WWE superstar Randy Orton has opened up in a raw and emotional conversation about his recent battle with severe anxiety and panic attacks, which came to a head during his extended injury layoff. Speaking on the What’s Your Story? with Steph McMahon podcast, Orton detailed his mental health struggles and his journey to recovery.
Orton explained that after his spinal fusion surgery, the loss of his identity as a wrestler took a significant toll. “Here’s my identity. This is who I am… the one thing I know that I’m good at and I get respect for, and I can’t do it anymore,” he recalled thinking. “And for like, six months, I was under the impression that that was it… I got to like, a dark place.”
This led to a period of intense anxiety. “I was having like, panic attacks,” Orton revealed. “And it was like, it started to become hard to fly. Started to become hard to stay in another bed, and I would be, like, up all night… trying to go to bed at night and then not being able to lay down in bed, because my mind would start going, and then all of a sudden I’d get, like, hot, and I’d have to get out of bed… walking around our yard, just like, taking deep breaths.”
The struggle was something he largely kept to himself, even from his children. “There was times where… I’d be with my kids… and I’m, I’m like, going through kind of like, I guess, an episode or something… and I’m hiding,” he said. “You don’t want her to see… because I’m her big, strong dad.”
Orton revealed he was prescribed SSRIs (anti-depression/anxiety medication) for a few years to help him cope, but has now been off them for six months and is feeling like himself again. “I just, I didn’t know if I could do this job anymore,” he admitted. “I really feel like I’m in like, a good place… it’s kind of therapy to talk about it now.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Whats Your Story? With Steph McMahon with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
