Raven (wrestler)
 |
| Raven | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 8, 1964 Short Hills, New Jersey |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Johnny Polo Raven Scott Anthony Scotty the Body Scotty Flamingo |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Billed weight | [undue weight? – discuss] |
| Billed from | The Bowery, Palm Beach, Florida |
| Trained by | Larry Sharpe, Charlie Fulton, The Sheik, Jake Roberts |
| Debut | February 20, 1988 |
Scott Anthony Levy (born September 8, 1964) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Raven. He is currently wrestling for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and is a former NWA and ECW World Heavyweight Champion. He is also the innovator of numerous types of "gimmick" wrestling matches, such as the Clockwork Orange House of Fun Match, the Raven's Rules Match, and the Hangman's Horror Match.
Early career
Scott Levy would break into the wrestling business in 1988 as Scotty The Body in Memphis' Continental Wrestling Association, where he was the boy-toy of Missy Hyatt, who used him to her and Eddie Gilbert's advantage.
After leaving Memphis, Levy competed in his home state of Florida until he was let go after an argument with part owner Steve Keirn. Levy next competed briefly with Vancouver's All Star Wrestling; he wrestled as a face there and got over with the fans, but ended up leaving due to promoter Al Tomko's preference to push his sons, Todd (AKA Rick Davis) and Terry (AKA The Frog) in All Star's top spots, as well as Tomko making false allegations about Levy being in legal trouble. From there, he went to Portland's Pacific Northwest Wrestling. He was one of the main heels for most of his three years there, winning all of the titles and feuding heavily with Steve Doll. After taking a brief break from competing, he returned to PNW as a face and began a feud with top heel The Grappler.
His first national TV exposure was in the Global Wrestling Federation as Scotty Anthony. He was a member of The Cartel with Cactus Jack, Rip Rogers, and Makhan Singh.
Career
World Championship Wrestling (1992-1993)
He got his first major exposure as a wrestler in 1992 in World Championship Wrestling. Competing in the light-heavyweight division under the name Scotty Flamingo and managed by Diamond Dallas Page, he won the short lived WCW Light Heavyweight Championship (also known as the first incarnation of the WCW Cruiserweight Championship) on June 20, 1992 by defeating Brian Pillman. After the match, many other wrestlers lined up in the back to praise the quality of the match. Brad Armstrong defeated Levy to win the Light Heavyweight title. He had feuds with Pillman, Armstrong, and Johnny B. Badd. He won a "boxing" match over Badd at Clash of the Champions XXI on November 18, 1992 via knockout. He left WCW later that year.
World Wrestling Federation (1993-1994)
In early 1993, Levy joined the World Wrestling Federation as manager Johnny Polo, a spoiled, rich kid, and was placed with Adam Bomb. He was also manager of the Quebecers tag team, whom he led to three reigns as WWF World Tag Team Champions. He occasionally wrestled, worked as a color commentator and cohost of Radio WWF, and, behind the scenes, worked as a producer for Monday Night RAW. Levy left in 1994.
Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995-1997)
On January 7 1995, now bulked up to approximately 230 lb (104 kg), Levy debuted in Extreme Championship Wrestling under the name Raven (a reference to the poem by Edgar Allan Poe). In a dramatic departure from his former gimmicks, Levy began portraying a depressed, nihilistic, sadistic, misanthrope. He made his debut with Stevie Richards, attacking Tommy Dreamer and claiming Dreamer was his enemy when they were children at Summer Camp. He also debuted with the valet, Beulah McGillicutty, a girl who liked Dreamer as a child, but was now seeking revenge. Raven and Dreamer had a great deal of matches with Raven coming out victorious every time.
Another major ECW feud was with Sandman. Raven "brainwashed" Sandman's son to join his cult-like following and turned him against his father. Raven got at Sandman by having his son deny his relationship with his father and perform Raven's taunt to slowly eat away at his father. This led to many bloody matches, in which Sandman's son interfered to help his father. After the match, the two embraced, but Raven came from behind with a Kendo Stick, and smacked his enemy. Steven Richards and the Blue Meanie pulled out a giant wooden cross from under the ring and tied Sandman down to it. They then lifted it up and "crucified" him, to which the fans gave a negative reaction. At the time, Kurt Angle was backstage and the offensive angle caused him to leave and threaten a lawsuit if his name appeared on the same episode as the "crucifixion."[citation needed] Raven came out and gave a questionable apology for his actions. To this day, Raven claims that the angle wasn't an insult to Jesus Christ, but an insult to The Sandman, by using religious iconography to convey an artistic standpoint. The footage of the "crucifixion" was never used by ECW and was not publicly seen until it appeared on the WWE DVD The Rise and Fall of ECW.
