Raven (wrestler)

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Raven

Raven at the Big Apple Convention on May 22, 2011.
Birth name Scott Anthony Levy
Ring name(s) Johnny Polo[1]
Raven[1]
Scott Anthony
Scotty the Body[1]
Scotty Flamingo[2]
Billed height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Billed weight 244 lb (111 kg)
Born (1964-09-08) September 8, 1964[1]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[1]
Resides Atlanta, Georgia
Billed from "The Bowery"
Trained by Larry Sharpe[1]
Charlie Fulton[2]
The Sheik[2]
Jake Roberts[2]
Debut 1988[2]
Website TheRavenEffect.com

Scott Anthony Levy (born September 8, 1964), better known by his ring name Raven, is an American professional wrestler, producer, writer/author, and actor. During his career he has held multiple championships across the world. He is a former two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion and former one-time NWA World Heavyweight Championship, which he held whilst in TNA Wrestling. He also held the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship once, WCW United States Championship once, and is the record holder for most reigns as WWE Hardcore Champion with 27 reigns, which is also the record for most reigns of any title.[3] He has also held several world tag team championship, having won the ECW World Tag Team Championship four times and the WCW World Tag Team Championship once.

He is the 2005 King of the Mountain winner at Slammiversary in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, being only the second person ever to win the annual event. Between WCW, TNA, WWE and ECW, Levy has held 37 total championships, in addition to numerous independent titles.

Levy is the innovator of numerous types of "gimmick" wrestling matches, such as Clockwork Orange House of Fun match, Raven's Rules match and Hangman's Horror match. He, along with Devon Storm and Jerry Lynn are the only wrestlers to have wrestled for WWE, WCW, ECW, TNA, and Ring of Honor (ROH) in their careers.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1988–1991)

After graduating from the University of Delaware, Levy entered the wrestling business in 1988 as Scotty The Body in Memphis's Continental Wrestling Association, where he was the boy-toy of Missy Hyatt, who used him to her and Eddie Gilbert's advantage.[1] After leaving Memphis, Levy competed in his home state of Florida until he was let go after an argument with part-owners Steve Keirn and Jack Glidden.

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 ("Rick Davis") and Terry ("The Frog") in All Star's top spots. From there, he went to Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) in Portland. 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. His manager in PNW was Taylor Made. After taking a brief break from competing, he returned to PNW as a face and began a feud with top heel The Grappler.

Levy was given national media exposure during his stint with the Dallas, Texas-based Global Wrestling Federation. There, he went by the name of "Palm Beach Heart Throb" Scott Anthony. He was part of the faction known as the Cartel, along with Cactas Jack, Mackin Signh, and Rip Rogers managed by a "Boss" that was later turned out to be Max Andrews. GWF was aired on ESPN and was seen around the country. Levy was part of the announce team for much of the first year, displaying a witty sense of humor and considerable mic skills. His style complemented the "straight wrestling announcers," Scott Hudson and Craig Johnson.

Smoky Mountain Wrestling (1992)

On the March 28, 1992 edition of Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Commissioner Bob Armstrong announced that Scott Anthony was slated to compete in the SMW Heavyweight Title Tournament as a "wild card" entrant, but Anthony's signing with World Championship Wrestling likely prevented this. Anthony was replaced in the tournament by Carl Stiles, who lost in the "wild card" round to Dixie Dynamite (Scott Armstrong).

World Championship Wrestling (1992–1993)

He got his first major exposure as a wrestler in 1992 in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He competed in the light-heavyweight division under the name Scotty Flamingo, playing a surfer from Florida and even bringing a surfboard to the ring with him. He was originally managed by J.T. Southern, and he won the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship (also known as the first incarnation of the WCW Cruiserweight Championship) on June 20, 1992 by defeating Brian Pillman at Beach Blast. After the match, many other wrestlers lined up in the back to praise the quality of the match.[citation needed] On July 5, 1992, Brad Armstrong defeated Levy to win the Light Heavyweight title. He would align himself with Diamond Dallas Page and Vinnie Vegas in the Diamond Exchange stable. 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 after DDP and Vegas filled his glove with water. He left WCW in February 1993 after disagreements with then-booker Bill Watts.

World Wrestling Federation (1993–1994)

After leaving WCW, Levy joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as manager Johnny Polo, a spoiled, rich preppy kid, and was placed with Adam Bomb for 4 months until he was replaced by Harvey Wippleman. He was also manager of The Quebecers tag team, whom he led to three reigns as WWF Tag Team Champions.[1] He occasionally wrestled, worked as a color commentator and co-host of Radio WWF,[4] and, behind the scenes, worked as the associate producer for Monday Night Raw. Levy left in 1994.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995–1997)

Raven in a match against Shane Douglas.

