These WWE Villains Are Actually Great People In Real Life
It's hard to think positively about a person's character when they're in a wrestling ring being fighting another terrifyingly-strong man--especially if they're a heel. The WWE features people being over the top and full of bravado, but nobody walks around that way in real life. Sometimes it can be hard to distinguish between an actor's wrestler persona and who they might be when the spandex comes off.
The people who fight the hardest in the ring are actually some of the nicest and most generous people in real life.
Owen Hart
Owen Hart's life tragically ended prematurely during a horrible wrestling accident. In 1998, he was being lowered into a wrestling ring when his harness snapped 80 feet above the mat. After he died, his wife started the Owen Hart Foundation. The foundation raises money that is then allocated to various hospitals and women's shelters.
While Hart himself wasn't actually involved in the logistics of the foundation, the foundation was created in his honor and with his values in mind.
Nia Jax
Nia Jax is a big lady. She's six feet tall and she's definitely no shrinking flower. She owns her curves and she's proud of the way she looks. Jax is very vocal about body positivity on social media. She has said that she speaks out about the issue because her female fans have thanked her for giving them confidence in their own bodies during Wrestlemania 33.
Jax also works as a plus-size model and promotes living a healthy, active, balanced life.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
The Rock has successfully transitioned from a wrestling career into an acting career, and nowadays he's known better for his talent and his kindness than his ruthlessness in the ring. He's really embraced his good-guy persona and left his bad-boy past behind.
Not only does he spend his time working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the I Have A Dream Foundation, and the Red Cross, he also donates money disaster relief and disease research. He also runs his own foundation that aims to help kids improve their self-esteem.
Luke Harper
Luke Harper is not your average wrestler. He's known for being wild and eccentric in the ring, but outside the ring, he's actually really chill. He's also a lot better groomed than he is when he's in full beast mode.
His friends say that he's very articulate and he's smarter than he appears on TV. Furthermore, he's been described as one of the best people to work within the WWE. This guy is just really good at turning on the tough guy act for the cameras.
Luke Gallows
Luke Gallows looks like a mean fighting machine, but he definitely has a soft side. He played the bad guy in the United States as a member of WWE and also in Japan. Now he's working with the WWE again, but this time he's passing on his skills and expertise to the next generation. He recently opened the Bulletproof Dojo where he enjoys his new role as mentor and big brother.
Basing the dojo in his hometown in Georgia, Gallows also takes his time to attend and participate in local wrestling events.
Rhonda Rousey
Ronda Rousey has been very vocal about mental health awareness and suicide prevention. In the ring, she's super tough, but the fiercest opponent she ever faced was her own mind. Rousey was brave enough to open up about her own experience with suicide on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
After losing a fight to fellow wrestler Holly Holm, Rousey said, "Honestly, my thought, I was in the medical room and I was down in the corner, and I was like, ‘What am I anymore if I’m not this?' I was literally sitting there and thinking about killing myself."
Summer Rae
Summer Rae didn't have the greatest reputation when she was wrestling in the WWE. Fans saw her as a typical mean girl, but little did they know that her mean girl persona was all an act to get crowds riled up. In real life, Summer Rae is actually very sweet and kind.
In 2015, Summer was on an episode of WWE's hidden camera prank series, Swerved. During the episode, an elderly woman desperately needed to use the restroom and made things...awkward. Not knowing she was being pranked, Summer was extremely nice to the woman. Fans got to know Summer for who she really is: a big softie.
The Miz
The Miz is a recent addition to the WWE's lineup of villains. In the ring, he plays a tough fighter who is overly confident about his own abilities. In reality, The Miz, AKA Michael Gregory Mizanin, is actually super humble. The egomaniacal thing is all an act.
In fact, instead of spending Christmas with his family in 2017, The Miz went on a four-day USO tour to help entertain the troops. He also golfs for charity, raising money for kids with pediatric cancer.
Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho started out his wrestling career as a villain, but he's come a long way since then. He's now known as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Jericho has put his fame to good use by helping out people with physical disabilities at Quantum Leap Farm, a facility that specializes in equine therapy.
Also, when a former colleague died of kidney failure in 2001 and the family couldn't pay for the funeral, Jericho paid for everything.
Lita
A lot of stars have been involved in making kids' dreams come true through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Lita has worked with Make-A-Wish on multiple occasions. Also, she is involved in a high number of other organizations and has founded a few of her own including the Amy Dumas Operation Rescue which helps needy animals get the supplies and homes they deserve.
She has also used her platform to encourage young people to register to vote through WWE's SmackDown Your Vote Campaign.
Triple H
Hated during his heyday with WWE, Triple H has completely turned around his villain reputation since. After retiring from the action in the ring, Paul Levesque took a role behind the scenes, becoming a mentor for a number of up-and-coming WWE superstars.
A few of the young stars of the sport that have expressed their gratitude for Triple H include Finn Balor, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Samoa Joe. They universally praise his passion and love for wrestling. It appears time has softened the former WWE villain and turned him into a very nurturing father figure.
The Devil's Favorite Demon
Known lovingly as the Devil's Favorite Demon in the ring, Kane is actually one of the most charitable people in the sport. First and foremost, he never says no to a photo opportunity with fans. Numerous shots of him with his loyal followers can be easily found on social media. Secondly, he not only donates to charity, he is a major force in the world of fundraising.
In 2015 Kane was the main face behind a fundraiser to help the East Tennessee Children's Hospital raise money. Putting the full weight of his name behind the event, Kane participated in a dance-off that he, not surprisingly, lost. He has also been seen working for a local Tennessee program called Faith to End Hunger, which he regularly helps prepare and serve food with.
Stephanie McMahon
The daughter of WWE President Vince McMahon, Stephanie spent the majority of her WWE career as one of the sports worst villains. Things got even worse for her in 2000 when she teamed up with Triple H to reign down terror on the league. However, since taking a larger role behind the scenes, McMahon has become one of the most loved faces of the league.
Currently the Chief Branding Officer for WWE, Stephanie has earned high praise from her counterparts. Sasha Banks has called Stephanie a critical role model behind the scenes, which is surprising considering her reputation was in the dumps just a few short years ago.
Charlotte Flair
Starting her WWE career as a good guy, Charlotte Flair quickly learned fans preferred her bad. When the lights go down and the makeup comes off, however, Flair reverts right back to being happy and humble. In fact, sources behind the scenes claim she doesn't act anything like the entitled daughter of WWE royalty she portrays.
On the street, Charlotte is just as nice and humble with fans as she is her co-workers. She makes sure when fans ask for pictures that she gives them the time of day they deserve. Soon she will be using her talents for charitable causes too, wrestling in a mixed cage match whose proceeds will be donated to charity.
The Undertaker
The Undertaker is one scary man inside the wrestling ring. But outside the ring, he is one of the most charitable human beings around. One of the activities he's most passionate about is sponsoring sick children. He donates funds to Cheyanna's Champions 4 Children, a charity organization that offers money to families whose insurance doesn't cover life-saving treatments.
Also a big softy for our furry friends, the Undertaker started his own foundation called the Zeus Compton Calaway Save The Animals Fund. Similar to Cheyanna, the Undertaker uses this organization to help families provide their pets with life-saving treatments.
Edge
Edge is one of the nastiest wrestlers an opponent will ever meet. Fans love to hate him while watching him on television. When he's out in public, however, fans love to love him, and he loves his fans right back. Retiring young, Edge now spends most of his time working for positive causes, including volunteering at the Toronto Food Kitchen.
