Line #83 Wrestling/Raven


1	[[quoteright:263:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ravenecw_4817.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:263: As [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ecw/ecw-h.html ECW World Heavyweight Champion]]]]
3
4	->''"The least important thing about wrestling is the actual wrestling."''
5	-->--'''Scott Levy''', ''The Steve Austin Show'' (2010)
6
7	[[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere Let's talk about Raven, yes, what about you Raven?]]
8
9	Raven (real name Scott Levy, born September 8, 1964) is an American [[ProfessionalWrestling pro wrestler]], booker and producer with a career spanning thirty years and eleven promotions.
10
11	Raven has played an interesting role in every U.S promotion over the last twenty years or so. His "mind for the business" is always touted, along with the gift of gab and a [[ImprobableWeaponUser predilection for stop signs]]. He is one of the unsung heroes of the Wrestling/AttitudeEra, and was instrumental to {{Wrestling/ECW}} becoming the sensation it became. And he did it in all three major companies (ECW, {{Wrestling/WCW}}, and {{Wrestling/WWE}}) as we've said.
12
13	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.
14
15	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.
16
17	Raven now has a series with Kayfabe Commentaries, ''Raven's Restler Rescue'', where he does just that: He takes an indie wrestler and tells them what they need to change in order to be successful.
18
19	Raven also co-wrote an issue of ''ComicBook/SpiderMan’s Tangled Web'' (with Creator/BrianAzzarello) revolving around the wrestler Peter Parker defeated in his very first adventure.
20	----
21	!! "What about me? What about my tropes?":
22	* NinetiesHair: He was a Gen-X archetype who looked like he stepped out of a 90s movie with a indie label soundtrack, which mirrored indie wrestling becoming more popular as an alternative.
23	* AdvertisedExtra: He's one of those guys who will work hard trying to figure out how not to work. He admits it himself in his interviews. Some of his stories from RF Video are hilarious because of it, too: After the [=InVasion=] angle went south (a crossover between WWE, WCW, and ECW was abandoned due to contract disputes), he got a job working in WWE Creative ''and'' WWE 24/7 because [=McMahon=] saw he had a mind for the business. So, rather than go to work, he calls Creative and says, "I'm going to be at 24/7 studios", and then he calls 24/7 studios and says "I'm gonna be at Creative", and basically got paid to do nothing for a couple years until they figured it out and fired him.
24	* AlliterativeName: "Raven's Rules." (See below)
25	* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: Raven was able to make everything feel like he was outside of corporate control, even moreso, interestingly, 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 an earlier example of long-form storytelling, in an age when wrestling angles lasted a few months at most.
26	* AntiHero: The closest he's ever come to this is in TNA, when he was frequently the face against overarching villain Wrestling/JeffJarrett. Which made sense, since Jarrett also owned the company at the time. As noted above, he doesn't make a good soldier.
27	* ArcWelding: The transition from Johnny Polo to Raven was actually a part of the character in that it was acknowledged on ECW TV (with Wrestling/StevieRichards 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.)
28	* ArchEnemy: Raven's ECW run was marked by two long and controversial feuds -- one with Wrestling/TommyDreamer, and the other with [[Wrestling/JimFullington Sandman]] -- and two ECW World Championship reigns.
29	* AsideGlance: His Ferris Bueller-style of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LTnd0BdgtU talking to the camera.]]
30	-->"Heh, what a ''mark!''"
31	* BadBoss:
32	** 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. Wrestling/{{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.
33	** Serotonin was another incarnation of the Nest in [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]]. In this incarnation, Raven's main involvement was hitting members of the group with a kendo stick after a match (whether they won or lost) in his belief of "torture builds success". The group broke up on the November 15, 2007 episode of Impact when Havok betrayed the group and helped Team 3-D (former Nest members) against Serotonin.
34	** During a hardcore match with Wrestling/JeffJarrett vs. the members of the Gathering, Raven interfered and put Jarrett through a table...after Jarrett had already set two of Raven's disciples (Julio Dinero and Alexis Laree) on top of it, without bothering to move them out of the way. Raven's mistreatment of the rest of the Gathering made it easier for Wrestling/JamesMitchell to seize control of them.
35	* TheBadGuyWins: The whole schtick with Raven in ECW was that Dreamer could never beat him. He came out on top his fair share.
36	* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Or so says Raven, who believed it was his destiny to win the [[Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance NWA]] World Heavyweight Championship in TNA.
37	* BlasphemousBoast: "I am a killer and a warrior and a slaughter of so many souls, that even God, Allah and Budda working overtime are having a hard time keeping score." -- Raven in TNA.
38	* BoringButPractical: The Evenflow. Such a simple move, but done in a way to make it look like death. His drop toe hold [[ChairmanOfTheBrawl onto a chair]] is especially cringe-worthy.
