5 Superstars who hit rock bottom after leaving WWE

The world of professional wrestling can be an extremely tough one to be a part of. The facade that your favourite WWE Superstars put on every night when they come to the ring doesn't often show how beaten up and tired they are from being part of a business that never stops.

Granted, in the present day, the WWE are likely a lot more sympathetic to that plight. In the past, wrestlers had to look elsewhere for ways to cope with the grind of being a Superstar. Sometimes that could be alcohol, often painkillers, or maybe even worse.

What makes that dark corner of the business even more troubling is that when a wrestler does come to the end of his or her career, they're often left with those addictions and their lives begin to spiral. This list details just five of many former wrestlers who hit rock bottom after their time in the business was up.

#5 Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle was recently welcomed back into the WWE family and deservedly inducted into the company's Hall of Fame. Ever since then, the Olympic Gold Medalist has acted as the General Manager of Raw and everyone in the business is thrilled to see Kurt return, as he referred to it, home.

What makes his return even more satisfying is the bridge that was rebuilt between Kurt and WWE. Angle's injuries over the years had meant he was suffering from a lot of pain and became addicted to painkillers and alcohol. It began when he was in WWE but escalated after he left.

In a documentary on the WWE Network Angle opened up about his addiction. It led to him being arrested numerous times for driving under the influence and for other reasons (total 5 times) until he eventually went to rehab. Those days are behind him now, and as well as being back with WWE, he's also in the business of helping others who were in a similar situation to him.