Most notably, Edge was honored by Eblen Charities and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Museum in 2013 for his non-stop charitable work. A long list of charities Edge has worked with includes Be a Star, Make-A-Wish, Dreams Take Flight, the I Have A Dream Foundation and Turkey Tours For Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Ted DiBiase
One time in his career Ted DiBiase offered a child $500 to dribble a basketball 15 times. When the kid got to 14, DiBiase kicked the ball away, ending the bet. Jerks don't come much bigger than DiBiase. Of course, that was all just his character, The Million Dollar Man.
When the lights went out and DiBiase was able to head home he became an entirely different person. As an ordained minister, Ted DiBiase spread the word of God and now spends his life helping underprivileged and sick children. He even films documentaries about children in need to help them get better care.
The Big Show
One of WE's most hated villains over the last 20 years, the mountain of a man known as Big Show is surprisingly charitable in real life. In November 2017, Big Show showed up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and bought coats for kids in need. It gets cold in the Gulf, and the Big Show doesn't like the cold!
Volunteering his time for Pat's Coats for Kids, Big Show went to Walmart that holiday season and bought large numbers of coats to donate to the charity. Including Big Show's contribution, the charity has helped distribute over 83,000 coats to children in need.
Roman Reigns
Entering the WWE as a villain in 2010, Roman Reigns is anything but the bad guy in real life. In fact, in 2015 he was named the number 13 by Athletes Gone Good. The program tracks athletes' charity work to determine who the best "good guys" are. Reigns and John Cena were the only WWE stars to make the list.
To earn his spot at 13, Reigns was noted as having participated in Tennessee's "Dancing with the Knoxville Stars" with Kane. He has also become the face of Bully Text, an organization encouraging youth to stand up and take action against bullying.
Kevin Nash
Never nice during his career as a WWE villain, Kevin Nash has flipped the script in retirement, promising to donate his brain to CTE research after he dies. Working in a profession that forces repetitive head trauma, Nash admits to already having memory problems at 50 years old.
Unfortunately, CTE cannot be diagnosed while a person is alive. This is why Nash is willing to be a part of the research after he's gone. Hopefully, new ways can be developed to identify CTE in a living brain soon. Once that happens, with information from research obtained by Nash's brain among other, perhaps treatments can be developed for CTE sufferers.
Randy Orton
Outside of the arena, WWE star Randy Orton is an incredibly giving soul. He is one of the company's most involved wrestlers with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and participates in countless fundraising events for charitable causes. He also spends time granting wishes for the Kids Wish Network, an organization similar to Make-A-Wish.
On top of spending time raising money, Orton is a volunteer for Tribute to the Troops. Before starting his WWE career, he was a member of the Marines. With all the time Orton spends making other people's lives better, we wonder how much time he has for his own happiness!
CM Punk
CM Punk has a reputation that starts with his name. He's a punk. Except he's really not. In 2008 he bowled for the Kerry Wood's Strike Zone Celebrity Bowling Tournament to help raise money and awareness for healthy eating in schools. He also sold his car at a charity auction, all of the money of which went to kids. And finally, he paid off Joey Mercury's massive debts and helped him overcome his drug problems to rejoin the WWE. What a punk!
Oddly enough, CM Punk does have one evil fault; he believes in manners, even refusing to sign fan autographs or take pictures unless they ask politely. Whether you find that rude or funny, we promise he really is a nice guy who supports charitable causes as much as he can.
Andre The Giant
One of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Andre the Giant was a scary mountain of a man during his storied WWE career. He was also one of the most beloved figures to ever grace the WWE behind the scenes. Sadly, he was also one of the most tragic.
A face for the physically handicapped, Andre was born with acromegaly, a condition where he overproduced HGH. He would never stop growing until he was deformed and fell asleep one last time on his king-sized bed. After his life was over, wrestlers from all praised the giant for being of the nicest and gentlest people they had known.
Ivory
Ivory may be most remembered for being a hardcore conservative who publically feuded with Chyna over the 9th Wonder's Playboy cover. In the storyline, she deliberately breaks Chyna's neck, obviously portraying her as someone downright evil. But spend one minute talking to out-of-the-ring Ivory, and you'll be astonished by she smile and charm.
