Raven Interview
On a cold January evening--actually early morning, if you looked at the clock--with the snow falling on the Philadelphia streets and not a soul in sight, Raven sat on a large air duct not too far from The Spectrum. That was his source of heat, and quite possibly, his home. Raven looked happy, or at least content. Not your ideal interview site, but Raven is anything but your typical wrestler. Yes, Raven's Rules apply to reporters, too. WCW/nWo Magazine found out the hard way--and the cold way--when we sought answers from WCW's most mysterious superstar.
As 1998 ended, we learned that Raven is actually quite a rich man, with a trust fund worth $3.2 million. Yet still he's not happy.
Raven:"Happiness is not equated by money. Sure, there are gonna be a lot of poor people who will say, "Fine, give me the money and let me try it." I'm not gonna lie to you, it's much better being rich than poor. But that doesn't mean you'll be happy. That doesn't drive away the demons. When you finally go to sleep, nightmares overtake you, and there's nothing but pain and razor blades. All you hope for is to wake up, yet you can't, because you're in another nightmare that's twice as bad. Money is fine, but that's like putting a band-aid on something that needs a tourniquet. In the long run, it doens't make a damn difference. You'll find in most people who are driven to be successful, especially among celebrities, that they are driven by some form of inner pain. That's why their behavior is so anti-social, although I think my behavior would be like this reguardless of what kind of pain I was in. But that's neither here nor there. My life is my life. It's what it is. And I resent the fact that you want to pry into my problems, and the fact that you've showered me with drinks has not endeared you to me any more than you think it would; all it's done is given me a contempt for you, and made me realize how pathetic you are in your quest for the journalistic scoop, for the deepest, darkest scoops about Raven. What makes a man like me tick? I want to know what makes people like you tick. What makes you people so interested in other people's lives at the exclusion of yours? Why do you want, or maybe feel the need, to delve so deeply into other's lives? Is that to hide something of your own?"
Interviewer:You always seem to want to turn the conversation around. Why is that?
Raven:"Why do I have to answer a question? Why don't you make a statement to the statement I made for you about me?"
Interviewer:Because the story isn't about us...it's about you.
Raven:"Yeah, I know. What about me? What about Raven?"
Interviewer:Let's talk about your past.
Raven:"That's not something I'm willing to go into, in-depth or at any level. Those are my demons."
Interviewer:Well, it appears that he has had a great past:money, a loving mother, a plush Florida home.
Raven:He winces.
Raven:"My mother never loved me. She can say as many times as she wants that she loved me, but she never really loved me. She loved herself, to the exclusion of all others. When I was a kid, she made me recite the President's names forward and backward. I'd come down (from my room) in front of all the statesmen, politicians, and senators who would be at the house, and she'd make me show off by reading their names forward and backward. She didn't do it to make me look like someone special; she did it to show what a great parent she was, how she could raise her son to be so bright, teach me anything."
Interviewer:Maybe that was her way of showing love for her son?
Raven:"That wasn't showing love for me. If anything, that was her disdain and contempt. All she saw in me was that I was a tool, a little monkey to be played with by her organ-grinders. To quote a famous band, "I couldn't share the pain, so I left him far behind." That's what I've done; I've left my life far behind. And how dare she intrude (now). How dare she step back into my life. How dare she make an appearance on worldwide television to humiliate and embarrass me."
Interviewer:Is this behavior nothing more than animosity and hatred toward your mother?
Raven:Absolutely. Some say there's a fine line between love and hate. Some, on the other hand, say there's no line at all. I say there's an enormous gap because all I feel is hatred. Any love I ever felt has been washed away in tears."
Interviewer:Looking back at the holidays '98, was that the lowest point in your life?
Raven:"Next question."
Interviewer:Why have you been in a rut for so long?
Raven:"That's a complete misconception. I haven't lost. If you're going to count a countout or disqualification as a loss, yeah, you've got a point. But as far as being pinned, I've been pinned by three people:(Bill)Goldberg, (Chris)Jericho, and (Diamond Dallas) Page. And on all three occasions, victory was at hand when Kanyon cost me the match. One was the World Champion. One was the U.S. Champion and one was the Television Champion. The loss to Jericho was just a complete and utter fluke, nothing more than (James) "Buster" Douglas or the '69 Mets. This reported losing streak isn't exactly what it's cracked up to be. I had one of the most stellar won-loss records in the history of WCW. I have virtually never been pinned in this company. Maybe just five or six times, and that's in over 100 matches. I don't think you can say that about anyone but Goldberg. And, quite frankly, I think Goldberg is a bit protected by the company. Then again, I think a lot of people are protected by the company. I stand alone."
Interviewer:What are your feelings about WCW? Since your arrival here, you haven't been too thrilled?
Raven:"They have tried to make me conform, play by their rules, just like everyone else. They wouldn't let me be myself. I just want to be me. Is that so awful to ask for? My problem with WCW has its roots in J.J. Dillon, who was the Chairman of the Executive Committee when I arrived here. J.J. is nothing more than a fat, pompous, over-the-hill jerk who's clinging to Four-Horsemen-years that are so far behind us. He's living a life he can't just walk away from. So, if he can't be happy, he's gonna make everyone else miserable."
Interviewer:But J.J. was gone from power.
Raven:"Yeah, but the air of oppression was still about."
Interviewer:What about Kanyon?
Raven:"Kanyon is riding my coattails. I lead Kanyon around becuase he carries me around when I can't walk, drives me to places when I can't drive. A flunky? No, he's more than that. Kanyon has talent; he just needs refinement, polish, work; he's a piece of coal now. Kanyon has world-class break-out potential. He's just too scared to use it, to find it. Some people will find that if they never try, then they can always say, "I didn't fail; it wasn't my fault; I wasn't given the opportunity." But, if they try and fail, they then look at themselves as a failure. I don't see it that way. I think, if you don't try, you're just a failure, period. And, if you try and you're unsuccessful, I think you win. Kanyon needs help. Kanyon may have his witty, pthy remarks, but as you saw in December in St. Louis, if he pushes me too far, I'll drop him.
Interviewer:Do you miss The Flock, his adoring followers who seemingly protected him from pain and self-distruction?
Raven:"What's there to miss? They were nothing more than a bunch of ill-bred, untalented, undisciplined, copycat wanna-bes, bandwagon-jumping low-lifes. They are pieces of over-paid, over-rated egomaniacs who are so self-serving, so shameless they make Courtney Love look like a humanitarian." "The one (former ally who I miss) is Perry Saturn. That hurt when he left. Perry and I went to high school together, as is well documented. But considering all the readers of this magazine are so unintelligent with such a low level of comprehension, and with the memory skills like a chimpanzee, they probably don't recall that fact. Saturn used to run with me and my friend Jim Fullington, although Perry and Jim never really got along. Our fourth in the group was named Tommy. Somewhere along the way, Saturn decided he wanted all the glory; he didn't see us working together toward a higher goal. He thought I just wanted to steal the spotlight, but as you obviously know, that's not my nature. "Just like everyone else, Saturn wasn't there for me. Saturn deserted me, just like my mother did, and just like Piper did."
Interviewer:"Rowdy" Roddy Piper?
Raven:"Yeah, I first started wrestling years ago in Tennessee, working for Jerry Jarrett. I next started working for Florida Championship Wrestling. From there I went to work in Vancouver, then Portland, where I was hired by Piper. He said I reminded him of himself, and he took my under his wing. He orchestrated the beginning of my career, but just like that, he was gone. Not a call. Not a letter. Nothing. He never returned any of my messages. He didn't care. He just wanted to use me because he recognized my talent. When he saw that he didn't own me, that he couldn't control me, he left me standing."
Interviewer:After a few more stops along the wrestling territories map, you wrestled in Texas, despite living in Atlanta. That's where you met Diamond Dallas Page. What are your memories of him there?
Raven:"When I met DDP, he was horrible, an absolute atrocious wrestler, posibly the worst I have ever seen. He had no potential, no skill. The only thing he had was what we heard from him adnauseum, "I worked harder than anyone else." He has, because he really was God-awful back then. I taught the sport to DDP at the Power Plant, from the simple lock-up to the more advanced moves. How did he thank me? He grouped me in with a bunch of other castaways who have convinced him that they've done something for him, that I was nothing...useless, self-serving. So he too left me, abandoned me."
Interviewer:Next up, ECW.
Raven:"I was ECW's World Champion for longer than anyone, and I made that belt more prestigious than anyone ever had. I headlined their first Pay-Per-View. Eventually, WCW came calling and I finally moved on. And that's where you find me now."
Interviewer:Although there were several more questions, Raven simply stood up, stared into the night, and walked away.
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