On January 7, 1995, now bulked-up to approximately 230 lb (104 kg), Levy debuted in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). Ostensibly appearing as Johnny Polo, he instead debuted under a new gimmick, the Raven (a reference to the poem by Edgar Allan Poe). Between leaving the WWF and joining ECW, Polo's state of mind was said to have drastically changed, and he became a depressed, sociopathic, nihilistic misanthrope with a grunge-inspired wardrobe (which continues to this day). Levy has cited Patrick Swayze's manipulative Zen master of crime in the film Point Break as an inspiration for the Raven persona.[5] Raven had a stoic manner, and delivered eloquent, philosophical promos which included many literary allusions and ended with the catchphrase, "Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore'." He made his debut with Stevie Richards, attacking Tommy Dreamer and claiming Dreamer was his enemy when they were children at summer camp. Richards soon brought Raven a valet, Beulah McGillicutty, a girl from Dreamer and Raven's pasts, who had unrequited feelings for Dreamer as a child, but was now seeking revenge. Raven and Dreamer had a multi-year ongoing feud with a great deal of matches; Dreamer got over as an underdog face showing resilience and tenacity in the spite of Raven coming out victorious every single time and also, he defeated Tommy Dreamer to retain the ECW World Heavyweight Championship in Tokyo Japan on August 13, 1996 while he was the world champion.

Another major ECW feud was with Sandman. Raven "brainwashed" Sandman's real-life 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 Crucifix, to slowly eat away at Sandman's psyche. This led to many bloody matches, culminating in an October 1996 match 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 brutalized Sandman then piledriving him through the table. Raven's lackeys, Steven Richards and the Blue Meanie, pulled out a giant wooden cross from under the ring, tied Sandman down to it, and lifted it up and "crucified" him.[6] At the same event, Kurt Angle was present as a special guest (he was considering changing pro from amateur wrestling). Shocked and appalled by the offensive angle, a furious Angle abruptly left the arena and threatened a lawsuit if his name appeared on the same episode as the "crucifixion."[7] Levy came out and gave a questionable apology for his actions. To this day, Levy claims that the angle was not an insult to Jesus Christ, but an insult to The Sandman, by using religious iconography to convey an artistic standpoint. In a shoot interview for the Forever Hardcore documentary, Levy mentioned that his own religion came into question over the incident, with many ECW wrestlers believing that Levy (who, along with then-ECW owners Paul Heyman and Tod Gordon, is Jewish) deliberately used the crucifixion as an anti-Christian statement. Levy says he was coerced into the apology by Heyman, who feared a backlash, and was angrily confronted by wrestlers who questioned why Raven did not crucify Sandman on a "Jewish Star", to which Raven replied that it would not have any philosophical impact on the crowd whatsoever, and joked that they would then have to roll The Sandman out of the arena.

Raven dominated ECW throughout 1995–1996 and enjoyed two reigns as ECW World Heavyweight Champion.[1] His group of followers became known as the Raven's Nest. During his first stint in ECW, Raven successfully defended the ECW World Heavyweight Title against famous veterans 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. His feud with Tommy Dreamer began at his debut and, after a short pause while Raven feuded with Sandman, lasted for the next two years, before Dreamer finally defeated him at Wrestlepalooza on June 6, 1997 in a "Loser Leaves ECW" match. Raven then moved on to World Championship Wrestling.

Return to WCW (1997–1999)

On June 30, 1997, Levy made his return to WCW as Raven. He was seen sitting in the front row at WCW Monday Nitro where the commentators acknowledged him as "a man who has been a champion with other organizations". On August 21, 1997 at Clash of the Champions XXXV, Raven 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 with his lackeys, slowly forming what would be known as The Flock. Raven was an "unsigned free agent", but eventually accepted a contract with WCW Commissioner James J. Dillon which stipulated that he could wrestle only when he wanted and under his own rules. The Flock was a stable of misfits in the same vein as the Raven's Nest group in ECW. With The Flock, however, Raven was more openly abusive and controlling, which eventually led to dissension and rebellion. The group's matches were held under Raven's Rules, which meant no disqualifications—weapon usage, double teaming, and outside interference were rampant.

Raven made his in ring Nitro debut on October 27 defeating Scotty Riggs, he would first offer Riggs to become a member of The Flock which Riggs would refuse. On November 23 at World War 3, Raven met Riggs was again in a match, and later joined The Flock. With The Flock's help, Raven won the WCW United States 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 Spring Stampede and lost the belt the following night to Bill Goldberg on Monday Nitro. He blamed The Flock and Saturn in particular for his loss. This led to a series of matches, culminating in a match at Fall Brawl that if Raven lost, The Flock would be able to disband. Saturn won with the help of Kidman, who also wanted to leave Raven's abuses. Without The Flock, Raven began a series of depressing interviews and walked out on several matches. In October at Halloween Havoc, Raven refused to wrestle Chris Jericho for the WCW Television Championship, but eventually was convinced to return to the ring. He lost the match and was not seen until 1999. On his return, a series of vignettes were shown in which a camera crew followed Raven to his supposed childhood home, where he had led a privileged upper class lifestyle. He was also reunited with his former valet Chastity, who WCW claimed was his sister.