39	* BrainsEvilBrawnGood: Raven never delivered a typical promo, and due to the nature of ECW's production, he consistently gave long-winded, cryptic speeches. He's also credited with popularizing the wearing of street clothes during matches. (Ironic for someone who wrestled as "Scotty the Body" in the 80's, Raven admits he was never a "body" guy.)
40	* BraidsOfAction: He wore blond braids in TNA.
41	* CaneFu: A Singapore cane in Serotonin, which he mainly used to beat his own stable mates, even when they won.
42	* CaptainErsatz: Raven is half-based on the Zen master of crime from ''[[Film/PointBreak1991 Point Break]]''. A member of the Flock, Sick Boy, was likely inspired by the character from ''{{Film/Trainspotting}}''.
43	* CareerEndingInjury: Even in the summer of '05 when he became NWA (really TNA) World Heavyweight Champion, he was still physically in good shape and putting on good matches. By the time TNA moved on Creator/SpikeTV at around October of '05, he lost control of his vices, his thyroid issue came calling at him, and he became the man who ate Raven (leading to some dark hilarity when he called Tommy Dreamer "fat"). Must have sucked, because it looked like he aged 20 years and gained 50 lbs. in a matter of months. This led to him just looking really poor in-ring and having a hard time getting booked. But he finally got clean, dropped the weight and got his health back in order. His hair is gone for good, though.
44	* CatchPhrase
45	** "Quoth the Raven, nevermore."
46	** Another during his WCW, WWF/E, and TNA runs: "What about ''me?'' What about ''Raven?''"
47	** Another in his latest MLW run, which basically his stable’s FactionMotto: "Trust in Raven."
48	* TheChewToy: Raven's Flock cheerleader Lodi [[https://imgur.com/a/cbgAp getting the shit kicked out of him]]. Speaking of Lodi, there was one time in WCW where Lodi got punched in the entrance way and just lay there through a whole commercial break, and nobody helped him.
49	* ChippendalesDancers: Before he was Raven, he was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBd0V-5Avm8 Scotty the Body]] on Portland Wrestling. Scott was an unrepentant heel and a complete douchebag on commentary.
50	* ClothesMakeTheLegend: His uniform consists of cut-off jeans, an imitation leather jacket, and some flannel around the waist; the typical {{grunge}} look.
51	* ContinuitySnarl:
52	** Unlike ECW and WCW, WWF decided to ignore Raven's stint as Johnny Polo. They did, however, remember his run as Scotty the Body in Pacific Northwest Wrestling (never mentioned by name and mostly alluded to on ''Sunday Night Heat'').
53	** TNA caught a lot of heat from internet fans, for whatever that's worth, for having Raven and Wrestling/CMPunk in a stable together right at the same time as their feud in Wrestling/RingOfHonor and across the northeast US independents where they were shown to be severe ideological enemies. Two similar situations would occur in WWE through its ''[[{{Wrestling/WWENXT}} NXT]]'' brand showcasing the potential issue with this. One is Wrestling/BritishStrongStyle: Pete Dunne is with Mustache Mountain in Progress Wrestling, but in WWE he and Tyler Bate were initially rivals for the NXT UK Championship. The other is #DIY: Tommaso Ciampa had carved a treacherous path to the NXT Championship on the foundation of callously breaking Johnny Gargano, leading Gargano to create gambits of his own to become Ciampa's challenger in a path of vengeance, only for WWE to try to call them up to ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]]'' in a genuine babyface tag team while this was still ongoing. Difference is, Dunne and Bate's shared background was acknowledged by WWE and Progress treated their rivalry therein as friendly competition, creating continuity that made sense when British Strong Style aligned together on ''NXT'' after Dunne turned face to fight Wrestling/TheUndisputedEra. Punk and Raven, as well as Gargano and Ciampa, were both treated as bitter enemies in one place and staunch allies in another at the same time with zero sense of irony or acknowledgement on either side. Three of those guys would've been unknown at the time to exclusive fans of the larger audience, while fans of the smaller audience were confused asking how the hell are they friends on the bigger show. Predictably, neither The Gathering nor DIY's presentation on ''Raw'' were very productive.
54	* TheCorrupter:
55	** He did this to make the Sandman's son his acolyte. The TNA commentators also accused him of doing to the members of the Gathering.
56	** In TNA, Raven was this to [[Wrestling/{{Goldust}} Black Reign]], as if he needed more help.
57	* {{Crossover}}: [[Wrestling/{{FMW}} Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling]] wanted ''Judgment Day'' to be the biggest show of all time. So hearing about the "legendary" Tommy Dreamer Raven feud, it had both of them represent ECW as a tag team and gave them a title shot.
