The Rock has maintained legendary status for decades in the eyes of the WWE Universe – but now it looks like he’s a legend in the eyes of the millions worldwide suffering from depression and anxiety.
Earlier this week, The Rock appeared on The Pivot Podcast, and no topic was off-limits for the multi-time WWE Champion. While he grabbed headlines a few days ago by crediting the pro wrestling industry for saving his relationship with his daughter, The Rock is back in the news today by opening up about his struggles with depression dating back to his college years. It was an extensive and eye-opening moment for The Rock, and he wasn’t shy about expressing his emotions on the podcast.
Going through such anxiety while in college had to be challenging, especially considering The Rock didn’t know what depression was at the time.
“My first bout of depression was down there in Miami,” he confessed. “I didn’t want to go to school. I was ready to leave,” he said. “I left school. I didn’t take any midterms and I just left. I just didn’t know what it was. I didn’t know what mental health was. I didn’t know what depression was. I just knew I didn’t want to be there. Wasn’t going to any of the team meetings. Wasn’t participating in anything. I wasn’t working out.”
The Rock admitted he had trouble focusing on precisely what was causing his inner turmoil. However, a complete shoulder reconstruction surgery was cited as a possible reason for going down a rabbit hole of despair. Nevertheless, in true Rock fashion, he battled forward – although he admitted he didn’t strictly address his mental health issues at the time.
He then recounted that he suffered his second bout of depression shortly after his divorce from his longtime wife Dany Garcia, in 2008. After successfully fighting off his demons again, he found himself battling once more in 2017 – but this time, it was different. The Rock said he was able to identify it as depression, and he had a perfect support system to help with his recovery.
