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The life of a WWE Superstar can be a surprisingly hard one. It's not all about performing and doing what you love in front of thousands of people every Monday night on Raw. There is a certain amount of physical, mental and emotional wear and tear that comes with the job.
Pro wrestlers can be on the road for as many as 300 days a year, constantly travelling the world putting their bodies on the line every night. It's understandable that some may turn to drink or even drugs to take the edge off the non-stop life that they lead.
Naturally, there are occasions when taking the edge off can become more than that. It can turn into an addiction. Sadly, that has been commonplace in the world of professional wrestling. However, here are a few uplifting tales of Superstars that have come back from the brink in terms of addiction.
#5 Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle's drug and substance problems are well documented. They're a chapter in Kurt's life that the Olympic gold medallist doesn't shy away from. It ultimately led to his first stay with WWE coming to an end and the problems didn't stop there.
Following his departure from WWE Kurt was charged with driving under the influence a number of times. Angle would take handfuls of painkillers and drink alcohol in an attempt to numb the pain caused by the build-up of injuries over his career.
It wasn't until 2013 that Kurt checked himself into rehab. Thankfully, he came to his senses and returned to WWE in 2017. Not only that but the Olympic hero also returned to in-ring competition at the same year's TLC pay-per-view.
#4 Goldust
Goldust might very well be one of the most underrated WWE Superstars in the last 20 years. The Bizarre One began his career during the late '80s yet is still wrestling on Raw on more than a semi-regular basis against the likes of Finn Balor and Bray Wyatt.
There is even an argument to be made that Goldie ushered in the Attitude Era. His risque antics predate the likes of Stone Cold and DX. However, that obviously came with a lot of stress and pressure.
Goldust recently appeared on Edge and Christian's podcast and opened up about his addictions earlier in his career to alcohol and cocaine, among other things. Thankfully, the former Intercontinental Champion has bounced back from that and gone on to have an extremely long career.
#3 X-Pac
As outlined at the beginning of this article being a pro wrestler can be extremely hard going. Well, imagine becoming one and signing for WWE at the age X-Pac did. Sean Waltman, his real name, was signed to WWE at the age of just 20.
Drugs and alcohol were pretty commonplace behind the scenes in pro wrestling during the early '90s. That, combined with Sean's age and his tough upbringing, was a recipe for disaster. One that took him right to the brink on a number of occasions.
Thankfully, Waltman has managed to fight back his demons and today is better than ever.
#2 William Regal
William Regal has basically wrestled pretty much everywhere there is to wrestle during his very long and storied career. The British Superstar is a lot more than the posh English guy he portrayed for the most part in WWE.
For long periods in his career, however, Regal suffered from quite severe substance abuse. Not the kind of man you would imagine having those issues, but Regal has said there are large parts of his life and career that he can't even remember.
Regal was actually checked into rehab during his first stint with WWE in 1999. He would later leave the company for WCW before returning at the end of the year 2000. He has been with the company in a variety of roles ever since.
#1 Jake Roberts
Jake Roberts was an iconic figure for WWE during the late 1980s and early '90s. He may never have held the company's most coveted prize but that was simply because he had a unique character that didn't need a title to define it.
Roberts had an awful lot of demons though, some that had been with him almost his entire life. The WWE Hall of Famer hit drink and drugs and he hit them hard. By his own admission, it's a miracle that he's still with us today.
Credit for bringing Roberts back from the brink has to go to Diamond Dallas Page. DDP took Jake into his home and helped him up from rock bottom. Roberts owes Page his life and you can see the journey they took together in the documentary The Ressurection of Jake The Snake.
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