In real life, Ivory is known for being super sweet. In fact, since retiring, no one has uttered a single bad thing about the former WWE pro. Today, she spends her time volunteering at local animal shelters and even owns her very own animal care and grooming business, Downtown Dog.
Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Guerrero is perhaps one of the most underrated villains of the WWE. While she was a heel, she gave a truly brilliant performance and didn't receive much credit. What was most impressive was that her mean-girl demeanor was all for show.
In real life, Vickie was referred to as the "mother" behind the scenes. Known for her huge heart, she was the first person people would go to when they needed advice.
Kevin Owens
Kevins Owens is perhaps one of the brashest and cockiest WWE wrestlers out there. He is known for his incessant trash talking in the ring and is considered arrogant and rude by many. So when fans encounter Owens out of the ring, they're always caught off guard.
His WWE persona aside, Owens is amazingly calm and respectful. Watch an interview with him and this is clear — although we're glad to see his sarcasm doesn't go anywhere!
Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt is one of the most menacing wrestlers in the WWE, which isn't surprising considering his nickname is The Eater of Worlds. What is surprising, however, is how different Wyatt is out of the ring.
Outside of his WWE persona, Wyatt has been described as one of the most down-to-Earth wrestlers and very easy to talk to. What fans might find most surprising is that he's actually extremely articulate too, which is a far cry from his WWE character's on-screen ramblings. Fans have said he is always eager to strike up a conversation and pose for photos with them.
Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe is the definition of don't judge a book by its cover. One look at the WWE wrestler and you probably wouldn't think that he is actually a gentle giant. We can't blame you though — after all, Samoa Joe is known for demolishing his opponents and disrespecting legends like Willian Regal.
In real life, however, Samoa Joe couldn't be further from his WWE persona. Samoa Joe has been praised by his fellow WWE co-workers as a "locker room leader." he's known for being the first one to step up whenever a rookie has a question or needs advice. Considering he's a veteran, we hope they listen up!
Torrie Wilson
While some wrestlers and models might have their head and ego up in the clouds, others like WWE Wrestler Torrie Wilson stay true to themselves. Wilson has a massive Instagram following and regularly posts inspirational fitness images and down to earth feelings about life.
Here she posted, "Set mind on seeing miracles, crossing paths with cool people, laughing at inappropriate times & finding the cheesy silver lining to things that bring you down. Hard to notice the bad when focused on the GREAT."
Molly Holly
After she retired from the WWF/WWE "Molly Holly" aka Nora Kristina Benshoof decided to apply her talent in teaching at The Academy School of Professional Wrestling. Molly Holly competed on the world stage from 1997-2005, was inducted into the Hall of Fame and is one of the most respected women in wrestling.
Today she teaches at the wrestling academy in Minnesota, where Benshoof is the female head coach at the training facility, passing on her knowledge to the next generation. It takes a special person to become a coach and Benshoof fits the bill.
Beth Phoenix
Yes, when she's not throwing other WWE stars to the mat, WWE Wrestler Beth Phoenix shows her softer side. A mother of two daughters with wrestler Adam Copeland aka Edge, Phoenix balances her wrestling life with her home life.
On her Instagram, the wrestler records videos of herself strumming the guitar while singing lullabies to her youngest, Ruby. It's enough to melt your black heart!
Madusa
Madusa, aka Debrah Ann Miceli, is mostly known for holding the AWA World Women's Championship Title and being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, but she also has a soft spot.
The Italian-American has accomplished her life's dreams and is now relaxing and reflecting on her adrenaline-filled life. Miceli now owns a grooming and pet spa, as well as a bakery for dogs in Lecanto, Florida where she lives.
AJ Styles
AJ Styles is known for being mean in the ring, but in his personal life, he's a very charitable athlete. He's worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation for years and regularly meets up with kids and their families.