58	* CrucifiedHeroShot: Raven's Nest would be involved in several notable moments in ECW history. They were responsible for the "Hardcore Crucifixion", where they crucified [[Wrestling/JimFullington The Sandman]] with barbed wire on a cross. That spot caused Wrestling/KurtAngle to redact any past association with ECW, and several members of Raven's Nest expressed discomfort with it, since the majority of them were Catholic. Whenever people demanded to know what he was thinking, Raven said he considered tying Jim to a Star of David, but he would've just rolled away.
59	* CuckoolanderCommentator: Johnny Polo served as one for a time in WCW (with Wrestling/JimmyHart) and WWF (with Wrestling/VinceMcMahon and Wrestling/GorillaMonsoon). He explains to Monsoon that he practices suplexes on his dogs in one of the old PPV video cassettes. Raven would later serve as a commentator on WWF {{B show}}s ''Sunday Night Heat'' and ''Excess''.
60	* {{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 Stevie Richards, and even [[Wrestling/MickFoley Cactus Jack]].
61	** TNA's Serotonin also had this vibe.
62	** Same with MLW’s The Calling.
63	* DoNotCallMePaul: He doesn't like being called "Scott" or "Scotty".
64	* TheDogBitesBack: One of the key moments was that (since he was protected) Raven only took 5 moves by {{Wrestling/Goldberg}}, while the Flock took the majority of the beating. Raven just took the pin. But the Flock remained strong, and later won the Tag Titles with Saturn, only for them to lose it the next night, which started a downward spiral for Raven as he blamed Saturn and the Flock for the losses. It lead to a match between the two, where if Raven lost, then the Flock would disband and thanks to Billy Kidman, Saturn won and the Flock was no more. Quoth that Raven.
65	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
66	** Clearly his best work was as [[https://imgur.com/0Qj0mbd Johnny Polo, manager of Adam Bomb and The Quebecers!]] So strange looking back at that character when you compare it to Raven. He was a high-flyer in his early days but was able to change it up when the Raven gimmick started (he wasn't doing "spotkateer shit" as he refers to it).
67	** You might also know him as Scotty Flamingo in the early days of WCW. He went cheap and dirty and just brawled his way through ECW, because the gimmick was a cheap and dirty guy with no flash whatsoever.
68	* EnemyMine: Tommy and Raven became tag champs when he made a surprise return and helped the former beat the Dudleys for the belts. He rejoined ''ECW on TNN'' on September 3, 1999 (taped August 26), the night before the Dudleys left for WWE, threatening to take the belts with them.
69	* EnigmaticMinion: Played one of these to Vampiro during his brief run with The Deadpool. He trailed behind the stable during entrances, never spoke, and took to painting an ankh over one eye. Although Vampiro never bossed him around like he did the other members of The Deadpool, Raven was content to hang back and let Vampiro call the shots. 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.
70	* EtTuBrute: In 1997, Raven returned to WCW, where he formed "The Flock", which included Stevie, Wrestling/PerrySaturn, and Wrestling/BillyKidman. While still popular, The Flock wasn't as successful, and dissent within the ranks eventually caused its dissolution. This was made worse by the fact that once his Flock had left him, he was so depressed that he would walk out of matches.
71	* EvilIsPetty:
72	** He [[ForceFeeding 'helped']] CM Punk drink his first beer. With the help of Tommy Dreamer, no less!
73	** [[KickTheDog Kick the...Mop?]] Raven once fed Perry Saturn's "girlfriend", Moppy, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2EA8_rqLo8 to a woodchipper]].
74	* FacialMarkings: In his later years, wore eye make-up consisting of lines running underneath his eyes. During his run in the Deadpool, painted an Ankh over one eye.
75	* TheFightingNarcissist: Scotty the Body and "Johnny Polo", who incidentally was a rich spoiled preppy-turned-manager. Even as Raven, WCW kept up the idea that he came from money.
76	* FinishingMove: Raven Effect / Evenflow DDT. Makes sense, he's got the whole Eddie Veder look going for him.
77	* FiveMovesOfDoom:
78	** Raven wasn't the best wrestler but, like most things in ECW, he intentionally went minimal in the ring to suit the gimmick. He proved it wasn't just luck, though, as he took his corner of WCW and made the most of it.
79	** 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 the 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.
80	* ForgotFlandersCouldDoThat: Raven actually does have some actual wrestling skill, but works best as a brawler. WCW treated Raven quite well with unique vignettes and legitimately hyped him as a threat to Goldberg's streak. It took 2 spears and a jackhammer to beat Raven, plus Raven got quite a bit of offense in with the Raven's Rules concept.
81	* FreudianExcuse: Subverted in WCW. Raven claimed that he grew up dirt poor and homeless, and was suffering from depression as well. The actions of his mom initially supported this, but when Kanyon ends up going to his home he finds out that Raven is ''incredibly'' wealthy and was lying about his depression to excuse his actions.
82	* GarbageWrestler: Raven finally got a contract in 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."
