“Hard times are when a man has worked at a job for thirty years...THIRTY YEARS, and they give him a watch, kick him in the butt and say ‘Hey! A computer took your place, daddy.’ THAT’S hard times.” The late, legendary American Dream Dusty Rhodes could not have said it any better.
Hard times do indeed happen to the best of us. If you have not experienced hard times, just keep on living, your day will come.”
Sometimes, when we get caught up in the various story lines that wrestling offers, we get so emotionally invested into what’s going on, that we forget these men and women are also normal people, just like you and I.
Despite the fact that they portray larger than life personas on television, they still face their own reality once the lights and cameras are off. Simply put, these guys are certainly not exempt from everyday trials and tribulations.
One of the main issues that typically plague professional wrestlers after their in-ring career has come to an end are financial problems, usually resulting from addiction. For some, they are able to fight through the demons they are facing and eventually get their lives back on track. However, for others, it’s not quite as simple.
When it comes to those who seem to get overwhelmed with whatever they’re facing, some just cannot get over the hump, so they start looking for a way out of their circumstance. Interestingly enough, a lot of these people, more than you probably think, seek out assistance from their fans.
With the popularity of social media being as it is, just a few lines on a Facebook post can trigger the sympathy from nostalgic fans, and before you know it, that person suddenly has thousands of dollars being sent to their PayPal account.
Another popular means of generating funds on a broad scale is through crowd-funding sites, such as GoFundMe.
As I have already noted, you would probably be shocked at the number of former wrestlers who have asked their fans for money. With that said, some have a legitimate crisis on their hands, which could be perceived as an acceptable reason for asking fans to donate money.
However, there are some who just want to make a quick buck. They know that wrestling fans are some of the most loyal fans on the planet and sometimes try to capitalise on the same.
Whatever the situation may be that they have faced, quite a few wrestlers have reached out to their fans for financial help in recent years. Let’s take a look at 10 of those who have done just that.
#10 Ian Rotten
Some die-hard WWE fans may not know just who Ian Rotten is, but Ian is the founder of IWA Mid-South, a promotion which started out as a primarily hardcore promotion, based out of Louisville, Kentucky. The company actually had pretty good success, as well as having some good independent talent booked on their shows.
Back in 2004, Ian’s promotion held a show in Indiana. Following the show, the people who ran the building where the show was held contacted Ian, telling him that the floor of the venue had been ruined during their event.
According to Ian, the damages were minimal, but nothing major. For next two years, Ian went back-and-forth to court, pleading his case, that he was not responsible for repairing the floor. However, in the end, an Indiana judge not only ruled that Ian and his company were at fault, but that they would be responsible for replacing the entire floor.
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To add to insult, the judge gave Ian 30 days to come up with the money.
When it comes to Ian reaching out to his fans, his method was much different than the others you will read about. Considering that at this time, crowdfunding wasn't as prominent as it is today, Ian had a major merchandise sale. Ian took all of the IWA merchandise and marked the items down to extremely low prices.
He also would go online to any and everyone who had a wrestling related website, social media page, or anything where wrestling fans may visit, pleading with them to share his website where the merchandise was being sold.
#9 Hacksaw Jim Duggan
The next person on this list is someone that most wrestling fans not only know but also adore. Hacksaw Jim Duggan is one of the biggest fan favourites to ever come through the WWE. This Hall of Famer had his best days at the height of the 1980’s wrestling boom.
Over the years, Duggan has taken a beating. To this day, the 63-year-old legend is still making the rounds on the indie scene, competing in the ring on a pretty regular basis. However, all of these years in the ring has come at a cost.
Several years back, Hacksaw Jim Duggan suffered a severe shoulder injury which would ultimately require surgery. As we all know, most wrestlers do not have health insurance, primarily due to the outrageous premium costs. With Duggan, this was why surgery was seemingly impossible.
After a lot of thought, as well as pressure from his physician, Duggan created an Indiegogo account, which allowed anyone who wanted to, to donate to him online. When it was all said and done, Duggan reached his goal that enabled him to have the necessary procedures done to repair his shoulder.
