WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has opened up about the difficulties he faced transitioning away from the ring after his forced retirement in 2003. Speaking on the Dale Jr. Download, Austin admitted that leaving the business at just 38 years old led him down a dark path for several years.
Austin revealed that for roughly three years after his final match against The Rock at WrestleMania 19, he struggled to adjust to a life without the adrenaline rush of performing.
“Hell, I retired when I was 38… I didn’t handle it well. For about three years, I drank, I hunted, and I fished, and [I] just did a lot of stupid stuff, and one morning, I woke up, and I went in the bathroom, [and said], ‘Dude, the things you’re doing are not conducive to living a long life.’”
