their money just like everyone else. They just hide it well.
50 Cent coined the term “wanksta,” then “partied like it was his birthday” until he filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015. The rapper was said to be anywhere between $10 million and $50 million in debt. In 2016, a federal bankruptcy court judge in Connecticut approved a plan for the founder of G-Unit to pay his debts back. He was able to get his bankruptcy discharged in February of the following year.
Following a 45-year-long career in Hollywood, acting in more than 70 films, actor Gary Busey found himself in more debt than he was worth. In 2012, it was reported that Busey owed between $500,000 and $1 million worth of debt, but only had $50,000 to his name. The 74-year-old actor owed money to hospitals, banks, the L.A. Waterworks District, and even a storage company. He filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy that same year. Despite his longstanding career in Hollywood, Busey's net worth is now only $500,000.
Burt Reynolds is still worth five million dollars, but his battles with debt date back more than 20 years. Between bad investments and a pricey divorce from actress Loni Anderson, the 1970s superstar had to deal with over $10 million in debt and decided to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996. While testifying in a 1994 custody hearing, the South Florida native said he spent $40 million getting through his divorce.
The former Hollywood bad boy, Charlie Sheen owes the IRS nearly $5 million. But that's not all. In 2016, his net worth was reportedly still as high as $150 million, but he was nonetheless $12 million in debt at the time – including mortgages, legal fees, and taxes. That same year, Debt.com reported Sheen owed nearly $300,000 on an American Express card alone.