ECW legend Raven was the guest on the “Tod Is Pod” podcast with Tod Gordon and Derek Sabato, where he discussed his new biographical documentary, his current health status, and reflected on some of the most famous and controversial moments of his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling.
The “Warts and All” Documentary
The primary topic of conversation was Raven’s upcoming documentary. He explained that the project began after a director heard his appearance on Steve Austin’s podcast and “thought I’d make a great subject.” From the outset, Raven was insistent that the film be an unflinching and honest look at his life.
I want to make sure it’s warts and all. I don’t want it to just be like, you know, rah, rah Raven…I’m loved or hated, you know… I’m a complicated person. You know what I mean. And I wanted to show the different layers.
A Painful Watch
Raven admitted that watching the final two-hour cut of the film was a difficult and emotional experience, precisely because it achieved the honesty he had asked for.
It was really emotional for me, because you’re watching all the warts and all compressed into a two hour window. And it’s like half the movie is empowering, and half the movie is the pain and depths and the depths that I sunk to. And so it was really painful to watch it. I really hated watching it, but I really loved the movie, if that makes sense to you.
Current Health Status
Part of that “warts and all” story includes his current health. Raven was candid about the long-term effects of his career and lifestyle, particularly concerning his memory. When asked about his recollection of his early ECW days, he stated plainly:
I don’t remember a whole lot anymore. My brain is fried.
He later added, “It’s weird how people remember stuff. Like, I remember a lot of stuff, but I forgot a lot of stuff.” He also mentioned a specific medical condition he has dealt with, which he directly attributes to his past habits.
I got gout for my excessive drinking, I got gout.
The Dreamer Feud
The conversation turned to his iconic, multi-year feud with Tommy Dreamer, which he considers one of the greatest storylines in wrestling history. He recalled a specific moment where he pushed back against the idea of taking ten chair shots from Dreamer, arguing for a more psychologically impactful approach.
You guys were wanting me to take like, 10 chair shots. And I’m like, ‘No, I’m not taking 10 chair shots.’ And Dreamer’s like ‘you pussy,’ and I’m like, ‘hit me.’… but you’re never going to remember 10 chair shots. They’re only gonna remember one. And they remembered it.
The feud famously ended with Raven defeating Dreamer in a “Loser Leaves ECW” match, a decision Raven now says was a mistake. “Yeah, I thought it was a mistake too. So did Dreamer,” he admitted. “I can see from Paulie’s (Paul Heyman) point of view, because he didn’t think I’d be coming back, ever come back.”
The Crucifixion Angle
Raven also addressed the infamous 1996 angle where he “crucified” The Sandman, which caused a major controversy, partly due to Kurt Angle being a guest at the show. He noted that he was forced to apologize for the segment, a move he felt was wrong for the promotion.
First of all, you’re the extreme promotion. when you do cross the line, which we didn’t, but even if you do, you still don’t apologize. Because you’re the extreme promotion, you can’t apologize. So that was wrong.
ECW’s Legacy
He reflected on his time in the company, praising the creative freedom he had under Paul Heyman, which stood in stark contrast to his time in other promotions. He believes ECW’s timing was both perfect and its ultimate downfall.
It was ahead of its time, and it was too big to be small and too small to be big… we timed it perfectly at the time, like, you couldn’t have timed the company’s growth at the time any better for the time period it was in, but then… a couple more years went by and then it would have been perfect… to have it again, you know. which is what AEW did.
The full interview can be heard on the “Tod Is Pod” podcast on AdFreeShows.com.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit AdFreeShows.com with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
