Brian Pillman

OVERCOMING THE ODDS I forgot to wish a Happy Birthday today to the late Brian Pillman (RIP). Even though his life ended too soon, Brian overcame the Odds like no other. As a child, Pillman developed multiple throat polyps and underwent over 40 operations to tend to them before the age of three. Brian excelled in Football and became a two-time Second Team All American and played for the Bengals and the CFL. Despite his small stature, Brian Pillman was determined to excel as a Professional Wrestler as well. Training under the legendary Stu Hart, Brian brought a High Flying Style to the ring that was unique thus giving him the Name Flyin Brian!! In addition, Pillman had a car accident in which he was in a coma for a week and suffered a shattered ankle. Nonetheless, he continued Wrestling until he died. Brian Pillman Overcame the Odds of undergoing 40 throat operations before the age of three, He Overcame the Odds of being a smaller man in the Big Man Worlds of Football and Wrestling. He continued doing what he did even with a shattered ankle. RIP Brian Pillman!!!

B.B. King

It would be only appropriate for my next OVERCOMING THE ODDS article that I showcase a man who is now buried in his Hometown of Indianola, MS, the one and only B.B. King.  The Bluesman known as B.B. King was born Riley B. King on a cotton plantation near Indianola.  Raised by his maternal grandmother, he came a long way from where he came.  As much as a fan I am of B.B. King and Blues in General, this is not an article on his Musical Career or his whole life.  This is rather a look at how B.B. King rose from extreme poverty to achieve success and influence generation after generation of musicians.  Just to mention, his sound was rooted in the very blues he cut his teeth in the fields of the Mississippi Delta and in Memphis.  When King was 22, he hitchhiked to Memphis with just a little over 20 dollars in his pocket looking to make a name for himself.  According to an Article in Buzzfeed, he was "paid four cents for every album he made."  Fast forward tothe time of his passing in 2015, B.B. was a millionaire many times over.  This is not just a story of a poor Mississippi boy achieving success and touching millions of lives.  This is a story that is Purely American.  It's a story of Fulfilling the American Dream. Most importantly, it's a story of OVERCOMING THE ODDS B.B. King's Life and Music will be Remembered Forever.  R.I.P. B.B. King https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXsusJ787sU

Bret "the Hitman" Hart

OVERCOMING THE ODDS Bret "the Hitman" Hart One man who survived a Stroke is WWE Hall of Famer and Wrestling Great Bret "the Hitman" Hart. Bret had had a severe concussion in 2000 which forced him to retire He was just recovering from that when he had a stroke in 2002. He risked being permanently paralyzed on his left side. Through Strenuous Physical Therapy and the Will to Live he Returned. Some excertps from his Autobiography have stuck with me.

"One morning in the elevator going down, I couldn't help staring a a handsome little boy of about nine or ten. He was in a wheelchair with bloody, bandaged stumps where his legs used to be. Gaunt and sad, he wore a ball cap covering his ball head.
In seconds, I had flashed back to all the girls and all the places I'd seen, how the world had been mine. I had my doubts that this poor little guy would ever get his driver's license or make love to a first girlfriend. The ride was only a few floors and I pulled my ball cap down over my face to hide my tears. The courage that flickered in his brooding eyes made me feel ashamed that I ever felt sorry for myself. It woke something inside of me.
After that elevator ride with that child, I prayed for my life. I slowly came back, one heart beat at a time. Time to be the hero I always pretended to be."


Bret Hart Overcame the Odds after a Stroke!!

On February 1st, 2016, Bret announced that he is battling Prostate Cancer.  Bret Overcame those odds as well as it was announced recently that he was Cancer Free but is still getting checked periodically!!!

