After he wrestled Jon Moxley at Northeast Wrestling’s Six Flags Slam on June 15, CazXL cut a promo backstage. In it, he mentioned in passing that when last many of us had seen him - leaving a House of Hardcore show in an ambulance after suffering a seizure - his “life was falling apart, mental health issues, I was an alcoholic - all that”.
Caz (fka Big Cass, real name William Morrissey) did look to be in much better shape at the NEW event. Photos and videos of him with WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page of DDP Yoga fame hit the web recently. DDP’s had success helping wrestlers like Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Scott Hall make positive changes in their life, and it looks like he’s trying to do the same for Caz.
The seven footer has now released a video via DDPY’s YouTube channel. It goes into much more depth about his struggles with depression & anxiety and how that, along with self-medicating those issues with alcohol, led to his firing by WWE and almost worse:
“I am sitting here right now and telling you that I should be dead with the amount that I drank, and the seizure that I had - I shouldn’t be here. If anybody out there suffers with depression or anxiety and you’re hiding it because there’s a stigma out there that you’re weak - you’re not weak. Whatever it is, you need to go seek help. Because whether it’s medication or talk therapy or whatever it is that you need, you need to get it. Because hiding it deep down, it ain’t gonna work. And that’s what I did for a long time and eventually - pop! Everything, it’s just an explosion. Whatever you need to do to fix it, make sure you do that. Because keeping that $#!+ bottled deep down, it ain’t worth it. Trust me, from someone who lived it, seek help.”
It’s great that Caz is in a better place now. And it’s even better that he’s telling his story.
From personal experience (I’ve never been a pro wrestler, but other than that - clinical depression, alcoholism, physically and mentally isolating, wishing I was dead, hospitalization - my story closely mirrors Caz’s), I know that sharing his experience will help Caz stay healthy. And hopefully, someone else who’s suffering will hear it and start the process of treatment & recovery.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and/or mental health issues, you can get information and treatment referral by calling 1-800-662-HELP (4357).