From WWE wrestler to healer in Phl

This is the story of how one man’s undimmed flaming desire to doggedly pursue his dreams at any cost put him on a long, circuitous roller-coster ride that would take him through tragedy and pain, push him to travel all over the US, make it to the World Wrestling Entertainment, take on a medical profession, and finally uproot to the Philippines.

Twenty-five years ago, a five-year old boy named Don Juan Moore Jr. was lying on the living room floor of their family home in New York as his father, Don Sr., was flipping through the channels. He caught a split-second glimpse of a balding blonde giant in yellow tights, and asked his father to change back to that station. It was Hulk Hogan. Since then, all Don Jr. could think about was becoming a professional wrestler.

“Ever since then, I was hooked,” says big Don Moore, now six-foot six inches tall and well over 250 pounds. “Growing up, I always had the dream of pursuing wrestling. And going through high school, I realized I’m 6’3”, 6’4” and putting on size, 250, 260. At one point, I was 320 pounds.”

Though he could have had a future or even a college scholarship playing American football, the sport held no attraction for him. Instead, he gravitated towards kickboxing and other martial arts. An intimidating image given his size. 

Don’s original goal was to take veterinary medicine at Cornell University, the alma mater of Powerade assistant coach and former MBA MVP Alex Compton. Sadly, in his senior year of high school, both his mother and aunt were found to have breast cancer, with his aunt at a far more advanced stage of the disease. Seeing her deteriorate and watching his father wear himself out holding down six jobs to pay for their medical and household expenses, Don could not bear to add a large tuition to their burden. He concocted a ruse that Cornell allowed him two years off so he could stay close to home. The truth was that he had been accepted, but couldn’t bear to leave and saddle the family with his college expenses. He turned Cornell down.

Opting to go to nearby Stony Brook University instead, Don met a fellow freshman whose roommate was training to be a pro wrestler. Needless to say, this was the outlet he needed to take his mind off his mother’s illness and their financial challenges.

“I was working as a physical therapy aide, I was going to Stony Brook full-time, I would work out at the gym, and then I had this wrestling thing which was my personal outlet and escape from what was going on at home,” Moore, now a licensed chiropractor, explains. “My Dad was really against it, but it was something that I really wanted to do to take my mind off everything.”

In fact, when his father, a Vietnam War veteran and Army plane builder, found out, he promptly threw a fit, hurling tools at the garage wall. But the elder Moore realized that it was his son’s passion, and only had himself to blame for encouraging his child to pursue his dreams, no matter what. 

“It was a tough time. But it also made me realize that if I wanted to do something, now was the time to do it,” Moore recalls. “You never know what tomorrow is going to bring.”

After two years, Moore transferred to Ithaca, choosing chiropractic over physical therapy, believing it would actually better his chances at becoming a professional wrestler. When he graduated from Ithaca in December of 2003, Moore felt he was ready to make it to the WWE. The opportunity for a trout in Louisville, Kentucky was approaching, and Don worked three jobs to raise the money for the trip, jobs he despised. But he was dead set on doing it, whether anyone was going to help him or not.

Then one day, his bear of a father gruffly told him to quit his jobs. When Don protested, Don Sr. handed him $1,000 he had worked extra hard to save, just so his son could go get his dreams.

That was the final piece of the puzzle. Don Moore would soon strike up friendships with WWE champion and action star John Cena, who would pave the way for him to overcome devastating injuries and finally become a professional wrestler. In a curious turn of events, WWE foil Mick Foley would later guide Don to fight his fears and pack his bags to heal people in the Philippines, a country he had never been to.

That part of his story on Monday.