Raven Inetrview

[Guest webmasterofwrestlegame]

Great Raven interview over at 1wrestling.com.

 

Some of the WWE (and wrestling in general) stuff is here:

 

On Wrestling Characters

 

"I think the latest generation of fans grew up on Shawn Michaels, and instead of taking so much more than what they took from it, they just saw the athletics and the highspots. Instead of seeing how much he threw into his character, that made him such a three dimensional rounded character, the arrogance, the pathos, the drama, they were weaned on these ‘I want to do these cool spots and cool moves' attitude, and then you go to the indy shows and all they do is a bunch of cool moves and stuff. People don't put the amount of thought into the character; all they do is put their thought into coming up with new and innovative highspots. It's kind of like when the Road Warriors got big, everyone wanted to be a big muscleheads. Now with the changing of the guard, also I think more people wanted to be like Jake [Roberts] but I don't think they are bright enough. You have to have a certain amount, a superior intelligence to come up with a three dimensional rounded character. It's so much easier to become a two dimensional cookie cutter character because it doesn't take the amount of work. I don't think people have the brains and the dedication, I think it's something you're not going to see a lot of anymore, because also, you aren't seeing as many three dimensional characters on TV, so there's no impetus to be like your heroes, because there are none that are three dimensional anymore.

 

On Storylines

 

If you aren't emotionally attached to the storyline, you aren't going to care enough to buy a ticket. It's that simple. This is an inter-emotional sport between the fans and the wrestlers and you want to connect on some visceral level, because when you don't connect one some visceral level, they won't spend money. But that's part of drawing money is that you're so...you have such an emotional stake in what's going on, that you either love or hate the wrestler so much, that you want to spend money to either see them become victorious or get revenge, or get their ass kicked. If you just like them or dislike them, it's not enough to spend money. You have to be viscerally attached, emotionally attached.  Hopefully the business will evolve back. I've always said that the business is all based on storytelling. If you tell good stories, people are going to watch it. If you tell bad stories, they're not. It's really that simple. It all boils down to the writing, the angles and the storylines. Either that, or you get a character like [steve] Austin that is so bigger than life that they are going to watch regardless of what he does, you know what I mean?

 

On a storyline he proposed involving himself, Hurricane, and Tommy Dreamer

 

"It was a great storyline. It was really simplistic and creative storyline that would have gotten the three of us over, because they were doing nothing with us, without having to use anyone else to do it. It wasn't like we were like, "Hey we need a win over Goldberg." It was just the three of us, and we were going to get over an OVW person and a new valet. It would have gotten over five people and two of them who would have never been on a show before, we would have gotten over. They could have picked any two to be those two, and they didn't do it, so I don't know, so whatever. One of these days I'll print up these storylines and let them see for themselves. Simplistic, creative emotionally stirring programs.

 

Thoughts:

 

I found it interesting that he didn;t even discuss a good wrestling match as being a draw (if it really is?)

 

The storyline he mentions above sounsd a bit like The Flock Reborn - doesn't sound great to me but without knowing details it would be hard to judge.

[Fökai 0]

If the stable idea was proposed around the time Evolution got off the ground, I can understand why it was canned.

 

Promotions (and fans) have a hard time keeping up with all of these stables; it's better to isolate one dominant stable and run with them.

[Guest Blackston]

Promotions (and fans) have a hard time keeping up with all of these stables; it's better to isolate one dominant stable and run with them.

 

Do you think?

 

I don't completely disagree with you, but I do think that there is room for several stables in one federation. WCW's high point in popularity occured when NWO Hollywood, NWO Wolfpac, the Four Horsemen and Raven's flock (maybe WCW could be counted as a stable in this scenario, too) were all active in feuding with one another.

 

The World Wrestling Federations highwater mark, at least creatively, would be in 1998, when The Corporation, The Ministry of Darkness, D-Generation X, and the Nation of Domination were all active.

 

Stables are a way of giving a good rub to some talent that just need a little bit of help getting jump started. The Rock and HHH are two good examples of guys that used their stable to get themselves over, and then catapaulted into the main event scene. Also, the lesser guys in the stable are still aligned with the stable leader, and could get a rub in that way.

[Guest BionicRedneck]

The WWE really wasted Raven. I know it's a really obvious thing to say, but it's true.

[Only The Strong Survive 0]

Stables are a way of giving a good rub to some talent that just need a little bit of help getting jump started. The Rock and HHH are two good examples of guys that used their stable to get themselves over, and then catapaulted into the main event scene. Also, the lesser guys in the stable are still aligned with the stable leader, and could get a rub in that way.

Stables are a good way to keep lots of wrestlers, everyone from main event to mid-card to low-card in the spotlight, giving them all some sense of importance. They can also make for great PPV's and drawn-out feuds between stables, but no one wants to put in the effort to write any complex storylines. Evolution is a stable only in the fact that it's not a tag team. They have no reason to be together and act independently of themselves a lot more than you'd think fellow stable members would. (i.e. Orton attacking Michaels during his match with Jericho)

[humongous2002 0]

Why did the WWE get rid of this guy??If they didn't want him to wrestle they should've used him as a booker, he's got a great mind for wrestling.