83	* TheGentlemanOrTheScoundrel: During the Nest's first year, Wrestling/BeulahMcGillicutty was introduced and used as a driving force in Raven's feud against Tommy Dreamer.
84	%%* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
85	* GimmickMatches:
86	** Scotty Flamingo once had a "boxing match" with Johnny B. Bad.
87	** The "[[Literature/AClockworkOrange Clockwork Orange]] House of Fun" match involves a chain-link fence erected on one side of the ring with weapons chained to it; the victor was the one who drove their opponent through two tables and threw them off a small scaffold. (It later became a standard hardcore match with a fancy name, though the chain link fence remained part of the setup.) The match's creator was Raven, by the way.
88	** The gimmicks really piled on during a Pro Wrestling Unplugged/Juggalo Championship Wrestling Crossover whose main event was a caged and cuffed last man standing war games match. This match being the one that kicked off Raven's feud with Corporal Robinson when it managed to go to a "no contest".
89	* GoodIsBoring: He says that TNA's interviewer Lauren had a moral superiority over everyone around her and that he liked that because he saw that it made her depressed.
90	* {{Goth}}: The theme behind the Serotonin group.
91	* HeelFaceReturn: Scotty The Body left Pacific Northwest Wrestling booed, but came back cheered.
92	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Had Stevie Richards feign injury in order to make his ECW Tag Title defense against the Pitbulls into a two out of three falls match. Raven ended up getting the first fall, and then the team dropped the next two despite having everything go right for them. ECW announced Joey Styles even lampshaded the trope.
93	* HostileShowTakeover: Raven was a similar character to Wrestling/BrayWyatt because it seemed like he didn't care if he won or lost as long as he got his message across. In June 1997, Raven made his on screen début in the front row of WCW events, with his first “match” taking place at ''Clash of Champions''. We use the term match loosely as it was unsanctioned. Raven jumped over the railings, had his match, won easily, just jumped back over the railing and watched the rest of the PPV. It was during this time he created the Flock, something of a cult who followed Raven.
94	* 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.)
95	* ILetYouWin: After he returned to ECW following his second WCW run, he said he only allowed Tommy Dreamer to beat him so that he could back away and watch Dreamer's career deteriorate, seeing that fighting Raven gave Dreamer purpose even if Dreamer could not actually beat him. He likened it to the Devil's greatest trick (making you think he doesn't exist).
96	* ImprobableWeaponUser: Par for the course for any garbage wrestler, but Raven took it a step further. In the WWE, his trademark was to bring a shopping cart full of all sorts of junk to the ring with him. Trash cans, fire extinguishers and road signs were perennial favorites. Even the cart itself was used more than once.
97	* IWasBeatenByAGirl: Tried to {{invoke\|d Trope}} the reaction from CM Punk in Ring Of Honor, the plan being for Trinity to jump and beat the stuffing out of him. Punk returned the favor by having his girlfriend [[Wrestling/DaffneyUnger Lucy Furr]] do the same to Raven (though Punk didn't want it to be a ''sneak'' attack and told Lucy to stop stooping to Raven's level)
98	* IWasQuiteALooker: Raven originally wrestled as pretty-boy babyface "Scotty the Body." Based on his [[http://thesmartmarks.com/old_site/artman/publish/article_774.shtml own]] [[http://thesmartmarks.com/old_site/artman/publish/article_1110.shtml accounts]], the guy has a history of getting women that would likely rival a Wrestling/RicFlair or a Wrestling/ShawnMichaels.
99	* JustYouAndMeAndMyGUARDS: A guy who could be a vicious, brutal guy in the ring, but still be a final boss pussy outside of it, sending his minions to do his dirty work and never taking a clean win when he could have a dirty one.
100	** Raven's Nest was successful in helping Raven capture the ECW World Heavyweight Championship twice, along with two tag team title reigns where he teamed with Stevie Richards. At ''Spring Stampede'' (WCW), Raven competed against Wrestling/DiamondDallasPage for the United States Championship title, 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.
101	** 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 Tenay (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.
102	** Raven also did this in the WWE with his female ninja sidekick. Wrestlers like Wrestling/AlSnow and Wrestling/HardcoreHolly could beat him cleanly only to be hit InTheBack by the ninja, allowing him to pin them again and escape with the title.
103	* ImpliedDeathThreat: To Thumbtack Jack and Steve Douglas in the German Westside Xtreme Wrestling. Raven said he came to the country to make some corpses and upset some parents.
104	* {{Joisey}}: Billed as from Short Hills / The Bowery.
105	* KnightOfCerebus:
106	** Tommy vs. Raven happened at a time when Paul Heyman was trying to do away with heels/faces. He said once that Raven made him realize that true heels could still exist.
107	** Coming up against Raven and the Flock and having to deal with all the interference and weapons under Raven's Rules was the first time Goldberg faced any kind of adversity.
