Exclusive Details On The Final Days Of Axl Rotten
On December 5, 2015, Brians life changed again with the death of one of his closest friends, Hack Meyers, a man he had grown up with and spoke to almost daily. Hack had recently undergone brain surgery and Brian talked with him on December 4th, wishing him a speedy recovery and telling him about his book. Hack was excited for him and said he would help in any way he could, offering to talk to Brian and I in a three-way call when he was out of hospital. He told Brian he was doing fine and that he would talk to him soon. The next day, he passed away from complications related to the surgery. Brian was crushed. We talked again the next day and he was clearly distressed and grieving hard, but he also seemed to be keeping a handle on it. That changed after Hacks funeral. Seeing one of his best friends in the world lying cold and lifeless in his casket had a profound effect on Brian. He couldn't shake the image from his head. That is when he slipped and started taking drugs again. Over December he became hard to reach and we did not speak for days, which was unusual but I also understood he was going through a rough time and needed some space. When I finally got hold of him a few days before Christmas he was in a bad state. He was holed up alone in a room at Motel 6 in Baltimore, drinking and taking pills. He was complete unintelligible, slurring his words and drifting in and out of consciousness. I was worried about him and contemplated contacting the local authorities to go and check on him because I was convinced he was not going to make it through the night. I expressed this plan to him and told him I was not going to let him become another wrestling tragedy with an all-too-similar lonely hotel room demise. He made me swear that I wouldn't do that because he would consider it a heel move and would ruin our friendship, so, with a heavy heart, I didn't. I carried on calling him every day, hoping he would pick up and I would hear an improvement in his mood. I didn't say much, I just let him rant and get things off his chest. He thanked me for being there for him and for being concerned about the welfare of Brian Knighton rather than only caring about Axl Rotten. He told me that from our regular conversations he considered me a friend and that he was thankful for me being there to help him through one of the roughest times in his life. That meant a lot to me. He also confessed to me that he had tried to commit suicide more than once over the past few weeks. I tried to kill myself but I couldnt even f*****g do that right. I guess it is not meant to be and it is not my destiny. My destiny is to finish this book. As the weeks went by he seemed to be getting better. He moved in with Ian Rotten for a few weeks and I was happy that he was no longer alone. He had someone he trusted who cared for him and would look out for him. He was getting out more, attending the wrestling shows that Ian was putting on and getting the chance to be Axl Rotten again, something he sorely missed. He had slipped, but he seemed to be getting better.