Rey Mysterio has been competing at a high level for over 30 years, which is one of the reasons why he’s a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. But the wear and tear on his body during that time took a toll on him, which led to the 48-year-old dealing with an addiction to painkillers. Mysterio made the admission on Logan Paul’s IMPAULSIVE podcast and revealed he struggled with painkillers 15 years ago.
“So, during my big run in WWE and after so many surgeries, I got hooked on painkillers for a very long time,” he said, per USA Network. “My wife caught me one time. We were on vacation. She saw that I was just out of it completely, so she gave me an ultimatum. That really opened me up and it made me a stronger person because I remember getting back home to San Diego, I flew to TV, and the next day, I spoke to Vince [McMahon].”
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Mysterio went on to say that his wife, Angie, noticed the differences in his behavior, which led to him asking McMahon for time off. “I told him, ‘I need to check myself in – I’m gonna need some time off.’ He was cool with it,” Mysterio stated. “That was a big life changer for me and a different perspective of life and the appreciation of family and the support of my wife.”
Ultimately, it was Mysterio’s wife that helped him get back on track. “It’s crazy, she’s been there from day one,” he said of his wife. “It was bad, and to be able to recognize it, and check yourself in, and put everything aside and move on with your life to a positive note, it was crazy. I really enjoyed that phase of my life because I learned so much about what not to do.”
Mysterio said he was in rehab for 30 days and learned a lot from that experience. And despite nearly having a relapse in 2011 due to a knee injury, the WWE Grand Slam Champion has not had an issue with painkillers since. Now, Mysterio is still a key member of the WWE roster as he’s the leader of the LWO.
