10 Things You Didn't Know About Raven
7. A Russian-Speaking Raven
Raven doesn’t actually speak Russian, but he did cut a promo in the Slavic language at an indie show in Moscow, way back in 2007. The show in question was the IWF President’s Cup (Kubok Presidenta, to be exact), and Raven was the big international draw advertised for the show.
Needless to say, it was a hardcore match that brought out the 27-time WWF Hardcore Champion. Blue Thunder and Vladimir Kulakov had just put each other through hell (presumably), blood pouring from skulls and crimson patches colouring the mat before Thunder found himself with a microphone in hand. In between putting the boots to Kulakov, Thunder called out Raven. Was the hardcore icon going to take this lying down?
Of course not. Raven hit the ring and smashed Blue Thunder with the Evenflow DDT, making the somewhat raucous crowd very happy indeed. Raven then cut a promo in Russian via some handy cards, and while his pronunciation wasn’t exactly flawless you cannot really fault the man for trying. As Excalibur says, you’ve got to give the people what they want.