Raven (wrestler)
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Scott Levy (born September 8, 1964) is an American
professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
better known by his
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
, Raven. He is known for his appearances with
professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...
s including
Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...
(ECW),
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
(WCW), World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) and
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
(TNA). Widely recognized as "one of the best talkers in wrestling", Raven is known for his "psychological
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...
tactics" and
grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
-inspired gimmick. His
feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...
with The Sandman in the mid-1990s has been described as "one of the most emotional rivalries in professional wrestling's history". He is one of the most decorated wrestlers in history, with 37 title reigns between WWE, WCW, ECW, and TNA, including being a three-time World Champion and having a record 27 reigns as WWF/E Hardcore Champion. After having an eight plus year career in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) now known as
Impact Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
, Raven was inducted into the
Impact Hall of Fame The Impact Hall of Fame (stylized as ''IMPACT! Hall of Fame'') is a hall of fame that honors professional wrestlers and wrestling personalities who contributed to the history of the U.S. based wrestling promotion Impact Wrestling formally known as ...
in 2022.


Early years

Levy is of
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
descent and was born in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, the son of Paul F. Levy, a journalist and senior editor of ''
The National Enquirer The ''National Enquirer'' is an American tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1926, the newspaper has undergone a number of changes over the years. The ''National Enquirer'' openly acknowledges that it pays sources for tips, a common practice in tabl ...
''. He graduated from
Lake Worth Community High School Lake Worth Community High School is a public high school located in Lake Worth Beach, Florida. Established in 1922 as Lake Worth High School, it is currently one of Palm Beach County's largest schools. The Palm Beach County School Board added ...
in 1982. He went on to attend the
University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...
, where he earned a degree in
criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the Rehabilitation (penology), rehabilitation of o ...
. He took a semester off from college to enlist in the
United States Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned pe ...
.


Professional wrestling career


Early career (1988–1992)

After graduating from the
University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...
with a degree in
criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the Rehabilitation (penology), rehabilitation of o ...
, Levy trained as a professional wrestler under Larry Sharpe at the
Monster Factory The Monster Factory is a professional wrestling school located in Paulsboro, New Jersey owned and operated by Danny Cage. It is considered to be the first publicly available professional wrestling school. Larry Sharpe opened the Monster Fac ...
in
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, making his debut on February 20, 1988 against
Jimmy Jack Funk Ferrin Barr Jr. (born April 14, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Championship Wrestling from Florida under the ring name Jesse Barr and with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring ...
. Early in his career, Levy competed for the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico as well as the
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
-based promotion
Continental Wrestling Association Continental Wrestling Association (later the Championship Wrestling Association) was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually ref ...
under the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
"Scotty the Body", where he was given the gimmick of being the " boy toy" of
Missy Hyatt Melissa Ann Hiatt (born October 16, 1963), better known by her ring name, Missy Hyatt, is an American retired professional wrestling valet, commentator, and occasional professional wrestler. She is best known for her appearances with World Cha ...
, who used him to her and Eddie Gilbert's advantage. After leaving Memphis, Levy wrestled in Florida. Levy next traveled to Canada, where he competed briefly for the
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
-based promotion
All Star Wrestling All Star Wrestling (ASW) is a British professional wrestling promotion operated by Brian Dixon and based in Birkenhead, England. Founded as Wrestling Enterprises of Birkenhead in October 1970, it has also been known over the years as All Star P ...
before leaving due to differences with owner
Al Tomko Al Tomko (22 November 1931 – 5 August 2009) was a Canadian professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. Professional wrestling career Tomko started out as a wrestler in his hometown of Winnipeg on 9 July 1954, with the Madison Wrestling C ...
. From there, he returned to the United States, joining Pacific Northwest Wrestling in
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
. Over the next three years, he was positioned as one of the main
heels The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exert ...
, 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 The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
and began a feud with The Grappler. In the summer of 1989, Levy made a number of appearances under a
mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practic ...
as "Matman", a ''
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
''-inspired character who teamed with
Beetlejuice ''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton, written by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, and Warren Skaaren, produced by The Geffen Company, distributed by Warner Bros., and starring Alec Baldwin, ...
. Wrestling as Scotty the Body, Levy made a one-off appearance on ''
WWF Prime Time Wrestling ''WWF Prime Time Wrestling'' is a professional wrestling television program that was produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It aired on the USA Network from January 1, 1985, to January 4, 1993. A precursor to ''Monday Night Raw'', ''Pr ...
'' in a losing effort against
Koko B. Ware James W. Ware, Jr. (born June 20, 1958), better known by his ring name Koko B. Ware is an American retired professional wrestler. He debuted in 1978 and became widely popular in 1986. He later went on to the World Wrestling Federation, where he ...
in October 1990. After leaving PNW, Levy joined the
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
-based
Global Wrestling Federation Global Wrestling Federation was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Dallas, Texas. It started in June 1991 and folded in September 1994. At one time its shows were presented on the ESPN television network. Often the promotion pr ...
, where he adopted the ring name "Scott Anthony". Levy was part of the
stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
known as "The Cartel", along with Cactus Jack, Makhan Singh,
Rip Rogers Mark Sciarra (born February 7, 1954) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Rip Rogers. Early life Sciarra was born in Seymour, Indiana on February 7, 1954. He graduated from Seymour High School in 1972 an ...
and Max Andrews. Levy also served as a
color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and t ...
for GWF's televised broadcasts on
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
alongside play-by-play commentators Craig Johnson and Scott Hudson.


World Championship Wrestling (1992–1993)

In 1992, Levy joined
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
(WCW). He was given the ring name "Scotty Flamingo" and the gimmick of a surfer from Florida, even carrying a
surfboard A surfboard is a narrow plank used in surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding an ocean wave. They were invented in ancient Hawaii, where they were known as ''papa he'e ...
to the ring. According to him, he didn't like the character nor the High-Flying style, but he was forced by the promoters. He was originally managed by
J. T. Southern J. T. Southern (born January 4, 1964) is an American retired professional wrestler. Though he achieved most notoriety during his 1992 feud with Van Hammer in World Championship Wrestling, Southern also competed for Verne Gagne's American Wrestlin ...
. Levy competed in the WCW
light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...
division, winning the
WCW Light Heavyweight Championship The WCW Light Heavyweight Championship was a Professional wrestling championship#Weight class championships, professional wrestling championship that was contested in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1991 and 1992. Conceived in 1991, th ...
from
Brian Pillman Brian William Pillman (May 22, 1962 – October 5, 1997) was an American professional wrestler and professional football player best known for his appearances in Stampede Wrestling in the 1980s and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Ch ...
on June 20, 1992 at Beach Blast. He held the title until July 5, 1992, when he was defeated by Brad Armstrong. Levy went on to align himself with
Diamond Dallas Page Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), better known by his ring name Diamond Dallas Page (often stylized as DDP), is an American actor and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. In the course of his wrest ...
and
Vinnie Vegas Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he performed under his ...
as a member of " The Diamond Mine". Levy would continue to feud with Pillman and Armstrong, before feuding with Johnny B. Badd. At ''
Clash of the Champions XXI ''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). ...
'' on November 18, 1992, Levy defeated Badd in a
boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
match via knockout after Vegas surreptitiously weighted his boxing glove by soaking it in water. Levy left WCW in February 1993 after disagreements with booker
Bill Watts William F. Watts Jr. (born May 5, 1939) is a retired American professional wrestler, promoter and former American football player. Watts garnered fame under his "Cowboy" gimmick in his wrestling career, and then as a promoter in the Mid-South Un ...
.


