History Wrestling / Raven

* BadassMustache: The leather jacket and [[ManInAKilt flannel skirts]] were a constant, but the handlebar mustache and hair he had around ''[[{{Wrestling/WrestleMania}} WrestleMania 17]]'' (before the braids and dye) showed time had passed since his original ECW run. He looked like a guy who'd grown and evolved into an older-but-still-degenerate version of Raven, who somehow found himself in a world even more uncomfortable in than his ECW environment.

* TheMadHatter: In TNA, Raven decided he was mentally unbalanced, it couldn't ever be fixed, and that he had grown to like it that way. He tried to pull a NotSoDifferent on Abyss by suggesting he would end up just like Raven.

* EnigmaticMinion: Played one of these to Vampiro during his brief run with The Deadpool. Why would a guy like Raven act as a minion for ''anyone''? We never found out, as this was shortly before he walked out of WCW.

%% GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2020. If you're reading this in the future, please check the trope description to make sure your example matches the current criteria.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Wrestling/BillyKidman's initial unspoken gimmick in Raven's Flock was that he was a heroin addict. Constantly scratching, a very dirty aesthetic to his clothing and hygiene, a shooting star press which was named the Seven-Year Itch... "Seven Year Itch" is a slang term for marriages that fail after seven years, and most heroin addicts consider themselves married to the drug. It was also Wrestling/TonySchiavone who would complain about how Kidman was a terrible person for renaming such a time-honored move to The Seven Year Itch. Raven said the idea was to make him look lost and out of it, without specifically calling Kidman an "addict". Apparently Kidman hated the scratching part since they had to make him do it all the time. (Raven told a story about how Kidman didn't understand the whole "scratching" part of the gimmick even though it was getting over.)

* Trope2000: Deadpool 2000 when reuniting with the Insane Clown Posse and also picking up Wrestling/BallsMahoney.

* ArcWelding: The transition from Johnny Polo to Raven was actually a part of the character in that it was acknowledged on ECW TV (with Stevie even dressing like Scotty Flamingo). WCW implied that not only did Scott Levy play Johnny Polo and Raven, but that Raven was actually just Johnny Polo being rebellious. Believe it or not, the Raven character grew up with rich parents and unjustly became "emo" about his relatively good life. If you go back and check out his feuds and promos from his entire ECW[=/=]WCW run, he was a loser whose money couldn't help him get everything in the world that he wanted, and he became very bitter about it. It was a more nuanced character than some people realized. (They probably went ''[[{{Flanderization}} too]]'' overt with it during his WCW mansion days.)

* {{Cult}}: He was followed by a stable of misfits known as "Raven's Nest", which at different points included such wrestlers as the Pitbulls, the [[Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys Dudleys]], longtime lackey Wrestling/StevieRichards, and even [[Wrestling/MickFoley Cactus Jack]]. TNA's Serotonin also had this vibe.

He's a card-carrying member of MENSA with an IQ of 143 (the highest possible score is 160) and, according to Wrestling/PaulHeyman, Raven is the only person in the industry to match his skills as a booker. He walked away from a job with WWE Creative around 1994: He was being groomed to be a big shot, but between his on-again off-again substance abuse problems and thinking he's smarter than everyone else in the room, he didn't make for a good soldier. And taking Wrestling/VinceMcMahon to court didn't help.

He used to have a video podcast on his Website/YouTube channel, though Raven often brings up his ADHD whenever he goes off on a tangent. ([[WriteWhoYouKnow Imagine Raven as a tangentleman.]]) He currently hosts a nonsensical podcast, ''The Raven Effect'', on The Jericho Network: Most of it is non-wrestling topics, like the "Flat Earth" conspiracy theory. There is an episode with [[Music/TheSmashingPumpkins Billy Corgan]], which was a pretty big get for a fledgling podcast.

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: Raven was able to make everything feel like he was outside of corporate control, even moreso, ironically, than the [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder nWo]]. (Raven and [[Wrestling/HulkHogan Hogan]] represented the two main competitors to WCW.) In addition, WCW vs. nWo/Dreamer vs. Raven were early examples of long-form storytelling, in an age when wrestling angles lasted a few months at most.

** According to Raven, he has a problem with what he calls "spotkateers", who are basically that minority of indie wrestlers who do flippy-doos to get themselves over (the way Teddy Hart always did in his career), and who care more about impressing an audience with their flips than telling a story which gets fans invested. Probably he most revealing thing Raven has ever said about the inner workings of wrestling is that (in his opinion) guys use too many moves; Raven is adamant that he only has five moves, including sitting in the corner.

* GarbageWrestler: Raven finally got a contract in the WCW, but the deal was he wrestled, it was under his rules. They created the “Raven's rules” match, which was WCW's way of saying it's an ECW rules match (but [[WritingAroundTrademarks without mentioning the enemy]]), so anything goes in these matches. Which also meant that the Flock could interfere. Until their feud, Goldberg was just squashing people who were generally getting squashed anyway. When Raven appeared in TNA, it was brought back yet again: the "Clockwork Orange House Of Fun" match, sometimes known as "Raven's House of Fun."

