5 current WWE Superstars who overcame addiction

The wrestling world both inside and outside of WWE can sometimes be an unforgivable place and the pressures of being in the public eye can become too much for some stars.

The wrestling world was handed the news that Jon Moxley was forced to enter an inpatient treatment facility earlier this week after admitting his struggle with alcohol.

Both WWE and AEW fans are united in wishing Moxley the best possible outcome on what will be a long journey, but there is hope for the former WWE Superstar. The following list looks at just five current WWE Superstars who managed to put their demons behind them and move forward in their careers.

---

#5. WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels is a former world champion and one of the stars who inspired many of the current generation of WWE Superstars. Michaels is widely considered to be one of the best wrestlers of all time, but his career didn't come without its setbacks.

Following a back injury at The Royal Rumble in 1998, Michaels had a legitimate reason to take painkillers and muscle relaxers, but these later became part of his everyday life.

Michaels' son was very young at the time and after he was a witness to the way his life was spiraling out of control, the former champion decided it was time to take back control.

His wife Rebecca, whom he married in 1999, went on to explain that his was the final straw for him and he was determined to recover:

“I think that was the last straw for him,” Rebecca explains of her husband. “He woke up the next morning and told me he was never taking pills or drinking again, and from that point, he didn’t. It was an instantaneous letting go of the drugs and alcohol.”

Once sober, The Heartbreak Kid became a born-again Christian and was later able to get his life back on track. Michaels currently works backstage in NXT and has been the man at the helm of the brand over the past few weeks whilst Triple H recovers from surgery.

#4. Current WWE Superstar Eva Marie

Eva Marie recently made her return to WWE after initially being released from the company back in 2017.

Marie was one of the main cast members on Total Divas during her first stint in the company and was able to open up about a number of facts about her personal life.

One of the things that Marie shared with the WWE Universe was the fact that she struggled with addiction when she was younger. She noted that her issues started when she went to college:

"I left my parent’s house to venture into college and things of that nature, that’s when things started to unravel and get out of hand. It was like ‘no curfew, oh my God, I can do this, I can do this.’ I first got sober at 23 because of my oldest brother, he got me sober and I look up to him to this day. Wrecking cars, getting DUIs, and going to jail. Those aren’t normal things, especially not how I was raised and I knew that I didn’t want to be that person."

Marie has since been able to recover after entering a treatment program and has since kept the WWE Universe up to date with her recovery. Marie celebrated eight years sober back in March.

#3. Former WWE Champion Randy Orton

Randy Orton has been part of WWE for more than two decades, but in that time the former 14-time World Champion has had a few struggles.

In Orton's earlier career, many former stars have spoken out about the fact that The Viper was a very different person. The Legend Killer has since matured and has talked openly about many of the regrets that he had about his earlier career.

Back in 2006, Orton suffered an overdose that almost cost him his life. This was the start of a downfall for Orton which led to several suspensions from the company before The Viper got his life back on track.

Orton voluntarily entered a Drug Rehabilitation Center following a rotator cuff injury back in 2015 and has since turned over a new leaf. Orton has become one of the company's biggest stars in recent years and has even began taking younger stars under his wing in WWE. He has also since married Kim Kessler and welcomed a second daughter called Brooklyn Rose in 2016.

#2. WWE legend William Regal

William Regal is currently seen as the General Manager of WWE's NXT brand, after his career in the squared circle came to an end a number of years ago.

The former WWE European Champion is one of the stars who hasn't shied away from his past issues and has publicly spoken out about his addiction in the past:

“I didn’t drink until I was 25, I didn’t do anything, it was just not something that I did. I left home when I was 16 and I was in nightclubs every night after work. I lived in a resort area where, within a mile walk of my house, there was 52 nightclubs and over 300 bars, and I was in one of them every night. I never drank, I just liked going out until I came to America and I sort of started doing a bit of this and a bit of that. I started taking a lot of pain pills and everything else. I coped with it for a while and then, the last few months of 1997 and 1998 were a complete mess. Then I said enough, I just had enough of it,” revealed Regal.

Regal was able to get the help that he needed and after attending rehab he was able to get his life and career back on track. Regal has since used his experience to help other WWE stars who go through the same issues and has refused to hide away from the addiction that he once struggled with.

#1. Former WWE Champion Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy is one of WWE's most popular superstars. Throughout his career the former Champion has put his body on the line so many times that it reached breaking point when Hardy became addicted to both pain medication and alcohol.

The former WWE Champion has taken the WWE Universe on his journey throughout his career, which has included a number of up and downs. Hardy has been in the public eye since he was a teenager and it's been a rollercoaster ever since.

The Charismatic Enigma recently noted that his struggles began when he was in his 20s:

“Since my early 20s, it’s been a rollercoaster ride with addiction and alcoholism. I’ve had sober runs, doing good for a while, but then I’d always go back. Now I hope I’m done with that. As long as I stay on the straight and narrow, the sky is the limit,” revealed Hardy.

At the age of 44, Hardy has recently been moved over to SmackDown and may be on the final run of his career.