Raven dominated ECW throughout 1995-1996 and enjoyed two reigns as ECW World Heavyweight Champion. His group of followers, Raven's Nest, included many names over his two-year stint in the company: Cactus Jack, Stevie Richards, Tony Stetson, Johnny Hotbody, The Pitbulls, The Dudley Boys, Brian Lee, The Bruise Brothers, Beulah McGillicutty, Kimona Wanalaya, Lori Fullington, The Blue Meanie, Super Nova, Chastity, and Lupus. He started a feud with Tommy Dreamer that lasted for the next two years, before Dreamer finally defeated him at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 7 1997. Also, during his first stint in ECW, he successfully defended the ECW World Heavyweight Title against Terry Gordy and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, among others. He gave Dr. Death his first loss in a singles match in the U.S. in many years. In June 1997, Raven faced Tommy Dreamer in a "Loser Leaves ECW" Match in a losing effort. Raven then moved on to World Championship Wrestling.
World Championship Wrestling (1997-1999)
On June 30, 1997, Raven was seen sitting in the front row at WCW Monday Nitro, and the announcers recognized him as a former champion from a "major independent" organization; Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was never mentioned by name. On August 21, 1997 at Clash of the Champions, Raven brutally defeated Stevie Richards in an "unsanctioned" match and then took a seat in the front row. The storyline continued that Raven would frequently appear in the front row for the next few months, slowly forming what would be known as The Flock.
On November 23, 1997 at World War III, Raven met Scotty Riggs in a match in which Raven dropped Riggs into a chair, "damaging" Riggs' eye. Riggs later joined the Flock, as would Reese, Billy Kidman, Van Hammer, Horace, Lodi, and Sick Boy. He won the WCW U.S. Heavyweight Championship as well as the WCW World Tag Team Championship, with Perry Saturn. The former reign lasted only a day as Raven defeated Diamond Dallas Page at a Pay Per View and lost the belt the following night to Bill Goldberg on WCW Monday Nitro.
Raven had a notable feud with Perry Saturn after losing the U.S. Title to Goldberg. He blamed the flock and Saturn in particular for his loss. This led to a series of matches, the last of which happened at Fall Brawl 1998. Without the Flock, Raven began a series of depressing interviews and walked out on several matches. In October at Halloween Havoc, Raven lost to Chris Jericho for the Television Title and wasn't seen until 1999. He was reunited with his former valet Chastity, who WCW claimed was his sister, and moved into other storylines, creating feuds with Chris Kanyon, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Hak (The Sandman). He later joined with Vampiro and the Insane Clown Posse in a short-lived stable called The Dead Pool. In a meeting which involved every contracted WCW wrestler, Eric Bischoff offered anyone their release right then and there. Raven was the only one to stand up and walk out, as he was dissatisfied with WCW's creative direction. Raven left the company in 1999.
Extreme Championship Wrestling (1999-2000)
As a condition to leaving WCW, Raven was not allowed to directly join the World Wrestling Federation upon leaving the promotion as levied by a no compete clause in his contract. Via a loophole in the contract, Raven rejoined ECW and signed a one-year contract on August 25, 1999. Levy made a surprise return on ECW's debut on TNN and won the tag team titles from the ironically departing Dudley Boyz along with Tommy Dreamer on August 26,1999. A reluctant tag team, Raven and Dreamer reigned as ECW World Tag Team Champions for several months. When they lost those belts, they feuded briefly. Their short feud on several occasions included The Sandman, Mike Awesome, and Masato Tanaka. Raven and Mike Awesome won the tag team titles from Tanaka and Dreamer on March 4, 2000 only to lose them a week later to The Impact Players at the Living Dangerously pay per view. Raven was left off TV until his eventual departure and return to the WWF.
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2000-2003)
On June 23, 2000, Levy met with WWF officials to discuss a return to the World Wrestling Federation. Raven made his return at Unforgiven 2000 when he interfered in the Strap Match between Tazz and Jerry Lawler, by DDT-ing Lawler. He then started teaming with Tazz before they went their separate ways. On December 20, 2000 in Chattanooga, TN, he defeated Steve Blackman for the WWE Hardcore Championship, his first of a record 27 title reigns.
The first half of 2001 saw Raven achieve several memorable moments. At the Royal Rumble, he prevented Kane from chokeslamming comedian Drew Carey. At WrestleMania X-Seven, he competed in his only match of the annual event, losing the Hardcore Championship to Kane in a Triple Threat Match that also included The Big Show. At Backlash, he lost to Hardcore Champion Rhyno in a hardcore match.
However, the second half wasn't as successful. Raven found himself in small roles for the next few months. When the Invasion storyline began, he found himself in the new WCW/ECW Alliance, but had forgettable feuds against William Regal and Perry Saturn. He was best remembered for being managed by diva Terri Runnels and destroying the love interest of Saturn, his mop called "Moppy." Like many other former ECW wrestlers, Raven lost his ECW look and switched to the more uniform WWF style of dress. This eventually led to him wearing a kilt, and then to a standard pair of trunks and boots. By the end of the year, Raven was off the air, having been fired (kayfabe) after the Alliance lost to the WWF at the Survivor Series.