He later joined with Vampiro and the Insane Clown Posse in a short-lived stable called The Dead Pool.[1] In a backstage meeting in August 1999, which involved every contracted WCW wrestler, Eric Bischoff offered anyone their release right then and there. Levy was the only one to stand up and walk out, as he was dissatisfied with WCW's creative direction. Levy was granted his release and left the company.

Return to Extreme Championship Wrestling (1999–2000)

As a condition to leaving WCW, Levy 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, Levy rejoined ECW and signed a one-year contract on August 25, 1999. Raven made a surprise return on ECW's debut on TNN and won the tag team title from the departing Dudley Boyz along with Tommy Dreamer on August 26, 1999.[8] A reluctant tag team, Raven and Dreamer reigned as ECW World Tag Team Champions for several months.[8] When they lost the belts, they feuded briefly. Raven and Mike Awesome won the tag team title from Tanaka and Dreamer on March 4, 2000, only to lose them a week later to The Impact Players at Living Dangerously.[1][8] CyberSlam 2000 was Raven's last ECW appearance with Francine, as she aligned with Justin Credible that evening. His last televised match was against Scotty Anton, which Raven lost. Shortly thereafter, he departed for the WWF.

Return to WWF/E (2000–2003)

Raven competing for WWE in September 2002.

Levy returned to the WWF, as Raven, in 2000 at Unforgiven when he interfered in the Strap match between Tazz and Jerry Lawler, by hitting Lawler with a DDT.[9] His previous run in the WWF as Johnny Polo was ignored by the company. He then started teaming with Tazz before they went their separate ways. On December 22, 2000 in Chattanooga, he defeated Steve Blackman for the WWE Hardcore Championship, his first of a record 27 title reigns, though most of Raven's title reigns were short-lived. The Hardcore title at the time was contested under the "24/7" defense rule, leading to segments where one wrestler would win the title only to immediately lose it to another wrestler. At WrestleMania X-Seven, he competed in his only WrestleMania match, 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. A brief angle had an anonymous Black Ninja, who was later revealed to be his old valet from his Pacific Northwest days, Tori, aiding Raven in retaining the Hardcore Championship.[1]

When the Invasion storyline began, he found himself in the new WCW/ECW Alliance. His most notable storyline during this time, was when he was managed by Terri Runnels and destroyed the love interest of Saturn, his mop called "Moppy." He also started teaming with Justin Credible in late July 2001. By the end of the year, Raven was not seen on WWE programs, as the Alliance lost the "Winner Take All" match at Survivor Series.

In March 2002, when the WWE Brand Extension was announced, Raven was drafted to Raw. 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, Levy decided to spend some time announcing, and Raven became the new color commentator for Sunday Night Heat and Excess. This role 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 former Extreme Championship Wrestling alumni Tommy Dreamer on June 24, 2002. Raven was forced to spend the rest of the year on Heat. Levy was then given creative control to develop a storyline related to the seven deadly sins, à la the film Se7en, with Raven becoming a sort of "puppet master" using Heat as his playground. It started to play out; however, it was determined by management that it was not over enough, and the angle was aborted. 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) before being released from WWE the following week on January 20, 2003.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Debut (2003)

Raven in TNA.

Levy's main exposure since his departure from WWE 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 (though using looks from all the major companies he had worked at under the name 'Raven'). 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 Levy's years of drug and alcohol abuse during the height of his fame in the late nineties.[1]

Raven debuted in TNA Wrestling on January 22, 2003, two days after his release from WWE, attacking and hitting his finisher on 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. Raven began playing mind games with the roster, starting with his former nemesis Sandman, and debuted his trademark Clockwork Orange House of Fun match, which Levy devised himself. On April 30, 2003 Raven got his first shot at Jarrett's NWA World Heavyweight title, yet Jarrett won the match.

The Gathering (2003–2004)

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. Vampiro and Raven would grow to be bitter rivals which resulted in a backstage brawl which Vampiro ended up with a torn "ACL." While in TNA, he formed a stable known as The Gathering, which included ROH rival CM Punk, as well as Julio Dinero and Alexis Laree, though they would later turn on him. He created matches involving old friends and brought in former work colleagues from ECW such as New Jack, Perry Saturn, Mikey Whipwreck, and Justin Credible, all of whom Raven beat in matches. Later in the year these superstars overturned Sports Entertainment Xtreme (SEX). 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 interferences from The Gathering and ECW counterparts. Raven ended his feud with James Mitchell in a Last Man Standing match, which was won by Raven. This led to a long undefeated run and the beginning of Raven's attempts to fulfill his destiny. 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. Raven teamed with Sabu to defeat The Gathering one last time. Raven and Sabu then feuded with Abyss and "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown.[1] Abyss and Brown outnumbered 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 suffered a legitimate back injury. He also competed in the very first Monster's Ball match, with Abyss and Brown.[1]

NWA World Heavyweight Champion; feud with Larry Zbyszko (2005–2006)

On June 19, 2005, Raven turned face and fulfilled his self-proclaimed destiny when he won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at 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.[1] He successfully defended the title in two defenses over the following months against Abyss at No Surrender, and Rhino two months later at Unbreakable. Against Rhino he showed his full array of moves and peeled back the years looking like the Raven in ECW and early WCW. He not only defeated Rhino but hit a Raven Effect DDT on Jeff Jarrett, with the assistance of Jeff Hardy running to the ringside. He also had a tag team match with Sabu against Jeff Jarrett and Rhino.

