Guest Slapnuts00 Report post Posted May 26, 2003 Jason Barrett of the No Holds Barred radio show sent in the following highlights of Raven's recent interview... Raven opened up by giving Jeremy Borash praise for taking a good bump for him on last week's NWA TNA show. He said Borash made him look like a million bucks and he thought the spot looked great. He talked about the match with Jeff Jarrett and said he was happy with it for the most part but since he's a perfectionist he's never truly satisfied with everything he does. He joked that many of his friends call him an evil critic because of it. He brought up some of the hardcore matches he had with Rhyno which many people feel were some of the best he's had and he said he still watches those matches and cringes when he sees a few missed spots. He said TNA had to change plans with the #1 contender setup since his contract with the company had expired. He said the contract situation came up at the worst possible time considering storyline purposes but everything is now resolved and he is signed to the company. Raven mentioned that his heart will always be with ECW and he lists his time with the company as the most enjoyable time he's ever had in the business. He said it was the first time he was able to prove that he was as good as he claimed he was. He feels the storylines he worked on with Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman during his ECW tenure are some of the best storylines in the history of the business. He said they were right up there with the great storylines of Tommy Rich-Buzz Sawyer and Sgt Slaughter-Iron Sheik and he added that there was even more length and depth of characterization then any storyline in the history of the business. When the WWE was brought up Raven seemed very annoyed discussing the company. He said that it's Vince McMahon's company and he can do what he wants with it. He said that maybe Vince doesn't think he could carry the ball which he believes is absurd. He said he doesn't think Vince knew that he was a player in WCW for 10 years and he most likely only knows that he spent time working in a small promotion like ECW after he left the WWF as Johnny Polo. He said things wouldn't have been different if Paul Heyman had more of a creative role in the WWE with his character because Paul was still mad at him for his second run in ECW when he was strung out on drugs. Raven talked about his final appearance on Raw when he was seen outside in the parking lot spying on Test and he said he didn't care for the angle because it looked like he had walked on to the set by accident. He said he was much happier working on Heat because he was left alone to do his own thing and because it didn't hurt his stock and he wasn't constantly having to job to everyone. He also said he thought he was going to finally get his chance when they had him helping the Undertaker but things changed for whatever reason. He closed the statement by saying people can rehash his WWE run all they want but it doesn't do any good because he wasn't used the way he wanted to be used and nobody will ever know the real reason why. He said he really likes Vince Russo's ideas and pointed out that Russo does have a track record for doing good things despite the problems that existed in WCW. He said he spends 12 hours a week with him and they sometimes drive together to the TNA show and he feels Russo is doing a good job. He talked about the creation of his character and said that he put the whole thing together but Diamond Dallas Page pointed him in the right direction by telling him he needed to play to his strengths. He added though that DDP has tried to take credit for the gimmick which he says in not the case. He feels DDP led him on to the right path but it was he himself who created the look, the name, the promos and put the Raven character together. He talked about the differences of his character between his ECW days and current time in NWA TNA by saying that he is not as self pitying, hateful or brooding as he once was. He also jokingly brought up the physical differences such as his hair being shorter and a different color and the fact that he no longer wears a shirt. On the topic of MLW he said he worked 1 show for the company and he thought it was a good show overall despite it being a little long and people burning out at the end. He said he really enjoyed working with CM Punk and he likes the fact that he is a good listener and truly does want to learn. He said 9 times out of 10 when guys in the business ask you how their match was, they are just looking for you to put them over. He said in the case of CM Punk he legitimately wants to know what he didn't do well and could care less of the praise he receives. He talked about the things that he has left to accomplish in the business and started by saying the first goal is to win the NWA title from Jeff Jarrett unless of course Glen Gilbertti wins it then he'll beat him for it. He said he thought his career was over when he got released from the WWE and he was ready to pursue another career until he saw how well the independent market was paying. He said he is making over double now then what he was making working for Vince and as long as that continues he'll keep doing it because he loves being paid to do what he enjoys doing the most. He feels NWA TNA can definitely become a solid #2 in the wrestling industry. He said the company can't afford to put together any bad shows instead the formula has to be good show followed by good show followed by another good show. He said he doesn't think the $9.99 charge per week is a stupid idea because it's only $40 per month which almost adds up to the price of a PPV. He said for a company like TNA to succeed it's going to need to rely on word of mouth and strong marketing and from where he sits he thinks they are heading in the right direction. He closed the interview by talking about what he would have done if his wrestling career did end. He said he has always wanted to pursue acting and he also loves doing radio shows. He joked that he would love to have a syndicated talk show like Love Lines where he could give ridiculous love advice to ridiculous callers plus he could never get tired listening to himself talk for 3 hours a day. To hear the entire interview, visit www.noholdsbarredwrestling.com. The No Holds Barred radio show is hosted by Jason Barrett and George "The Animal" Farmer and airs in parts of NY, NJ, CT and PA. If you'd like to hear the NHB radio show in your area, please visit our website and make sure to fill out the petition on the top of the main page and then e-mail it to us at [email protected]. Thanks in advance for your support. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Garth 0 Report post Posted May 26, 2003 Very intresting to hear from Raven about whats going on. Was sadend by his depature from WWE as no longer get to see him, but i think it was for the best, and he is carving out a new path for himself where he can actually get to the top of the mountain. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest CoreyLazarus416 Report post Posted May 26, 2003 Raven owns. 'Nuff said. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam 0 Report post Posted June 2, 2003 Raven owns. 'Nuff said. Amen to that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