In March 2002, when the Brand Extension was announced, Raven was drafted to Raw with the 28th pick. On the final SmackDown! before the split began, he defeated Maven to once again win the Hardcore Championship, thus bringing the title to Raw. He lost the title that Monday to Bubba Ray Dudley. At that time, Raven decided to spend some time announcing, as he became the new color commentator for Sunday Night HEAT. This lasted a couple of months, as he later "quit" the show to resume his wrestling career on Raw. This did not last long either, as was banished from Raw after losing a match to Tommy Dreamer on June 24, 2002. Raven was forced to spend the rest of the year on HEAT, the show that he quit from mere weeks earlier. Although Raven did win his way back onto the Raw roster, he only had one match (losing to Jeff Hardy in a Royal Rumble qualifier) and was released the following week on January 20, 2003.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003-present)
Levy's main exposure since then has been for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (then NWA-TNA), and in Europe for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance, where he reverted to his original grunge image. He also appeared in Ring of Honor that year, battling CM Punk in one of the company's most famous feuds, which was based around Punk's straight-edge lifestyle as opposed to Raven's years of drug and alcohol abuse during the height of his fame in the late nineties.
Raven debuted in TNA Wrestling on January 22, 2003, two days after his release from WWE, attacking Jeff Jarrett and stealing the NWA World Heavyweight Title from him. Raven then embarked upon a long-running storyline in which he claimed it was his "destiny" to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title. On April 30, 2003 Raven got his first shot at Jeff Jarrett's NWA World Heavyweight title. In a bloody match marred with outside interference and weapons, Jeff Jarrett defeated Raven.
On September 17, 2003, Raven lost his trademark long hair after he was defeated by Shane Douglas in a hair versus hair match, thanks to the surprise interference of Vampiro. He later regrew it. This is notable because when his head was shaved by James Mitchell, Mitchell shaved too deep, cutting into Raven's scalp, and creating a bloody mess. While in TNA, he formed a stable known as The Gathering, which included Punk and Alexis, though they would later turn on him. In 2003, Raven feuded with James Mitchell and the Disciples of the New Church. Raven took them all out one by one just like he said, but with help from The Gathering. Raven ended his feud with James Mitchell in a Last Man Standing match, which was won by Raven.
In 2004, Raven teamed up with The Sandman to go against The Gathering. The Gathering won due to interference from James Mitchell, who had aligned himself with The Gathering. Raven then teamed with Terry Funk to defeat the Gathering, even though James Mitchell tried to interfere.
Also in 2004, Raven's old friend Sabu returned to TNA Wrestling. Raven teamed with Sabu to defeat The Gathering one last time. Raven and Sabu would then feud with Abyss and "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown. Abyss and Monty Brown would outnumber Sabu on many occasions, when Raven failed to watch Sabu's back. Raven waged a campaign against Sabu, disrespecting the memory of his uncle and assaulting Sabu's mouthpiece, Sonjay Dutt, until Sabu finally broke and attacked him on July 23. Raven defeated Sabu in a no holds barred match on August 4, and a scheduled return match on August 18 was canceled after Sabu (legit) suffered a back injury. The next year saw Raven falling in various feuds, with names such as Diamond Dallas Page, Erik Watts, Jeff Hardy, Dustin Rhodes, Abyss, Sean Waltman, and Monty Brown. He also competed in the very first Monster's Ball match, with Abyss and Brown.
On June 19, 2005, Raven turned face and fulfilled his self-proclaimed destiny when he won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at TNA Slammiversary (by taking Jeff Jarrett's place after Jarrett attacked a fan from the crowd earlier that night and got arrested), defeating A.J. Styles, Abyss, Sean Waltman, and Monty Brown in a five way King of the Mountain match. On September 15, 2005 Raven lost the NWA Title to Jeff Jarrett in Oldcastle, Ontario, Canada, at a special event of Border City Wrestling. America's Most Wanted ("Wildcat" Chris Harris and "Cowboy" James Storm) came out and interfered on Jarrett's behalf. TNA Director of Authority Larry Zbyszko was immediately contacted by BCW officials, who declared the title change official.[1] (TNA had briefly gone dark on it's national television timeslot prior to jumping to Spike TV, prompting a title change in another NWA based promotion).
