On The Ariel Helwani Show, wrestling icon Raven (Scott Levy) spoke candidly about his current health, including a diagnosis of early-onset Parkinson’s disease and other issues stemming from his long and physically demanding career.
During the interview to promote his new documentary, Nevermore, stated: “I got early on-set Parkinson’s,” he stated. “So if you see me tremor, that’s why.” He explained that the symptom is often triggered by his emotional state or physical condition. “It just when I get anxious, the tremor gets worse, or when I’m really tired,” Raven said.
When asked by Helwani if he believes his health issues are a direct result of his famously hardcore wrestling career, Raven was unequivocal. “Of course. Absolutely,” he said. “Look, you got to pay the piper. Sometimes, you know, for all the drugs and alcohol and chair shots I took to the head. You know you gotta, you gotta pay for the damage at some point”.
Despite the health challenges, Raven explained that he has found a sense of contentment in his life that eluded him for many years. “I got tons of regrets. I got tons of things I would have done different, but I didn’t. They made me who I am and I’m happy with who I am,” he stated. “And I would rather be happy with who I am at the end of my life than be happy earlier in my life and not happy at the end… I want my golden years to be golden”.
Raven’s wrestling career has been marked by a series of injuries, leading to multiple major surgeries in recent years. “In ’22 I had both knees replaced. ’23 I had my shoulder replaced. ’24 I had spinal stenosis flare up,” he recounted. “So I’ve been just rehabbing, rehab, rehab, rehab”.
He said that his day-to-day life is comfortable now, with his main struggle being the constant exhaustion from a severe sleep disorder. “There’s no actual term for it, but I’ve had eight sleep studies and basically, it’s part narcolepsy, part apnea,” he explained. “I wake up like 10 to 15 times a night, then when I wake up for good for the day, I’m just as exhausted as when I went to bed”.
Raven described his current daily routine, which is dictated by his condition. “I’ll get up around 11 or 12… watch TV for an hour or two, and then start the day,” he said. “And then around five o’clock, I’ll take a nap for an hour, and then I’ll stay up till 2:30 in the morning. And it’s an easy life, believe me. I mean, I’m not complaining about it”.
The wrestling legend also spoke on the topic of mortality, a frequent concern in the wrestling business. When asked if he shares the fear that many wrestlers have of dying young, he was direct. “No, not to be glib, but I was on the dead pool list for years, you know, at the top of the heap. And, no, I don’t feel that way,” he stated. “But I don’t want to live forever either, because I don’t want to be old… old age ain’t for pussies. You got to be tough to get old”.
His life partner, Selena, gets emotional in the documentary when discussing her fear for his health, but Raven seems to have come to terms with his future. “80 sounds about right,” he said about how long he’d like to live.
The full interview, where Raven discusses his career, health, and new documentary, Nevermore, is available on The Ariel Helwani Show. The documentary, which explores his life in great detail, will be released on VOD and streaming platforms on November 18.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit The Ariel Helwani Show with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
