Former WWE Hardcore Champion Raven recently appeared on Prime Time with Sean Mooney to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Raven first discussed his struggles with mental health, and seeking the help of a Psychologist to help him get through it:
“Wrestling is full of tough guys, but we’re creative, because we’re creative people or you wouldn’t be in this particular sport. But tough guys don’t go to Psychologists. So many people could benefit from that, it saved me. I’m content now as a human being. I never could have dreamed of being content until I went to a Psychologist’s couch.”
Raven then talked about how he used to think that his professional wrestling career was a failure:
“I always held myself to a higher standard. I thought my career was a failure because I never was the World Champion of WWE. Of course, the odds against that were astronomical.
“The fact that I burned my bridge up there numerous times was making sure it’s not going to happen and I may not have been qualified to be the World Champion – I mean, I think I was – but let’s say some people didn’t think I was.”
He then realized that he actually had quite a successful career in the business:
“[My Psychologist] pointed out, ‘The only one holding you to a higher standard is you. You don’t have to hold yourself to that standard. You’re career was incredible successful’ and I go, ‘Yeah, but…’ and she goes, ‘Let me ask you this.
“If somebody else had your career, what would you tell them?’ Oh, they had an incredibly successful career! ‘Then why can’t you let yourself have that?’ That’s what I dealt with and that’s what we went through over and over until I accepted the fact that I had a hell of a goddamn career.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZPsGZNUUrc&feature=youtu.be
H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions
