Maven On Eliminating The Undertaker From WWE Royal Rumble & Ensuing Chair Shot
Maven shocked everyone watching when he eliminated The Undertaker from the 2002 WWE Royal Rumble match. As "The Deadman" stared down Matt and Jeff Hardy, whom he had just eliminated, Maven landed a dropkick that sent him over the top rope. Speaking about the moment during an interview with "Insight with Chris Van Vliet," Maven said that there was a sense of happiness over how the spot went.
"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, he pondered. "So there was a lot riding on that spot."
Maven recalled that he would be "getting color" (bleeding) in the spot, and being allergic to aspirin. Furthermore, he drank whiskey with The Undertaker backstage so he was "a little buzzed" when they got around to it. He said that Undertaker suggested taking aspirin to help with the bleeding, to which he said he was allergic, so they shared "airplane bottles of Jack [Daniel's]."
After being eliminated, the Undertaker struck Maven with a clean chair shot to the head. Maven said that the shot "wasn't a butterfly kiss," but he was elated after completing the spot without a hitch. He said that he knew for the chair shot he would need to just "clench up" to take it, but throughout the day he was just too preoccupied with concerns over the dropkick for him to worry about it.
If you use any quotes from this podcast, please credit "Insight with Chris Van Vliet" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.