World Wrestling Federation (1993–1994)

After leaving WCW, Levy briefly wrestled for the
United States Wrestling Association The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Wrestlin ...
(USWA) before joining the
World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
(WWF) as manager "Johnny Polo", a spoiled, rich preppy kid. He was initially placed with Adam Bomb, appearing for the first time on May 24 episode of ''
WWF Raw WWF may refer to: Non-profit organizations *World Wide Fund for Nature or World Wildlife Fund, a nature conservation group *World Water Forum, an international forum for water issues *Working Women's Forum, a training, trade and credit union in In ...
''. He managed Bomb for four months until he was replaced by
Harvey Wippleman Bruno Lauer (born October 27, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, referee, and occasional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Harvey Wippleman and Downtown Bruno. Wippleman began his career working in professional wrestli ...
. He then became the manager of
The Quebecers The Quebecers were a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from in between 1993 to 1994 and again in 1998 who consisted of Quebecer Jacques and Quebecer Pierre. They also worked as The Amazing French-Canadians ...
in September, whom he led to three reigns as
WWF Tag Team Champions The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...
. In addition to managing, Polo also occasionally appeared in tag-team and singles competition, facing Jim Powers, Virgil, Rick Steiner, Marty Jannetty, Doink the Clown, 1-2-3 Kid, Owen Hart, and Pierre Oullette. Polo also worked as a color commentator and co-host of Radio WWF, and behind the scenes worked as the associate producer for ''
Monday Night Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...
''. Levy left the company in October 1994, his final match coming against Adam Bomb on October 2 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. His last appearance was at a house show in Montreal, Quebec on October 21 when he managed Pierre Oullette in a match against Jacques Rougeau.


Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995–1997)


Feud with Tommy Dreamer (1995–1996)

