Big Bill has discussed his previous battles with addiction and how he has maintained sobriety for nearly 5 years.
Following his WWE release in 2018, the former Big Cass made an appearance at an independent show later that year and suffered a seizure at the event. Addressing what happened in an interview in 2021, the AEW star admitted that alcohol withdrawal was the cause of it and that he was embarrassed that it happened.
Thanks to help from DDP, the former Tag Team Champion was able to get clean and was given a second chance in Impact Wrestling before signing with AEW in 2022. After winning the Tag Team Championships with Ricky Starks in 2023, Big Bill spoke about his journey at a press conference and stated that 2018 and 2019 was the lowest point of his life with drinking every day and believing that his wrestling career was over.
Appearing on the Barstool Rasslin’ podcast, Bill recounted the ups and downs of his journey and how he has been given another chance both professionally and personally as he approaches 5 years of sobriety:
“I’ve been pretty open about my problems. My alcoholism was horrendous, now four years sober, going to be coming up on five years sober around the Super Bowl upcoming year. It’s been quite a journey. I mean, my career, ups and then downs, ups, downs, and now I’m definitely on an upswing. But I feel like now I have a second chance. A second chance, not just at wrestling, but a second chance at life.
I have a very good life. I have my fiancee who I’m getting married to in December. I love her family. I have our dogs. I have a second chance at life because for a while there, that didn’t seem like it was going to continue. It got really bad. I have a second chance at life. So I gotta put 100% into everything I’m doing. At work, it’s like, don’t complain, put your head down, work hard, do what you’re told, and eventually it’s gonna pay off. It’s hard to see that sometimes but it always works out for those people. Put your head down and work hard. It may take longer than you expect, but it’s gonna happen.”
Big Bill Recalls Advice From Chris Jericho
Currently on AEW TV, the former Tag Team Champion has aligned himself with Chris Jericho as part of The Learning Tree. During the same interview, Big Bill praised Chris Jericho for being a part of his own growth as a wrestler.
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