Many longtime fans remember the moment when Maven shockingly eliminated The Undertaker in the Royal Rumble.
Former WWE Superstar Maven was a recent guest on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet. When asked about eliminating The Undertaker in the Royal Rumble, Maven said he’s just happy that the spot went as well as it did.
“I think it was just one of the things that at the time, everyone was just I don’t want to say in awe of, but just happy that the dropkick spot went as well as it did,” Maven said. “Because think of it this way. What if I flopped the drop kick, what if I miss him? What if I don’t hit him hard enough to knock him over?
“Then what? It’s just me and him. It’s not like we’re gonna start a wrestling match. I mean, where’s that gonna go? And he still has to be eliminated for the next person to come in. So there was a lot riding on that spot. And I didn’t practice the drop kick at all throughout the day. And I was getting color that night. I’m allergic to aspirin. So I had taken a couple of shots at Jack backstage with tape. So I was a little buzzed by the time we did it.”
Maven revealed he and The Undertaker shared a drink of Jack Daniels before the match in order for his blood to come out easier since he’s allergic to aspirin.
“Yeah, he told me he was like, kid, I’m gonna be giving you getting you some color,” Maven recalled. “And he’s like, why don’t you take some aspirin in your blood out so it comes out? I told him I’m like, I’m allergic. And he’s like, I got you, and he had some like aeroplane bottles of Jack. And I’m like luckily for me I bought Jack Daniels. It is like how most people drink beer for taste. Yeah, that’s me with Jack.”
Maven believes he wouldn’t have had a career in WWE if his spot with The Undertaker didn’t work
When asked about taking the steel chair shot from The Undertaker, Maven joked that it wasn’t a butterfly kiss.
“It wasn’t a butterfly kiss, I can tell you that,” Maven said. “Listen, at that point, I was just elated. My night was over at that point, hitting the drop kick. At that point, everything else was just gravy. And the chair shot I knew I was just gonna have to just, you see it in slow motion you see me like clench up to take it.
“But I was so concerned that the entire day, I was concerned with just my life revolved around hitting that one drop kick. And you know what? The following pay-per-view. I was on the next pay-per-view, WrestleMania. I was wrestling Goldust; he was holding the gold trash can, and I missed it. So if I would have missed that drop kick [on Undertaker], I don’t think I have a career.
“But the chair shot. It stung more than it hurt. But honestly, I was on top of the world just knowing because after I did the type of chair shot Yeah, I think Taker goes, and he throws the camera guy down, and they stayed on that shot. Normally they’ll change shot, but they stayed on that on purpose. He had to get the gig out to give me color. And he came over, and he told me great job, kid. And at that point, I just knew my night was all I had to do was sell and then get thrown into a popcorn machine.”
The Undertaker and The Rock always did business
When asked for his overall thoughts on The Undertaker, Maven said he had nothing bad to say and believes people like Taker and The Rock were always willing to try and make new stars.
“There is nothing bad to say,” Maven said. “Let me tell you my opinion. Here’s why. Because he’ll do business, look what he did with me. The only way you can create stars, the only way you can actually put yourself over is by putting other people over. He knows that he is willing to do that Rock is the same way. Rock will do business. And I think that’s why that’s why Taker is just so beloved in that locker room.”
READ MORE: Maven Hosting New Weekly Pro Wrestling Show
What do you make of Maven’s comments? Do you think him eliminating The Undertaker in the Royal Rumble was the best moment of his WWE career? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