[rising up out of the back seat-nuh 0]

Why did the WWE get rid of this guy??If they didn't want him to wrestle they should've used him as a booker, he's got a great mind for wrestling.

IIRC, they offered him work as an announcer and/or in creative, but he wanted to wrestle, and couldn't at WWE.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Raven's also said numerous times that he never liked being on the creative side of the wrestling business

[humongous2002 0]

For real??What a shame, he makes a great booker.

[Guest Boo_Bradley]

He has said he doesn't want to book I'm pretty sure

[Guest Trivia247]

Stables are a way of giving a good rub to some talent that just need a little bit of help getting jump started. The Rock and HHH are two good examples of guys that used their stable to get themselves over, and then catapaulted into the main event scene. Also, the lesser guys in the stable are still aligned with the stable leader, and could get a rub in that way.

Stables are a good way to keep lots of wrestlers, everyone from main event to mid-card to low-card in the spotlight, giving them all some sense of importance. They can also make for great PPV's and drawn-out feuds between stables, but no one wants to put in the effort to write any complex storylines. Evolution is a stable only in the fact that it's not a tag team. They have no reason to be together and act independently of themselves a lot more than you'd think fellow stable members would. (i.e. Orton attacking Michaels during his match with Jericho)

I agree there, but then you have the overgrown stables.

 

When we had the WCW/ECW separate buyouts, and they made the Alliance stable, there were more than a Dozen guys there, majority of whom didn't have to many tv matches.

Was all about the top tier wrestlers in the group and the rest were just the nameless background noise.

 

a stable like most things is just as good as their weakest member.

 

in the nWo even Vincent had matches on Saturday night representing the nWo

[Guest MissMattitude]

I don't think you should just have one stable, especially when they're a heel one. You shoukd always have at least one other to feud with.

[Vyce 0]

Raven / Dreamer / Hurricane were all mainstays on Heat.

 

Evolution were (are) mainstays on RAW.

 

It wouldn't have hurt them to have a stable angle running on Heat. And, if Raven is to believe, it would have introduced - and possibly gotten over - two OVW workers.

 

Now, I don't know the storyline proposed, but I would theorize that Raven would have done a better job of getting to dev. workers over than, say, Undertaker giving them a handshake on Smackdown.

[Guest JMA]

It figures. Vince tried to do the same thing to Raven in the early nineties when he was Johnny Polo. He wanted to wrestle then and he still wants to wrestle. I guess Vince doesn't like taking "no" for an answer.

[Guest Choken One]

Personally...I'd like it if I was asked *TWICE* to work on the creative part of the business...

 

 

That indicates they trust you with the company's direction.

 

But Meh.

[Guest JMA]

Personally...I'd like it if I was asked *TWICE* to work on the creative part of the business...

 

 

That indicates they trust you with the company's direction.

 

But Meh.

I think Raven just really loves to wrestle. I don't blame him either. Besides, they wanted him to leave completely from the ring.

[CanadianChick 0]

I'm wondering how this stable idea would have panned out...

[Guest Choken One]

Personally...I'd like it if I was asked *TWICE* to work on the creative part of the business...

 

 

That indicates they trust you with the company's direction.

 

But Meh.

I think Raven just really loves to wrestle. I don't blame him either. Besides, they wanted him to leave completely from the ring.

He's reaching 45...His body will not tolerate it much longer...

 

Doesn't matter really...He'll come back to Vince one way or another...

[Guest JMA]

He's reaching 45...His body will not tolerate it much longer...

 

Doesn't matter really...He'll come back to Vince one way or another...

I doubt he'll go back to Vince. If he does become a booker he could do it for indy shows instead.

[Guest Choken One]

He's reaching 45...His body will not tolerate it much longer...

 

Doesn't matter really...He'll come back to Vince one way or another...

I doubt he'll go back to Vince. If he does become a booker he could do it for indy shows instead.

He would've done that the first time...what happened?

 

He went back to vince...

[Guest JMA]

Is Raven really 45? I thought he was 37.

[Guest Choken One]

Who said he was 45?

 

I said he was pushing 45...which means he's reaching there...

 

I believe he is actually 40...

 

Does It matter? Levy is old...in wrestling terminlogy.

[Guest JMA]

Speaking of the angle, I have an idea as to how it would've turned out. First off, Raven would debut his new manager. I think OVW would have called up Nikita, based on her personality clicking well with Raven's. Raven would've then gotten inside Hurricane's head, and made him see the ridiculous nature of his gimmick. Thus, we have Gregory Helms back.

 

I then seeing him beating Dreamer a few times. After these victories he would get inside Dreamer's head and make him see how the WWE has misused him. Finally, I see them bringing in Payne from OVW as an enforcer. That's actually not too bad a group.