108	* LetsYouAndHimFight: His plan for Kurt Angle, Wrestling/{{Christian}} and Wrestling/SamoaJoe in TNA.
109	* LighterAndSofter: The segment with him and Kanyon going on a shopping trip, which also introduced Sandman in WCW (as a "family friend"). He's just lounging around by the pool in glasses and a polo. While funny, others may grimace at how much potential was squandered for random entertainment.
110	-->'''Kanyon''': What's "Ver-case"?
111	* LoserLeavesTown
112	** He lost a "loser leaves ECW" match to Tommy Dreamer--his ''first'' loss to Dreamer, and it led to his second WCW run. He would later come back to Dreamer vs the Dudleys, but they would go back to feuding again, and Dreamer went back to losing to Raven.
113	** Raven lost a "loser leaves TNA" match to Wrestling/XPac, which prevented him from getting his revenge on Larry Zbyszko...for a little while.
114	** Raven "lost a loser leaves [[Wrestling/JuggaloChampionshipWrestling JCW]]" Ladder match to Corporal Robinson.
115	** Extreme Rising put him in "loser leaves town" match against Stevie Richards.
116	* 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 NotSoDifferentRemark on Abyss by suggesting he would end up just like Raven.
117	* MalevolentMaskedMan: In Serotonin. More so than intended, as it allowed Wrestling/AJStyles to cause trouble under a bird mask knowing whatever he did would be attributed to Raven. Likewise with The Calling with various gas-masked henchmen.
118	* ManipulativeBastard: Raven loved to use psychological warfare against both his enemies and allies. He even turned The Sandman's ex-wife and son into devoted followers during the famous feud between the two.
119	* NerdInEvilsHelmet: He used to wear Creator/VertigoComics T-shirt to the ring. That's brand synergy right there: ''ComicBook/TheSandman'', owned by Vertigo, part of DC Comics, as owned by Time Warner, who bought out WCW.
120	* NotMeThisTime: When CM Punk's girlfriend Lucy was laid out during his trip to Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero1, Punk returned to ROH accusing Raven, who in spite of a {{calling card}} eerie similar to his being left, had nothing to do with it.
121	* 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.)
122	-->'''Raven''': "As I was saying..."
123	* OppositesAttract: His flirtation with Wrestling/MollyHolly in 2001 had shades of this.
124	* ThePaidForHarem: "Scotty the Body" worked for Missy Hyatt and Eddie Gilbert.
125	* PassingTheTorch: {{Discussed\|Trope}} and refused when Wrestling/KevinSullivan showed up in TNA to see if Raven was the real thing or another "imposter".
126	* PerkyFemaleMinion: At various times [[Wrestling/TerriPoch Taylor Made (Aka Tori)]], Beulah [=McGillicutty=], Wrestling/TerriRunnels, Trinity, [[Wrestling/MickieJames Alexis Laree]], Daffney Unger, and most recently Wrestling/MandyLeon.
127	* PerpetualFrowner: Raven was basically Punk if he were depressed instead of angry.
128	* PetTheDog: When he injured Villano IV off a doubleteam [=powerbomb/neckbreaker=] combo, he immediately broke character and stayed sitting next to Villano until it was clear that the injury wasn't life-threatening. For the time being, the incident (starting with the powerbomb) can be seen [[https://youtu.be/eNTOyl5WzY8?t=3m55s here]].
129	* ThePigpen: The dingy venues and fifth generation VHS copy video quality only added to the persona. Everything that should've made ECW fail was just assimilated into the general aesthetic of his character.
130	* 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 a terrible childhood; but eventually, Kanyon goes to his home to find that Raven is comically rich and his depression was a joke on everyone ''including his mom''. 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".
131	* PowerStable
132	** Scotty was part of Cartel with Cactus Jack, Makhan Singh and Rip Rogers. He was also in Diamond Dallas Page's Diamond Mine, along with The Diamond Studd and [[Wrestling/KevinNash Vinnie Vegas]].
133	** 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, [[Wrestling/MikeBucci Nova]], Wrestling/TheBlueMeanie, and Tony Stetson. Whew!
134	** In WCW, Raven's Nest became The Flock. Upon arriving in 1997, this group would amass members who felt that they were social outcasts and would seek acceptance with The Flock. The group was popular, but lost more matches than they won. Members of the Flock who garnered title reigns included Raven and Perry Saturn (the former held the WCW United States Championship, the latter held the WCW Television Championship, and the two were tag team champions together). In the end, The Flock was disbanded when Saturn defeated Raven at the 1998 ''Fall Brawl'' to win the freedom of the cult members from Raven.