Jake "the Snake" Roberts

OVERCOMING THE ODDS Jake "the Snake" Roberts. My next Overcoming the Odds is on the one the only WWE Hall of Famer and my All Time Favorite Jake the Snake Roberts. Jake became one of the top Pro Wrestling Stars in the 80s and 90s. Credited as the Inventor of the Finishing Hold the DDT, Jake had a following that almost rivaled Hulk Hogan and the late Randy Savage. He had an Interview that was like no other and who can forget the Python Damien he brought to the ring to intimidate his opponents or the Infamous King Cobra Classic. However, Jake always had personal demons. He has claimed he entered the Pro Wrestling Business to win the love of his father (former Wrestler) whom he had a strained relationship. He claims to have suffered sexual abuse as a child as well as a string of family problems.  According to Jake, his own father told him he would never make it as a Wrestler and was a coward and gutless.  Jake said in a Documentary "Pick Your Poison" that his father then tried to shoot him.  Suffering from the pain of his past as well as the pain of the ring, Jake would rely on Drugs and Alcohol to ease the pain. After leaving what was then WWF (now WWE) Jake's drug abuse became well known as was documented in the movie Beyond the Mat as well as TMZ Videos from Indie Shows. In addition, he was Estranged from Many members of his family especially his own Children. It seemed there was no Hope for the man and he claims he wanted to die. However, one man Diamond Dallas Page lended a hand. DDP was a Huge Wrestling Star in WCW in the late 90's/early 2000s, WCW Champion, and says he owed much of his success on the Advice and Lecturing from Jake the Snake Roberts whom he had lived with. Since retiring from Wrestling, DDP had started his own brand of Yoga DDP Yoga. Jake's health had detiorated to the point that he was almost 300 lbs. and could barely move. DDP reached out to him with his DDP Yoga and invited him to move back in with him in Atlanta. Though it was a rough process, Jake lost 50 lbs. and despite setbacks steered away from the Drugs and the Alcohol that had plagued his life. Along with fellow Wrestler Scott Hall (Razor Ramon), Jake went through a Recovery Process that is documented in the Documentary "The Resurrection of Jake "the Snake" Roberts which won Best Doc at Slam Dance Film Festival and was stated by some as the best documentary of 2015. In early 2014, Jake was chosen as the second inductee into that year's WWE Hall of Fame class behind the late Ultimate Warrior.  However, he discovered he had cancer below his knee.  He went through operations and became cancer free.  He was quoted as saying"If the devil can't defeat me, cancer doesn't stand a chance in hell! Pray for sick children who face this horrible disease 'cause The Snake will be just fine."   Jake was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in April 2014 where he so greatly belongs. In a speech that brought tears to my eyes (I was there at New Orleans Arena), He praised DDP for helping save his life and with members of his family at hand he expressed his love for them and thanks for giving him a second Chance in life.  Another Health Scare happened in August of 2014 when he fell ill on a flight and had to be treated for pneumonia and an abnormality on his brain.  However, he survived and carried on.   Jake "the Snake" Roberts. There will never be another. He Overcame the Odds of Addiction, Deteriorating Health and being Estranged from His Family.  He Also Overcame the Odds of Cancer and Pneumonia!!  Long Live the Snake!!!! 

Resurrection of Jake the Snake is available on Blu-Ray, DVD, Netflix and other outlets
http://www.jakethesnakemovie.com/resurrection-of-jake-the-snake-shop/

Rick Allen

OVERCOMING THE ODDS Rick Allen.  This Overcoming the Odds article is about Def Leppard Drummer Rick Allen. Def Leppard is not one of my favorite bands but I have a Huge Amount of Respect for them especially Rick Allen. Here's why!! On 31 December 1984, Allen (21 years old) was involved in a driving accident. He was driving with his girlfriend Miriam Barendsen around Sheffield to show her the beautiful countryside. It was on a sunny morning when they left. While trying to pass another car at high speeds, he lost control of his Corvette C4, which hit a brick wall and entered a field. He was thrown from the car, with his left arm severed because the seat belt was not properly fastened. His girlfriend was lucky enough to just have some bruising, but was in a state of shock. Doctors initially reattached Allen's arm but, because of infection, it had to be removed. His right shoulder was also severely broken in the accident.

Despite this, Allen was able to put together a drum kit that enabled him to play with just one arm He could still play some drum rhythms with one hand and use his left leg to play the snare drums. He has remained the Drumer of the band ever since. This is a feat which has never been duplicated. Rick Allen The One Armed Drummer Overcame the Odds.