Raven in the corner, a signature pose.

On September 15, Raven lost the NWA Title to Jeff Jarrett in Oldcastle, Ontario, Canada, at a special event of Border City Wrestling.[1] America's Most Wanted ("Wildcat" Chris Harris and "Cowboy" James Storm) came out and interfered on Jarrett's behalf. BCW officials immediately contacted TNA Director of Authority Larry Zbyszko, who declared the title change official[10] (TNA had briefly gone dark on its national television timeslot prior to jumping to Spike TV, prompting a title change in another NWA based promotion). This led to Raven feuding with Larry Zbyszko, who brought in wrestlers like PJ Polaco and Chris K to wrestle Raven.[1] This culminated in a match at Final Resolution where Raven wrestled Sean Waltman with the stipulation that if Raven lost he would have to leave TNA. Raven lost the match and went on hiatus as a result.

Raven returned to TNA on April 23, 2006 at the Lockdown pay-per-view, and reignited his feud with Zbyszko. They would end their feud at Victory Road in a Hair vs. Hair match which Raven won. He has since continued to wrestle sporadically due to the thyroid condition that he has been dealing with.[11]

Serotonin and departure (2006–2008)

His last major angle involved a feud between Abyss and Brother Runt and lost to Abyss in a Hangman's Horror match on impact after Hyson turned on him. 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 was very hard to place, although they lost the majority of their televised matches. Regardless of the outcome, Raven would hit the Serotonin competitor 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. On one edition of Impact, Raven came 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 19 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 diving leg drop, Daniels hit a Best Moonsault Ever, and Senshi hit a Warrior's Way on Havok.[1]

Raven won a House of Fun match, on the August 9 edition of Impact!. He teamed with Robert Roode and James Storm against the team of Chris Harris, Rhino, and Kazarian. Raven lost to Kaz, who had rebelled against him, at Hard Justice despite having the remaining members of Serotonin involve themselves in the match. Raven has become more involved in the ring in recent months and is said to be getting back into shape. He then issued a challenge to Abyss and Rhino at Bound for Glory. Abyss later had Black Reign added to the match and made it a Monsters Ball. Recently, Raven formed a brief alliance with Havok, Black Reign, Judas Mesias, and James Mitchell with the purpose of defeating Abyss.[1] At Bound for glory, Raven would go on to lose the match after Abyss gave him a black hole slam on to tacks and glass. On the November 15 edition of Impact, Havok was revealed to be Team 3D's X Division traitor, effectively ending Serotonin. At Turning Point, Raven substituted for Rhino in the "Match of 10,000 Thumbtacks" and teamed with Abyss to defeat Black Reign and Rellik. Raven was officially released from TNA, and his profile was removed from the roster on March 7, 2008.

Return and Alliance with Dr. Stevie (2009–2010)

After an absence of more than a year, Raven surprised fans by returning to TNA on May 28, 2009. He returned as a heel by attacking Abyss with a Kendo stick with Dr. Stevie assisting him. He then aligned himself with Dr. Stevie and Daffney. On the June 18 edition of Impact! he won a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match against Jethro Holliday. At Slammiversary, Abyss and Taylor Wilde defeated Raven and Daffney in the first-ever mixed tag team Monster's Ball match. After the pay-per-view, Raven's name was taken down from the TNA website.

Raven after turning on Tommy Dreamer in July 2010.

On the November 12, 2009, edition of Impact!, Raven returned again to TNA attacking Abyss and throwing a fireball at Mick Foley's face, aligning himself again with Dr. Stevie and Daffney.[12] At Final Resolution Abyss and Foley defeated Stevie and Raven in a "Foley's Funhouse" tag team match.[13] Raven appeared on January 4, teaming with Dr. Stevie in a number one contender's tag team match, where they were defeated by Matt Morgan and Hernandez.[14] He appeared on the February 18 edition of Impact!, helping Eric Bischoff take out Abyss, along with Rhino, Homicide, Tomko, and Desmond Wolfe.[15]

EV 2.0 (2010)

