Alan Wojcik: What inspired you to become a professional wrestler?

Jimmy Rave: Ive watched wrestling since I was five years old.  My idols were Mr. Perfect, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan, the way those guys could capture the crowd. I didnt consider being a wrestler until I was 15, after my wanting to be a GI Joe phase wore off (laughs.)

AW: When did you have your first match and who was it against?

JR: October of 1999 against Cicero, a fellow trainee, who pinned me in about two minutes.

AW: Who have you worked for in your career?

JR: NWA Wildside, Combat Zone Wrestling, IWA Mid South for their Sweet Science 16 tournament, NWA Main Event, IPW Hardcore, NWA Florida and most recently Ring of Honor and NWA:TNA.

AW: Has anything in your career topped being on NWA:TNAs weekly PPV show?

JR: Nothing beats being on a live PPV show. Even just doing a dark match, the atmosphere is so great. The only thing that would come next was wrestling in the ECW arena for Combat Zone. Their fans are just wild.

AW: What was the ROH experience like wrestling AJ Styles?

JR: We have worked and trained together so working him is awesome. We barely had to talk about anything before hand. He is the best.

AW: Out of all the promotions you have worked for do you have a favorite?

JR: Thats so hard to say because every promotion is a great experience. I liked NWA Wildside because I was there for two years straight. That was my home. From there I went to IPW Hardcore and they treated me so great. Combat Zone was a rush being in the ECW arena with 900 fans going nuts; theyre rabid for wrestling there. IWA Mid South was super with doing that Sweet Science tournament; Im going back there soon. Ring of Honor was great because you have to be on your A game to try and out work everyone else. Everyone up there busts their asses.

AW: What did you think of being once again listed in the 2002 PWI 500 (#252?)

JR: Well I was on last years list and its cool to repeat. I was just in The Wrestler magazine in an introducing article. The people at PWI really look at all the talent to make sure you belong. I know lots of guys that should be there, but I got there instead. Its an honor.

AW: Time for the dreaded word association section of my interviews. First up, Bill Behrens.

JR: Bill is my favorite promoter to work for. He knows the business so well and has always been there for me.

AW: NWA:TNA and the Jarretts.

JR: The Jarretts are awesome. They took this TNA thing to a new level. Lots of people had their doubts of it, in my opinion its doing great. They are always great to me. They have created a show for those people who watched WCW that dont want to watch WWE. They have given an alternative for guys to work. They have helped this business out a lot. Jerry Jarrett knows what he is doing having all that experience of booking in Memphis.

AW: Bert Prentice.

JR: Bert is awesome. He is a big supporter of mine. He is one of the smartest promoters. He can turn a dead crowd into a hot crowd in a split second.

AW: Ron Neimi.

JR: Ron is always great to work for. He has always treated me fair even when we had differences of opinion.

AW: David Young.

JR: David is by far the most underrated man in professional wrestling.  He has the total package that if someone gave him the time he would shine and not disappoint. Hes also a great friend.

AW: Tony Mamaluke.

JR: Tony is awesome. I dont even know how to describe him but Ill try. He makes anyone look good in the ring. He is a wrestling freak. A total team player and underrated in this business.

AW: Where do you see Jimmy Rave at the end of 2003?

JR: Hopefully booked solid (laughs.) Maybe Japan. Maybe the fed. Im not sure.

You can buy the best of Jimmy Rave through www.nwa-wildside.com . Jimmy can hopefully be seen on NWA: TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION on PPV every Wednesday night.  This writer thanks Mr. Rave for his time and wishes him continued success.