* ICouldaBeenAContender : Scotty Flamingo/Raven is like a Wrestling/BretHart from another universe who chose a different path: a mentally-ill narcissist, depressed by his mediocre career in the early [=90s=], pulling a teenage rebellion 10 years too late. (Maybe we can also factor their nemeses: Bret's rival, Shawn Michaels, is like the opposite of Tommy Dreamer.)

** Raven's Nest was successful in helping Raven capture the ECW World Heavyweight Championship twice, along with two tag team title reigns, both of which were by Stevie Richards and Raven. At ''Spring Stampede'' (WCW), he competed for the United States Title. Raven, he took on Wrestling/DiamondDallasPage for the title later on in the night, and while the Flock didn't become the new contenders for the title, because the title match was held under Raven's Rules, it meant with the help of the Flock, Raven became the new U.S. champion.
** For the first time in a match, Goldberg was up against weapons, as Raven set up and delivered a drop toehold onto the chair. After kicking out of 2, Mike Tennay (commentator) said: “[[PunchPunchPunchUhOh The pain is registering, but it has no effect on Goldberg....]] '''SPEAR!'''” What followed was just one hell of a demolishing by Goldberg, as he took apart each member of the Flock one by one, including a very sketchy Pumphandle Suplex over the rope to Wrestling/BillyKidman, taking a STOP sign to the head (which he [[NoSell no sold]]), and a Jackhammer onto the big guy Wrestling/ScottyRiggs. In the midst of this, Raven attempted to flee the arena to preserve his title, but mainly to get the hell away from Goldberg. Sadly for Raven, the fans didn't want to let him leave and forced him back over the railing. Why? Nobody knows, but while it's tempting to say it's because they hated Raven, it's also probable that they paid to see Goldberg kick somebody's ass, and by God, they want to get their money's worth.

* PlayingTheVictimCard: The short of it is that Raven pretended to be all angsty, poor, and homeless, he was used and abused, etc. His old buddy Wrestling/ChrisKanyon came out and cut promos like "Raven was born with a silver spoon in his mouth." At first, Raven would say no, he had terrible childhood; but eventually, Kanyon goes to his home to find that Raven is comically rich and has a great relationship with his mom and dad. At one point he's using Kanyon to carry his money because he has too much to hold by himself. Sandman was also featured in one of the vignettes, hanging out by the pool wearing pink shorts, a polo shirt and being referred to as "Uncle Jim".

* WrestlingMonster: Raven often competed in a "Raven's Rules" Match, which basically meant any match Raven participated in was a hardcore match, and introduced some of ECW's signature violence into the product. His promos were brooding and nihilistic, and he was protected by a gang of misfits called the "Nest" or the "Flock"; they'd stalk people, brutalize them in the ring, and Raven would just be sitting there building up [[CheapHeat heat]].

* {{Cult}}: His promos were dark and nihilistic, and he was followed by a stable of misfits known as "Raven's Nest", which at different points included such wrestlers as the Pitbulls, the [[Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys Dudleys]], longtime lackey Wrestling/StevieRichards, and even [[Wrestling/MickFoley Cactus Jack]]. TNA's Serotonin also had this vibe.

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent:
** Raven was able to make everything feel like he was outside of corporate control, even moreso, ironically, than the [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder nWo]]. (Raven and [[Wrestling/HulkHogan Hogan]] represented the two main competitors to WCW.) In addition, WCW vs. nWo/Dreamer vs. Raven were early examples of long-form storytelling, in an age when wrestling angles lasted a few months at most.

* WrestlingMonster: Raven often competed in a "Raven's Rules" Match, which basically meant any match Raven participated in was a hardcore match, and introduced some of ECW's signature violence into the product. His promos were brooding and nihilistic, and was protected by a gang of misfits called the "Nest" or the "Flock"; they'd stalk people, brutalize them in the ring, and Raven would just be sitting there building up [[CheapHeat heat]].

* WaxingLyrical: All of the music references during his promos. One night he quoted the Music/TheGooGooDolls, and fans wondered, [='=]''Hey wait a minute....that's a sellout band!''[='=] Today we know Raven was doing his job well by upsetting his marks.

* PerkyFemaleMinion: At various times [[Wrestling/TerriPoch Taylor Made (Aka Tori)]], Beulah [=McGillicutty=], Terri Runnels, Trinity, [[Wrestling/MickieJames Alexis Laree]] and Daffney Unger.

** Later Known as The Flock in WCW and The Gathering/Serotonin in TNA, Raven's Nest was a mega-stable originating in ECW in 1995. Wrestling/RavensNest was, as the name implies, led by Raven. The faction was used to assist Raven in feuds against Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman. The members fluctuated often and the group had reached almost 30 different members and allies before it ended in ECW, including: Stevie Richards, Beulah [=McGillicutty=], Brian Lee, Cactus Jack, Chastity, Don Bruise, Johnny Hot Body, Wrestling/KimonaWanalaya, Lupus, both Pitbulls, Ron Harris, Don Harris, Super Wrestling/{{Nova}}, Wrestling/TheBlueMeanie, and Tony Stetson. Whew!

