Randy Orton came back from a debilitating back injury during the 2023 Survivor Series Premium Live Event. Its been a long time since he came back but now Orton has admitted that he still suffered from panic attacks and more even after coming back.
While speaking on Whats Your Story with Stephanie McMahon, Randy Orton talked about how he struggled with panic attacks. They got so bad it was hard for him to fly, sleep in hotel beds, or even get any rest at night. He said it was really tough, and while he could still live day to day, there was no way he could keep being a pro wrestler like that.
For about six months, he thought his career might be over. This shocked him because when he was younger, he always felt strong and like nothing could break him. But then he ended up in a dark place and started falling back into old bad habits.
Orton said his wife and five kids helped him a lot. His wife saw what was going on and helped him get help. He started taking SSRIs, which are meds for depression and anxiety, and stayed on them for a few years. Now hes been off them for about six months and finally feels like himself again. He even said he couldnt believe he was talking about this.
There were times he wasnt sure he could still do his job. Even after coming back to wrestling, his mind was always racing, thinking about the worst that could happen. At night, he couldnt lay down in bed without his thoughts spinning. Hed start sweating, get up, and go walk around the yard taking deep breaths while everyone else was asleep.
Things began to turn when Orton met a great doctor who gave him lots of information on managing panic attacks. Orton wasnt sure the medication itself ever truly worked; he didnt like it because it made him feel unlike himself, but he kept taking it, believing he needed it to keep panic attacks away. The attacks still came anyway. Right now, its been about six months since his last one.
The Viper pointed out this is the kind of stuff many people go through but rarely talk about, so he figured sharing might help. After his back fusion surgery, he returned to the road and has been back for about a year and a half. He still had some problems and let WWEs medical staff know exactly what was up.
Orton was honest about it, explaining it happens sometimes, its not a huge deal, and he had it under control. He also told them he was taking Lexapro and Buspar for it and wanted to be upfront.
At one point, Randy Orton asked if it was weird that he was on those meds, but the doctors told him a lot of people take them, and that it was the same for many of the wrestlers they work with.
That made him feel less alone since those little things helped. When he finally stopped taking the medicine and realized he wasnt having panic attacks anymore, he felt like a huge weight had been lifted.
Its really inspiring to hear The Apex Predator talk about his mental health issues so openly since its clear he will help inspire many people dealing with the same thing as well. Fans are happy he is in a much better place and thats all that matters now.
What do you think about Randy Orton dealing with panic attacks long after his WWE return? Sound off in the comments.
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