Raven says C.M. Punk had an inflated sense of self importance during his TNA run, comments on Punk's success in WWE, why he takes offense when Dallas Page takes credit for the Raven character

Sep 8, 2012 - 11:15 AM

Inside The Ropes Radio with Raven

Show airs Thursday nights at 10:00 p.m.

Available at InsideTheRopes.podbean.com



Thoughts on the Johnny Polo gimmick: "I'd been in the business like four years. They made me an Associate Producer of Raw. They were grooming me to be on the booking committee. I used to write the second rate shows like All American. He also made me a manager because he thought I was too small, at the time the guys were bigger, all the smaller guys were in the tag team. I didn't like the Johnny Polo moniker. If anything the way I talk didn't fit me. I didn't feel I was the character. I wanted to wrestle. Shane McMahon should've been Johnny Polo, with the silver spoon in his mouth."



Origins of the Raven character: "I was talking to DDP one day, I was saying I was having trouble getting booked anywhere. Page goes, 'It's because you're a chicken shit heel.' He said, 'You should be more of a bad ass.' I didn't wanna be a bad ass because everyone wants to be a tough guy. Page had mentioned the Point Break movie and said I looked like one of the Red Hot Chilli Pepper guys. He said I should do something alternative, so I drew on all the emotional baggage from my childhood and I created the Raven character. It annoys me when Page says he created it, which is ridiculous because I had to create the character, the promos, the concept. I came up with the idea that Dreamer and I went to summer camp and Beulah was the fat chick."



His WWF return in 2000: "I get hired by J.R. He says he can't give me a big downside because I'd just got clean. Unfortunately, Vince McMahon hated me. Michael Hayes told me Vince had said, 'Who the f--- hired Johnny Polo?' I still had heat for walking away. Who would dare walk away from the 4th floor office?! Then I was in the hardcore thing and got it over."



Thoughts on working with CM Punk back in TNA: "He had a very inflated sense of self importance at the time. He thought he was so much better than he was. Not that he was bad, he just wasn't as good as he thought he was. I don't watch wrestling anymore, because it's too disappointing but I was doing a personal appearance where they show PPVs and you're watching the show. Wow, watching him, he became phenomenal. The two pay-per-views I've seen, he was the best thing on them. I have nothing but respect for him. it was just back then, he had an inflated sense of self importance."



Raven also talks about getting Shane McMahon drunk, his time in ECW, thoughts on Paul Heyman, Why he left WCW, How he almost cut the power off at WrestleMania X-Seven and his thoughts on TNA's ECW revival in 2010. To hear the full interview head over to http://www.facebook.com/theinsidenetwork

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