Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
Make no mistake about it, pro wrestling does have a dark side to it. There are hundreds upon hundreds of stories about the dark and sometimes sinister side as chronicled in my ‘Wrestling with Sin‘ series. This piece is a direct opposite of that. With every bad story I have shared…there are also positive stories. Stories of wrestlers making it above and beyond the ring. Positive stories to inspire. Pro wrestlers aren’t all drug addicts, scam artists and carny sideshows. They all don’t die at an early age, or are broke and need to wrestle till they die. They don’t necessarily have to get into acting like The Rock or Batista. They don’t have to necessarily switch over to MMA like Brock Lesnar or CM Punk. Some of these stories are just about hard work, dreaming big and doing whatever it takes to succeed. We’ve already covered some stories as chronicled in part 1, part 2 , part 3 and part 4. With that said, let’s look at some positives…
The Rock
‘The Rock’ Dwayne Johnson is one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, but certainly never forgot where he came from. Johnson purchased a brand new SUV for life long friend Bruno Lauer aka Harvey Wippleman in WWE. Lauer looked out for the young Rock as a teenager and helped buy the Rock his first car a few years later. Johnson returned the favor by buying Lauer a brand new ride.
Cody Deaner
Impact Wrestling’s Cody Deaner has donated his time and money to help underprivileged disabled children attend summer camps.
Bryan Danielson
Before his initial retirement from pro wrestling, Danielson donated his long hair to Wigs 4 Kids which makes wigs for kids battling cancer.
Jeremy Ganger
Independent pro wrestler Jeremy Ganger, who also worked as a bouncer for a bar in Dayton, Ohio has been lauded as a hero. In 2019, there was a mass shooting in Dayton where 9 people were murdered by a lone gunman. It was Ganger who guided and helped secure over 250 people in the bar he was working at by barricading the doors. The gun man took shots at Ganger from outside the bar and as a result Ganger suffered injuries from shrapnel. All in all, Ganger’s bravery saved hundreds of lives that night.
Mick Foley
Mick Foley has shown his generosity a number of times over his lifetime by donating an entire stand up comedy paycheck to friend and former wrestling colleague Rip Rogers to help pay for new dentures. Foley also donated thousands of dollars to several charities including Mamas For Mamas which helps mothers, their children and families who are in need.
Moondog Bernard
Independent wrestler ‘Moondog Bernard’ was driving home one evening and noticed smoke coming from a ditch on the side of the road. As Bernard approached the site, he noticed it was a car on fire with two unconscious passengers. Bernard dowsed the engine with water and then pulled the two people from the wreck. He waited on the scene until police and the fire department arrived.
William Morrissey
William Morrissey formerly known as ‘Big Cass’ in WWE, got himself clean and sober and transformed his physical appearance for the better in the process.
WWE
We have been very critical of Vince McMahon and WWE as of late and deservedly so. With that said, it was recently reported that the company has picked up the tab on paying for AEW star Jon Moxley’s rehab. This after Moxley bad mouthed McMahon in a newly released book. In the past, WWE has paid for rehab for wrestlers no longer on their payroll mostly from TNA/Impact.
CM Punk
CM Punk opened up his heart and his wallet when it came to longtime friend Joey Mercury. Mercury was facing a foreclosure on his home and Punk bought the house outright for Mercury preventing him from being homeless.
Edge and Beth Phoenix
Edge and his real life wife Beth Phoenix are very involved in local charities in their home state of North Carolina. They have donated both time and money to such worthwhile causes as Headlock on Hunger Food Drive to benefit the Ingles/Eblen Food for Thought Program, whose mission is to ensure that no student in the community faces a school day with hunger.
Randy Orton
During WWE’s tour of the United Kingdom, Orton noticed fans pushing against the barricade to get autographs and pictures with ‘The Viper.’ Randy noticed that a young boy was being pressed hard into the barricade and Orton was quick to alert security and helped by asking fans to step back and potentially saved the child’s life in the process.
The Undertaker
The Undertaker Mark Calaway established the ‘Zeus Compton Calaway-Save the Animals’ fund at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. This institution contributes funds for treatment of dogs.
Jason “The Wolfman” Sanderson
Jason “The Wolfman” Sanderson was a independent pro wrestler from the New England area. In 1997, Sanderson and his wife won the Powerball lottery for 66 million dollars.
Lita
WWE Hall of Famer Amy ‘Lita’ Dumas created an animal charity called A.D.O.R.E.. It stands for the Amy Dumas Operation Rescue and Education fund. It rescues animals in need of help.