10 WWE superstars who have battled addiction

WWE is a sport loved all over the world, with millions of people tuning in every night from all around the globe to watch their favourite stars in action. For fans, the WWE superstars aren’t just average wrestlers, they’re heroes, sometimes even gods with a huge army of followers, who are awed by their actions and are ready to follow their every command.

However, many people forget that off camera, wrestlers are still human beings and are prone to occasional errors in judgement. Coping with fame isn’t the easiest thing in the world, and it’s that inability that has driven some of the franchise's most revered names into tragic addictions.

And while some wrestlers have won the battle against the bottle and the syringe, others have sadly succumbed to it. With that in mind, let’s take a look at 10 WWE superstars who have battled addiction.

#1 Eddie Guerrero

If one surname commands massive respect in WWE, it has to be Guerrero, with the family having a distinguished history in the sport of wrestling. Eddie did everything in his power to add to his family’s prestige, and besides winning multiple titles is considered as one of the most gifted wrestlers the franchise has ever seen.

However, Guerrero was one of the many who was swayed by the artificial power of drugs and soon developed an addiction to painkillers and alcohol which put his relationship with WWE on the rocks.

WWE on their part checked their star into a rehab centre, but the move was ultimately in vain as Eddie was arrested for DUI soon after his release. The toll of drugs was too much for his body to handle, which played a huge role in his passing away years later after successfully being sober for over 4 years.

#2 Jake Roberts

Jake “The Snake” Roberts, famous for throwing pythons on his downed opponents is a WWE Hall of Famer and one of the franchise’s most memorable wrestlers, but his addiction to drugs and alcohol led to his dishonourable departure from the show. Roberts was helped by the WWE almost a decade after his firing, and his stint in rehab was even paid for by the franchise, but that was just the first step in his recovery.

The 60-year-old spoke about the depression he felt during his addiction, deteriorating so much that he was just waiting to die before being helped out of his addiction completely by fellow wrestler Diamond Dallas Page. Roberts is now fully sober and spends a lot of time with his family.

#3 Randy Orton

The veteran who’s undoubtedly one of WWE’s most popular stars, as well as a 13-time world champion, also had his problems with drugs. In fact Orton has violated WWE’s Wellness Policy on two occasions, and was close to being struck off its rolls even though the franchise invested heavily in him.

Orton has been accused of using performance-enhancing steroids Stanozolol and Nandrolone as well as Somatropin, which is a growth hormone enhancer. The wrestler even revealed that he had a brush with death back in 2006 after he ODed in his home and was saved only because of his wife’s quick thinking decision to call an ambulance.

#4 Kurt Angle

I don’t think there are enough words to describe Kurt Angle. Besides breaking numerous records in his career with both WWE and TNA, Angle is also the holder of one of the sport’s most prestigious prizes – an Olympic gold which he won in the 1996 Summer Olympics for freestyle wrestling.

However, Angle’s world soon came crashing down after Sports Illustrated exposed the wrestler as a patient on the database of a wellness centre in Florida, which was suspected of actually being a performance-enhancing drug distributor.

The 46-year-old was said to have been provided with trenbolone and nandrolone, both dangerous steroids, by the clinic. Angle denied the allegations on his website, but a failed steroid test proved otherwise.

He has since overcome his issues, staying sober and triumphantly returning to WWE in 2017, where he was inducted into the Hall Of Fame as well as returning on-screen as RAW General Manager.

#5 Rey Mysterio

I’m sure every kid from my generation was enamoured by the sheer brilliance of Rey Mysterio. With his brilliant character, energetic style and not to forget the 619, Oscar Gutierrez took little time in winning our hearts. Sadly Mysterio’s life outside the ring wasn’t as successful, and the much loved Mexican soon developed a substance abuse problem.

An addiction to painkillers followed, which ultimately led to WWE intervening and checking their superstar into rehab to sort out his problems. However, all the substances led him to become a shadow of his past self, something that the WWE noticed too and chose not to fight to keep one of their best performers, ending his 13-year association with the franchise.

#6 Lex Luger

Lex Luger has a long, murky history with substance abuse and alcohol problems. In fact, both of those addictions took away the life of his then-girlfriend Miss Elizabeth. Luger revealed knowledge of his problems of drug abuse to the public in his book Wrestling with the Devil: The True Story of a World Champion Professional Wrestler – His Reign, Ruin, and Redemption.

The 57-year-old stated that he got hooked onto the habit after hanging out with his colleagues, and soon thought of drugs as a daily companion of every WWE superstar. It was only later that Luger realised that he made a costly error, and is today completely sober thanks to his religious beliefs.

#7 Goldust

Virgil Riley Runnels III aka Goldust, is easily one of WWE’s most recognizable wrestlers, with his distinctive face paint and costume etched in many a fans memory. The 19 titles he’s won has also done its bit in making Goldust a memorable part of the franchise. However, drugs lured him into its vortex too and he confessed to taking cocaine before matches without realizing its damaging effects.

His morning too begun with various dosages of painkillers and muscle relaxants, so much so that there was a time when he was on 40 pills a day. That’s all in the past now, and Goldust is still going strong in WWE, even if his on-screen roles have reduced slowly through the years.

#8 Jeff Hardy

Both the Hardy Boyz have had trouble with drugs, but Jeff clearly got the worst of it. It was drugs that got him fired from WWE, who threatened to terminate his contract if he didn’t go to rehab and made good on their promise after he turned down their offer. Jeff then switched to TNA where he was again fired after going AWOL on numerous events.

WWE then rehired him, only to suspend him after he failed his drug tests twice. However, Jeff seems to have taken the road to recovery, enjoying another successful run with Impact Wrestling before eventually returning to WWE with Matt Hardy in 2017.

#9 Sean Waltman

The Minneapolis born wrestler has been associated with the WWE since the early ‘90s, winning his fair share of titles and is currently a part of their legends program. However, all that fame came at a price and soon found himself addicted to various drugs including hydrocodone, paraphernalia, cocaine and crystal meth.

His addiction took a heavy toll on his personal life and even aroused suicidal tendencies in him. His WWE colleagues Triple H, fellow WWE legend Kevin Nash and Vince McMahon helped Waltman get his affairs in order by sending him to rehab, with McMahon paying half the cost due to his friendship with Waltman.

#10 Scott Hall

Hall is a WWE legend who’s won some of the franchise’s most prestigious titles as well as being known as one of the founding members of NWO, all this has got him an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately, something that Hall is also famous for is his long history of alcohol and drug addiction. His addiction has led to multiple run ins with the law dating back to 1983 when he was charged with second degree murder after shooting a man in self defence, and hasn’t been able to fully stay out of trouble ever since.

Hall’s misery reached its peak in 2010 when he was charged with disorderly conduct for resisting arrest, which led to his firing from TNA. After the incident he checked into a rehab facility, with his tab being picked up by the WWE, but his battle with alcoholism continues to this day.

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Edited by Staff Editor