From headlocks to genetic therapy, Josh Hunter is doing all that he can to knock out ALS, and he’s adding new tag-team partners along the way.
Josh Hunter is living with a rare form of genetic ALS called Juvenile ALS. In 2024, Josh attended the ALS United Mid-Atlantic Help and Hope Symposium, where he learned about ongoing progress in ALS research and how people like him could be empowered to help find new treatments and a cure for the disease.
Weeks after that first event, Josh participated in state advocacy in Harrisburg, PA. He saw how powerful his story could be to advance funding for ALS care programs. Josh met more tag-team partners in his ALS fight, including other ALS advocates and legislators like State Representatives Bryan Cutler and Kyle Mullins.
Josh told the ALS United Mid-Atlantic team about his personal history with competitive fighting and other physical activities. His good friend Jeff Chandler, who joined Josh in advocacy and has been recording Josh’s story, has his own fighting background as an amateur boxer. In October, All Elite Wrestling invited Josh and his family to attend an event a TV taping in Philadelphia for ALS Awareness with the help of AEW referee Bryce Remsburg. During the show, the AEW team recognized Josh and ALS United Mid-Atlantic.
Two weeks after the wrestling show, Josh was joined on stage at the ALS United Mid-Atlantic Annual Celebration by Bryce Remsburg and AEW stars Anthony Bowens and Wheeler Yuta to recognize the Philadelphia Phillies for their 40-year commitment to Strike Out ALS.
The work from 2024 led to a “Double Main Event” for Josh and his family in April 2025. On April 6th, Josh, Jeff, and Josh’s daughter Phoenix were guests at the AEW Dynasty show in Philadelphia. During the show, Linda Leludis, an executive with AEW, found Josh and invited Phoenix backstage where she not only met many of the wrestling stars, but she got to interview them. The show did not end until after midnight, but Phoenix was so excited that she stayed up until the end, walking hand in hand with her dad out of the arena. Phoenix could not stop talking about her experience the whole next day at school.
The second part of Josh’s Double Main Event came with the 2025 ALS United Mid-Atlantic Help and Hope Symposium, where Josh heard from speakers such as Dr. Zachary Simmons from Penn State Health Hershey Medical Center about new research on the benefits of multidisciplinary care.
Click here to view videos from the Help and Hope Event.
With renewed energy and education, and a growing list of new tag-team partners, Josh is ready to take the fight to ALS. In April, Josh spoke on the ALS United Mid-Atlantic GOALS Podcast about his recent experience and events, and he is once again preparing to join ALS advocacy efforts in Harrisburg.
The next big fight on Josh’s mind is the XRumble Celebrity Boxing Fight for ALS United Mid-Atlantic and Mental Health Awareness. This special event takes place on June 14th at Harrah’s Philadelphia in Chester, PA, and it features a guest appearance by wrestling legend Ric Flair. Jeff Chandler will join Josh at the event, not as a guest, but as a fighter himself to represent Josh and the ALS cause. Tickets and other information are at www.xrumble.com.
From between the ropes to the research lab, Josh Hunter is ready to take the fight to ALS. You can join the growing tag-team effort by participating in an ALS United Mid-Atlantic event, donating, volunteering, or advocating.