PROGRESS Wrestling Co-Owner Jim Smallman Talks Helping Out Fans Who Are Dealing With Personal And Mental Health Issues

We all go through it…

Over the past year, mental health has arrived to the forefront of many conversations concerning professional sports. Pro wrestlers, basketball, football, soccer and other professional athletes across the sports world have openly came out about dealing with depression or battling mental health issues to show the public that just because they are living the “lavish life” that they are not immune to suffering from mental health problems as well.

PROGRESS Wrestling co-owner Jim Smallman opened up in the past about his mental health issues that he has went to battle with and has now become a source of light for others. ‘JOE’ recently put together an article featuring comments from British grapplers and those involved in wrestling who deal with or are dealing with mental health issues. Jim Smallman was a part of the article and he shared that he finds himself responding to fans via private message and allows them to open up about what they are going through in their lives.

“Most of the DMs I get are nice ones from fans saying PROGRESS helped them through a rough time and they’re through the worst now, but I’ve had some specific messages asking for help which I’ll always try to do,” he says. “Some concerning cutting back on drinking or drugs, with me being straight edge for 20 years now; or dealing with grief because I was very open about the loss of my mother a few years ago, or just coping with anxiety enough to be able to come to a show. I’m by no means a qualified councilor, but I always believe in talking and even if it takes me a couple of days to get back to peoples DMs, I always do.”

To read the full piece, click here. On a related note, PROGRESS Wrestling recently presented the biggest independent wrestling show in the U.K. in thirty years. To read the results from ‘Hello Wembley’, head over to the “results” section of Fightful.