ECW icon Raven was the latest guest on the “Tod Is Pod” podcast with Tod Gordon and Derek Sabato, where he discussed his new biographical documentary, his health battles, and some of the most infamous and celebrated moments of his career.
Raven revealed that his documentary came to life after a director heard him on Steve Austin’s podcast and felt his story was worth telling.
From the beginning, he was determined for the project to pull no punches. “I want to make sure it’s warts and all. I don’t want it to just be like, rah rah Raven… I’m loved or hated. I’m a complicated person. I wanted to show the different layers.”
Watching the finished two-hour cut was a painful yet cathartic process for the former ECW World Champion. “It was really emotional for me, because you’re watching all the warts compressed into a two-hour window. Half the movie is empowering, and half the movie is the pain and depths that I sunk to. It was really painful to watch it. I hated watching it, but I really loved the movie, if that makes sense.”
Raven was candid about the toll his wrestling career and lifestyle have taken on him, particularly his fading memory. “I don’t remember a whole lot anymore. My brain is fried… I remember a lot of stuff, but I forgot a lot of stuff.”
He also admitted that his past drinking has left him with long-term medical issues: “I got gout for my excessive drinking. I got gout.”
Reflecting on his legendary feud with Tommy Dreamer, Raven recalled how he resisted the idea of taking ten consecutive chair shots, instead opting for one unforgettable strike. “You’re never going to remember 10 chair shots. They’re only gonna remember one. And they remembered it.”
He also admitted that the decision to have him lose a “Loser Leaves ECW” match to Dreamer was a mistake, saying: “Yeah, I thought it was a mistake too. So did Dreamer. I can see from Paulie’s (Paul Heyman) point of view, because he didn’t think I’d ever come back.”
The ECW original also revisited the infamous 1996 crucifixion angle with The Sandman, which sparked controversy with Kurt Angle in attendance.
Raven felt being forced to apologize was a misstep for a promotion built on being unapologetically extreme. “First of all, you’re the extreme promotion. Even if you do cross the line, you still don’t apologize. Because you’re the extreme promotion, you can’t apologize. So that was wrong.”
Despite the controversies, Raven praised Paul Heyman for allowing him creative freedom, crediting ECW’s revolutionary style as both its greatest strength and 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 for that period, but a couple more years later it would have been perfect again — which is what AEW did.”
Fans can listen to the full interview below:
