Wrestling

WWE Raw celebrates 20th year on television

 

Kofi Kingston, The Miz discuss Raw’s 20th anniversary

More information

WWE Raw’s 20th anniversary

(1993-present)

8 p.m. EST

Monday, Jan. 14

USA Network


jvarsallone@miamiherald.com

“It’s not like he comes out, and he’s hobbling around. It’s incredible, and you forget he’s been doing it for so long by the way he moves.”

Some of your other Raw favorites from the show’s beginnings?

“Definitely, Shawn Michaels. To me, he is the greatest of all-time,” Kingston said. “I’ve never seen him have a match that wasn’t great. He does it every single time. That is the measuring stick for me. When I look at the superstars, who do I want to try to emulate? Who do I want to be like? I put Shawn Michaels up in that category.

“There was so many characters back then, it was awesome. Yokozuna, a big sumo wrestler with Mr. Fuji. What a great combination. It’s awesome to see the evolution of WWE and sports entertainment.”

If he could compete against anyone from Raw’s past on Raw 20, Kingston would love to live a childhood dream and wrestle Shawn Michaels.

Vince McMahon, Rob Bartlett and Macho Man Randy Savage were the announcers for the inaugural Raw show.

Which Mr. McMahon would Kingston like to appear at Raw 20? Mr. McMahon the announcer, the evil boss or the appreciate owner?

“Definitely the evil boss, without a doubt, because he comes out with his facials and his voices and just how into it he gets,” Kingston said. “You wouldn’t get into WWE as an owner, if you didn’t want to be a wrestler at some point. I think each time he steps into the ring it’s a grown man living out a childhood dream – talking trash and even getting involved in matches. As a kid how would you not want to do that. I think he’s at his best when he’s the evil and diabolical jerk of a boss who throws his weight around. So I hope we see some of that on the 20th anniversary.”

Who would Kingston like to return for RAW 20?

“Ahmed Johnson. I haven’t seen him in a long time,” Kingston said, “and I was a big fan of his. The Pearl River Plunge. I think it would be great to see him comeback for that night, but I have no idea who’s going to be there.

“Well, I know The Rock is going to be there for sure. So that will be great. It always is when he comes back.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcr8DkfdZxM

Raw housed several reoccurring talk shows including The Brother Love Show, Carilito’s Cabana, The Cutting Edge, The Heartbreak Hotel, The Highlight Reel, The King’s Court, The Love Shack, The MVP Lounge, Piper’s Pit and currently Miz TV.

For Raw 20, Kingston would enjoy seeing “Piper’s Pit. Rowdy Roddy Piper had so many good guests, and the infamous smashing of the coconut over Superfly Jimmy Snuka’s head was kind of heartbreaking because Superfly Jimmy Snuka was one of my idols, but now looking back as a student of the game, Piper just being Piper and going off the edge on being a loose cannon, I think Piper’s Pit is the strongest talk segment they’ve had.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZbZseTuQ1I

Kingston recalled one of his greatest Raw moments.

“The program I had with Randy Orton a few years back. There were so many elements of it. We’re in Madison Square Garden. Randy was talking trash to Roddy Piper, about to beat him up, and I came out and saved Roddy Piper.

Read more Wrestling stories from the Miami Herald

Get your Miami Heat Fan Gear!

Join the
Discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere on the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

The Miami Herald uses Facebook's commenting system. You need to log in with a Facebook account in order to comment. If you have questions about commenting with your Facebook account, click here.

Have a news tip? You can send it anonymously. Click here to send us your tip - or - consider joining the Public Insight Network and become a source for The Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.

Hide Comments

This affects comments on all stories.

Cancel OK

  • Videos

  • Quick Job Search

Enter Keyword(s) Enter City Select a State Select a Category