While some younger pro-wrestling fans might recognize Mae Young for being the older woman taking on opponents in the ring throughout the '90s and 2000s, many fail to realize that she was a pioneer in the sport in the 1940s and '50s. Mae Young was a roughneck and extremely aggressive wrestler during her prime years, known for being a striker and submission specialist. She and her opponents helped popular the sport that is now televised around the world with her hardcore in-ring style, grace, and poise. Mae Young can easily be considered one of the first world-renowned wrestlers ever becoming the first woman alongside Mildred Burke to tour post-war Japan in 1954.
There has been conflicting reports on when Mae Young officially started her professional wrestling career. According to Young, she has stated that re first match was in 1939 and later stated that her first match was 1940. However, records have shown that she began wrestling in Memphis, TN in 1941. Young wrestled for several independent promotions from the 1940s to the 1970s winning the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) United States Women's Championship (1x), the NWA Women's Tag Team Championship (1x), and the NWA Florida Women's Championship (1x). In 1999, Young signed a contract with the WWE where she would make sporadic appearances until close to her death in 2013. Prior to passing away, Young was inducted in the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum and WWE Hall of Fame for her contributions to the sport.
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.