This is an article that was in the inside wrestling about Billy kidman forgiving Raven.
It's ironic, really. For Van Hammer, Lodi, Sick Boy, Scotty Riggs, and Reese, joining The Flock short~curcuited what could have been promising careers. For Billy Kidman, though, the time he spent with Raven yielded championship gold. But that doesn't mean Kidman is proud of it. As a high-flying tan favorite, Kidman was unable to make a major impact in WCW. Through he turned in "valiant efforts against opponents often twice his size, the losses continued to pile up. Frustrated and disappointed, Kidman proved a perfect target for Raven.
Upon arriving in WCW, Raven recruited a flock of misfits and troubled souls to serve his bidding and to watch his back in a hostile promotion. Kidman accepted Raven's offer, and the cIean~cut aerialist slowly degenerated into a grunged~out parody of Raven.
For months, Kidman's stellar skills were subsumed to serve his master's private agenda. As Raven's abuse continued, discord grew in the renegade faction of rulebreakers and culminated in Saturn's Fall Brawl win over Raven that freed The Flock from his clutches. Kidman struggled when his identity and battled the propaganda Raven had planted in his mind. He managed to channel his aggression into a remarkable effort to unseat Juventud Guerrera for the WCW Cruiserweight title on September 14 in Greenville, South Carolina - the day after Fall Brawl. The win gave Kidman a new focus and a new outlook on his career. Even after he lost the belt back to Juvi two months later, Kidman remained upbeat. Senior Writer Dan Murphy sat down with Kidman to discuss The Flock and his reign as champion.
Q: Thanks for making some time to sit down with me, Kidman. During the past year or so, you"ve developed into one of the finest cruiserweights in WCW. Unfortunately, you spent much of that time as one of Raven's flunkies in The Flock. Would you like to comment a bit on those months you were under Raven's influence?
A: All I'd like to do is put my past behind me so I can concentrate on regaining the cruiserweight title. That's not easy to do, though, Dan. I suppose the best way to do that would be honest about my association with Raven. Where would you like me to begin?
Q: First off, I wanted to see if you can explain the mysterious hold Raven was able to exert over wrestlers like yourself, Lodi, Sick Boy, Horace, and the rest. Why were you so willing to interfere on Raven's behalf for so long, and why did associating with him so utterly change the lot of you?
A: Well, I'm not sure I can answer for the whole flock, but I'll explain my own circumstances and see if that answers your questions. Raven contacted me when I was going through the biggest slump of my career. He invited me to join him and his associates. We would watch one another's backs and teach each other new moves. It was more than a business arrangement in that it spilled over into our personal lives. We would tra'el together and hang out together, but we would never be just ourselves. We were always focused on the business that had to be done.
Q: What business was that?
A: First and foremost, our task was to protect Ra'en. It may sound silly, especially to people on the outside, but Raven's recruits always lacked real self~confidence. For the most part, none of us really enjoyed tremendous success on our own. Raven had proven himself before he got here. I mean, this guy is a lot tougher than some pople think. We knew Raven has a lot going for him. We were determined to see him succeed... at any cost.
Q: It sounds a little like a cult to me.
A: I never really saw it that way, but I can now understand what you are talking about. it was a very intense environment. -Certainty.
Q: When did things begin to sour within The Flock? Was it when Saturn and Raven had their tiling out? It seemed like Raven favored Saturn over the rest of you.
A: I'm sure he did. Saturn was the closest thing to an equal Raven would ever acknowledge. None of us wanted to rock the boat and risk filling the wrath of Raven, or open ourselves up to attacks from other members of The Flock. I really can't tell you when things soured, as you said. It's all kind of a blur. Q: When Saturn emancipated The Flock, you were the first one who really seemed to regain focus and step into singles contention. Horace went from one gang into another when he joined Hollywood Hogan. Everyone else has virtually disappeared Why were you able to rebound so quickly?
A: To be perfectly honest, Dan. I really don't know. Part of me feels guilty about that. It's like those stories you hear from old soldiers. You can be standing there with 10 guys and just like that, the enemy can open fire and all of a sudden, you're the only one left standing. I'm serious when I say the emotional trauma some of the guys suffered under Raven's abuse could well affect them for the rest of their lives. That may sound crazy, but I saw it firsthand. I caught a lucky break by getting a title shot and making the best of it. Saturn inspired me with his speech that night. He told me to go out and win the cruiserweight title, and I did. That's all.
Q: Let's change the subject just a bit. I can see that this is a difficult subject for you.
A: I'm sorry if I'm going on and on. It was.... Yes, a difficult time.
Q: you've given WCW's current crop of cruiserweight a difficult time lately, even though Juvi did beat you to regain the belt just a few days ago. Your tenure in The Flock seemed to have strengthened both your mat wrestling skills and your brawling abilities, while not diminishing your aerial skills. Do you think Ju~entud was prepared for the wrestler you had become on the night you beat him?
A: Juvi's always prepared. I can assure you that he gave me a heck of match the night after Fall Brawl. I was just a little better. He got the best of me in most of our matches before then and he was a little better the night he got the belt back. Maybe I just had a little more to fight for on the night I beat him.
Q: Given everything that's happened to you o~r the last 18 months or so, do you worry that maybe you've had your two months of lame in WCW and you'll never get to the top of the cruiserweight division again?
A: I've overcome a lot. I've learned how to deal with setbacks and adversity. I don't have any doubt that I'll get that belt back. I know what I;m capable of doing. I know I'm just as good as any of the other cruiserweights here. If I was down on myself after that match, I wouldn't have handed the belt to Juvi. He earned the title. He beat me. Now it's up to me to get it back, and I will get it back.
Q: Looking back, was your time in The Flock well spent? If you had to do it all over, would you have joined Raven or continued to go it on your own?
A: I've asked myself that question over and over. I'm still not sure I have an answer. I perfected the" Seven-Year Itch" while I was in The Flock. I developed my killer instinct. I got the attention of promoters and my fellow wrestlers. It helped me get a shot at the cruisweweight belt. It also took several years off my life. I don't know.
Q: Answer me this: what would it take for you to forgive Raven for the abuse he heaped upon you and the rest of The Flock? A: (Pauses) I would forgive Raven if... (Long pause).... I'm not sure
Q: Is it even possible?
A: I would forgive Raven if.....(Long Pause)...If he would as me for forgiveness and mean it. Raven's on a path to self-destruction, and he tried to make us follow him. Some of us did by trying to be his friends. If Raven was able to put his own demons away and stop playing the masochist, I would accept his friendship. I would forgive him only then. Until then I want no part of him.