135	** After the Flock dissolved, Raven affiliated himself with Vampiro and the Music/{{Insane Clown Posse}} to create The Necro Ward, shortly thereafter renamed to The Deadpool. Strangely, Vampiro was the stable leader - it would be the only time Raven joined a stable that he didn't lead. He wouldn't be in it long enough to explain as he shortly afterwards walked out on WCW. The Kiss Demon and The Great Muta were added to The Deadpool after Raven left, and the stable eventually continued in the ICP's Juggalo Championship Wrestling.
136	** After his return to ECW, near the very end, he joined up with Wrestling/MikeAwesome, [[Wrestling/SidEudy Sid Vicious]] and Judge Jeff Jones to create The Court.
137	** He had a stint in The Alliance, which was comprised of former WCW and ECW talent, and even some WWE turncoats like Stone Cold and Angle. Realistically, though, ECW should never have formed an "alliance" with WCW. Did Vince [=McMahon=] ever ''see'' ECW? They hated WCW more than WWE! Just one of several missteps that killed the "[=InVasion=]" angle before it could get going.
138	** After WCW and WWF, the latter of which never saw any faction resembling Raven's Nest, Raven went to TNA, where The Gathering was created. Raven would leave shortly after its creation, however, and the group would end abruptly when CM Punk returned to ROH. The members were Julio Dinero, Alexis Laree and CM Punk. They had all the terminology of a stable, but was a just a small part of a much larger group (Sports Entertainment Xtreme stable).
139	** Serotonin in TNA, with Kazarian, Johnny Devine, and Matt Bentley.
140	** EV 2.0 in TNA, lead by Wrestling/MickFoley with Tommy Dreamer, Stevie Richards, Wrestling/RobVanDam, Sabu, Rhino, Brother Devon, Pat Kenney (ECW's Simon Diamond), and Wrestling/AlSnow. A group doomed to failure because it relied on Raven and Dreamer co-existing.
141	* The Calling in MLW, with Rickey Shane Page, AKIRA (Alex Atkisson), Wrestling/{{Delirious}}, and Dr Cornwallis. A group reminiscent of his older stables like Raven’s Nest or The Flock and mixed with the aura of another popular former faction of the promotion, Wrestling/ContraUnit.
142	* PutOnABus:
143	** Raven was doing every drug under the sun. Paul E. took the belt off him so he would go to rehab, and Raven said he went for about 2 weeks then left.
144	** The WCW run started out strong, but the emphasis on politicos like [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder Nash, Hall and Hogan]] squashed it quickly and made him midcard fodder. He almost had that feud with the top guys for a few weeks, and even cut a promo on {{Wrestling/Sting}}. Then they just served him up to Goldberg, who won the World Heavyweight Championship almost immediately after, making Raven's U.S. title reign kind of meaningless.
145	** According to Raven, the character needed an environment where time is set aside for character development to occur. However, WWE didn't really get his character and or know what to do with him outside of the hardcore stuff. (Raven was unfortunately a comedy act by that point.) He sued the WWE to try and establish a proper union and bring healthcare to his fellow workers, but not a whole lot of people joined him. He lost. On top of everything, he ended up losing the Hardcore Championship. What about him? What about Raven?
146	* TheQuincyPunk: Raven dressed like Bender from the ''The Breakfast Club'' and was a self-entitled slacker attention whore who always had to have things his way and attracted a pack of sycophants he kept in line by brutalizing their low self-esteem. You know, Raven.
147	* RealMenWearPink: Scotty Flamingo wore pink and black hot pink v. neck.
148	* RedBaron: "The Palm Beach Heart throb" in his earlier years.
149	* RingOldies:
150	** Of course his finisher was a DDT, he was trained by [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake T. Snake]] himself. Certainly, the influence of Jake is prominent in his ramblings.
151	** Raven is one of just five wrestlers who held singles titles in WWE, WCW, and ECW. If you add in TNA, the list drastically goes down. In fact, Raven would be the only one. (If you include tag titles, Foley would qualify too.) He's also technically a NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and if you factor in the Hardcore Title Reigns, Raven has actually had 32 title reigns--meaning he's has won more titles in his WWE career than Wrestling/JohnCena. And it only took him 603 days to accomplish this historic feat. But the exchange rate means 300 Hardcore title reigns are worth .01 World title reigns.
152	** Interesting fact: Raven is also the only wrestler who has been in a WCW, WWE, and ECW video game. On the front of ''WCW[=/=]nWo Revenge'' (developed by {{Creator/THQ}}), Hogan, Goldberg, Nash, and Raven are the 4 cover wrestlers. They were the leaders of the major factions: WCW, nWo Hollywood, nWo Wolfpac, and The Flock.
153	* TheRival: He never had classic matches, but he had career-building feuds.
154	** During his ECW reign, he actually defeated Wrestling/DrDeathSteveWilliams. Steve Williams was undefeated for 10 years and was super-popular from his stint in Japan, and he lost to Raven.
