Alex Shelley Opens Up About Being Homeless After Leaving ROH

Alex Shelley walked away from in-ring competition last year. He retired from pro wrestling days after his Ring of Honor contract expired.

Shelley has since returned to ROH, and in an interview with the promotion’s column ‘10 Questions With…’ revealed that he fell on some incredibly hard times after he left.

“[…] full transparency: I went through a lot of life changes when I left ROH. I got divorced, I was homeless, no income, I was paying for school and working for free, and I had some dark, dark days,” he admitted.

“Helping people is on my bucket list. I’d like to go back to school again, maybe for psychology this time. Pain management is a huge up and coming field, so is sports psych, and to bring this answer full circle, I’d like to be able to help people not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. And maybe charm them with my rapier, Oscar Wilde wit. Laughter is a solid medicine.”

After leaving ROH, Shelley went to earn a second college degree, finishing his bachelor’s in physical therapy.

He returned to the company during a TV taping on June 29th, and is scheduled to face off against ROH World Champion Matt Taven. The two will compete for the title on August 9th at ROH’s Summer Supercard event in Toronto, Ontario.