5 AEW stars who overcame a difficult childhood to make it big

In just two years, AEW has signed a blend of youngsters and veterans from the wrestling industry. Some belonged to wrestling royalties, getting a positive environment to pursue their dreams in pro wrestling.

However, not many wrestlers have options in their life. They had to climb the ladders of life to achieve their dream. In the process, they suffered through several trials and tribulations that tested their endurance.

These self-reliant stars remained determined and eventually succeeded. In this article, we're going to talk in-depth about five AEW stars who overcame dire circumstances to achieve their goals.

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#5 AEW star CM Punk was adopted at an early age

CM Punk may have become one of the top box-office attractions in pro wrestling today. But his path was never easy, starting with his parents.

Punk's father was an alcoholic, which is why Punk embraced the 'Straight-Edge' lifestyle in real life. He also portrayed it as a gimmick when he was in WWE.

Apart from his father, Punk's mother suffered from bipolar disorder, which alienated him from her. The situation was so dire that his friend's family had to adopt him.

The AEW star wasn't raised with the deep affection and care that every child requires, so it must have been a very tough period. Eventually, he found passion in pro wrestling as an escape from a low-spirited life.

All the hardships at the beginning of his life made him laser-focused to carve a beautiful legacy for himself, which he has already accomplished.

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#4 AEW star Jon Moxley lived in public housing before realizing his dream

Jon Moxley is another big name in the pro wrestling industry who started his career from scratch. He lived in public housing surrounded by poor neighborhoods.

AEW's Moxley has even reflected on his past, notably mentioning that it felt like 'garbage' living in those government-owned houses:

"My neighbourhood was pretty much a big stretch of government housing and all these torn up apartment buildings all owned by different people. It was easy to get the feeling like all the garbage from the city ran down and washed up there,” Moxley said.

The AEW star revealed that he had to do unwanted jobs like selling somebody else's drugs to make a living and avoid getting bullied:

“For instance, there were times that I would have to cave in and do something like selling somebody’s drugs, just so I wouldn’t get beaten half to death. But then there were other times where dudes would catch me walking by and try to push me around, and I had to draw a line, even if I was gonna get pulverized. I ended up earning respect that way — not that I cared, I just wanted out,” Moxley disclosed.

There's no doubt AEW star Jon Moxley had a rough childhood. But he used all that frustration and anger into something constructive. Pursuing pro wrestling was his only escape from a miserable life.

Mox dropped out of college to chase his dream of following in the footsteps of his childhood heroes. It wouldn't be far-fetched to say that his 'Lunatic Fringe' character back in WWE had some realism to it.

#3 AEW star Cash Wheeler came from a family of addicts

AEW star Cash Wheeler did not have anyone to guide him in the right direction while growing up. Recently, the FTR member revealed that he came from a family of addicts, and if it wasn't for pro wrestling, he could have ended up on a similar path:

"I feel like we owe wrestling so much. We had nothing growing up. I can tell you now that if it wasn’t for wrestling – I come from a family of addicts and I would have went that path. It was the easiest path and the one that I knew other than wrestling. If I didn’t have something to hold onto and grasp at to lead me in a different direction I would be… not good. I know that for a fact, because one of my best friends is not here with us anymore because of something like that. I was going in that same direction," Cash Wheeler said.

Cash Wheeler and his family often lived at their friend's house, which explains the gravity of their situation back then. However, the AEW star tried his luck in the wrestling business and changed his fortune.

He took inspiration from legendary stars like Bret Hart and believes he owes a lot to this business.

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#2 AEW's Lio Rush had family issues growing up

AEW star Lio Rush had ups and downs throughout his life. The Man of the Hour wasn't fortunate enough to have a good upbringing. In an interview with Renee Paquette, Rush revealed that he spent his childhood wandering, searching for a home, and at times was raised in group homes:

"When I was 14, I went through some pretty heavy things in my teenage years with, you know, going back and forth, in and out of the house. Being homeless. When not homeless, but group homes," Rush said.

Aside from being poor, his parents weren't getting along on the same page and had issues escalated to the court. The AEW star chose his mom over his father, which led to a distance between them:

"Like every family, they have their ups and downs, but you know my situation took a turn for the worst and, you know, the court system was getting involved, and I would go to court to try to be on my mom's side and, you know, me being a kid, I don't know what's going on. I just see my mom crying. I don't see my dad crying so, so I don't really know what's happening. I'm just picking my mom's side, but it just comes down to, you know, I was the only son. So I kind of gravitated more towards my mom, and that created issues with my dad," Lio Rush recalled.

Without proper support, be it financial or emotional, Lio Rush pursued pro wrestling. Even after rising through the ranks, the former WWE Superstar had a roller-coaster ride. His terrible past may have affected his happiness, which made him depressed at times.

Regardless of his suffering, Lio Rush is now keen to make a better future for himself and his family as AEW recently came knocking on his door.

#1 AEW star Brian Pillman Jr. was neglected by his family

AEW star Brian Pillman Jr. faced hardships in life before venturing into the world of pro wrestling. His father, Brian Pillman, struggled with addiction and passed away due to a heart attack at 35, thus leaving his family stranded. Pillman Jr. was only four years old, which may have left him wondering why his father never came home.

His mother also neglected him. She splurged all the money from his father's memorial shows. The AEW star noted that his mother didn't even realize when he moved out.

With that money, she blew it all, and then my stepdad bought a new truck. For the kids, we didn’t see an influx of s***, we just saw them buying themselves stuff. She probably didnt know for a solid month that I was gone. I think she called me and said, ‘Where’d you go?’ I said, “I moved out, you’ve been asleep for a month,” Pillman Jr. recalled.

At 26, the second-generation superstar left a data-based job to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father. Brian Pillman Jr. is now laser-focused on carrying out his father's legacy in pro wrestling. Not too long ago, he wrote on Twitter:

"Growing up I felt like I had no family at all. That was until I decided to venture into the wild world of professional wrestling. To everyone at AEW, MLW, and every Indy promotion in between… Thank you! Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for being my FAMILY!” Pillman Jr. wrote.

Brian Pillman Jr. was fortunate enough to have been raised by his Aunt Linda. With her support, the AEW star overcame the dark phases of his life. With wrestling blood running in his veins, Brian Pillman Jr. would indeed become a megastar one day.