Raven returned to television four months later on the June 24 edition of Impact! showing signs of a face turn, appearing in the Impact! Zone crowd beside Stevie Richards and Tommy Dreamer.[16] The following week the three were joined by Rhino.[17] On the July 15 edition of Impact! Raven, Dreamer, Richards, Rhino, Brother Devon, Pat Kenney and Al Snow, led by Mick Foley, aligned themselves with the TNA World Heavyweight Champion Rob Van Dam by attacking Abyss and the rest of the TNA locker room.[18][19][20] The following week, TNA president Dixie Carter agreed to give the ECW alumni their own reunion pay–per–view event, Hardcore Justice: The Last Stand, as a celebration of hardcore wrestling and a final farewell to the company.[21] On the July 29 edition of Impact! Raven re–ignited his old feud with Dreamer by turning on him, after his match with Abyss, and laying him out with a DDT on a chair and in doing so, turned heel.[22] The following week Raven explained his turn by saying that he hadn't forgotten how Dreamer had "stolen", and later married, his girlfriend Beulah McGillicutty, who turned on Raven back in 1996 during his and Dreamer's initial feud.[23] On August 8 at Hardcore Justice Raven defeated Dreamer in a "Final Showdown" match refereed by Mick Foley.[24] On the following edition of Impact!, the ECW alumni, known collectively as Extreme, Version 2.0 (EV 2.0), were assaulted by A.J. Styles, Kazarian, Robert Roode, James Storm, Douglas Williams and Matt Morgan of Ric Flair's Fourtune stable, who thought they didn't deserve to be in TNA, thus once again turning Raven face.[25][26] At Bound for Glory Raven, Dreamer, Rhino, Richards and Sabu defeated Fourtune members Styles, Kazarian, Morgan, Roode and Storm in a Lethal Lockdown match.[27] At Turning Point EV 2.0 faced Fortune in a ten man tag team match, where each member of EV 2.0 put their TNA careers on the line. In the end, EV 2.0 lost the match and Sabu was released from TNA.[28] Two weeks later on Impact! Raven was forced to put his TNA future on the line in a match against the TNA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy. Hardy won the match and as a result Raven was released from TNA.[29] His release from the company was legitimate.[30] Raven worked one last match for the promotion on November 12, 2010, defeating TNA Television Champion A.J. Styles in a non–title match at the Farewell at the Asylum live event.[31] On January 14, 2011 Raven work his last show at the arena in South Philadelphia where he even flowed Chris Conit on a chair. Later Stan Style would help Raven beat Dreamer.

Independent circuit (2008–present)

In 2008, Raven appeared in Juggalo Championship Wrestling for Season 2 of SlamTV!. In the main event of the second episode, JCW Heavyweight Champion Coporal Robinson put his title on the line against Sexy Slim Goody. When Robinson attempted to hit the Boot Camp, the lights shut off in the arena. When they turned back on, Raven appeared in the ring and hit Robinson with his Evenflow DDT, before stealing the JCW Heavyweight Championship belt.[32] In the third episode, Raven introduced Sexy Slim Goody as his newest lackey. When Robinson ran out to the ring to take his title back, Sexy Slim Goody (kayfabe) knocked him out with a steel chair shot, and Raven began to shave Robinson's afro. Sabu appeared from out of the crowd and scared Raven off, leaving Robinson with a half shaved afro.[33] The tag team of Raven and Sexy Slim Goody had a match against Corporal Robinson and Sabu in the following episode. Raven walked out on the match with the stolen championship belt, fleeing from Sabu.[34] At Bloodymania II, Raven lost to Corporal Robinson in a "Loser leaves JCW" Ladder match. However, Raven returned to the company at Bloodymania III in a losing effort against his old nemesis Sabu in a Raven's Rules match.[35]

Raven inside a steel cage at a Ring of Honor show.

Levy was the heavyweight champion of CWA Pro Wrestling, an independent professional wrestling promotion based out of Orangeburg, South Carolina, from March 15 through August 8, 2008. He won the championship when he defeated Timber in Charlotte, North Carolina on March 15. He was stripped of the title after missing several shows, therefore not being able to defend the championship. Levy was also featured doing shows overseas at Russia's Independent Wrestling Federation, battling Joe Legend. In April 2008, Raven toured Australia and New Zealand including several seminars as well as performing. In June, Raven wrestled for multiple European promotions which included losing to the Vampire Warrior in a flaming tables match for Nu-Wrestling Evolution.

In 2009, Raven regularly wrestled for Collective League Of Adrenaline Strength and Honor, NWA Charlotte and Showtime Allstar Wrestling. On August 2, 2009, Raven defeated reigning champion Preston Quinn to win the Vanguard Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Title in Norfolk, Virginia at the NorVa. Post match, Larry Zbyszko and Raven had a war of words, where Raven challenged Zbyszko to find an opponent to face him for the VCW World Title, a match which he consequently won. In November, he wrestled all across Europe, touring with American Wrestling Rampage.

In January 2010 Raven took on Chris Harris for the PICW Heavyweight Championship and lost. At Bloodymania IV, in the main event Raven took on Corporal Robinson and Mike Knox in a triple threat match for the JCW Heavyweight Championship where Robinson retained his championship.

At JCW Legends & Icons, he was involved in a seven way "Philly Madness" match which included former ECW stars such as  Sabu, Shane Douglas and the eventual winner, Rhino. Two days later at Bloodymania V, Raven and Sexy Slim Goody won the JCW Tag Team Championship. On September 16, he defeated Jocephus for the USWO Heavyweight Championship and would lose it in November 11 to Jocephus. At JCW New Year’s Eve Ninja Party!, Raven lost the tag team championship back to Ring Rydas.

