5 former WWE stars who turned their lives around
While it might not be the case today, at one time, wrestlers' lives were not unlike that of rock stars. They would compete hard, and in doing so would bask in the joy that came with success.
Wrestling has seen its’ fair share of performers who have engaged in substance abuse to the point that it has completely destroyed their lives, ended their careers and in some unfortunate cases, even their lives.
With time and education, wrestlers today are so committed to their craft that they wouldn't risk their careers by engaging in substance abuse. What fans today may not be aware of, though, is that for every case of a wrestler suffering from substance abuse, there are wrestlers that have come out the other side as better people.
In several cases, to overcome these personal demons has taken the support of people standing by them to ensure that they reach their goal. At times it even seemed likely that we would witness the death of these wrestlers who had otherwise been heroes to fans around the world.
Here are five wrestlers that turned their lives around after overcoming the personal demons of substance abuse.
#5 Del Wilkes
While the name may not initially ring a bell with fans, many will recall a man that wore a mask and stood up for his country. As The Patriot, Wilkes earned a name for himself as part of the tandem of Stars and Stripes in WCW alongside Marcus ‘Buff' Bagwell.
He left WCW and joined WWE, and while there he once again emerged as The Patriot, at a time when the company needed patriotic faces that would feud against the ‘evil Canadian' Bret ‘Hitman' Hart.
He always put on competitive matches, but it was also during his career that Wilkes endured a great deal of pain.
When he left the WWE in 1997, Wilkes did so because of a number of injuries that had plagued him after fighting a rather intense style in Japan. He has since shared his experiences on how after retiring, his life was spiralling out of control with an addiction to cocaine and other performance-enhancing medications.
It was reported that he was imprisoned for a number of months for forging a painkiller prescription. Wilkes has now been clean for almost ten years. Today, he wants the younger generation to learn from his mistakes and educate themselves in order to avoid their life being cut short.