was really looking forward to seeing this interview, not only because I am a fan of Jimmy’s work, but because I know that Jimmy and Rob Feinstein were friends back in the day during ROH, and Rob conducted this interview. Rob would frequently make hair jokes about Jimmy on the ROH message board circa 2004, so I was curious to see the dynamic between them in this interview a decade and a half later.
As I’ve repeatedly said in my reviews, you always learn new facts in these shoots. In this interview, two of the new revelations were that Jimmy had a very chaotic, traumatic childhood, involving people around him using alcohol and drugs, and even abusing him at times, and that he developed a drug problem himself during his wrestling career.
This interview is quite intuitive in nature. Jimmy really brings us into his head and tells you what he’s thinking when he’s in the ring and why he does what he does during a match. Jimmy talks about the challenges of being an indie wrestler, such as getting hurt, the challenges of getting bookings in the pre-social media days, and – once booked – traveling to shows in long drives and trips and even sleeping in airports.
There were some wrestlers that Jimmy had some minor problems with, including Austin Aries, Jimmy Yang, BxB Hulk, Koji Kanemoto, and Trent Acid, and he gives details on those qualms. I was especially happy that Jimmy talked about Trent Acid. I still remember the awkward finish during a singles match they had in CZW and I wanted to hear about Trent. Jimmy confirmed that that he had problems working with Trent during matches, even though they got along outside of the ring great.
In addition to being the Ironman Champion in CZW, Jimmy played a huge role during the early days of ROH as a member of The Embassy. In ROH, he also feuded with AJ Styles and CM Punk, both of whom he discusses in fascinating depth, especially the relationships he had with them in real life. For fans of puroresu, there is plenty of NJPW and Dragon Gate talk about his tours, and he extensively discusses Ring Ka King in India with engaging stories.
I knew less than halfway through this interview that I had picked a great selection to watch. This was very enjoyable to me, as a fan of old days of NWA Wildside, IWA-MS, CZW, and ROH. Jimmy comes across as extremely personable in this interview and seems like he has a really good head on his shoulders despite some family and personal struggles he’s faced. My only criticism is that maybe he could have talked a bit more about TNA, but that’s just nitpicking, to be honest.
I very much enjoyed this interview and didn’t want it to end. Rob even makes a comment about not wanting it to end during the last few seconds of the interview. This program was highly recommended, as it was entertaining, insightful, and comprehensive, and exactly what a shoot interview should be.
Grade: A (This was my favorite shoot interview I’ve reviewed since I started reviewing them.)
Purchase:
DIGITAL: http://store.rfvideonow.com/downloads/jimmy-rave-shoot-interview/, https://www.rfvideovault.com/media/jimmy-rave-shoot-interview/80574, https://www.highspotswrestlingnetwork.com/media/jimmy-rave-shoot-interview/82160/feature
DVD: http://www.rfvideo.com/jimmyraveshootinterview.aspx
Index of topics discussed:
- his childhood
- being homeless for some time as a teenager
- getting introduced to wrestling and his early memories of it
- his training
- early challenges in the business, including injuries, fighting for bookings, and senior wrestlers putting pressures on him
- scaling back his risk-taking as he developed success and began to get over
- whether he prefers to work heel or face
- performing in a mask as “Mr. XTC”
- Jamie Noble
- Bill Behrens
- Jason Cross
- Slim J
- AJ Styles
- Ian Rotten
- CM Punk (who is talked about more than once in the interview)
- CZW
- memories of CZW’s Ruckus
- going to Italy for CZW
- Sabu
- John Zandig
- the challenges of working with Trent Acid
- his CZW Ironman Title reign
- Derek Sabato
- his WWE tryouts
- breaking into ROH
- Gabe Sapolsky
- ROH’s Field Of Honor
- Prince Nana
- fans throwing toilet paper at him
- The Midnight Express
- Ricky Morton
- stealing finishers from wrestlers as a storyline
- the importance of psychology and how that is reflected in his seminars
- Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan)
- feuding with Generation Next
- Austin Aries
- the ROH trios tournament
- Jimmy Yang
- Davey Richards
- Nigel McGuinness
- Samoa Joe
- Takeshi Morishima
- his ROH contract negotiations with Sydney Eick
- injuries catching up to him and how they led to him quitting ROH
- Full Impact Pro (FIP)
- touring Japan for Dragon Gate
- NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Tournament
- Yuji Nagata
- Manabu Nakanishi
- Vince Russo
- teaming with Lance Hoyt
- Glenn Gilbertti
- Jay Lethal
- Bobby Roode
- Petey Williams
- Low Ki
- Christian Cage
- comparing the TNA and ROH locker rooms
- his TNA departure
- returning to TNA in 2011
- returning to ROH during the Adam Pearce regime
- getting terminated from ROH again
- Cary Silkin
- developing his own drug problem
- his real-life work outside of wrestling
- addiction and mental illness
- wellness policies in wrestling
- returning to ROH against Tommaso Ciampa
- joining SCUM in ROH
- his experience going to India for Ring Ka King
- being a veteran now in the Georgia scene
- Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment (AWE)
- DG-USA
- the possibility of working more for WWE
- GFW
- top indie prospects
- misconceptions about him
- interacting with fans on social media and at shows
- aspirations in wrestling
- regrets
- advice for young wrestlers
RUN TIME: 3 hr. 15 min.
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