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Raven Spotlight - WCW.COM - May 14, 1999
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KING OF THE CREATURE FEATURES
By Ross Forman
How appropriate, Raven wins the World Tag Team Championship with long-time pal Saturn, but isn't happy.
Raven, you see, wanted to defeat Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko -- not Rey Mysterio, Jr., and Billy Kidman.
Oh well, such is life ... for the new Champions.
The Raven and Saturn victory this past Sunday at Slamboree was the caper to an incredible turn-around for the mysterious pair. Especially Raven. From most-hated to most-loved.
The Horsemen? No one seems to like these two, despite their technical skills. Maybe just because they're associated with Ric Flair.
Then there's Kidman and Mysterio. Sure, they've got their fans, but the Raven and Saturn supporters clearly out-number the Cruiserweight combo.
"I didn't want to beat those guys," Raven said of Kidman and Mysterio. "Sure, there was some satisfaction (defeating) Kidman because he is the biggest disappointment (of former Flock members). But, I would have much rather beaten Benoit and Malenko. I really dislike those two. Why? Because they're idiots. I've never liked Benoit. We feuded all last year, if you recall. I don't think Benoit has gotten over that feud, which I won.
"As for the match itself, I truthfully didn't participate too, too much. But I did my share and we won; that's all that matters."
But with the win comes the challenges. No doubt Kidman and Mysterio want a re-match. And of course Benoit and Malenko, too. Then what about Curt Hennig and Barry Windham? It wasn't too, too long ago that they were the champs. Or the new-look Steiner Brothers? Or The Outsiders? And how 'bout Harlem Heat? Would Booker T. and Stevie Ray re-unite for a shot at the gold once again?
WCW's tag team division is on the verge of explosion -- not extinction, as was the case in recent years.
"We're getting better and better," as a team, Raven said. "I love teaming with Saturn. He's the muscle; I'm the brains; Kanyon is the geek. I guess it's kind of like Starsky & Hutch. I'm Starsky; Saturn is Hutch; and Kanyon is Huggy-Bear."
Say Raven, what gives with the chairs? (Other than someone's head.) Are they real?
As real as ever, he said. No imitations. No fakes. No Hollywood props. We're talking real steel.
"When most wrestlers see a chair (being swung at them), they try to duck and get (hit) on the back of their head because it's a mental thing; you feel if you duck it's going to hurt less. But in reality, it hurts that much more. And when you put your arm out to block it, that hurts even more," Raven said.
Raven has two career "chair-shots" that stand out. One, by Tommy Dreamer while Raven was handcuffed to the ECW cage. That incredible image is still used during ECW's opening segment, "and probably always will be in their opening." Second, last year by Kanyon, while stuck within the ropes.
"I don't think Sting wants to wrestle me; I don't think Lex Luger wants to wrestle me; I don't think Kevin Nash wants to wrestle me. A lot of guys don't want to wrestle me. A lot of the 'lower-tier' guys don't want to wrestle me, but they have no choice," Raven said. "I really do get great satisfaction in pummeling an opponent unmercifully. When I (deliver the) drop toehold onto the chair, there's no where for him to go, except onto that chair. Let's say you did have a 'fake chair,' don't you think it would collapse right then and there. Well, our chairs don't collapse. And just listen to the noise; that right there should tell you it's real."
Raven rules the Hardcore Division, regardless of what Bam Bam Bigelow claims. Raven was the originator, the king of the "Creature Feature" matches. The Shiek's legacy lives in Raven. Same for Abdullah The Butcher. And Terry Funk.
"The Creature Feature matches always were like a sideshow. They usually involved the mutant-looking wrestlers who were willing to risk life and limb in the pursuit of cheers, jeers and other things," Raven said. "Hardcore wrestling has always been a part of the sport ... because the fans want it; they want the realism, and Hardcore definitely is realistic, as real as it gets."
So, Raven, what's a Hardcore match really like?
"God-awfully painful ... brutal ... physical ...taxing. The next day, you hurt so bad you want to cry," he said. "The really weird thing about it is: when you hurt that bad, part of you is saying, 'Why did I do that?' while other parts of you are so alive because you worked so hard. When you get hit with all that stuff, and you're still standing, still going, you can't feel any more alive than that, although at the same time you feel half-dead. I guess that's a strange dichotomy."
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Here's a look at some of Raven's medical woes, courtesy of his Hardcore way:
- Right shoulder, separated.
- Right shoulder, cracked.
- Rotator cuff, torn.
- Lower back problems.
- Right hand, broken.
- Right big toe, nail removed. "The toe was so swollen after a recent match that doctors had to take the toenail off to get the blood out. That was God-awfully painful."
- Mental problems.
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