5 Current WWE stars that overcame difficult childhoods

Whilst there are a number of WWE stars who have been able to walk into the company as legacies, much like Randy Orton, this isn't the case for every star on the roster.

Many current WWE stars were forced to endure quite the childhood before they made their way into the wrestling business. AJ Lee revealed in her autobiography that she was made homeless a number of times and at one point was living in a motel.

Dean Ambrose's struggles in his childhood have been well documented whilst Rich Swann was once a drug dealer after both of his parents passed away when he was young. The WWE stars on TV each week are real people with real stories from their past and some of these stars are real-life fighters.

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#5 R-Truth

R-Truth was recently the focus of a WWE 24 where he talked about his life before he was able to find wrestling. Truth was once completely focused on his music and after he graduated high school at the age of 18 the former 24/7 Champion needed to deal drugs to make enough money to finance his lifestyle.

Truth was dealing cocaine on the streets from a young age whilst he tried to push for a career in the music industry.

Sadly this led to a number of arrests and then 13 months in jail before he was approached by Jackie Crockett of the National Wrestling Alliance at a halfway house following his release.

Truth still wasn't interested in wrestling at that time since he wanted to make his music career a reality, but two years later he contacted Crockett and started his lengthy career. Truth mad this wrestling debut in 1997 and then joined WWE just two years later in 1999.

#4 Edge

Edge is a former 11-time World Champion and recently was able to make his return to WWE after almost a decade on the sidelines, but sadly his mother Judy wasn't able to see her son return to the ring.

Edge's mother worked two jobs to support him whilst he was growing up and the star has revealed that he has never met or seen a picture of his father. Judy and Edge struggled whilst he was growing up and even though Edge dreamed of becoming a wrestler for the best part of his life, he had to put his dreams on hold to help pay the bills.

Edge has a degree in radio broadcasting, but he was forced to work numerous jobs to put himself through college. The former WWE Champion revealed in an emotional post on Instagram back in 2018 that his mother had passed away. The Rated R Superstar and his mother were close all his life and it was a huge hit for him to lose her before he could make his WWE return.

#3 Roderick Strong

Roderick Strong has overcome a number of barriers to become a WWE star, one of those being his rough childhood. The former NXT North American Champion was part of an interview with TNA's official website back when he was contracted to the company and was able to reveal some harsh stories about his upbringing.

Strong noted that a number of his family members were addicted to drugs and there were nights where he remembers going to bed hungry because the family couldn't afford food.

Strong's mother spent some time in prison for non-fatally shooting his father and the star also noted that he found it hard to make any friends because his family moved around so much whilst he was younger. He also lacked any support from his family when it came to his sporting exploits.

“There were some really rough times, such as living in motels for week-long periods until we found an apartment. And you’d try to make friends because as a kid you really want to have that emotional tie, but I didn’t“

Thankfully Strong managed to overcome his tough upbringing to become one of WWE's best prospects and a future WWE Champion.

#2 Becky Lynch

Becky Lynch is currently one of the best-known female wrestlers in WWE history, but it hasn't all been an easy ride for The Man. Lynch has always spoken out about the fact that wrestling saved her life.

Before Lynch was able to find a training school in Ireland, which was run by Finn Balor, the former Women's Champion was heading down a dark path. The Irish star noted that at the time she was hanging around with the wrong crowd and was experimenting with marijuana.

This could have led to a very different life for Lynch, but wrestling became her focus and she has since gone on to become a role model in the sport.

Lynch may not have even made it to WWE at one point since the former Champion was forced to retire from the business back in 2006 after she suffered a concussion which led to doctors diagnosing her with damage to her eighth cranial nerve.

Lynch was forced to take a few years on the sidelines before returning in 2011 and laying down the foundations for a WWE career.

#1 AJ Styles

Unlike many current WWE stars, AJ Styles wasn't a fan of wrestling as a child and wasn't able to grow up watching his heroes because his family couldn't afford cable. It was noted by Sportytell that Styles grew up in a low-income household and also had to endure an abusive alcoholic father.

Styles has noted in various interviews that he was forced to grow up mentally from a very young age to be able to deal with his childhood. The former WWE Champion also noted that he only entered wrestling school because all of his friends at the time were doing it so he decided to join in.

Styles obviously found something he was good at and despite not being able to grow up with the likes of Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior on his TV, Styles has still been able to find his feet in the business and become one of the best wrestlers of the current generation. In 2020 alone Styles became the last opponent of The Undertaker and is now the reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE.