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Huerta endured a challenging early childhood through his teenage years, facing numerous obstacles and often described as having a life fit for a Hollywood film. Born to Lydia and Rogelio Huerta in Los Angeles, California, he spent his first six years in Texas. His father struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and had an affair that led to a separation from Lydia.
Huerta’s mother became physically abusive, and when he arrived at school covered in bruises, Child Protective Services stepped in and placed him briefly in foster care. In 1990, Lydia lost custody and fled the U.S. with 7-year-old Huerta to her parents’ home in El Salvador. Soon after, she abandoned him with his grandparents during the El Salvadoran Civil War. A year later, she returned only to leave him on his father’s doorstep in Texas, the last time he saw her. Huerta has openly shared the mental and physical abuse he suffered from his father and stepmother during that period. The following year, he was moved to Mexico to live with his paternal grandparents in poverty, often sent out to sell picture frames to tourists for money. For a short time, his father and stepmother reentered his life, relocating to the Rio Grande Valley and enrolling him midway through 3rd grade. At 12, his father left home, and soon after, his stepmother kicked him out. Homeless for years, Huerta survived by joining a youth gang, often sleeping in alleys and rooftops, but was encouraged by friends to stay in school, where he received free breakfast and lunch.
He occasionally stayed with friends, and just before his freshman year, his life began to improve. Maria King, a friend's mother, gained legal custody of him, and they moved to Austin, Texas, where he attended Crockett High School. For the first time, he experienced stability, became popular, and joined multiple sports teams, including football and wrestling. There, he met Jo Ramirez, his English teacher, who learned about his difficult past during conversations about his future. Bryan Ashford, the wrestling coach, also took a keen interest and supported him in wrestling competitions. Ramirez, a mother of seven, adopted Huerta in 2002 when he was 19.
With Ashford’s coaching and Ramirez’s support, Huerta applied for a collegiate wrestling scholarship. He is currently attending Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management with one year remaining, and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.
