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Richard Holliday has not stepped in a wrestling ring since late June. Since then, he has wrestled a far different opponent: Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” says Holliday, whose real name is Joe Zimbardi. “You never expect this will happen to you. I took such pride in my health, so to get news like this was quite shocking.”
Holliday began experiencing a vicious bout of night sweats in June, a time when his sole focus was on a Falls Count Anywhere match against MLW champion Alexander Hammerstone. The relationship between the former best friends had dissolved when Holliday laid out Hammerstone, and their match at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens was the payoff to the angle.
Only 30, Holliday was flourishing in his role as a heel, cutting gripping promos and backing up his trash talk in the ring. A modern-day Paul Roma (especially fitting since he trained under Roma’s tutelage), this feud in MLW signified the beginning of Holliday’s rise as a top heel.
But those plans were abruptly halted.
“When I wrestled Hammer in June, I was taking Dayquil to try to get through every day,” Holliday says. “I kept pushing and pushing, but I just felt off. At that point, I had just got home from California. The whole time I was there, I was freezing. I was pale white when I left after a month.”
At first, the prevailing thought was that he had contracted some sort of virus or stomach bug. Once he finished his match against Hammerstone, his condition continued to decline.
Severe dizzy spells arrived in July, prompting a visit to the emergency room. His iron and hemoglobin were dangerously low, and doctors thought he was anemic.
“I was taking iron pills to try to counter that, but my levels kept dropping,” Holliday says. “They checked if I had internal bleeding, which I didn’t, and then they ran a litany of tests and a scan of my body for a possible case of lymphoma in September. Those tests confirmed it was Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”
Sitting in a sterile room at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, Conn., Holliday—who had his mother on speaker phone—listened as his doctor informed him that he had cancer.
“It was earth-shattering, devastating,” Holliday says. “But I knew right then I needed to change my mindset. The mind powers the body, so I needed to stay positive. I was reassured by my doctor that I could beat this, and I believe I am going to beat this.”
For those familiar with Holliday’s bravado in the ring, it will hardly come as a surprise that he requested to immediately start chemotherapy during the very same discussion with his doctor that he learned his diagnosis. And his aggressive outlook did not change upon learning the diagnosis was Stage 4 lymphoma.
“My plan is not to lose to lymphoma; my plan is to inspire people,” says Holliday, who is already halfway through his 12 rounds of chemotherapy. “I’m going to come out of this stronger, and I’m going to let people know they can beat it, too.”
Holliday is taking every effort to remain in shape. He has been working out, with long walks becoming his new favorite form of cardio. That will change as he becomes stronger and more able to build his endurance and physical activity. And he has a secret weapon powering his recovery in pro wrestling.
The thought of returning to the ring and resuming his life’s work is instant inspiration. A pro wrestling return is constantly on Holliday’s mind, which is a sign his recovery is progressing.
“For a little while at first, I was so busy with treatments, I felt so removed from wrestling,” Holliday says. “It was even tough to watch, knowing it was ripped away from me. Now I can’t stop thinking about my return.
“Outside of my family, wrestling is the most important thing in my life. I was so upset it was taken from me. Now I’m so excited for the future.”
Holliday maps out his return every day. That is a shining light for him, providing nonstop hope amid the difficulties of chemotherapy.
“I think about my return every single day,” Holliday says. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. But this is a process. I know there are more steps after chemotherapy. Mentally, right now, I am ready. Physically, I know it’s going to take some time. But I will be back.”
Cancer is an opponent unlike any Holliday has faced before, but his time in pro wrestling has taught him that the hero always overcomes the heel. His sole goal is to reach his next milestone, which is when he can be declared cancer-free after his last treatment—and then ring the celebratory bell to commemorate the occasion.
“When I ring the bell, I’m planning on doing it so hard that I’ll break it,” Holliday says. “I’ll be happy to buy them a new one.”
Holliday is buoyed by dreams of a long life and his never-ending ambition. Overflowing with fighting spirit, he is grateful for the strength to beat away such a terrible disease.
“This process works as long as you stay positive,” Holliday says. “And I’m going to beat it.”
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
