6 WWE Superstars who survived a terrible past

For many people, a good upbringing is the cornerstone of their future lives. Growing up, surrounded by those who care for you, nurture you, can set anyone on the right path in life.

But sadly, not everyone gets this great start to live, and even for WWE Superstars, some have grown up facing awful situations, including death and substance abuse issues.

Fortunately, they were able to turn things around and become the huge stars they are today. Here are six WWE Superstars who survived terrible upbringings and went on to make it big in professional wrestling.

#6. Batista had it rough

For the young Dave Batista, growing up poor was sad, not the worst thing in his life.

Instead, Batista lived in an area so rough, that three unrelated homicides had taken place on his front lawn before he was ten.

As if just knowing these things had happened wasn’t bad enough, the young Animal often saw these awful deeds happen, something that must have stuck in his mind. Needing to get out of that environment, Batista left home aged 17, and earned money in any job he could find, including bouncing, lifeguarding, and bodybuilding.

It was during his time as a bodybuilder, that the future World Champion got his first taste of pro-wrestling.

Debuting on TV in 2002, Batista showed how important it is to overcome your demons, with the Animal becoming a multiple time-World Champion, tag team champion and Royal Rumble winner.

As if that wasn’t enough, he has become a leading man in Hollywood, most prominently known as Marvel’s Drax the Destroyer, with the character ironically being a witness to his past, and trying to overcome it.

#5. Booker T was orphaned before his teens

When you watch Booker T in 2019, with his huge smile and bubbly personality, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking Booker had a nice normal childhood.

Surprisingly though, his story might be one of the worst on this list, with his nightmare beginning when Booker's father passed, when he was less than a year old, leaving Booker’s mother trying to raise eight children single-handedly.

When she passed, Booker was just 13, and quickly dropped out of high school, and fell into the wrong crowd.

It was that crowd, that robbed at least a dozen fast food restaurants in the early 80s, with Booker foolishly throwing away a paid job at Denny’s to become a criminal.

Serving 19 months, the future King of the Ring vowed to make himself better, an attitude he has carried every day, becoming a huge star in wrestling, a 5-time WCW Champion and a 2013 WWE Hall of Famer.

#4. CM Punk’s family scared him straight

Punk left the WWE in 2014, and now competes in the UFC. — Punk left the WWE in

Regardless of whether a face as a heel, CM Punk always embodied the straight-edge lifestyle, and the belief that he could be his best self, without the need of drugs or alcohol.

Growing up in a rough home, Punk revealed in an interview that he often felt like a burden on his parent’s income, saying:

“It never made any sense that my parents couldn’t afford Christmas presents, but they could buy three cartons of cigarettes apiece a month.”

Based on that one short story, it’s clear to see how that sort of behavior would have an effect on the young Phil Brook’s mind and self-worth.

Knowing the full story, it’s no wonder why Punk speaks so highly of the Straight-edge lifestyle, after seeing how destructive cigarettes affected his family, and how without them, he went on to become a 5-time World Champion, and the true, best in the world.

#3. Dean Ambrose was in low-income housing

Going from fighting in backyards deathmatches to appearing at WrestleMania, the career of Dean Ambrose is a true rag to riches tale.

But before he laced up his boots, the Lunatic Fringe was left feeling dejected by the establishment, growing up in the worst part of Cincinnati Ohio’s East End, in an area filled with people too poor to make rent, or as Ambrose puts it:

“My neighborhood 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.”

It’s easy to see how such an environment would cause anyone to make poor choices, with Dean being forced to deal drugs just to get by.

The only upside, if there is one, is that such a harsh environment toughened the young Ambrose up, helping to mold the Lunatic Fringe that has entertained millions of fans for years, and has plenty of championships to hang in the very nice home he has earned.

#2. Vince McMahon lived in a trailer park

McMahon recently made the Forbes 2019 rich list.

Of all the Superstars who have made their fortunes in wrestling, no-one has made more money than Vince McMahon.

Reaching billionaire status during the Attitude Era, the chairman has only gotten richer with each passing year, as his company grows more every day.

But things weren’t always like this for Vince, who didn’t even meet his father Vince Sr until he was 12, and spoke about growing up poor in an interview with Muscle and Fitness, saying:

“I grew up dirt poor. When you’re in that class, a lower economic class, everyone is quote ‘above you’. And there were a number of individuals who thought they were above me because of their economic status.”

Living in a trailer park with his mother and a series of abusive stepfathers, things wouldn’t turn around for Vince until he met his father, though after meeting him, it wasn’t long before both men were on the fast track to making pro-wrestling history.

#1. Bruno Sammartino escaped

A true icon, Sammartino is the longest reigning WWE Champion.

Bruno Sammartino is a man with no comparison. The longest reigning WWF Champion ever, Sammartino’s Italian heritage made him the true underdog story, coming to America with nothing, and becoming wrestling’s biggest star.

And whilst everyone on this list have faced adversity, none of them grew up running away from Nazis, except the Italian Stallion.

Born in Italy just five years before the country joined Germany in World War 2, the family hid in the mountains, as Bruno’s mother, the family’s sole provider, often found herself stealing food from the German-occupied town, despite the obvious risk of getting caught.

These small portions and scraps led to the young Bruno ending up in a terrible condition physically, a far contrast from the mountain of a man he would become. To quote the man himself:

“I was a 90-pound weakling, but not because I was anemic. It was because of the war. We hid from the Nazis in the mountains. Sometimes there was nothing to eat but snow. Whole families wiped out. We were among the lucky ones.”

A true warrior in every way, Bruno was able to come to America, become WWF Champion, and an inspiration to all.

Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on WWE news, rumors, WWE Raw, SmackDown, Live Event results and PPV Schedules.