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

#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.