The chances of becoming a WWE superstar, or a successful professional wrestler, are slim. The chances of becoming a main event star and going on to live a comfortable life after retirement are even slimmer. That’s one of the reasons (besides ego and easy paydays) that some guys go on wrestling for years in the independents or come out of retirement ten times.
Most of the former stars of WWE, WCW and other feds fade into the ethos and end up living a pretty shit life. Brian James was on that path. Known in the wrestling world as “The Road Dogg” Jesse James, the former tag team champion and member of DX fell on hard times and battled substance abuse issues. Thankfully, he got himself clean and credits the WWE to facilitating the entire process.
In this candid interview on Legends With JBL, James discusses his darkest moments and the only thing that kept him from killing himself when life got tough.
“I got bad. I was unemployed, I was a drug addict, and I contemplated suicide. Like a lot. And the only reason I didn’t go forth with that is because my wife or my children would be the ones to find my brains blown out in the shed out back. You know what I mean? So that was the reason I told myself ‘don’t do that.'”
James has since sobered up and now works with the WWE as a road agent.
[via SEScoops]