Tommy Dreamer Fears He Caused Raven To Suffer From Health Issues

With Tommy Dreamer and Bully Ray set to do battle in a Team vs. Team Hardcore War at IMPACT Rebellion on April 16, speculation had run rife about who Dreamer could call in to help him take down his long-time rival.

While Dreamer would ultimately select Bhupinder Gujjar, one name suggested for the match was IMPACT Hall of Famer Raven. During an interview with PWMania, though, Dreamer said that Raven can’t wrestle due to health issues, before he pondered if he’d contributed to his career rival’s condition:

“The reason why I wouldn't give Raven the call, is that Raven’s health isn't the best. And I look at Raven, and I'm like, Did I do that? Did I cause someone that? I mean, the chair shot heard around the world? Did I cause Raven to have health issues later on in his life? Seriously, it's a big burden because, dude, I love everybody that I worked with. Pull the curtain back I love Raven. We had a love-hate relationship back then. But then when I see him and I'm like, oh, did I do this?

“I think the same as if I was a professional boxer. I love documentaries. I can't watch current boxer documentaries because they're showing a boxer speaking when he's in his prime and then they're showing a boxer speaking today. You're like, “What the hell type of stuff is going on in their brain?” You literally see that and I'm like, ‘whoa’. Listen, it's happened. Some people were great. Some people not so much. So that stuff really bothers me as a human being. So no, Raven won't get the call. Why would you want to do that? He's a pain in my ass to me. Come on, you followed my whole career since ECW. He’d be the last person I’d call. Raven cannot wrestle anymore,” said Dreamer.

The two had a bitter, violent, and blood-spattered feud in ECW that lasted several years, with the aforementioned ‘Chairshot Heard Around the World’ one of ECW’s most infamous images, with Dreamer slugging Raven in the head with a steel chair as Raven was handcuffed to a cage.