For years we’ve been hearing about wrestlers dying young for various reasons, but most always seem to be an overdose or heart condition brought on by the lifestyle.
There are so many different opinions on this, but one seems to be prevalent and that’s the part about their life on the road leading to all of their problems.
Hulk Hogan Appears on Joe Rogan and Explains How the Road Led to So Many Wrestlers Dying Young
Bret Hart as cited the grueling schedule WWE wrestlers kept throughout their careers of being on the road 300+ days a year as his suspected reason.
Others have weighed in with Hulk Hogan appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast and giving a detailed description of the effects and dangers of being on the road.
One of the prime factors is pain killers, and Hogan explained that whenever they went to a different town there was a different doctor. All they had to do was go to them and say their back hurt and they’d write a script.
And if they go to a handful of towns a week that adds up.
Unspoken reality
One topic Hogan didn’t get into were steroids and how prevalent they were during his time in the WWE. While No one was ever officially told to take them, it was a way for wrestlers to bulk up to improve their look and help keep their spots or move up.
In some cases, as was explored on Dark Side of the Ring with Barry Darsow and others, many times they were taken so the talent could maintain their performance level.
He explained how they were exhausted and in pain from an injury and needed that something extra so they wouldn’t lose their spot.
Hogan shied away from that topic, but explained how his body still gives him an urge to cause violence at 8 or 9 o’clock every night. It comes from years of sitting in the back relaxing, and in a moment’s notice going to the ring and being stomped on for years.
Lasting trauma
Some commentators in the video we shared above have stated that sudden adrenaline rush is a form of PTSD, and his description of returning home is like that of soldiers.
There are plenty of stories of wrestlers having trouble adjusting to life off the road, and Hogan explained he had a gym installed at his house so he could work that out of him, but others would dive into drugs and alcohol to try to cope and that’s when things really start going wrong.
It’s a tragic fact of pro wrestling life many have unfortunately suffered and left us way too soon. For many of us that have been fans since the 1980s, a good bulk of our childhood are gone now.
What are your thoughts on what Hogan talked about? Let us know in the comments below.
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