On April 28, 2012, Raven debuted for Extreme Rising in a dark match against Gary Wolfe ending in a no contest. On October 27, Raven appeared for Niagara Falls, Ontario based promotion Busted Knuckle Pro Wrestling's Apocalypse event, defeating Eddie Osborne in a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match. During the match, Raven threw out his shoulder while performing a DDT, but still finished the match, despite being hit with several chair shots and even going through a table after the DDT was performed. After the match, he cut a promo putting over all of the young stars in the promotion as well as Osborne, congratulating the promotion on doing a great job so far in his eyes. On November 11, at Extreme Rising, Raven took on Stevie Richards in a loser leaves town match which ended in a no contest.

In the early part of 2013, Raven toured Europe wrestling for various promotions in various countries including Germany and the Netherlands. On May 24, Raven reunited with Perry Saturn in a tag team Raven's Rules match for Billy Corgan's Resistance Pro Wrestling, defeating Brady Pierce & Mad Man Pondo.

Filmography

  • Movies
    • The Jesse Ventura Story (1999)
    • Death Racers (2008)
    • Sleeper (2012)
    • Cool as Hell (2013)
    • Pro Wrestlers vs Zombies (2013)

Raven was a commentator alongside Kid Rock and Jimmy Hart on MTV's Spring Break "Cancún Beach Brawl", which featured various World Championship Wrestling wrestlers competing in a battle royal; and industrial metal band Fear Factory performing. Raven was also shown on MTV's "MTV Ultimate Music Video Feud", brawling with Diamond Dallas Page in a ring. Raven has appeared on the game show, Win Ben Stein's Money. Raven has also appeared on the talk show Donny & Marie alongside Konnan, promoting a WCW event, and demonstrating wrestling maneuvers on host Donny Osmond. In the 2005 documentary "Forever Hardcore", Raven revealed that he loves working with the Sandman (Jim Fullington), as all he has to do is "stand there and beat the piss out of him". He then claimed that those are his favourite matches.

In 2010, Levy began working as a stand-up comic, taking part in Bob Levy's Levy World Order comedy tour.[36]

On December 9, 2010 Raven began broadcasting a personal weekly video blog on his YouTube channel – TheRavenEffectTV.

In 2011, Raven starred in the music video "Owata" by the Smashing Pumpkins.

Personal life

Raven in December 2004.

Levy took a semester off from college to enlist in the United States Marine Corps as a reservist.[37] Levy had a wife named Selina Kyle, whom he married in January 2007.[38] Raven announced via his Twitter that he and his wife got divorced in March 2013.[39] He was born Jewish, possesses an IQ of 143 and is a member of Mensa and Theta Chi Fraternity.[40][41]

Levy has Type-2 Diabetes.[42]

He is a lifelong fan of comic books. 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 (Dream) on his back. 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. He also provided a cover quote for a trade paperback edition of 100 Bullets.

Levy, along with former colleague Chris Kanyon and colleague Michael Sanders, attempted to sue World Wrestling Entertainment for "cheating them out of health care and other benefits" but a federal judge in Stamford, Connecticut dismissed the case.[43] In a 2010 interview Levy explained that the case was dismissed due to statute of limitations running out.

On July 31, 2010 Raven was inducted into the Legends Pro Wrestling "Hall of Fame" by Jack Blaze in Wheeling, WV at their annual "LPW Great American Smash" event.[citation needed]

In wrestling

  • Finishing moves
    • Even Flow DDT[2] / Raven Effect[2] (Flowing snap DDT)
    • Leaping shoulder block[2] (as Scotty Flamingo)
    • Piledriver

Championships and accomplishments

  • All Action Wrestling Perth
    • AAW Championship (1 time)[53]
  • Australasian Wrestling Federation
    • AWF Australasian Championship (1 time)[54]
  • High Risk Pro Wrestling
    • HRPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[57]
  • Legends Pro Wrestling
    • Inducted into the LPW Hall of Fame (7/31/10)
  • Laredo Wrestling Alliance
    • LWA Hardcore Champion (1 time)
    • Inducted into the LWA Hall of Fame (12/15/12)
  • National Wrestling Federation
    • NWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[61]
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    • PWI ranked him #22 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2003
    • PWI ranked him #168 in the PWI Years in 2003[66]
  • United States Xtreme Wrestling
    • UXW Heavyweight Championship (4 times)[69]
  • United States Wrestling Organization
    • USWO Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • USA Pro Wrestling
    • USA Pro Championship (1 time)[71]
  • Vanguard Championship Wrestling
    • VCW Championship (1 time)