* OffhandBackhand: There’s this rule in the wrestling business that if fans get in the ring, wrestlers can just beat the living hell out of them with no repercussions After a fan tried to drag him out of the ring [[https://streamable.com/zloww by his hair!]] Raven just went right back to doing his promo, even with a seemingly-broken mic. He continued his sentence and yelled "door" as he was being dragged out. In theory, Raven would've just used the broken mic as another example of society holding down misfits like him and stopping him from having a voice. (Raven had a ton of heat at the time; he had just taken the U.S. title off of DDP.)

** Later Known as The Flock in WCW and The Gathering/Serotonin in TNA, Raven's Nest was a mega-stable originating in ECW in 1995. Raven's Nest was, as the name implies, led by Raven. The faction was used to assist Raven in feuds against Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman. The members fluctuated often and the group had reached almost 30 different members and allies before it ended in ECW, including: Stevie Richards, Beulah [=McGillicutty=], Brian Lee, Cactus Jack, Chastity, Don Bruise, Johnny Hot Body, Wrestling/KimonaWanalaya, Lupus, both Pitbulls, Ron Harris, Don Harris, Super Wrestling/{{Nova}}, Wrestling/TheBlueMeanie, and Tony Stetson. Whew!

* StrawNihilist[=/=]NietzscheWannabe: It started with his depression in ECW and continued until his return to fight the Dudley Boys. In the words of the man himself, "Raven is a martyr for society's dysfunction."

** For the first time in a match, Goldberg was up against weapons, as Raven set up and delivered a drop toehold onto the chair. After kicking out of 2, Mike Tennay (commentator) said: “[[PunchPunchPunchUhOh The pain is registering, but it has no effect on Goldberg....]] '''SPEAR!'''” What followed was just one hell of a demolishing by Goldberg, as he took apart each member of the Flock one by one, including a very sketchy Pumphandle Suplex over the rope to Wrestling/BillyKidman, taking a STOP sign to the head (which he [[NoSell no sold]]), and a Jackhammer onto the big guy Scotty Riggs. In the midst of this, Raven attempted to flee the arena to preserve his title, but mainly to get the hell away from Goldberg. Sadly for Raven, the fans didn't want to let him leave and forced him back over the railing. Why? Nobody knows, but while it's tempting to say it's because they hated Raven, it's also probable that they paid to see Goldberg kick somebody's ass, and by God, they want to get their money's worth.

** Later Known as The Flock in WCW and The Gathering/Serotonin in TNA, Raven's Nest was a mega-stable originating in ECW in 1995. Raven's Nest was, as the name implies, led by Raven. The faction was used to assist Raven in feuds against Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman. The members fluctuated often and the group had reached almost 30 different members and allies before it ended in ECW, including: Stevie Richards, Beulah [=McGillicutty=], Brian Lee, Cactus Jack, Chastity, Don Bruise, Johnny Hot Body, Kimona Wanalaya, Lupus, both Pitbulls, Ron Harris, Don Harris, Super Wrestling/{{Nova}}, Wrestling/TheBlueMeanie, and Tony Stetson. Whew!

** The Flock would often rebel in WCW, because he could not help but be a dick to them. He was supposed to face Wrestling/{{Meng}} on the September 3, 1998 ''WCW Thunder''. Wrestling/{{Kanyon}} announced that the match was under "Raven's Rules," meaning it was a handicap match. Raven sent Riggs and Sick Boy in, who, of course, got clobbered. Horace hit Meng with the STOP Sign to no real effect. Meng gave Sick Boy the Tongan Death Grip, and Raven told the referee to count him out, which he did. Lodi ordered Wrestling/PerrySaturn into the match, since the week before, Lodi had defeated Saturn in a "Lodi's Rules" match, meaning Saturn had to do whatever Lodi told him, as part of the buildup to the Saturn-Raven match at ''WCW Fall Brawl 98''. Saturn and Meng brawled for a bit, until Kanyon kicked Saturn in the back of the head, leading to Meng taking down Saturn with the Tongan Death Grip. Raven never entered the ring and walked away smirking, with commentator Wrestling/TonySchiavone calling him a jerk.

* StrawNihilist[=/=]NietzscheWannabe: It started with his depression in ECW and continued until his return to fight the Dudley Boys. In the words of the man himself, "Raven is a martyr for society's dysfunction."

* StrawNihilist[[=/=]]NietzscheWannabe: It started with his depression in ECW and continued until his return to fight the Dudley Boys. In the words of the man himself, "Raven is a martyr for society's dysfunction."

* [[StrawNihilist Nietzsche Wannabe]: It started with his depression in ECW and continued until his return to fight the Dudley Boys. In the words of the man himself, "Raven is a martyr for society's dysfunction."