Wrestler Dolph Ziggler on 'Raw' 1000

The Western TV series "Gunsmoke" ran for 635 episodes from 1955-75. "Lassie" had 588 from 1954-73. "The Simpsons" clocks in at 508 since 1989.

But they don't hold a candle to the WWE's weekly juggernaut, "Monday Night Raw," which will be airing its 1,000th episode Monday night.

The long-running wrestling show, which debuted on Jan. 11, 1993, will feature a WWE Championship match between John Cena and CM Punk, the return of some wrestling legends and even a wedding.

amNY spoke with wrestler Dolph Ziggler, who will be featured on "Raw."

What is your role in "Raw's" 1,000th episode? I don't exactly know what my role will be. Here's what we know going forth: Everything WWE does is big and monumental. We've got Brock Lesnar, The Rock, D-Generation X, Mick Foley, plus maybe hundreds of other past superstars ... coming back. And we also have a wedding. As you know, all weddings in WWE history go off without a hitch and there won't be a problem [laughs]. Just don't bring a toaster, because that's what I'm getting [them] as a gift.

Do you think that this episode will raise your profile with all everything going on? When that show ends, people will say, "I came to see those guys, but I remember what Dolph Ziggler did. He went out there and did what he said he would do: He found a way to steal the show, even on a star-studded card like that."

What's your favorite "Raw" memory? I was with the Spirit Squad and I went away. And I worked so hard to become a superstar, and when I came back, my first match was against Batista. We ended up having a great back-and-forth match.

What is the key to being an effective bad guy? I think the personas that work out the most are the ones that come natural to people: I love doing what I do better than everybody else, but I'm sure as hell not humble about it. I let people know. 

On TV: The 1,000th episode of "WWE Monday Night Raw" airs Monday night at 8 on USA.