WWE Legend Mick Foley And More Mourn Wrestler Jimmy Rave, Who Died Months After Multiple Amputations

Jimmy Rave on the mic in CZW ring
(Image credit: CZW)

Few industries on this planet are quite like the world of professional wrestling, and few athletes outside of that world can compare to those who populate the squared circle on a nightly basis. This week marks the loss of a unique and talented wrestler, a story told too often these days, as Impact Wrestling and AEW vet Jimmy Rave (real name: James Guffey) passed away at the age of 39 as a triple amputee. To be expected, Rave’s fellow wrestlers and fans shared mournful messages after his death. 

Having started his wrestling career back in 1999, Jimmy Rave was a veteran of many different promotions over the years, earning fans everywhere he went, both in and out of the ring. Someone he could call friend is fellow badass Mick Foley, and the WWE hardcore icon shared the following message on Facebook

RIP JIMMY RAVE. This really hurts. Jimmy Rave has passed away. He was only 39. He had lost both legs to the MRSA virus this past October, but seemed to be in good spirits when I checked in with him two weeks ago. He was a great wrestling character and worker; someone who gave so much more to the business than he received. May God bless you, my friend.

Mick Foley

After two decades spent winning over wrestling crowds across the world — with successful runs in other promotions such as NWA, TNA, Combat Zone, Rampage, New Japan Pro Wrestling and more — Jimmy Rave announced his retirement in November 2020, after doctors identified an infection in his left arm that resulted in the limb being amputated. In October of 2021, Rave then revealed he had to have both of his legs amputated over the summer after an MRSA diagnosis. His death was revealed by his agent Bill Behren, through a statement written with the help of Rave’s daughter Kailah. 

News of Jimmy Rave’s death was definitely a shock, and fellow family man Matt Hardy shared his condolences on Twitter.

Chris Jericho, who was recently released from a hospital stay during an overseas tour with his band Fozzy, shared his own reaction on social media, and it was a relatively rare instance of Jericho saying more with less. 

Sad day...

Chris Jericho

Current AEW beast Frankie Kazarian had been buddies with Jimmy Rave for the better part of the late wrestler’s career, and voiced his appreciation for their friendship, saying:

Along with all of Jimmy Rave's wrestling colleagues and fans, mourful messages were shared by several wrestling organizations as well, with the NWA, Ring of Honor, and Combat Zone, among others, paying their respects. The same goes for IMPACT, which shared the following message: 

While throwing some ceremonial toilet paper into the ring, we here at CinemaBlend also send our thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of Jimmy Rave during their time of mourning. 

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Nick Venable
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Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.