Wrestling isn’t all about glory and highfalutin paycheques. There are a lot of hazards along the way, some of them manifesting during the course of the career, while some lay dormant only to prop up once the show is over.
There have been wrestlers who’ve have had serious mental issues; some born with it, some having imbibed it courtesy alcoholism and drug abuse. Here are 10 Superstars with serious mental disorders:
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#10 Bret Hart
Bret Hart’s life has been far from easy and the dramatic events that plagued his life ultimately propelled a serious bout of depression. The thing that triggered it was (you guessed it), The Montreal Screwjob.
After being handed a loss at the behest of the Vincent Kennedy McMahon against The Heartbreak Kid, Bret Hart’s life plummeted into the doldrums.
Also read: 5 WWE Superstars who have fought mental issues
He lost his brother, Owen, at Over the Edge 1999 and both his parents subsequently passed away in a span of two years. All of this coagulated into crippling depression and Bret Hart found it difficult to cope with it.
He even suffered a stroke in 2002, adding further misery to his already abysmal life story.
#9 The Rock
You might think Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s life has always been peaches ‘n’ cream; turns out not all was good for The Great One, especially during his late teenage years. The Rock battled depression not once but on three different occasions.
This just goes to show that depression spares no one, not even the greatest showman in the history of the World Wrestling Entertainment! His ouster from a possible football career anchored his depression and he went through a really rough patch when his family was rendered homeless.
Even success as a movie-star (and sporadic WWE appearances) couldn’t dissuade depression as he succumbed to a failed marriage. But, knowing The Rock, he conquered his demons and is now an unstoppable force!
#8 Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss suffered from anorexia, something that is responsible for ruining the lives of many women from around the world. Despite being a fairly diminutive figure, standing at 5 feet tall, Alexa Bliss tried to purge “excess” weight and ended up losing a whopping 30 pounds in six weeks, while she was in high school.
The condition worsened to an extent to which her heart rate dropped to 28 beats a minute (which equates to ‘barely living). With the heart rate dipping to such a low level, it could have created other complications that could have led to her untimely demise, but Alexa battled her way through it and turned things around.
She ended up becoming one of the major successes in the WWE’s Women’s division!
#7 Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts
From being one of the stellar performers in the industry, to being just another drug-addict, Jake Robert’s has life has been one wicked melange of good and extremely bad. He battled with drug and alcohol addiction for almost all of his life, which led to him being depressed and battling loneliness.
The addiction spawned depression forced him to lose grip on his life. Guess who came to his rescue? “It’s me, it’s me, it’s DDP”! Diamond Dallas Page took Jake under his care and made his life better.
Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts is now a born-again Christian and a WWE Hall of Famer.
#6 Luna Vachon
A star performer of the 90s and Gangrel’s real-life wife Luna Vachon succumbed to Bipolar Disorder that made life quite an arduous challenge for her. In addition, she battled manic depression that forced her to check in to rehab several times during her stint with the World Wrestling Entertainment.
She found it hard to cope with life post retirement and in 2009, her home caught fire and burnt down all of her wrestling-related memorabilia and paraphernalia.
Less than a year after the incident, she was found dead in her mother’s home and it was disclosed that she was apparently addicted to pain medication and that her death was the result of an overdose.
#5 Mark Henry
Mark Henry was grieving the loss of his father when he was diagnosed with dyslexia, at the age of 12.
A serious injury to the wrist then forced a curtain-call on his football career. Despite the fact that he couldn’t read well, Henry worked his way through adversities as a powerlifter, something he took very seriously.
His exploits at powerlifting led to him being bestowed with the ‘World’s Strongest Man’ moniker.
#4 Macho Man Randy Savage
Macho Man Randy Savage was one of the most successful wrestlers to have the graced the business of professional wrestling, but not many know that most of his success in the ring was courtesy of his obsessive compulsive disorder.
Macho Man would plan all of his moves, well in advance to exhibit perfection inside the squared circle, much to the annoyance of his fellow wrestlers. He would often get into tussles with his opponents if they did anything that wasn’t rehearsed!
#3 Hulk Hogan
The very face of professional wrestling, Hulk Hogan had to go through a lot of bedlam that defined his life outside of the business. He saw his life tearing to shreds, right before his eyes. His marriage of 25 years ended in a divorce, he lost some of his closest mates to drugs and alcohol.
Hell, he even had his sex tape released to the public by a trusted ally! His son had issues of his own, resulting in him being incarcerated. Depression soon took over and Hogan would spend time drinking alcohol heavily.
#2 Diamond Dallas Page
A diabolical combination of dyslexia and attention deficit disorder did little to dissuade Diamond Dallas Page to live the life of his dreams.
Despite not being able to read a book (his level of comprehension was that of a third grader’s), he successfully managed a nightclub, was a three-time WCW champion and is currently one of the most well-known wrestling personalities following his success as a yoga exponent!
#1 Vince McMahon
If you didn’t know, Vince McMahon has been a dyslexic his entire life. However, dyslexia never stopped The Boss from catapulting his company to dizzying heights and stellar fame.
It is rather appalling to know that Vince made pro-wrestling what it is without reading a single contract, because of his dyslexia!
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