Raven Says That Writers Writing Promos Is "Bad For The Business"

Former WCW and ECW superstar, Raven, was recently interviewed as a part of a special article done by ESPN on the “art of the wrestling promo.” He makes a number of points regarding how promos are being delivered today, and the result of writers creating what professional wrestlers are going to say.

On writers creating promos for the performers:

“I think it’s bad for the business,” said Raven, who earned a reputation as one of the best talkers of the mid-1990s and early 2000s. “Now they write promos for people. In the old days, you got bullet points. They said, ‘Here are the points you gotta hit, so do it in your character.’ If you didn’t know how to be a character or how to be a star, you didn’t get over.

“Now they write for everybody, which is good for the lower-tier guys who can’t write, who aren’t creative enough yet or don’t have enough psychology yet. But for guys who have potential star power, you’re really killing it, because [Steve] Austin would’ve never came alive if they would’ve been writing his character for him. If they told him to just stay with these promos. It’s a whole different world now.”

On Eric Bischoff’s thoughts on his promos:

“Bischoff pulled me aside one time and said, ‘I think you’re talking over the fans’ heads,’” Raven said. “I go, ‘I may be, but I don’t think it matters because it’s mystifying and elegant and eloquent.’ The fans listen to Kurt Cobain music and get the point, but they don’t understand what every word means. They understand the concept of what he’s talking about, and that’s the same thing with my promos. You understood the concept. If you were a misfit, you felt, ‘Here’s somebody who gets me.’ If you were a normal person, you’re like, ‘I hate misfits. Misfits are a pain in the ass. They whine. They complain.’ It was a unique perspective on the world.”

Raven, in character, before it was all so scripted: