One of the best campaigns that WWE has embarked upon over the last few years is the Rise Above Cancer movement. While some fans are sceptical regarding the legitimacy of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the important thing to consider here is that the company are going out of their way to try and help those suffering with this cruel, cruel illness.
It makes sense for a number of reasons, with one of the big ones being that a number of former and current WWE superstars have battled cancer over the last few decades - and they've won. Not everyone is so lucky when it comes to surviving something like this, so these five individuals deserve to be applauded for their perseverance with this issue.
A few of the names of this list may shock you, meanwhile a few of the others are quite common knowledge, but none of that matters. The five individuals that we're going to discuss never gave up even when they were at their lowest point, and while the severity of their conditions varied, that doesn't take away from their resolve.
So with all of that being said, here are five WWE superstars who have conquered cancer.
#1 Bret Hart
Bret "The Hitman" Hart is an icon within the WWE family despite all of the controversies surrounding him in the last few decades. The guy is quite literally the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be, and you can get confirmation of that from practically every single superstar that stepped inside the squared circle with the guy.
Unfortunately, he's not invincible, and he was diagnosed with prostate cancer not too long ago. Thankfully, the former WWE Champion didn't let the disease get to him, and he was given the all-clear following a recent surgery. Hopefully, we can see Bret back on our television screens sometime in the near future.
Woo, woo, woo.
#2 Zack Ryder
It's fair to say that not too many people knew the full story behind Zack Ryder's past, however during a sit-down interview with Michael Cole and then during a WWE 24 special the former Intercontinental Champion revealed all. As it turns out, Ryder's rise to the top was much more challenging than anyone could've possibly imagined.
The former Edgehead was told he had a tumour in his foot back in high school, which eventually spread all the way to his lungs. Determined to live out his wrestling dream, Zack fought back against cancer and won - and remains all clear to this day. Will he reclaim his spot as a solid midcarder upon returning to the company? Only time will tell.
Over to the women for this next entry.
#3 Michelle McCool
Michelle McCool often doesn't get the recognition that she deserves for her work in the Divas' division during her time with the company. She was by far one of the best performers that WWE had seen since the Attitude Era, and it was a sad day for all when it was confirmed that McCool would be leaving the company to explore other opportunities.
Also read: 10 WWE Superstars that were once homeless
What some may not know, however, is that McCool was diagnosed with skin cancer not too long ago. Thankfully she had the cancerous moles in question removed, with McCool's close call serving as a warning to everyone reading this that you should always ensure that you get a check up at the doctors if something doesn't feel quite right.
Talk about underrated...
#4 Jake Roberts
Jake "The Snake" Roberts is an absolute master when it comes to psychology within the wrestling ring, and it's fair to say that he's one of the most influential superstars to come out of his era of wrestling. Unfortunately, as we all know he went through some dark days, but thankfully he was pulled out of them by none other than Diamond Dallas Page.
Despite this, he still had his fair share of issues on the road to recovery as Jake had to have surgery to remove a cancerous tumour behind his knee. It was a problem that initially set him back on his journey, but in the present day Roberts looks better than ever and will hopefully continue to lead a long and healthy life.
Please come back...
#5 Victoria
How good was Victoria? In an age where talented divas were few and far between, this lovely lady stood head and shoulders above most of the rest as one of the most dominating female competitors of recent times. Seriously, Victoria could probably still do a solid job on either Raw or SmackDown Live to this day in the same manner as Mickie James has done.
Unfortunately, Victoria has also had a number of ups and downs, with doctors having to remove a cancerous mole on her neck. With that being said she seems to be doing great as of right now, and she continues to be a leading candidate when people talk about future female inductees into the WWE Hall of Fame.
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