"Struggled with suicidal thoughts" - Beloved WWE star reveals dark battle with depression despite success

A superstar has revealed his dark battle with depression despite success in WWE. Many WWE stars have talked about mental health openly and discussed how it could affect their lives and careers.

Now, a former WWE Champion has opened up about their struggles and a lifelong battle with severe depression.

The New Day member Big E was a recent guest on What's Your Story? With Steph McMahon. During the conversation, he discussed his battle with depression that began in childhood and carried through his college days and later even in WWE.

He recalled admitting himself to a psych ward at the University of Iowa after a series of football injuries worsened his depression. Big E then revealed that even after finding success with The New Day, the struggle continued and he had suicidal thoughts.

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“I still struggled with suicidal thoughts, even at the height of The New Day. When were taking off and we were doing all these incredible things and I'm truly having a blast with two of my best friends, like, there were still times where I would struggle with these bouts of depression," he said.

The former Intercontinental champion said that even though wrestling gave him purpose and saved him, it didn't "erase" the way he felt about himself.

He then mentioned how practicing meditation during the pandemic made things better and "vastly changed" his life.

You can watch the interview below:

Big E said his in-ring WWE career is behind him

During the discussion, Big E said he was surprised that Stephanie McMahon wanted him as a guest on her show.

He said that his in-ring career was behind him and he was proud of what he achieved, but there had been more famous people on the show.

It was during a March 2022 episode of WWE SmackDown that Big E suffered a neck injury when he landed on his head following a belly-to-belly suplex from Ridge Holland.

The injury has kept him out of action from the squared circle, with a return looking highly difficult at this point. Big E has continued to be a part of the sports entertainment giant, working on the pre-show and post-show panels of their premium live events.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit What's Your Story? With Steph McMahon and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

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Edited by Sherjeel Malik