He has since suffered from a thyroid condition and has only wrestled sporadically.[citation needed] His last major angle involved a feud between Abyss and Brother Runt. Subsequent to this, his coverage in major televised angles has dropped considerably. While he was off-air, an alliance was teased between Kazarian, Johnny Devine, and Matt Bentley. On the TNA Primetime Special before Genesis 2006, the three came out in goth, addressing a new movement in TNA. After a loss at the pay-per-view, sporting a new look (often with a mask), Raven revealed himself as their leader, caning the loser of the match. This stable became known as Serotonin. The direction of this stable has been very hard to place, although they have thus far lost the majority of their televised matches. When they lose, Raven hits the loser with a cane. After a long hiatus, Raven returned to the ring, losing to Christopher Daniels in a First Blood Invitational then losing to Chris Harris after interference from Kaz. Raven's most recent appearance in TNA saw him come out after Kaz's win over Havok and Martyr and hit Kaz in the back with a Kendo Stick, breaking it over Kaz's back. Raven, Havok, and Martyr then attacked Kaz with Kendo Sticks. On the July 19th edition of IMPACT!, Raven and the rest of Serotonin took on the reuniting Triple X. Raven had very little time in the match and Serotonin lost after Skipper hit a top rope leg drop Daniels hit a BME and Senshi hit the Warrior's Way on Havok. Raven recently won a House Of Fun match, on the 9th of August edition of impact. He teamed with Robert Roode and James Storm against the team of "The Wildcat" Chris Harris, Rhino & Kazarian. Raven lost to Kazarian at Hard Justice despite having the remaining members of Serotonin involve themselves in the match.
Wrestling facts
- Finishing and signature moves
- Raven Effect DDT / Evenflow DDT (Flowing snap DDT)
- Drop toe-hold onto an opened chair
- Diving knee drop bulldog
- Sleeper hold
- Bulldog
- Piledriver
- Cobra clutch
- Cross armbreaker
- Crossface chickenwing
- Knee lift
- Superkick
- Russian legsweep into a guard rail or wall
- Three or four jabs followed by a discus clothesline
- Fist drop to the opponent's groin
- Entrance themes
- An instrumental sound-alike of Nirvana's "Come as You Are" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "That Smell" (WCW)
- The Offspring's "Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated)" (ECW, MLW, and ROH)
- In WWE, Stereomud's "End of Everything" (2002-2003)
- His current TNA theme borrows from his WCW theme. it is titled "Scream".
Championships and accomplishments
- ECW Championship (2 times)
- ECW Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Stevie Richards (2), Tommy Dreamer (1), and Mike Awesome (1)
- Extreme Wrestling Federation
- EWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- HWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Hugh Morrus
- Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
- MEWF Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- National Wrestling Federation
- NWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Mid-West
- NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Top Gun (1), The Grappler (1), and Steve Doll (1)
- NWA Pacific Northwest Television Championship (3 times)
- Peach State Wrestling
- PSW Cordele City Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- 3PW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- PWI ranked him # 168 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- United States Extreme Wrestling
- USXW Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
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- Levy holds the record for the most WWF Hardcore Championship reigns.
Personal life
Scott has a wife named Silena, whom he married in January 2007.[2]
Levy is a member of Mensa
Other media
- In Wizard Magazine's May 1999 issue Levy is quoted as saying "I love the Marvel Knights line. I'm a big Kevin Smith fan, and his work on Daredevil is the best on that book since Frank Miller's stuff. Inhumans is also great. It could be the break-out book of the year because they're finally treating them as real characters instead of just freaks and monsters with no personality." The article goes on to say that he is a big fan of Watchmen, Swamp Thing, and especially Sandman and that he has a tattoo of Neil Gaiman's Sandman character on his back. He also provided a blurb quote for the back of 100 Bullets.
- Along with Diamond Dallas Page, he appears in the music video to the song "Rising" by Stuck Mojo. Levy, along with Brian Azzarello, wrote Issue #14 of Spider-Man's Tangled Web, entitled "The Last Shoot". The comic was based around the professional wrestler (named Crusher Hogan) who Peter Parker defeated in the character's first appearance in Amazing Fantasy.
- In March 2005, TNA released Nevermore: The Best of Raven.
- Raven has taped numerous interviews for Ring of Honor's Secrets of the Ring series, as well as two shoot interviews with The Sandman for their Straight Shootin’ series.
- According to Levy, depicting Raven, on the Hardcore Homecoming DVD, before his match with Sandman, he is the only man in the business to have an action figure of Raven as a member of the WWE, WCW, ECW, and TNA roster.
- Raven used to be a drinker.
References
External links
- Articles lacking sources from April 2007
- 1964 births
- American professional wrestlers
- Extreme Championship Wrestling alumni
- Jewish professional wrestlers
- Living people
- National Wrestling Alliance alumni
- Pacific Northwest Wrestling alumni
- Professional wrestling announcers
- Professional wrestling managers and valets
- People from New Jersey
- Ring of Honor alumni
- United States Marines
- World Champion professional wrestlers
- World Championship Wrestling alumni
- World Wrestling Entertainment alumni
- Jersey All Pro Wrestling alumni