Not all of Raven's speeches are here-just some of the more important ones that say a lot about his character.
"Coach, who I wrestle for is less important than what I wrestle for; my first objective being the Hardcore Title. To quote Oscar Wilde, "They say we destroy the things we love, but really the things we love destroy us." Take Maven, for example. His passion has led to his success, but it will also prove to be his Waterloo, courtesy of what has come to be known as "The Raven Effect."
6/9/00, ECW on TNN: "Scotty Anton, you went from my WCW one-eyed flunky, to a network hired gun. And that's the legacy you want to leave behind, I leave you with this. The world is full of kings and queens, they'll blind your eyes and steal your dreams. It's heaven and hell. Quote the Raven, nevermore."
"They say imitation, is the sincerest form of flattery. Well Justin Credible, you stole my look, you stole my girl, you stole my title. Two days ago, you called me on the telephone, and you quoted one of my heroes to me. (Quote from Keep On Rocking in the Free World by Neil Young) 'There's a warning sign on the road ahead. There's a lot of people saying, we'd be better off dead. I don't feel like Satan, but I am to them. So I try to forget it, anyway I can.' And right then and there I realized, Justin, that you could never be me, because when they call you Satan it bothered you; When they called me Satan, I enjoyed it. So it is written..."
12/19/98: "As a child, I had dreams of loneliness, and of a hatred...that drove me mad. Of a stillness, and of sorrow, of what I never had; of what could only be.
"My mother thought that children should be seen and not heard. My mother thought that I was just a prop for her amusement...for her idle friends...for her to look like someone...I was almost; I was like a monkey, and she was an organ grinder, as I sat and did tricks for all the other adults that came over. As the idle rich came by, and looked me over as I'd recite the names of the presidents back and forth...forward and backward, and backward and forward...and they'd clap their hands...I was surprised no one threw me money, because that's what I felt like.
"She never loved me...she never did, and she never will. And I often wonder, maybe it was my fault...but it wasn't. And the only thing I can think to say when I think about her and what she did to me, and the pain she caused...the hatred, and the loathing I fear, is 'What about me? What about Raven?'"
8/3/98: "Every one of you craves lifes pleasures, yet you don't indulge...You want to drink from ectasy's cup, yet you won't abide...Yet you want to walk the edge like Raven, but you are afraid to fall, so you back away slowly, hoping no one notices your frailties, your cowardliness...You wish that you weren't so weak and you hurt...But what do you know about pain? Try walking in my shoes; experience my sorrow...A childhood without hope, a life without joy...but hey, at least you'll be alive...They say Raven is the Flock's guide down alienation's barren path, but really I walk alone. Quote the Raven, Nevermore."
Video: "I can't remember a time when I wasn't alone, even when my parents were around. The sound of their fury was harsh, but the sound of their silence was deafening. It's devastation that left me buried beneath a mountain of solitude. My loneliness and despair trapped me in a storm of unimaginable emptiness. What about me? What about Raven? The other kids playing ball outside, and me with them was an illusion I'd allow myself, but the stark reality was even if my parents would have allowed me to leave my bedroom dwell, the other kids wouldn't have allowed me to join in anyway. They said I didn't follow their rules. Their stupid rules...Quote the Raven, Nevermore."
1/24/98: "Throughout the trials and tribulations and the heartbreak and misery that is my life, there is only one man whose advice I've ever heeded. And he told me there are two rules: 1. There are no rules, and 2. Someone must feel the DDT. Quote the Raven, nevermore."
Interview: "The entire purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of being. We are a nation of hollow stuffed people, bleeding together, heads stuffed with straw. Like wind in an empty street, or rats' feet over broken glass in a dark and forgotten cellar. So it is written, so it shall come to pass. Quote the Raven, nevermore."
In-ring interview: "Trust and hate, and love and fate, and I don't understand. Social grace, the human race, confuse me. These words I speak bring forth a world of emotions. Emotions of dreams lost, dreams found, and dreams I'll never see. So it is written. So it shall come to pass. But the question is, will I, or will I not be Diamond Dallas Page's partner? But isn't that the same question that I've been asked time and time again since my childhood? Isn't the question really 'Are there any dreams I'd like to sell?' Quote the Raven, nevermore."
Introducing Raven to WCW: "Mrs. Landisis's sixth grade class. I sat in the third row next to Teresa Hayes. And it was there that I first discovered alienation and barren path. The taunting and the badgering by the other kids made me realize the depths of human evil and the dark underbelly of human society. I'd close my eyes and pretend I was someone different. That I wasn't a misfit. You can't erase the dream; you can only wake me up. I didn't care. I never obeyed the rules, because even back then I realized the nothing...Nothing in nature behaves so consistently and rigidly as a human being in pursuit of destruction. Quote the Raven, nevermore."
Introducing Raven to WCW: "All the joy, all the fun, all the excitement took place here. This is what every kid looked forward to: recess. Every kid could not wait to get here. Couldn't wait to get out here and get beaten up by the bullies. Couldn't wait to get out here and get teased and humiliated. Couldn't wait to get out here so they could be chosen last for all the teams. This is where all the fun of childhood took place. The only thing I remember rivaling that was one time, during my parents' attempted reconciliation, they took me skiing. And as I stood atop the mountain and looked across at another snow-covered hill, I saw my reflection. You see, scars are souvenirs you never lose; the past is never far. But what do you do? What do you do when all your memories are razor blades? When everything you can possibly remember hurts? What do you do? Quote the Raven, nevermore."