10 Pro Wrestlers Who Have Struggled With Mental Illnesses

It's hard to watch a sport like professional wrestling and consider that those men and women behind the masks are anything but athletic Gods, full of confidence as they rule the ring. They piledrive, chokehold and brain-blast their opponents in their flamboyant costumes as fans watch on, mesmerized by their finesse, backstories, and showstopping moves. The hard truth is these professional wrestlers are just like us in many ways. They struggle, they suffer, and they fight their demons like everyone else.

These ten wrestlers not only fought opponents in the ring but also fought battles against mental illness.

10. Bret Hart (Depression)

Bret Hart has faced his fair share of drama in real life and in the wrestling ring. After establishing himself as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Hart suffered a devastating blow known in the wrestling world as The Montreal Screwjob`. On the heel of the loss that was handed to him by Vince McMahon, Hart suffered an even more significant hit with the highly publicized passing of his brother Owen. As if things weren't bad enough for Hart, his parents passed away within two years of one another, and this series of tragedies sent The Hitman into a spiral of depression.

9. Alexa Bliss (Anorexia)

Alexa Bliss might only stand five feet tall, but she is a powerhouse in the wrestling ring. Her accomplishments are many, but none is greater than battling anorexia and winning. When Bliss was in high school, she starved herself to the point where her heart was only beating 28 times per minute, which is barely enough to keep a person alive. She dropped a whopping thirty pounds in six weeks by "purging" the weight from her small frame and putting herself at significant risk. Thankfully she was able to regain her health.

8. The Rock (Depression)

The Rock has a whole lot to smile about these days. He has a beautiful family to come home to every night and an acting career that has been lucrative beyond his wildest dreams. Life is good for the guy, but that wasn't always the case. Back when Dwayne Johnson was in high school, he excelled at football. He played in college and headed off to the Canadian Football League where he got cut. Johnson was beyond devastated and slipped into a deep well of depression. From the ashes, he rose to become The Rock that we know and love today.

7. Luna Vachon (Bipolar)

Luna Vachon was a star performer in the 1990's and was the real-life wife of fellow wrestler Gangrel. Luna also had bipolar disorder, a condition that landed her in treatment centers many times throughout her life and plagued her up until her passing. She struggled with retirement from the wrestling world, then lost her home and all of her wrestling memorabilia to a house fire in 2009. One year later the former wrestler was found deceased in her mother's home. The cause of death is thought to be from an overdose.

6. Randy Savage (OCD)

Randy Savage, The Macho Man, is one of the most recognized wrestlers in history, and he has his mental health condition to credit for his career success. Savage suffered from OCD, and because of his need to have everything in absolutely perfect order, he often planned his every wrestling move in the ring, practicing without rest. This need for perfection drove his opponents crazy, and Savage was known to get into skirmishes with fellow wrestlers over his habits.

5. Hulk Hogan (Depression)

The iconic Hulk Hogan might be wrestling's greatest fall from grace story ever told. He was the face of wrestling for decades and completely on top of his game... until he had to step back and watch his life crumble before his very eyes. Some poor decisions on the part of the Hulk resulted in a messy divorce from his wife, Linda. The pair had been together for 25 years at the time of their separation. The Hulk lost some of his closest friends, struggled with alcohol dependency, endured some scathing press and saw his son get sent away to jail. These events led to a severe battle with depression for Hogan.

4. Sean O'Haire (Major Depressive Disorder)

After Vince McMahon bought out the WCW, it was clear that a shut down would be imminent. Sadly, wrestler Sean O'Haire was a victim of McMahon's diabolical plan, and once the WCW was done, he found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place. He left wrestling for good in 2004 and tried to get back into his first love, kickboxing. Post-retirement, O'Haire had several severe run-ins with the law and was thought to be dealing with Major Depressive Disorder. He took his own life in 2014.

3. Chris Benoit (Depression, Brain Damage)

One of the most devastating stories to come out of any sport is that of Canadian professional wrestler Chris Benoit. Not only did Benoit suffer from severe depression, but he also had the brain matter make up of an 80-year-old man thanks to all the bumps and bruises that he suffered from in the ring. Benoit's mental illness is thought to be behind the devastating acts that Benoit engaged in, resulting in the passing of both his wife, his seven-year-old son and himself back in 2007.

2. DDP (ADD)

Diamond Dallas Page wasn't about to let the curveballs of life get in his way of achieving his every dream. DDP not only suffered from attention deficit disorder, but he also has dyslexia. The combination of these two learning setbacks left Page with a reading comprehension level of a nine-year-old. Despite his struggles, he managed a nightclub, became a well-known fixture in the wrestling world and proved to be a successful entrepreneur with his fresh take on yoga.

1. Mark Henry (Dyslexia)

Mark Henry didn't have a mental illness like anxiety or depression, but he did overcome a learning difficulty. When the big guy was only 12 years old, he lost his father and was diagnosed with dyslexia. After a football injury, Henry went on to become a powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, and a professional wrestler, proving that hard work and determination can help one overcome just about any obstacle in life.