Lucha de Apuesta record

Wager Winner Loser Location Date Notes
Hair Raven The Sandman Scranton, Pennsylvania January 18, 1997 Raven's hair and ECW World Title were at stake, with Sandman wagering Raven's stolen title belt.[76]
Hair Shane Douglas Raven Nashville, Tennessee September 17, 2003 Hair vs. hair match at NWA TNA Weekly pay-per-view event #63[77]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 "Raven profile". SLAM! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved May 4, 2009. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 "Raven bio". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved March 25, 2009. 
  3. ↑ 8 things you didn't know about the Hardcore Title
  4. ↑ Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0. 
  5. ↑ Williams, Scott: Hardcore History: The Extremely Unauthorized Story of ECW, page 49. SportsPublishingLLC, 2006.
  6. ↑ Loverro, Thom. The Rise & Fall of ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling (p.172)
  7. ↑ Loverro, Thom. The Rise & Fall of ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling (p.173)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "ECW Tag History". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved February 11, 2010. 
  9. ↑ Powell, John (September 25, 2000). "Austin culprit unrevealed at Unforgiven". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved February 11, 2010. 
  10. ↑ Total Nonstop Action Wrestling On Spike TV! – NEWS
  11. ↑ "NEWSBOARD – Raven Talks ECW Return & TNA". Wrestling-News.com. Retrieved May 10, 2008. 
  12. ↑ Wilkenfeld, Daniel (November 12, 2009). "WILKENFELD'S TNA IMPACT REPORT: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Spike TV broadcast". PWTorch. Retrieved November 13, 2009. 
  13. ↑ Caldwell, James (December 20, 2009). "CALDWELL'S TNA FINAL RESOLUTION PPV REPORT: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of A.J. Styles vs. Daniels, Angle vs. Wolfe". PWTorch. Retrieved December 21, 2009. 
  14. ↑ Keller, Wade (January 4, 2009). "KELLER'S TNA IMPACT LIVE REPORT: Jeff Hardy, NWO reunion, Hulk Hogan, TNA Knockout Title match, more surprises". PWTorch. Retrieved April 23, 2010. 
  15. ↑ Wilkenfeld, Daniel (February 18, 2010). "WILKENFELD'S TNA IMPACT REPORT: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Spike TV broadcast". PWTorch. Retrieved April 23, 2010. 
  16. ↑ Wilkenfeld, Daniel (June 24, 2010). "Wilkenfeld's TNA Impact report 6/24: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Spike TV broadcast". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 24, 2010. 
  17. ↑ Keller, Wade (July 1, 2010). "TNA Impact results 7/1: Keller's ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Spike TV show – Abyss vs. Hardy, RVD refs". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 2, 2010. 
  18. ↑ Caldwell, James (July 12, 2010). "TNA News: TNA Impact TV taping "virtual-time coverage" for Thursday's episode". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 13, 2010. 
  19. ↑ Martin, Adam (July 13, 2010). "Spoilers: TNA Impact for this Thursday". WrestleView. Retrieved July 13, 2010. 
  20. ↑ Martin, Adam (July 15, 2010). "Impact Results". WrestleView. Retrieved July 16, 2010. 
  21. ↑ Wilkenfeld, Daniel (July 22, 2010). "Wilkenfeld's TNA Impact report 7/22: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Spike TV broadcast". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 23, 2010. 
  22. ↑ Keller, Wade (July 29, 2010). "Keller's TNA Impact report 7/29: Tommy Dreamer announces new name for ECW faction, Hulk Hogan addresses situation". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 30, 2010. 
  23. ↑ Wilkenfeld, Daniel (August 5, 2010). "Wilkenfeld's TNA Impact report 8/5: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Spike TV broadcast". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 5, 2010. 
  24. ↑ Caldwell, James (August 8, 2010). "Caldwell's TNA Hardcore Justice PPV results 8/8: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of ECW-themed PPV headlined by RVD vs. Sabu". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 8, 2010. 
  25. ↑ Tomich, Kevin (August 9, 2010). "TNA News: Spoilers – detailed Impact TV taping report for "Whole F'n Show" featuring new angle, MOTY candidate?, three title matches". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 12, 2010. 
  26. ↑ Bishop, Matt (August 12, 2010). "TNA's 'The Whole F'n Show': Beer Money, Machine Guns put on match of year candidate; Fortune makes statement". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved August 13, 2010. 
  27. ↑ Caldwell, James (October 10, 2010). "Caldwell's TNA Bound for Glory PPV results 10-10-10: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV – Angle vs. Anderson vs. Hardy, "they" reveal". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 10, 2010. 
  28. ↑ Caldwell, James (November 7, 2010). "Caldwell's TNA Turning Point PPV results 11/7: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV – Hardy vs. Morgan, EV2 vs. Fortune, Team 3D "retirement" match". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 7, 2010. 
  29. ↑ Wilkenfeld, Daniel (November 18, 2010). "Wilkenfeld's TNA Impact report 11/18: Complete "virtual time" coverage of Spike TV broadcast". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 18, 2010. 
  30. ↑ Caldwell, James (November 10, 2010). "TNA News: Another EV2 member cut from TNA – Raven finishes up at this week's Impact TV tapings (minor spoiler)". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 10, 2010. 
  31. ↑ Goodman, Larry (November 13, 2010). "TNA house show report 11-12 Nashville". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved November 13, 2010. 
