Robert “Bob” William Howard Jr., an American professional wrestler best known as “Hardcore Holly” to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) fans, recently described his struggles with pain pill addiction during an appearance on The Steve Austin Show on September 5, 2018. Bob Holly also revealed that he used steroids as a pro wrestler.
Bob Holly candidly described how he was prescribed painkillers to cope with the complications from surgery to repair an injured neck suffered during a 2002 SmackDown match with Brock Lesnar.
“When I broke my neck, I did end up getting into the pain pill thing and getting on those,” Holly told Austin. “And I was able to get off that stuff. And so, but that wasn’t easy, so I had to have help. I wrote about that in my book. I had to have help to get off that stuff and I did.”
Holly referenced his 2002 autobiography titled “The Hardcore Truth: The Bob Holly Story” in which he had previously gone into detail about his addiction to painkillers.
Holly also made it clear that he never really used, much less abused, recreational drugs. It didn’t matter whether they were illegal like cocaine or legal like alcohol. Those drugs just weren’t for him. The only reason he got addicted to painkillers was because his doctor prescribed them to him following his surgery.
Steroids were another story. Holly seemed to suggest anabolic steroids were a relatively innocuous drug that everyone in pro wrestling was using. So steroids were no big deal to Holly.
“But that was the worst I did. I didn’t get into the alcohol. I didn’t get into the cocaine. I didn’t get into anything heavy like that. I mean, I did steroids. Whoop-dee-doo. But that goes without saying.
Holly has made a living in the crazy world of pro wrestling for over 30 years. The highlight of his pro wrestling career occurred when he was a big-time WWE superstar during the 15-year period between 1994 and 2009. He fought under several ring names during this time including Bombastic Bob and Thurman “Sparky” Plug. His most popular ring name was obviously “Hardcore Holly”.
Holly has many nagging injuries that continue to bother him. His elbows give him the most problem while his former neck and back injuries continue to cause discomfort. But Holly still thinks it was all worth it. Pro wrestling provided Holly with a steady income and a comfortable lifestyle.
“You always question your choices as far as the things you do and I have questioned, ‘why did you get into wrestling?’ I got into it because I loved it. Was it worth it to me? Yeah, it was. It gave me a good life. It provided me a good life. I’ve experienced the world. I’ve experienced a lot of things.”
Hey @steveaustinBSR I have really enjoyed this episode. @TheBobHolly is awsome! pic.twitter.com/RVSujC8MhC
— emmersonbiggins (@donniedavis1538) September 7, 2018