Altogether, fans helped Hacksaw raise roughly 14 thousand dollars for his surgery.
#8 Sabu
There have been risk-takers and then there is Sabu. When you are referred to as “the homicidal, suicidal, genocidal, death-defying maniac,” you have probably put your body through way more abuse than the normal wrestler.
Sabu was a performer who went to the utmost extremity to entertain his fans. Over time, it’s obvious that years of being slammed through tables covered in barbed-wire would eventually take a toll on his body.
Sabu himself didn't actually reach out to the fans, but his fellow ECW alumni did just that. In August of 2016, Rob Van Dam helped organise efforts to create a GoFundMe account to help offset the medical costs for Sabu to have a much needed hip surgery.
The goal is to raise 50 thousand dollars to cover the operation, as well as rehabilitation costs. As of this writing, fundraising is still ongoing, with a little over 25 thousand dollars total raised thus far.
#7 Iron Sheik
The Iron Sheik is one of the most animated people to ever step foot into a ring.
Chances are, you have probably come across one of his crazy Twitter rants, or perhaps seen one of his outlandish shoot interviews on YouTube. Regardless of how you keep up with The Iron Sheik, you are probably aware of how far off his rocker he is.
Ever since he retired from in-ring action, Sheik has talked about wanting to film a documentary about his life. This was the reasoning behind his efforts to reach out to fans for help raising funds.
In 2013, The Iron Sheik created an Indiegogo account, in hopes of raising 100 thousand dollars to fund his filming project. After a quick search, it appears that account is still up and active, with a little over 40 thousand dollars raised so far.
This is an interesting revelation considering that his official documentary was released in 2014, which had a fantastic response from the wrestling community.
#6 One Man Gang
One Man Gang was one of the most intimidating big men of the late 80’s. With Slick in his corner, the duo made for a perfect heel act, which the fans absolutely hated. As we all know, he would eventually be repackaged as Akeem The African Dream, which was sort of a silly moniker for him.
Nonetheless, he was a prominent force during this era for the then-WWF.
One Man Gang is a native resident of the lower Louisiana Bayou country, residing just outside of Baton Rouge. One of the issues people face living in that region is the multitude of storms that come their way.
In fact, there was a pretty substantial storm that hit this area in 2016, which ultimately resulted in a horrible flood. In the aftermath of the flood, One Man Gang went home to discover that he actually no longer had a home. The flood had completely destroyed and washed away his house, as well as everything that he owned.
In late August 2016, there was a GoFundMe account set-up to help One Man Gang recover from the loss of his home. With a goal set for 20 thousand dollars, over 15 thousand dollars have been raised as of this writing.
#5 Abdullah The Butcher
This particular situation is really an unfortunate ordeal. Abdullah The Butcher was once known as a hardcore icon. He was feared by foes and fans alike, with his unique, relentless style and trademarked fork that he concealed in his trunks, used to cause harm to his opponent.
Several years ago, a young, up-and-coming Canadian wrestler named Devon Nicholson would face Abdullah in singles competition. During the match, both men were bleeding pretty significantly, which was certainly not uncommon in matches involving Abby.
However, Devon claims that he never agreed to be cut. The worst part was that Devon contracted Hepatitis C as a result of Abdullah cutting him. Not only did he cut Devon, but he used the same blade he used to cut himself.
In the aftermath of this incident, Devon demanded that Abdullah release his medical records, which would indicate that Abdullah was indeed infected with Hepatitis C. Devon would go on to sue Abdullah, in a suit that he would eventually win.
In the end, Abdullah was ordered to pay Devon a sum of 2.1 million dollars in damages.
Abdullah took to social media, as well as crowd-funding sources in an effort to raise funds to help with his legal matters. While the exact number isn't known, Abdullah did not do very well in his fundraising efforts.