155	** Tommy Dreamer. Run-ins are commonplace in wrestling, and in ECW, it was done to build up tension. A few members of the Nest would take out Dreamer, some would get floored by him, but it kept the audience guessing as to whether Dreamer would finally win one. It was a company-wide story: Some of Cactus Jack's best promos emerged from this feud, Wrestling/TerryFunk's career was resurrected because of it (Raven vs. Funk closed out the ''Barely Legal '97'' pay-per-view), and it was two years until Dreamer finally beat Raven. The feud continued after Raven came back from his stint in WCW.
156	** Wrestling/{{Sabu}}. There was that time Sabu did a table spot, but the table didn't break, [[https://gfycat.com/SmoothDefensiveKid so Raven had to improvise.]] No pausing, no gesturing "I'm gonna drop the elbow now", no half-a-second of assessing if this is the smart thing to do. Probably wasn't entirely pleasant for Sabu, either, assuming he can even still feel pain. (It's Sabu. He would've gotten back up and put ''himself'' through the table.) This led to an underrated match between the two as well. They later teamed up together in TNA, but then feuded with after Raven attacked his friend Sonjay Dutt and failed to assist him against Monty Brown and Abyss. Since they were mentioned, Monty Brown and Abyss also count during this period. Rhino would eventually find his way into the mess, too; he former two didn't show up enough to really highlight their feud.
157	** The Sandman. They feuded for a year and a half, which ultimately resulted in Sandman becoming one of the the top guys in the company, behind Tommy Dreamer. It definitely helped put ECW on the map. Raven turned Sandman's Wife and son against him during the feud. It also brought Sandman and Dreamer together to fight their common enemy in Raven. The feud was also notable for the crucifixion angle, in which Kurt Angle was in attendance. He ultimately turned down ECW's offer of employment and threatened to sue Paul Heyman if they referenced Angle or his likeness. (He was fresh out of the Olympics when he attended the ECW event and was worried about protecting his brand. He didn't want to be associated with something so controversial. By the time he portrayed a sexual predator on TNA, he was an established pro wrestler and multiple-time world champion. He didn't need to worry by that point.)
158	--->'''Wrestling/JoeyStyles''': That’s when Raven and his minions crucify the Sandman, a la our lord and savior Jesus Christ, on a wooden cross that the Sandman built. Kurt Angle starts screaming at me. I look to get help from Paul Heyman, and he is gone. Paul left me alone with this angry, Olympic gold medalist.
159	** With Stevie Richards in WCW. In the summer of '97, Raven had just debuted on ''Nitro'' as a free agent, watching shows in the crowd, and Stevie Richards was trying to get him signed.
160	** The way they built up to Goldberg was to have him ripping through the Flock.
161	** Raven also helped Wrestling/CMPunk make a name for himself in ROH. (During that period they were working together in all the east coast indies.) They had a pretty heated feud in the early 00s where Punk was the heel.
162	** Raven also feuded with Diamond Dallas Page, after DDP became a top guy by feuding with Wrestling/RandySavage. He even interrupted an interview on ''MTV Spring Break'', hit DDP with a stop sign, and stole the U.S. title while scaring the Music/FooFighters in the process (and making Dave Grohl question kayfabe).
163	** Vampiro was a frenemy in WCW, not so much in TNA. Raven's most prominent TNA rival was Jeff Jarrett.
164	** James Mitchell in TNA, especially after he took the Gathering away from Raven. Raven did eventually join in on Mitchell's efforts to kill Abyss, but then later took Abyss's side.
165	** [[Wrestling/DavidHeath The Vampire Warrior]] In Europe. He's chased after Larry Zbyszko in TNA and around Europe.
166	** Corporal Robinson in Wrestling/JuggaloChampionshipWrestling (and Sabu, again).
167	* SanitySlippage: How ECW explained the transition from Johnny Polo to Raven, if pressed on the issue. In later promotions, fans would drive Raven ''more'' insane by chanting "Johnny Polo!" at him.
168	* SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp: Raven's gimmick in ECW. He went to the same rich kid camp that Tommy Dreamer went to. One of the things about the feud with Dreamer was that Raven had a understandable reason behind it. He hated Dreamer while they were in summer camp, but Raven should have moved and he couldn't.
169	* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: For a time in Wrestling/{{WCW}}, all of his matches were conducted under "Raven's Rules," meaning no-DQ and no-countout. This allowed him to bring his hardcore style to the more traditional WCW.
170	* SecretlyWealthy: His gimmick before this was Johnny Polo, a little rich shit. And then in WCW, it turned out that Raven was still a rich shit, he was just pretending to be grungy for his gimmick. It may have killed the Raven character, but Scotty loved the vignettes where he goes home with Kanyon and is comically rich and has a great relationship with his mom and dad. So in theory, not only was he was manipulative but also a phony.
171	* ShownTheirWork: At the Russian promotion [[http://www.wrestlingfederation.ru/ IWF]] President's Cup 2007 event, he made a surprise appearance and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBBrvu9XBhk cut a promo in Russian]].
