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Former WWE star and ECW World Champion Paul "Justin Credible" Polaco is scheduled for another court hearing on 11/26 at 10 AM in regard to a number of arrests stemming from multiple violations of a March 2018 protective order filed against him by his wife, Jill. Court records indicate that will be when Polaco issues a plea of guilty or not guilty in regard to his recent arrests.
There have been a number of incidents that led to Polaco being arrested in his hometown of Waterbury, CT over the last two years. He was was originally arrested on 3/3/17 and charged with threatening in the second degree and disorderly conduct. A protective order was issued at that time and on 12/1/17, Polaco was charged with violating a civil protective order as well as criminal mischief in the second degree and Breach of Peace in the second degree. The latter charges were all misdemeanors.
On 8/4, Polaco was arrested for violating the protective order and for disorderly conduct. The fourth, stemming from a 9/4 arrest, includes charges of violating a standing criminal protective order (a felony) as well as misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and assault in the third degree.
The latest arrest led to Polaco being incarcerated in lieu of a $50,000 bond. He was bonded out by the production team involved in the documentary Credible, which is covering his attempt to turn his life around over the last year. Polaco entered an in-house treatment facility after being released from his incarceration.
Credible's case has been referred to a family relations officer.
Polaco, 44, has been wrestling since the early 1990s after training at the Hart Family wrestling camp under Lance Storm. He was signed to the then-WWF after doing enhancement work in the early days of Monday Night Raw. He was cast as a the masked Aldo Montoya, playing off his legitimate Portuguese heritage, working as an undercard performer. He asked to be released to go to WCW in 1997, but was only allowed to go work Memphis and later Extreme Championship Wrestling. Rechristened Justin Credible (a name that ECW wrestler Bill Wiles came up with), he was given an immediate push that in hindsight, may have been too much, but still ended up with a nice run as the ECW World Champion in 2000. After the demise of ECW, he was brought back in to WWF as part of the X-Factor with X-Pac and current WWE Performance Center Head Coach Matt Bloom, at the time wrestling as Albert. He was released in 2002 and worked all over the independent scene, including appearances in TNA, Ring of Honor and MLW. WWE brought him back as part of their ECW revival in 2006 but Credible almost immediately disappeared, partially because he felt disrespected by what was pretty much an enhancement role in the brand and was released once the company got in contact with him.
In recent years, Polaco made it publicly known that he has been dealing with personal issues after it became apparent in public something was wrong. After a December 2017 incident on an independent event in Connecticut where he appeared drunk, Polaco has openly spoke about getting himself clean, turning to WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page for help and entering a rehab program for alcohol abuse. That had not been the first time there had been issues with Credible's condition at events as he had been pulled from competing at the first Extreme Reunion event several years ago in Philadelphia due to concerns about him, including a photo of Credible passed out in a chair backstage before the event that had shared on social media.
Polaco has also had several legal issues in recent years. He was arrested in November 2009 for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and in August 2011, he was sentenced to 90 days in jail but given a suspended sentence with the agreement that he would be given a conditional discharge a year later if there were no further incidents. He was also arrested in May 2013 and charged with larceny in the sixth degree, a misdemeanor. He was found guilty in November 2013 and was again given a conditional discharge.
After getting out of rehab, Polaco took to social media to thank WWE, writing, "When I retired from pro wrestling I honestly didn’t think I would miss it all that much. The last year of my life has been full of ups and downs. Most of them public. My struggles with addiction have been well documented. I’m pleased to say that TODAY i’m clean and sober. Through the amazing help of the @WWE wellness program I am able to live a life I never thought possible with gratitude love and compassion. I also want to say that when I retired October 16 2015 I was not the person that you remember as Justin Credible. What I’m basically trying to say is 2018 is going to be the year that I redeem myself. Not only in the eyes of the fans but of my peers. I gave this business everything and in return I got lost along the way as so many do. This is in some gimmick to try to get bookings. If for no other reason I just want to show everyone that with the love and support from the fans & @wwe Wellness program anyone can battle their demons and come back better than ever. Stay tuned......"
Polaco has done a number of local media interviews in CT discussing his issues and has been promoting a documentary about his recovery that is being put together by filmmaker Eric Nyenhuis. Prior to Polaco's most recent arrest, Nyenhuis told the Record Journal in Connecticut, "What a lot of people don't understand is recovery from addiction is probably the bumpiest road you'll ever drive on. How this ends is up to him completely. This can either end up in a complete dumpster fire or be the best thing that ever happened to him. I want this to be the best thing that ever happened to him. We're not trying to create a wrestling documentary, we're trying to record his recovery, and we hope more than anything his redemption."
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