AEW's Gabe Kidd Experienced Psychotic Episode During Tail End Of NJPW Run
"Mad Man" isn't just a nickname Gabe Kidd created to bring terror towards his enemies in AEW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. It's a name of remembrance from a time when he was in the trenches, fighting for survival in both his personal and professional life while training/wrestling in Japan. On "Talk Is Jericho," Kidd revisits the year of 2022, and the war he was battling within himself that almost cost him everything.
"I didn't realize it at the time, but when I was in the COVID-[19] hotel in Japan, I'd lost my mind," the current two-time IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion told Chris Jericho. "But then, they sent me home, and I got to see my family and friends again. And I'm like, 'okay, I've had the reset that I need. I can go back and keep working.' But then, I entered this episode of psychosis that I don't even know what I'm in. And it was a whole thing. Like, my mom had to call the police on me, bless her...I'm thinking she's the enemy. I felt everyone was the enemy...because when you're in mania, your emotions are so heightened...She had to call the police... They told me they were taking me somewhere. They took me to the hospital, and then I'm locked in this room...I was there for two-and-a-half weeks."
Later, Kidd revealed that while he was getting help, he'd call former NJPW President and CEO Takami Ohbari and Hiroshi Tanahashi every day, hoping that once he got better, he would receive an IWGP Heavyweight Title fight with then champion, Kazuchika Okada. Both Ohbari and Tanahashi requested for Kidd to focus on his health before making an offer that big. However, once he returned, NJPW management had other plans for him, which led to his eventual exit as a full-time star to officially join AEW in early March. Kidd still appears for NJPW, but said his appearances are more so for him than for the company.
Now a part of The Death Riders, Kidd is gearing up for his first-ever Anarchy in the Arena match against The Cut this Saturday at Full Gear in Phoenix, Arizona.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Talk Is Jericho with Chris Jericho" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.