172	* TheSlacker: On the rare occasions Raven played a {{face}}, he kept the nihilism but became more interested in chilling than in making other people miserable. Some of this could be seen in his WWE commentary, and when he formed a post-Flock tag team with Perry Saturn in WCW.
173	* SlouchOfVillainy: Obviously the way he spoke and dressed were enough to stand out, but the audience was transfixed by the way he would sit in the corner while waiting for his opponent's entrance or the match to start. He would also just sit up for a second or two after delivering the Evenflow.
174	* SpiritualSuccessor:
175	** Not in-storyline, but he was trained by Charlie Fulton, Jake Roberts, Wrestling/LarrySharpe and [[Wrestling/EdFarhat The Sheik]], and took down {{Heel}} notes from each.
176	** He had the nihilism of a [[Wrestling/LuchaUnderground Pentagon Jr.]], the cult-like personality of a Bray Wyatt (but without wandering too far like Bray sometimes does), and the mind games and promo abilities of a Jake Roberts. On that note, Goldberg vs. The Flock was similar to Wrestling/TheShield vs.[[Wrestling/TheWyattFamily Wyatts]]: A bunch of outcast losers going up against the biggest stars in the industry. There's a bit of Jake the Snake in Bray's gimmick, as well.
177	** See ''TNA Lockdown'' 2005 for Wrestling/JeffHardy vs. Raven. The clash of two eccentric personalities in an extreme match.
178	* SquashMatch: He and Dr. Stevie got squashed by Matt Morgan and Shawn Hernandez during the first TNA Impact to go live on Monday Night.
179	* StandardFemaleGrabArea: He used this in TNA to drag Alexis Laree off to the "[[FunWithAcronyms Sports Entertainment Xtreme]]" office. To be fair, she had taken a shooting star press after a long match with Trinity and had no clue what was going on.
180	* TheStoic: As seen in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqAN1aJNb_A this promo]] from the July 4, 1995 ''ECW Hardcore TV'', where [[LargeHam Stevie]] is bragging about them defeating [[Wrestling/{{TPE}} The Public Enemy]] for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ecw/ecw-t.html ECW World Tag Team Championship]], while Raven and Beulah stood there completely silent with absolutely stoic, emotionless faces.
181	* StrawNihilist: 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."
182	* SurferDude: As Scotty Flamingo
183	* TagTeam:
184	** Hardcore Dream Team with Wrestling/{{Sabu}}
185	** Formed a team with Tazz in WWE.
186	* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: One of the tactics of the Flock was to wait in the crowd before attacking wrestlers without provocation.
187	* TooKinkyToTorture:
188	** The so-called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTxZOs0r1N4 "chair-shot heard 'round the world."]] One of the enduring ECW moments was seeing Dreamer handcuff Raven to the side of a cage and repeatedly hit him in the head while Raven begged for more.
189	** He hated the solitary confinement that came before his first Monster's Ball match, saying the only reason he did not go crazy was that because he realized he was already insane.
190	* TraumaticHairCut
191	** From Shane Douglas, after Vampiro interfered in their "hair vs. hair" match.
192	*** A literal example, as during the haircut Wrestling/JamesMitchell allegedly held the clippers the wrong way around, effectively [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64r5F7VAEbE 'scalping']] Raven in the process.
193	** Raven gave one to Larry Zbyszko following his return to TNA.
194	** In JCW, attempted to Corporal Robinson's afro, but only finished half of it.
195	* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Trinity and Alexis Laree, during their match in the wake of the TNA feud between Kid Kash and Amazing Red, the wrestlers they managed, almost completely ignored Raven as he entered the ring and planted his ass in the corner. This came back to bite both of them, as he attacked Trinity after she hit a finishing move on Alexis and dragged a bewildered Alexis off to be made a part of his gathering.
196	* UnrelatedBrothers: An unrelated sister in his WCW manager, Chastity.
197	* VictoryPose: His mannerisms in the ring fit the character, like being slouched in the corner during intros/outros, or the introverted character literally opening up with a Christ pose before the finish.
198	* VillainExitStageLeft: This was one of his trademarks in the WWE, often helped by his female ninja sidekick. She would either attack Raven's opponents InTheBack after they beat him and allow him to pin them and retake the title, [[=and/or=]] have a car ready for him to escape in.
199	* WaxingLyrical: All of the music references during his promos. One night he quoted the Music/GooGooDolls, 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.
200	* WickedCultured: Well, Raven reinvented himself in ECW after some questionable runs in 1992 and 1993 as Scotty Flamingo (WCW) and Johnny Polo (WWE). Scott Levy started to build this new persona inspired by the great poem by Creator/EdgarAllanPoe.
201	* 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 heat.
202	-------

Context Wrestling / Raven