Opinion
Top 5: Wrestling Cancer Survivors
We were all saddened by the news that Roman Reigns would be taking time off to battle leukemia. The Big Dog battled the disease once before starting his wrestling career. Roman won then, and hopefully his second battle will end with the same result. Whether we were fans of Roman Reigns or were among the crowd that complained about him, I think we all want to see him return to WWE stronger than ever.
Fortunately, Roman has plenty of positive role models he can look to. Cancer has attempted to claim the lives of a number of professional wrestlers before, during & after their careers, with mixed results. Today, we look at some of the warriors that were able to overcome.
Here are the Top 5 Wrestling Cancer Survivors.
5. Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Duggan was on the back nine of his wrestling career when he was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 1998. Fortunately, it was detected early, and Duggan was able to fight it off & return to action in mere months. WCW being WCW, Duggan’s comeback wasn’t exactly capitalized off of as much as one might think. He became the company janitor & eventually turned his back on America to join Team Canada.
Possibly the one time it was involved a match where Goldberg targeted Duggan’s kidney.
It would have surely gotten heat from the crowd if Duggan hadn’t been treated like a joke right up until that night.
4. Zack Ryder
Ryder’s faced plenty of tough battles during his time in WWE, but they pale in comparison to his battle against cancer that forced him out of high school for a year. He says he was motivated to beat it by his dream of becoming a professional wrestler & getting to WWE.
After surviving that, it’s been no big deal for Zack to survive WWE booking for over a decade now. He did just score a major victory over former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal on Main Event, so things seem to be heading in a positive direction.
3. Zach Gowen

Gowen had his battle with cancer during childhood, and had his left leg amputated as a result. It didn’t stop him from falling in love with pro wrestling & becoming the first one-legged competitor. He appeared in TNA in 2003 & soon afterwards signed with WWE, where he teamed with a fella by the name of Mr. America & got his leg broken by Brock Lesnar. The first couple of years of Gowen’s career were extremely eventful. He went through some difficulties in the years afterward, but has overcome those demons the same way he overcame cancer, and now lives happily as a father, motivational speaker & part-time wrestler.
2. Kenta Kobashi & Jushin Thunder Liger (tie)

Two of the most recognizable Japanese wrestling stars to us American fans had their own battles with illness. Liger had a brain tumor removed back in 1996. His doctors told him he would never wrestle again, yet here he is twenty-two years later still working for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Kobashi was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2006 & returned to the ring in December 2007. His career was ultimately ended by several recurring injuries, but he made cancer take the loss first.
1. Harley Race

Harley has spent his whole life surviving. He had polio during childhood. A car accident early in his career resulted in the death of his wife & the near-amputation of his leg. Only the demands of the wrestling promoter that broke Harley into the business kept that from happening. There was also a battle with cancer mixed in there somewhere, but it’s merely a footnote because it’s Harley Freaking Race.
Dude broke both of his legs in a fall recently. Needed a few blood transfusions during surgery. Was anybody really worried? Nah, it’s Harley Freaking Race. He’ll be ok. Broken bones, cancer, none of it has a chance of taking Harley out. He’s a survivor.
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MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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Opinion
Chris King: Is Brock Lesnar Truly Retired?
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
At WrestleMania 42, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar took off his boots and gloves following his loss to Oba Femi. Lesnar has done it all inside of his twenty-four-year career in professional wrestling. He’s a ten-time WWE Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and he’s one who ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania.
While Lesnar was in the ring, he was visibly overwhelmed with emotion and crying while he thanked the fans in his own way. The Beast even threw up an x to signal to Paul Heyman, his longtime friend and advocate, that this was not scripted and was real. There had been rumors that Lesnar and Oba were supposed to have a series of matches before everything went down at Mania.
‘The Career Killer’ Gunther was doing Heyman’s bidding as he faced Seth Rollins for a favor. For a while now since Gunther retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles, the rumor has been Gunther was set to retire Lesnar in his hometown at this year’s SummerSlam event. There’s been no confirmation if Lesnar is truly retired, but on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, we saw Heyman talking with General Manager Nick Aldis. Later that night following Rhodes’ match against the debuting Ricky Saints, Gunther choked out the WWE Champion. Could this be the favor from Heyman?
I know in the world of professional wrestling we live by the mantra of “never say never,” but what if Lesnar is actually retired and this was WWE’s way of shutting down those rumors about Gunther and Lesnar? What if Gunther’s next program is chasing after the WWE title, and where is Randy Orton at in all of these plans? There are so many questions that need to be answered, hopefully soon!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
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Opinion
Chris King: Defend The Intercontinental Championship At Backlash!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
This year’s annual Backlash showcase is only a few days away, and while there are many big matches announced, one that definitely should be isn’t on the card. In my opinion, outside of Roman Reigns/Jacob Fatu and Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker, the Intercontinental Championship scene has been stellar over the last month.
Penta has been an excellent champion, especially after his triumphant title defense in a ladder match against JeVon Evans, Rusev, Dragon Lee, and the Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 42. Their ladder match at Mania was one of the best that WWE has produced in a while.
The momentum never stopped, as on the post-Mania episode of Monday Night Raw, ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page made his debut and was quickly inserted into the Intercontinental title scene. Page had a fantastic showing against his longtime NXT rival Evans and picked up a big win in his debut match thanks to an assist from Rusev.
All Ego immediately joined forces with ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ Rusev, who was also vying for the Intercontinental Title in his own right. On this week’s episode of Raw, Page and Rusev defeated Evans and Penta. All Ego pinned the champion, making a huge statement and putting him one step closer to getting a title shot. For the past few weeks I’ve been anxiously waiting to see if WWE was going to add this incredible fatal four-way match for the Intercontinental Championship, but it hasn’t happened yet.
As much as the WWE Universe enjoys witnessing great matches on free television, I truly believe all four superstars deserve the chance to showcase their talents on the PLE. While Penta has done a terrific job as the intercontinental champion, it’s time for a fresh face to hold the prestigious title. Page would make a great braggadocious heel that would help elevate the Intercontinental Championship to new heights!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
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Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
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