Updated from March 29th to include additional information in the eighth and ninth paragraphs.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Some children want to become doctors, others, astronauts or ball players. But for those select few who aspire to become World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) - Get Report Superstars and compete at WrestleMania, it's about more than just wanting it.

You have to make it happen, with a lot of luck, help and hardship along the way.

"I was actually trying to go the opposite route," said Tamina Snuka, daughter of legendary WWE Superstar Jimmy Snuka and cousin to one of Hollywood's biggest A-list celebrities and WWE Superstar, The Rock.

Ultimately, she had an epiphany that made her realize she was born for this, and then it clicked. "It was just like you know what, 'I think I'm supposed to wrestle.' It's just one of those things where, I know this is what I'm supposed to do."

The life of a WWE Superstar or Diva (as the women are known) is heavily scrutinized, both in and out of the ring. Not only are they public figures who maintain active Twitter (TWTR) - Get Report accounts, but they also branch out into different venues -- acting, charity work or even becoming a role model that transcends wrestling.

Darren Young, who made headlines in 2013 when he became the first openly gay WWE Superstar, stated he wouldn't trade this life for anything else.

"I don't know why I did it (wrestling), but I know I love wrestling, I love entertaining the masses," Young said. "I love being under the big bright lights and I've wanted to do it ever since I was four years old."

As WWE has evolved, led by CEO Vince McMahon, it's transformed itself from a business that mostly relied on pay-per-view events and live, weekly events, into an entertainment giant, led by the company's newest initiative, the WWE Network, a Netflix-like service. In addition to the Network and the weekly events, the company has deals with several movie studios, including Time Warner's (TWX) Warner Bros., sells DVDs, collector items, toys and its own branded merchandise, for which the Superstars are the main drivers of the company's growth.

On Monday, the company announced the WWE Network surpassed 1.3 million subscribers, sending shares lower, falling 2.8% to $16.12

It's easy to see the life of a WWE Superstar as largely glitz and glamour, given the impressive salaries they earn, ability to travel the world and adoration from the 150 million plus fans WWE claims it has around the world. Most of their salaries aren't public knowledge, but it's widely assumed that once you join the main roster, salaries start in the low six figures with top performers earning millions a year.

However, it's less easy to see it as what it is for many: a way out.

Some use it as an escape from harsh environments, yearning to achieve what they never could have if they had stayed at home.

"For me, I didn't grow up in the best of circumstances, and so that was my end goal -- to get me out of that situation," AJ Lee said. Lee, who grew up in Union N.J., noted it was her dreams that have helped her become what she is today. "WWE and wrestling and having that goal in my mind is what gave me the strength. I wanted to make something of myself."

For others, wrestling is the only business and career path they've ever known.

Like Snuka, Curtis Axel's family has been deeply entrenched in the business for years. A third-generation superstar, (he is the son of "Mr. Perfect" Curt Henning and the grandson of Larry "The Axe" Henning), Axel wanted to carry on the tradition of the Henning name and make his own way in the business.

"I was brought up in this business," Axel said. "It's the only thing I've ever known since I can remember, and it's something that I always wanted to do and I'm succeeding at it."

Even though some have a leg up because it's in their blood, that doesn't mean being a professional wrestler is just handed to anyone -- many have to earn it and sometimes pay a high price.

That involves spending years on the road, wrestling in local high schools and gymnasiums, sometimes working for as little as $25 a day. Mick Foley, one of WWE's best-known former wrestlers and a New York Times best-selling author, has told stories about having to live in his car to make ends meet.

There is also constant pressure to keep up your appearance or risk the wrath of both fans and management. Being in peak physical condition is of utmost importance to the Superstars -- a life many would find difficult -- given the dietary restraints and workout regimens that are involved.

"Before I get into the ring, I have a 45 minute warm-up that I have to do," Snuka said. "Then it's lifting, training, pretty much five times a week. Going crazy in the gym and pushing yourself to the limit."

Lee noted she works out six days a week, having lately incorporated mixed-martial arts training into her regimen, with a very strict diet to keep her in peak form. "It's a lot of commitment, you have to really want it to survive it. But then, sometimes, you get a really good cheat day."

As with any sport, injuries are common and often unavoidable, many times much worse than a badly-bruised shoulder or a broken finger, even though match outcomes are predetermined.

Young noted that he was just coming off a torn ACL and MCL, having undergone surgery in April of last year, injuries that can take up to a year or more to fully heal. As a result, his training has been focused on "[i]njury prevention and lot of cross fit exercises, strengthening the core."

As with all walks of life, there is the inevitable crossing of professional and personal lives, with dating common among the men and women in the WWE locker room.

There are real-life couples like Tyson Kidd and Natalya (a third-generation superstar in her own right), further cementing the bond the superstars have to the business.

Two of the company's biggest executives and board directors, Executive Vice President of Talent & Creative Paul Levesque (also known as Triple H) and Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon have been married for more than a decade, having met thanks to the wrestling world. And the aforementioned Lee is married to former WWE Superstar and current UFC fighter, CM Punk.

Though it may be fun for some to work out five times a week, live sometimes lavish lifestyles and see different parts of the world, it's not easy on family life.

Wrestlers are often on the road 300 days a year or more, which can oftentimes be an unbelievable hardship on families.

"I had to leave a lot of friends and family behind in Australia," WWE Diva Emma said, speaking with a heavy Australian accent. "There's a lot of sacrifice you have to make to be in the WWE." 

Despite the countless injuries and personal and professional hardships, once you've become a WWE Superstar, it's a feeling akin to climbing the highest mountain for those in the wrestling world. There is a sense, not of entitlement, but of empowerment, both professionally and in trying to give others the spark they have in order to succeed.

"It's the one job out there you can be a super hero, you can be a role model, and you get to be as dramatic as possible," Lee declared. "Our fans are unlike any other. We do these signings and there are little girls dressed up like me -- that's why I do it."