The 10 Personality Disorders (As Explained By Pro Wrestlers)

Human beings are a collection of experiences. The experiences that help you achieve success in your life determines your personality. Think of it like a character an actor in a movie might. Sometimes to get through your day you need to be an Iron Man – charming, and funny. Other times you need to be a John Wick – cold, logical, and really good a karate.

Most people are able to work with and shape their personalities to function in society. While others are controlled by their personalities. They're called personality disorders. And if not they aren't treated they can inhibit not only their lives but the lives of the people around them.

If a personality is like a character an actor might play. A personality disorder is like a character a professional wrestler might play. The types tend to be larger than life, dramatic and misunderstood by the world at large. But there is value in understanding both.

There are 10 personality disorders according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM for short). Think of this book like the WWE of mental health. It has its problems but it’s the most widely recognized source of psychiatric knowledge. The DSM puts these 10 disorders into 3 distinct groups. Think of these groups like tag teams. All these individual disorders have some things in common and often work together. So let’s jump in!

Cluster A: The Eccentrics

1. Paranoid Personality Disorder (Stone Cold Steve Austin)

Stone Cold Steve Austin is a bald headed, beer swilling, tough guy ready to “stomp a mud hole” in any who dare offend him. He’s also the poster child for Paranoid Personality Disorder. See what motivates Steve is his deep mistrust of society. His main catchphrase is “Don’t Trust Anybody.” These are all hallmarks of the paranoid personality disorder. People with this disorder often feel that people are out to take advantage of them. While they may not go so far as giving Santa Claus a Stone Cold Stunner. They all prefer to work alone.

2. Schizoid Personality Disorder (Asuka)

Up next is the Schizoid personality disorder. Best exemplified by the wrestler Asuka. Known in the WWE as the Empress of Tomorrow, Asuka comes across as a complete enigma to her competitors. She’s impossible to read. immune to the usual trash talking but just as bafflingly doesn’t show any joy at the winning a title either. The Schizoid Personality Disorder characterized by restricted emotional attachment. Meaning they take little pleasure in life and on the surface appear to be immune to criticism and praise.

3. Schizotypal Personality Disorder (Bray Wyatt)

The final member of this cluster is Schizotypal personality disorder. While this disorder shares a lot of similarities with Schizoid personality disorder (detachment, feelings of isolation, etc). What makes Schizotypal different are the number of cognitive distortions they experience. Meaning someone with this disorder may see flashes of light no one else can see. Hear sounds no one else can hear. Or in some extreme cases hold odd fantasies about supernatural occurrences.

The wrestler who best exemplifies this is Bray Wyatt. Bray is a mysterious backwoods cult leader. He lives on a compound out in the sticks and he's guided by the mysterious spirit a nun named Sister Abigail. Bray mistrusts society. He has withdrawn from it completely. While his cult members only seem to include the ghost of a nun and his lantern it’s Bray’s unwavering belief in himself that makes him so formidable.

Cluster B: The Dramatics

4. Antisocial Personality Disorder (Triple H)

Antisocial personality is one of the more insidious disorders on this list because it deals with deceit and manipulation. To understand this further let me introduce the sledgehammer wielding biker, Triple H . See Triple H doesn’t care about anyone else. He’ll do whatever he needs to do to get his way. He once ran over his life long best friend with a car to avoid defending his title. To Triple H people are pawns that help him achieve the success he wants. He has no problem cheating to win, and no problem lying to manipulate people in his favor. And he certainly doesn't care who he hurts as long as he gets what he wants.

5. Borderline Personality Disorder (Cactus Jack)

If you want an explanation of Borderline Personality Disorder look no further than the hardcore wrestler, Cactus Jack. Cactus is on a hair trigger. Once he’s angry nothing can calm him down. There is nothing he won’t do to himself or his opponent to do damage. While a person with Borderline may engage in binge eating or promiscuity Cactus takes this disorder to the extreme. He engages in acts of self-harm. Using things like fire, thumbtacks, and more blood than a vampire buffet.

6. Histrionic Personality Disorder (Velveteen Dream)

While Borderline seek attention with their actions histrionics are more about their words. Histrionic Personality characterized as being highly dramatic attention seeking kinds of people. This fits the wrestler The Velveteen Dream to a T. See Dream is the youngest superstar on the roster. So to compensate he feels he must act out to receive the attention that he craves. He accomplishes this by dressing in outlandish (even by WWE standards) costumes and refusing to talk to interviewers unless his lighting is perfect. As I said this is all tied to self esteem so any challenge to that is met with harsh opposition. After all The Velveteen Dream got in a 3 month feud with a man who refused to acknowledge him.

7. Narcissistic Personality Disorder (The Rock)

While he may be a humble A-List Movie star now back in his wrestling days Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson exemplified Narcissistic personality disorder better than anyone. A relative unknown at the time Dwayne started referring to himself in the third person and would talk about the millions and millions of his fans who loved him. Despite having none. He became popular for trash talking opponents. He would accuse them of not being as smart as him, as attractive as him, and for being so jealous of him. In his mind they all wanted to be him. None of this was true but The Rock’s ego, much like a Narcissist’s ego, wouldn’t be able to accept anything less.

Cluster C: The Anxious

8. Avoidant Personality Disorder (Eddie Guerrero)

Eddie Guerrero was once a cocky and confident wrestler who never backed down from any fight. No matter the odds. But as soon as he won the heavyweight title he developed the most extreme case of Avoidant Personality Disorder of all time. Perhaps he feared that if he were to lose the title the fans would reject him. So he opted to do everything in his power to avoid fights at all costs. His signature move was to distract the referee. Grabbing a steel chair (a highly illegal move in pro wrestling). Then toss it to his confused opponent and fall down as if he had been injured. The ref would turn around. Assume his opponent had struck Eddie and they would get disqualified. A true avoidant wouldn't put this much effort in, they would opt to simply to not even bother showing up.

9. Dependent Personality Disorder (Nia Jax)

People with Dependent Personality Disorder are afraid of being alone. This causes them to glom onto people. This disorder is perfectly encapsulated in the wrestler, Nia Jax. Nia is a strong and imposing character. She is perfectly capable of standing on her own two feet but sly lacks the confidence. This causes her to cling onto the more confident wrestler, Alexa Bliss. Alexa manipulates Nia into doing her bidding. All to keep the title. On some level Nia is aware that this is a one sided relationship. But much like someone with a dependent personality disorder she finds it far too difficult to disagree.

10. Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (Chris Jericho)

People with Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder are obsessed with control. They get caught up on order and rules. They’re perfectionists to the degree in which it inhibits their life. The wrestler Chris Jericho is obsessed with order. He hates when things aren’t up to his standards. It bothers him to such a degree that he carries around a giant list with him. Anyone who does not perform an arbitrary task up to his standards is placed on the list. He’d do this to his opponents and his friends alike. No one was safe from Jericho’s perfectionism and it ended up costing his everything. He lost his title. His friends abandoned him. Soon his character got fired (which I’m sure had nothing to do with his real life band going on tour and him needing free time).

Conclusion

At its core professional wrestling is a collection of dysfunctional characters trying to navigate through life. They have hopes, ambitions but sometimes they feel they have to crack somebody with a metal chair to get what they want. But they can’t help themselves it’s in their nature to do it. The same is true for people with personality disorders. While some seek treatment to manage their symptoms they will still struggle with this disorder daily. So instead of being so quick to judge or demonize mental health the way someone who doesn’t understand wrestling might. Why not instead try to give it a chance? You may enjoy what you see!