The stories about addiction in the wrestling business are always painful. While it is a great story when someone actually breaks out from the claws of alcoholism, being in such a phase is not at all a great experience. Careers are destroyed, families are broken, and most importantly a life is ruined if help does not come at the right time.
There has been a long list of superstars who struggled with alcohol addiction. Some escaped before it was too late when some others fell hard. This list is going to take a look at those professional wrestlers that struggled with alcohol addiction.
Lex Luger
Lex Luger was once a star that the WWE saw great potential in. While it was predominantly odd booking decisions that ruined his career, one other thing that contributed to the fall of Luger was his problems with addiction. Luger had problems with both drugs and alcohol with the former being dominant over the latter.
He was arrested for domestic violence against Miss Elizabeth whom Luger allegedly beat up. He has been arrested for possession of drugs and has had a five year probation period along with the fine. Luger turned his life around and announced himself as a born-again Christian back in 2006. Luger currently travels around in a wheelchair but his spirit to spread good will still shines.
Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle is one of those superstars that has made his mark in the business. He had a great run in WWE first and then went on to TNA and got them a place in the map too. While these all contribute to the good side of Angle’s career, he has had to endure his own struggles. Angle was addicted to pain killers and alcohol that he had to consume in order to keep wrestling.
His alcohol addictions apparently led to four arrests and eventually forced him into rehab. Since then, Angle claims that he has been sober for a long time but his phase of addiction is enough to get him into this list.
Jake Roberts
Just like most of the other superstars in this list, the struggles of Jake Roberts are pretty well known in the wrestling community. This first came into the limelight when he was fired from the company back in 1997 and matters went from bad to worse when he was featured in the Beyond the Mat documentary.
His public image took a big toll due to this and he then went on to have a lot of troubles afterwards. Jake spent a long time in prisons and rehab centers before finally turning around his fortune with the help of Diamond Dallas Page’s Yoga program. DDP’s healthy influence changed the course of Jake’s life and currently, it would be safe to say that he leads a happy life these days.
Eddie Guerrero
It’s been almost a decade after the death of Eddie Guerrero, but he is still remembered by millions of fans around the world. After spending his time wrestling all over the world, his first success as a big star came in WWE. But Eddie did have his problems. Eddie was addicted to alcohol, painkillers, and had addictions to a string of other drugs as well.
Eddie did try hard to come out clean and after numerous attempts, he ended up breaking his addiction. Eddie went on to have a successful run afterwards before he died in 2005 due to heart failure. The heart failure apparently was tied in to the abuse that his body had undergone due to addiction earlier in his life.
Scott Hall
The struggles that Scott Hall had with alcohol are well documented. Hall, who once stood out as a great performer in the wrestling ring, soon stooped low and spent some time with his personal demons. He was even released in 2002 due to alcohol addiction and had to check into rehab on numerous locations. To make matter worse, Hall claims that he could’ve died on various occasions.
Hall, however, turned his life around with the help of Diamond Dallas Page. Page also set up a fundraiser for Hall’s surgeries and after all that, Hall came out as a different man. He currently urges others to drop such habits and shares his experience openly, although there have been reports of public relapses that haunt him from time to time.
