Depression is a more significant issue than people can comprehend and in turn, cause one to do unimaginable things.
Former ECW heavyweight champion and WWE star Tommy Dreamer took to his House of Hardcore podcast and revealed that when ECW officially went of business in March 2001, he battled through a severe bout of depression.
“When ECW went out of business I was 29 years old," Dreamer said on his podcast. "I had a lot of my money, my parents’ money, trying to float the company. Paul Heyman, who I thought me and him were super tight, he screwed me over big time. He was in the WWE, the whole time. I had turned down hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to WCW. And now was unemployed. I went from a $750,000 offer, and Paul Heyman crying to me, that if I leave ECW, it will go out of business. Meanwhile, he was getting a paycheck from WWE. I don’t begrudge him, but then I did. I was depressed as depressed can be. I had women, I had fame, I had everything, and yet it was the worst time of my life. It really was. I was doing indies, making decent money on the indies. But I lived at home."
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Things appeared to be looking up for the "Hardcore Legend", as he was told by Heyman that he would be initially debuting in WWE at Wrestlemania 17 in April 2001 at the Astrodome in Houston and interfering in the triangle ladder match between The Dudley Boyz, The Hardy Boys and Edge and Christian. As things often happen in wrestling, plans changed and Dreamer would no longer be appearing on pro wrestling's biggest annual event.
Being removed from the show sent Dreamer spiraling and had him consider entering the Astrodome during WrestleMania, making his way to Heyman, who was announcing the show with Jim Ross, inflicting harm to his former boss and then turning it around on himself.
“I remember I did a show there, and I saw a sign that said, ‘Guns Welcome,’ and I was in Houston," Dreamer said. "I did an indie show, and I said, ‘What is this?’ I’m from New York, what do you mean, ‘guns welcome?’ and they said, ‘Oh you are allowed to bring a firearm into the venue.’ I was across the street from the Astrodome. When I tell you it resonated in my head so, so much.
“That I’ll tell you what I wanted to do. It’s sick that I think this. At Wrestlemania, I was gonna hop the rail, and I was gonna whack Paul E. in the back of the head right at the announce table, then I was gonna whack myself. The ultimate martyr, I was gonna hit my pose crack, boom, pull the trigger. Because I was that insane. Don’t know if I would have went through with it, but that’s what I was thinking about every day. I was like, ‘I will go down in history.’ Pop, boom. First, they’d think it as an angle until I shot him. I was so severely depressed and so mental with rage, I needed help.”
Luckily, Dreamer didn't do the unthinkable and help was on its way from Hall of Famer announcer and the person at the time who was the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, Jim Ross.
Because of one phone call, the violent thoughts Dreamer had faded away. Instead, he bided his time and went on to make his debut in the company in July 2001 as part of the WCW/ECW Alliance.
"That help came from a phone call from Jim Ross," Dreamer said. "Randomly I get a phone call from a number I didn’t know… I didn’t pick up, and I remember having these thoughts, and it was bad. I had a gun; I was psssh man. Could you think about the horribleness that I would have done for my legacy? I would have ruined Wrestlemania, which I love Wrestlemania. For everybody. These thoughts were so so crazed in my head.
"I’m glad I didn’t do it. But when that phone call came from Jim Ross. Again, just said leave a message. It said “Hey Tommy, it’s Jim Ross, just want to let you know, we are still thinking about you, we are gonna get it done, just got to hang tight. Thank you. Think of how stupid I would have been, how dumb and how messed up my thoughts would have been if they would have come to fruition. I am so happy I didn’t do it, I am so happy that I did get that phone call, from someone who was a stranger, I barely knew the guy."
