Tommy Dreamer sparked concern in a recent interview when he claimed that Raven’s health “isn’t the best.”
The veteran was speaking ahead of his appearance at IMPACT Rebellion for Harcore War. Dreamer was asked whether he would be reaching out to Raven to see if he wanted to get involved at the event. He added that Raven can’t wrestle anymore, and even questioned whether he had been responsible for some of his issues due to their incredibly violent matches in ECW.
However, speaking in a new interview with PWMania, Raven hit back at these claims, explaining that his health is fine. The former WWE Superstar said that while he requires shoulder surgery and is undoubtedly paying some price for his wrestling career, he doesn’t have anything like “excessive brain damage.”
“My health is fine. Honestly, like, I think what the problem was, is in his interview, Tommy lives in a work shoot world. Like it’s a half work half shoot to him. And in his mind, Raven and Dreamer really went to summer camp together and fought over Beulah. And he was triumphing because he married her, I guess.
I think what he meant to come across and say is, that I can’t wrestle, because I just had my knees replaced and I’m gonna have my shoulder replaced this year, so I can’t wrestle now. And it’d be at least a year of recovery for my shoulder replacement and then he added the working part, where he’s like, you know, I don’t know if I gave him a, you know, cause damage in the chair shot heard around the world so half shooting, half working. But if that one chair shot was what gave me brain damage.
I mean, if I had brain damage, I’m sure I have some damage. Obviously, I think all wrestlers do from all the chair shots and head and drugs we take. But, you know to make it seem like that I have brain damage, like excessive brain damage where its affecting my life, which it doesn’t. And obviously, you can see I’m clear headed…
And I know he didn’t mean it that way. He was just trying to capitalize on you know, on the story, the storyline that he’s telling for Impact, where he’s, trying to forsake, hardcoreness to an extent or something. I’m not sure exactly. I haven’t followed it. But I was gonna have him rebuttal it, rebut it, you know, and just retract it. But then I figured he wouldn’t be able to explain it as clearly because he doesn’t know my life, like I know my life. You know what I mean?”
Raven In “Good Health”
Raven went on to add that he’s in good health, despite injury struggles brought on by his lengthy career.
“I’m in good health. I’m just suffering injuries from my career. You know, the shoulder replacement I probably needed for 10, 15 years. I haven’t had a lot of big injuries. But I’ve had a couple, I herniated three discs in my lower back. I had my left shoulder replaced in 2013 and it was so painful that I said that’s it I’m not getting the right one either replacing too but I’m like I’m not getting that until i absolutely have to and now I absolutely have to.
Then I got to two knees replaced last year. And then I should be a perfectly healthy young man and or old young man. I still feel like I’m 28 inside. I’m 58 but I feel 28 and I probably have the organs of a 78 year old.”
Raven began his career back in 1988 and has wrestled for the likes of ECW, WWE, WCW, and IMPACT Wrestling.
You can watch the full interview here.
H/t to PWMania