Kevin Von Erich

OVERCOMING THE ODDS Kevin Von Erich. Kevin is another one who has OVERCOME THE ODDS. Though originally wanting to be a Pro Football Player and Probably Play for the Dallas Cowboys, Kevin stuck with his Family Business of Wrestling. His father, Fritz Von Erich, was a legendary wrestler whom had started World Class Championship Wrestling outside of Dallas, Texas.  Kevin along with younger brothers David and Kerry became huge stars in the Wrestling territory and the World over.  Even before his glory days in the ring, Kevin and his family had already experienced tragedy. His eldest brother Jackie was electrocuted and died when Kevin and his brother David were just babies.   He admits this brought about a fury in his dad that carried over in his work in the wrestling ring. Kevin  was very close with his brother David.  David died while on a Wrestling trip in Japan.  Some say his stomach ruptured, while others claim it was a drug overdose.  Regardless of the cause, David's death devastated Kevin.  Kevin's younger brother Mike had surgery for toxic shock syndrome, which some claim changed Mike's thinking.  In addition, Mike was abusing drugs, and felt he couldnt live up to the Von Erich name and decided to take his life via an overdose.  Kevin's youngest brother Chris suffered from asthma and took a medication that stunted his growth.  Chris also tried to follow in his brother's footsteps but felt he was inadequate.  He too took his life via a gunshot.  Kevin's last remaining brother Kerry Von Erich had a string of drug issues.  After forging a drug prescription, Kerry faced jail time and his marriage was collapsing.  He took his life via a gunshot to the chest at the Von Erich home in Denton, Texas.  That left Kevin the last remaining son of Fritz Von Erich.  World Class Championship Wrestling would fold.  It wouldnt be long before Fritz Von Erich was diagnosed with cance,r and was given months to live.  Kevin admits in the documentary Heroes of World Class that Fritz went nuts on Kevin once and tried to shoot him.  Fritz died in 1997. Kevin's mother Doris passed away on October 23, 2015.  Kevin Overcame the Odds like no other. He lost his Family Business, all his brothers, and his own Father al most tried to shoot him not long before he passed. Yet Kevin carries his Family's Legacy with Pride and Dignity and Without Complaint, and Thanks Everyone who gave him the Chance to be a Performer. His own sons are now Wrestlers!! Watch Heroes of World Class with this link It Never Gets Old to me!!! Kevin overcame the odds after losing all his brothers, father and Family Business but he doesn't complain!! 

The recent movie 'The Iron Claw (2022)' was inspired by his story. Go and see it if you haven't already!

Paul Stanley

OVERCOMING THE ODDS Paul Stanley Those of you who have followed me on Social Media know that the band Kiss has been a part of my life since I was twelve years old. Lead Singer and Long Time Member and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Paul Stanley, believe it or not, is one man who Overcome the Odds. Unbeknownst to many people prior to the relase of his Autobiography last year, Paul was born with a misshapen right ear due to a birth defect called microtia. This made it difficult for him to determine the direction of a sound, and he could not understand speech in a noisy environment. This is ironic considering he would become a lead singer. He remains deaf in that ear to this day. Paul was teased for his deformed ear and felt inferior and he admits even through his Adulthood in Kiss remained a shy person. Kids used to call him Stanley the ONe Eared Monster. Music became an outlet for him and a way to escape. Considering his band wore makeup the first 10 years of their career, Paul was able to hide his insecurities and escape under a face-painted character The Starchild. He felt in control on stage and confident. In 1982 he endured a series of five reconstructive surgeries in which pieces of cartilage from his rib cage were used to create the framework of an ear, which was then grafted onto his head. When Kiss took the makeup off in 1983 and kept it off until 1996, Paul was able to face performing without makeup but still felt inferior. Indeed, it wasn't until the year 1999, three years after the original members of his band had reunited and put the makeup back on, that his portrayal of the Phantom in the Musical 'Phantom of the Opera' that he had a life changing experience. Paul realized that every time he occupied the character it tapped into things deep inside him. The mask and the hidden facial disfigurement of the Phantom mimicked his own life story to some degree with being born with a deformed ear. In his Autobiography 'Face the Music', Stanley describes how Phantom's climactic moment- when Christine rips off the mask hiding the Phantom's hideously scarred face resonated with him personally. “I knew this scene. It was the scene I had feared my entire life: scrutinizing eyes staring at Stanley, the one-eared monster.” His performance impressed Anna Pileggi, from the charity AboutFace, enough that she reached out to Stanley, noting that he seemed to identify with the character in a way she hadn’t seen in other actors. She went on to describe the work of her organization, which is dedicated to helping children born with facial differences. Stanley soon called her, told her of his mircotia and surgeries, and agreed to partner with AboutFace by talking to kids and their parents about his experiences.
Paul Stanley overcame the Odds of being born with a deformity, deafness by becoming a Lead Singer of a Very Successful Band. In addition, despite appearing in control on stage, he finally Became Comfortable with himself by Portraying a Character that Resonated with his own life.