  32. ↑ Creator and Producer: Insane Clown Posse (2008-07-17). "Slam TV Season 2 – Episode 2". SlamTV!. Season 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5CKy3xgU3k.
  33. ↑ Creator and Producer: Insane Clown Posse (2008-07-25). "Slam TV Season 2 – Episode 3". SlamTV!. Season 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH6s_95TFHA.
  34. ↑ Creator and Producer: Insane Clown Posse (2008-07-31). "Slam TV Season 2 – Episode 4". SlamTV!. Season 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9B7oNXlKuM.
  35. ↑ "JCW: Gathering of the Juggalos 2009: Bloodymania III". Match Results. Raven. September 7, 2009. Retrieved April 10, 2010. 
  36. ↑ Martin, Adam (December 11, 2010). "Raven on stand up comedy, ECW crowds, more". WrestleView. Retrieved December 11, 2010. 
  37. ↑
  38. ↑ theraveneffect.com | the official raven website
  39. ↑ https://twitter.com/THERAVENEFFECT
  40. ↑ "Cygy Wrestling Biography of Raven". CygyWrestling. Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  41. ↑ "Alumni – Theta Chi Fraternity" (PHP). Rengland.net. Retrieved May 10, 2008. 
  42. ↑ Youtube.com | Raven's Vlog #18 - June 8, 2011
  43. ↑ Potts, Monica (February 26, 2009). "Judge dismisses suit against WWE". The Advocate (Hearst Corporation). Retrieved February 27, 2009. 
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Martin, Adam (June 28, 2009). ""TNA Epics" recap for June 27, 2009". WrestleView. Retrieved July 30, 2010. 
  45. ↑ World Championship Wrestling (1998-04-20). "Raven vs Goldberg". WCW Monday Nitro.
  46. ↑ World Championship Wrestling (1992-09-12). "Brad Armstrong vs Scotty Flamingo /w VH". WCW Saturday Night.
  47. ↑ World Championship Wrestling TNT (1998-09-21). "Raven & Kanyon vs. Los Villanos". WCW Monday Nitro.
  48. ↑ "Raven's profile". Obsessed With Wrestling. Retrieved July 31, 2009. 
  49. ↑ Oliver, Greg (May 26, 2006). "Mickie James quick to dish out credit". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved October 17, 2009. 
  50. ↑ World Championship Wrestling (1999-08-09). "The Dead Pool vs Norman Smiley, Prince Iaukea & Lash Leroux". WCW Monday Nitro.
  51. ↑ World Championship Wrestling (1999-08-14). "The Dead Pool Vs The Filthy Animals". WCW Road Wild.
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 52.3 "Wrestler Entrance Music". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved December 28, 2009. 
  53. ↑ "AAW Title History". All Action Wrestling Perth. Retrieved 2014-02-05. 
  54. ↑ http://www.nzpwi.co.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4077&Itemid=1
  55. ↑ "ECW World Heavyweight Championship History at WWE.com". Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  56. ↑ "HWA Tag Team Championship History at Wrestling-Titles.com". Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  57. ↑ "HRPW World Heavyweight Championship History". High Risk Pro Wrestling. Retrieved 2014-02-05. 
  58. ↑ Michael Bradley (2011-08-14). "JCW Bloodymania 5". Retrieved 2011-09-27. 
  59. ↑ "MEWF Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship History at Solie.org". Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  60. ↑ "NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship History at Wrestling-Titles.com". Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  61. ↑ "NWF Heavyweight Championship History at Solie.org". Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  62. ↑ "NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship History at Wrestling-Titles.com". Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  63. ↑ "NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship History at Wrestling-Titles.com". Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  64. ↑ "NWA Pacific Northwest Television Championship History at Wrestling-Titles.com". Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  65. ↑ "3PW World Heavyweight Championship History at Solie.org". Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  66. ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 – PWI Years". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2010. 
  67. ↑ "NWA World Heavyweight Championship History at Wrestling-Titles.com". Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  68. ↑ "TNA Slammiversary 2005 Pay Per View results at Online World of Wrestling". Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  69. ↑ "USXW Heavyweight Championship History at UXW Wrestling.net". Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  70. ↑ "USWA Tag Team Championship History at Wrestling-Titles.com". Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  71. ↑ "Independent Wrestling Results – May 2003". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved July 5, 2008. 
  72. ↑ "WCW Light Heavyweight Championship History at Wrestling-Titles.com". Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  73. ↑ "WCW United States Heavyweight Championship History at Wrestling-Titles.com". Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  74. ↑ "WCW World Tag Team Championship History at Wrestling-Titles.com". Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  75. ↑ "WWE Hardcore Championship History". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved October 11, 2007. 
  76. ↑ "ECW Scranton, PA Live Event". 
  77. ↑ "NWA TNA Weekly Pay-per view #63". 

References

  • Loverro, Thom (2006). The Rise & Fall of ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling. WWE Books. ISBN 1-4165-1058-3. 

External links

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