Wrestling With A Grin The Brighter Side Of The Squared Circle Part VIII

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   part 4  part 5 , part 6 and part 7. With that said, let’s look at some positives…

Jimmy Garvin and Precious

Being married in the world of pro wrestling is nothing new, but staying married is another story. For Jimmy Garvin and his wife/valet Patty aka Precious, they have been married since 1972. They remain a married couple to this day…50 years and still counting! That is remarkable for any couple, let alone a couple in a business rife with infidelity, domestic abuse and divorce rates are higher than avarage.

Wendi Richter

Victoria ‘Wendi’ Richter was one of the biggest stars for the WWF during the Rock N Wrestling Era. After she abruptly quit pro wrestling due to money and backstage politics…Richter headed back to school. She eventually received her Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy in 2001. She serves as both a physical and occupational therapist in Florida. She says that she makes more money now, then she ever did as a top female star in the World Wrestling Federation.

Luna Vachon’s Son Van Hurd

The late Luna Vachon’s son Van Hurd could have easily followed into the family business of professional wrestling. A business that has seen his uncles arrested, and his mother involved with drugs and alcohol. Instead, Van went to cooking school and became an a contestant on the reality show Hell’s Kitchen and is now a successful executive chef in Connecticut.

Jordynne Grace

Jordynne Grace has become a top female star for Impact Wrestling the last couple of years. Since her debut in wrestling in 2011, Jordynne has worked hard at transforming herself physically into the best shape of her life.

‘The Rock’ Dwayne Johnson

We all know that the Rock Dwayne Johnson is one of the most successful actors in all of Hollywood. Johnson has taken that success and has given back to his friends and family. The Rock bought his cousin and WWE wrestler Tamina (Sarona)Snuka her own home and a brand new car. The Rock said…

“I’ve known my cousin Sarona since we were little kids growing up together.

“Man this girl’s gone thru some tough times, but regardless of what life’s thrown her way – she was ALWAYS determined to break the cycle and become a strong and inspiring single mom example to her two greatest inspirations — her daughters, Milaneta & Maleata.”

Amy Dumas

Amy ‘Lita’ Dumas has been involved with numerous charities including Make A Wish and her A.D.O.R.E group which helps rescue animals. She is also involved in the Casa Llanta Fund, which benefits multiple causes in Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica.

Lilian Garcia

Lilian Garcia walked away from a very successful and lucrative career in WWE as a ring announcer, to tend to her ailing father who was battling cancer. Sadly her Dad died, but Garcia was a shining example of a daughter willing to sacrifice her own success to take care of her elderly parents.

Howard Finkel

When Eddie Guerrero passed suddenly in a Minneapolis hotel in 2005, WWE Hall of Fame ring announcer Howard Finkel took it upon himself to escort Eddie’s body from Minnesota to Eddie’s home in Arizona. The reasoning according to Vickie Guerrero, was Howard didn’t want to let Eddie’s body be flown alone

Kerry Von Erich

Kerry Von Erich was extremely instrumental in raising over 100,000 dollars for the medical expenses for a young girl named Stormy Jones in 1990. Jones was the 1st ever heart/liver transplant recipient and resided in Texas.

The Undertaker

The Undertaker aka Mark Calaway formed the “Zeus Compton Calaway-Save the Animals” Fund. The charitable organization offers financial assistance for those with pets that cannot afford critical medical procedures to save their beloved animals. The organization is named after one of Calaway’s former pets…a mastiff named Zeus.

Wrestling with A Grin Series: part 1, part 2 , part 3   part 4  part 5,  part 6 and part 7