In 2017, after Hurricane Harvey devastated parts of Texas, AJ Styles, along with some of his WWE cohorts, stepped in to offer assistance to those in need. Styles, in particular, volunteered at the Houston Food Bank and put together boxes of food. He also helped gather medical supplies and put together medical kits for families in need. Styles wasn't the only WWE wrestler who stepped up after Hurricane Harvey.
Booker T
Booker T may have retired in 2016, but he is one of the most decorated WWE wrestlers and holds a whopping 35 championships. But while he may be one of the greatest heavyweight champions in the world, Booker T is a big softie deep down.
The wrestler is a Houston native, so when Hurricane Harvey hit the state, he had a close-up view of the widespread devastation. Anxious to give back to the recovery city, Booker T got to work. The former WWE helped package food and medical supplies for those in need and even helped build new homes for some of the families who lost everything.
The Bella Twins
Brie and Nikki Bella are tough in the ring, but true softies at heart and have been open about their passion for using their celebrity to help others. In 2017, the twins celebrated a career milestone at the SummerSlam when they were able to grant their first Make-a-Wish before the event. The sisters granted a wish to 10-year-old Georgina Frank, who suffers from a terminal illness. The duo spent an afternoon with Georgina, signing her gear and just hanging out.
In addition to their work with Make-a-Wish, the Bella twins also have a company called Birdiebee, which was just recently launched. Birdiebee combines philanthropy and beautiful products to support women around the world.
Daniel Bryan
Connor Michalek was a WWE super fan when he was diagnosed with a rare brain and spinal tumor when he was three years old. A WWE super fan, Connor posted a video to YouTube in 2012 asking to meet his hero, Daniel Bryan.
The video quickly went viral and found its way to Bryan himself. The wrestler made Connor’s wish come true, meeting him during a WWE Raw Event on December 18, 2012. Bryan kept in touch with Connor and made a special stop to see him again the next summer when Raw was in Connor’s hometown. Bryan wasn’t the only WWE wrestler who stepped up for Connor though.
Connor Michalek
When they’re pinning their opponents to the ground, it’s hard to imagine any WWE wrestler having a soft spot. But after wrestler Daniel Bryan stepped up for Connor Michalek, the entire WWE rallied behind him too.
While attending the Royal Rumble in 2014, Connor and his family were introduced to WWE announcer Justin Roberts. Roberts introduced the young boy to other WWE personalities and eventually invited him into the ring. Connor even scored a pinfall victory against Triple H. Talk about a dream come true.
Connor’s Legacy Lives On
Connor passed away on April 25, 2014, but thanks to the WWE his legacy lives on. Before his death, Connor formed a connection with wrestlers Stephanie McMahon and Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who decided to honor him by creating Connor’s Cure. The funding program was established with the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
Since its inception, Connor’s Cure has raised more than $1 million for pediatric cancer research. And, on March 15, 2015, it was announced that Connor would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He is the youngest person to ever receive the title.
Hulk Hogan Is Good At Heart
Hulk Hogan wasn’t widely considered a villain in the ring throughout his nearly 40-year-career with the WWE. But it was his personal life that got him into trouble. Unfortunately for the Hulk and his fans, he became better known for things like sex tapes and racial slurs rather than his moves in the ring.
But despite the wrestler’s slip-ups, there is no denying that Hulk Hogan is one of the most charitable wrestlers out there. Hulk has been involved with various charities throughout his life and has worked with the Boys & Girls Club, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, and has been a big advocate for diabetes research. That’s not all he’s done though.
Hulk Hogan’s Charitable Work
In addition to his work with the youth, Hulk Hogan is also heavily involved with the Special Olympics. Alongside John Cena and Stephanie McMahon, Hogan helped raise $25,000 for the event in 2015. That same year, he partnered with Barrett-Jackson and helped raise more than $1 million for U.S. cancer patients, veterans, and children in need.
Charitable deeds are nothing new for this WWE Hall of Famer. Hogan’s charitable goes back nearly as far as his career when he was known for work with muscular dystrophy research.