If you ever pass through the Atlanta area, you can stop by his restaurant, where you will more than likely see him, sitting near the cash register, greeting customers, as well as offering photo-ops for a small fee. On a personal note, don't eat the food. I was sick for a week after eating at his place.
#4 Jake The Snake Roberts
As a child, I was a huge fan of Jake The Snake Roberts, despite the fact that most fans my age were deathly afraid of him. There was something about his style, the way he was so magically captivating with his words, it was just an amazing body of work.
Jake has been very upfront about his life, the struggles he has faced, as well as his battle with addiction and alcoholism. Because of how hard he was on himself, Jake reached a point where he lost everything and everyone he loved.
He had reached his own rock-bottom, with seemingly no one around to help. But that was before DDP stepped in. By now, I’m sure everyone knows the story of how Diamond Dallas Page allowed Jake to move into his home, and helped him not only get clean but also helped him take control of his life.
During Jake’s road to recovery, DDP suggested that he reach out to the fans and let them know about his situation regarding his shoulder and how long he had been desperately needing surgery to repair it.
After making a video, and creating a GoFundMe account, Jake’s fans responded in massive numbers, which not only allowed him to receive the needed operation but showed him that there were many people who still cared about him.
This would lead to Jake getting his life back on track, as well as getting back in contact with his family.
#3 Scott Hall
In a story almost identical to Jake’s, Scott Hall had also reached a dangerously low point in his life and sincerely needed someone to help him. After being contacted by Sean Waltman, DDP eventually brought Scott to Atlanta, so that he could live with him and Jake.
Scott would eventually gain control of his life, thanks to the help of his friends Jake and DDP. However, just like Jake, Scott had been neglecting his medical issues as well. As a result, Scott had a severely damaged hip, as well as some dental work that needed attention.
After creating a crowd-funding account of his own, his fans would also come out in droves, anxious to help “The Bad Guy” get better, which he did. Scott would even get to train his son, Cody, and see him eventually move off to Japan, where he is now competing in New Japan Pro Wrestling, as a member of the infamous Bullet Club.
#2 Perry Saturn
Many of us remember Saturn from his time with ECW, as well as WCW, during the Monday Night Wars. Saturn was one of the more technically sound WCW competitors, with great feuds with the likes of Eddie Guerrero and Chris Jericho, just to name a couple.
Following his wrestling career, Saturn went through a lot of personal battles. He struggled with multiple nagging injuries, as well as his own battles with drug addiction. Saturn would get to the point where he even lost his home, causing him to be homeless for two years.
At one point, he seemed to get things back in order for himself, but not for long.
In the past few months, Saturn has had some serious financial problems. He even made a Facebook video where he broke down in tears, stating that he would soon be homeless once again. Saturn stated that everything had fallen apart for him and he didn't know what to do.
Saturn would then start a GoFundMe account in an attempt to raise enough money to prevent him from losing his home. Not only did the fans respond well, but his friends in the wrestling world also helped him out. Chris Jericho and DDP both donated to the cause. They both donated two thousand dollars each.
As of this writing, nearly 40 thousand dollars have been raised via GoFundMe, to help Saturn.
#1 Virgil
Finally, we are going to top this list off with one of the most ridiculous fundraising efforts ever heard of. Former WWE Superstar Virgil made a name for himself as the bodyguard for The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase. While he did, in fact have a brief run as an in-ring competitor, Virgil was best known as the man in the corner for DiBiase.
Not long after his retirement in 2013, Virgil began virtual panhandling almost immediately. If you follow Virgil on Twitter, you have probably noticed his insatiable love for The Olive Garden. The key element of his hunger for endless pasta is his desire for his fans to pay for it.
Yes, he has been known to plead for his followers to give him money for a night out at The Olive Garden.
Lastly, his most outrageous attempt at raising funds is the GoFundMe account that Virgil has established. With a total goal of one million dollars, the headline reads “Help Virgil become the $1,000,000 Man.” While he is light-years away from his million dollar goal, there have been a few people who have donated to the cause.
As of now, 46 people have donated, with a grand total of $1185 raised thus far.
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