Baltimore Ravens icon Ray Lewis is rumored to compete in a Real American Freestyle (RAF) wrestling match soon.
Before he became a legendary linebacker on the gridiron, Lewis, 51, was a Florida state wrestling champion.
Despite his championship pedigree in wrestling, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle expressed concerns about Lewis returning to the wrestling mat.
Speaking with OutKick Dropkick, the Olympic Gold medalist warned Lewis about the dangers of competing at his advanced age.
“I don’t know if he’s going to be able to do it,” Angle said on behalf of Gambling.com, the guide to the best online sportsbooks. “Ray did wrestle I believe in high school. So, he knows wrestling, but I think he’s going to be there to represent RAF. If they do something with him, I don’t know if it’s going to be a real match.
“But the thing is, every match in Olympic-style wrestling is real. So, if he does wrestle, then good for him. And I hope he doesn’t get hurt, unfortunately.”
Kurt Angle Sends Warning to Ray Lewis
Kurt Angle knows a thing or two about just how physically demanding wrestling can be for an athlete past his athletic prime.
The former WWE and TNA World Champion was 50 years old when he competed in his final WWE match at WrestleMania 35.
During an appearance on Chris Van Vilet’s Insight podcast, Angle confessed that he should have ended his in-ring career sooner and suffers from several physical ailments post-retirement.
“My quality of life right now, Chris, isn’t so good. I had my knees replaced about a year ago. I had back surgery about four months ago,” Angle said last year. “Have to have my shoulder replaced; I still have another neck surgery coming up. That will be my fourth neck surgery. I really paid the price wrestling as long as I did. I wrestled amateur wrestling for 20 years and then Pro for 20. Looking back, sometimes I regret that. Maybe I should have retired five years earlier.”
Hoping to dissuade Lewis from enduring a similar punishment, Angle warned the Pro Football Hall of Famer about competing against RAF wrestlers.
Listen, Ray Lewis is a bada–, but I mean, he’s probably what 55, 60 years old. So, I don’t know if it’d be a good idea for him to get on the mat with some of those studs,” Angle said.
Kurt Angle is an RAF Alum
Following his in-ring career, in which he suplexed virtually every WWE legend in history, Angle briefly served as a commentator for RAF.
Although he was let go, Angle carries no ill will toward the company.
“I got let go due to budget and I completely understood,” he told OutKick Dropkick. “I wasn’t the greatest at commentary, and they brought me in because of my name. They wanted me to go for a year and try it out. So I did it, and I really enjoyed it. But they have a great future in front of them.”
Kurt Angle Issues Strong Warning to Baltimore Ravens Alum