After leaving the WWF, Levy began developing a new
character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
, "Raven". Inspired by the poem by
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
and by
Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...
's manipulative Zen master of crime in the film ''
Point Break ''Point Break'' is a 1991 American action crime film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by W. Peter Iliff. It stars Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The film's title refers to the surfing term " point break", wher ...
'', the Raven character was a depressed,
sociopathic Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been ...
,
stoical Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century BCE. It is a philosophy of personal virtue ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world, asserting that th ...
,
nihilistic Nihilism (; ) is a philosophy, or family of views within philosophy, that rejects generally accepted or fundamental aspects of human existence, such as objective truth, knowledge, morality, values, or meaning of life, meaning. The term was pop ...
misanthrope Misanthropy is the general hatred, dislike, distrust or contempt of the human species, human behavior or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. The word's origin is from the Greek words μῖσ ...
who would deliver eloquent, philosophical promos peppered with literary
allusion Allusion is a figure of speech, in which an object or circumstance from unrelated context is referred to covertly or indirectly. It is left to the audience to make the direct connection. Where the connection is directly and explicitly stated (as ...
s and ending with the catchphrase, " Quoth the Raven 'Nevermore'". Levy dramatically altered his appearance, bulking-up to approximately 235 lbs (107 kg), adding
nose A nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which receive and expel air for respiration alongside the mouth. Behind the nose are the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passes th ...
and
eyebrow piercing An eyebrow piercing is a vertical surface piercing, wherein a twelve to eighteen gauge cannula needle is inserted through the bottom of the eyebrow and exits through the top of the eyebrow to permit insertion of jewellery. Those performing th ...
s and began wrestling in ragged
jean shorts Shorts are a garment worn over the pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they ar ...
, a
leather jacket A leather jacket is a jacket-length coat that is usually worn on top of other apparel or item of clothing, and made from the tanned hide of various animals. The leather material is typically dyed black, or various shades of brown, but a wide r ...
,
rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...
or
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
t-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a ''crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are general ...
s,
combat boot Combat boots are military boots designed to be worn by soldiers during combat or combat training, as opposed to during parades and other ceremonial duties. Modern combat boots are designed to provide a combination of grip, ankle stability, an ...
s and a
flannel Flannel is a soft woven fabric, of various fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or worsted yarn, but is now often made from either wool, cotton, or synthetic fiber. Flannel is commonly used to make tartan clothing, blankets, ...
tied around his waist. After unsuccessfully pitching the character to
Jim Cornette James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author and podcaster who has previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, promoter, trainer, and occasional prof ...
, the owner of
Smoky Mountain Wrestling Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, w ...
(SMW), Raven approached
Paul Heyman Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former promoter, photographer, and executive. He is currently signed to WWE, appearing on the SmackDown brand as manager for Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweig ...
, the booker of the
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
-based promotion
Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...
(ECW), who agreed to bring in Raven as a foil for
Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...
. Raven was introduced to ECW by
Stevie Richards Michael Stephen Manna (born October 9, 1971), better known by his ring name Stevie Richards, is an American professional wrestler. Over the course of his career, Richards has performed for major professional wrestling promotions including Easte ...
. In late 1994, Richards had developed an "identity crisis", performing under the ring names "Stevie Flamingo", "Stevie the Body", and "Stevie Polo" — all references to former ring names used by Levy. After sustaining another loss to
Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...
, Richards became irate and claimed he would present "the real Johnny Polo". Raven made his first appearance on the January 10, 1995 episode of ''
ECW Hardcore TV ''ECW Hardcore TV'' is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by the Philadelphia based promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) composed of footage from live shows and recorded interviews. It ran in syndi ...
'', with Richards revealing that he had a vendetta against Tommy Dreamer. Raven formed a
stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
of lackeys known as "
Raven's Nest Raven's Flock was a professional wrestling stable led by Raven that was present in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) between 1995 and 1997. Later, Raven created other incarnations of the group in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) such as Th ...
", with Richards the first member. In February,
Johnny Hotbody John Weiss (born February 19, 1963) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Johnny Hotbody. In Eastern Championship Wrestling, he won the ECW Championship, ECW Tag Team Championship, and ECW Television Champions ...
and
Tony Stetson Anthony Matteo (born March 21, 1959) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Hitman" Tony Stetson. He is best known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) during the 1990s. Stetson was one of ECW's ini ...
joined the stable, calling Raven the "voice of
heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...
generation A generation refers to all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–⁠30 years, during which children are born and gr ...
". On March 18, 1995 at
Extreme Warfare Extreme Warfare is a series of professional wrestling management text simulators created by United Kingdom, British programmer Adam Ryland for the personal computer, PC since 1995. The latest in the series is Total Extreme Wrestling 2020, which w ...
, Dreamer lost to the four members of Raven's Nest in a
gauntlet match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
. On April 8, 1995 at Three Way Dance, Raven fired Hotbody and Stetson, replacing them with
The Pitbulls The Pitbulls (sometimes written as The Pit Bulls) were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of "Pitbull #1" Gary Wolfe and "Pitbull #2" Anthony Durante. They were best known for their tenure in Extreme Championship Wrestling, where ...
. Later that evening, Raven expounded on his history with Dreamer, revealed that they had attended
summer camp A summer camp or sleepaway camp is a supervised program for children conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as ''campers''. Summer school is usually a part of the academ ...
together as children, where Raven became the boyfriend of
Beulah McGillicutty Trisa Laughlin ( née Hayes; born March 14, 1969) is an American author and retired professional wrestling valet, better known by her ring name, Beulah McGillicutty. She is best known for her appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 19 ...
, an overweight girl with acne, after she was spurned by Dreamer. Richards then revealed that he had tracked down McGillicutty, who was now a ''
Penthouse Penthouse most often refers to: *Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building *Penthouse (magazine), ''Penthouse'' (magazine), a British-founded men's magazine *Mechanical penthouse, a floor, typically located directly u ...
'' model, who also harbored a grudge against Dreamer. Later that night, Raven faced Dreamer in a singles match for the first time, defeating him following interference from both Richards and McGillicutty. McGillicutty went on to become Raven's
valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "vale ...
and onscreen girlfriend, repeatedly interfering in his bouts with Dreamer and receiving numerous piledrivers as a result. McGillicutty was brought into ECW by Raven, who had been introduced to her by
Ron Gant Ronald Edwin Gant (born March 2, 1965) is an American television news anchor and former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves (1987–1993), Cincinnati Reds (1995), St. Louis Cardinals ...
in
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
earlier that year and thought she would add a new dimension to his feud with Dreamer. The feud between Raven and Dreamer escalated at
Barbed Wire, Hoodies & Chokeslams Barbed Wire, Hoodies & Chokeslams was a professional wrestling live event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on June 17, 1995. The event was held in the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. Excerpts from Ba ...
in June 1995, where Raven's Nest beat down Dreamer's ally,
Luna Vachon Gertrude Elizabeth Vachon ( ; January 12, 1962 – August 27, 2010) was an American-Canadian professional wrestler, better known as Luna Vachon.Lisa S. Davis,Ex-wrestler Luna Vachon, 48, found dead", ''Tampa Bay Online'' (August 31, 2010). Over ...
, before breaking several of Dreamer's fingers. On June 30, 1995 at Mountain Top Madness, Raven and Richards defeated
The Public Enemy ''The Public Enemy'' (''Enemies of the Public'' in the UK) is a 1931 American all-talking pre-Code gangster film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by William A. Wellman and stars James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward ...
to win the
ECW World Tag Team Championship The ECW World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Championship Wrestli ...
. In July 1995 at
Hardcore Heaven Hardcore Heaven was a professional wrestling event produced by Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It took place annually from 1994 to 2000, with the exception of 1998. The 1997, 1999 and 2000 iterations aired on pay-per-view Pay-per-v ...
after Raven and Richards successfully defended the ECW Tag Team Championship against Dreamer and Vachon, The Pitbulls left Raven's Nest, with
The Dudley Brothers The Dudley Brothers were a professional wrestling stable active in Extreme Championship Wrestling between 1995 and 1999. The gimmick of the group was that, despite their obvious differences in physical appearance and race, the members were all s ...
replacing them shortly thereafter. At
Heat Wave A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the ...
on July 15, 1995, Dreamer and The Pitbulls defeated Raven and The Dudley Brothers. Later that evening, Dreamer
handcuff Handcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each cuff has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet tha ...
ed Raven and delivered a
chair shot Strikes are offensive moves in professional wrestling, that can sometimes be used to set up an opponent for a hold or for a throw. There are a wide variety of strikes in pro wrestling, and many are known by several different names. Professional wre ...
later dubbed "the chair shot heard 'round the world." The footage of the chair shot was incorporated into the
title sequence A title sequence (also called an opening sequence or intro) is the method by which films or television programmes present their title and key production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound (often a opening theme song with visu ...
of ''ECW Hardcore TV''. At
Wrestlepalooza Wrestlepalooza was a professional wrestling event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It took place in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2000. The 1998 iteration aired on pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast ...
on August 5, 1995, during an eight-man tag team match, Raven, Richards and the Dudley Brothers defeated Tommy Dreamer, Cactus Jack and the Pitbulls after Cactus Jack, Dreamer's long-time ally, turned on him, joining Raven's Nest. On September 16, 1995 at Gangstas Paradise, Raven and Richards lost the ECW World Tag Team Championship to The Pitbulls following interference from Dreamer. Raven and Richards regained the titles from The Pitbulls on October 7, 1995, only to lose them to The Public Enemy later that evening. At
November to Remember November to Remember (commonly abbreviated to N2R) was a professional wrestling event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was held during the month of November from 1993 to 2000. Starting with the 1997 edition the event was broadca ...
on November 18, 1995, Dreamer and
Terry Funk Terrence Funk (born June 30, 1944) is an American retired professional wrestler, rapper, disc jockey and actor. Funk is known for the longevity of his career – which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements – a ...
defeated Raven and Cactus Jack in the main event. At the same event, Raven's Nest received a new member,
The Blue Meanie Brian Heffron (born May 18, 1973), better known by his ring name The Blue Meanie, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation between 1995 and 2 ...
, who became a lackey to Stevie Richards. At December to Dismember on December 9, 1995, Raven once more defeated Dreamer, although later that night Dreamer, The Pitbulls and The Public Enemy defeated Raven, Richards,
The Eliminators The Eliminators were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of Perry Saturn and John Kronus who were best known for their time in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) between 1995 and 1997. History Formation While working as the m ...
and
The Heavenly Bodies The Heavenly Bodies is a professional wrestling tag team famous for having worked in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, and various independent promotions. Over the years, there have been multiple variations of the team, ...
in an "Ultimate Jeopardy" cage match when Dreamer pinned Richards. At
Holiday Hell In professional wrestling, Holiday Hell was a supercard produced by the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States-based promotion Eastern Championship Wrestling/Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). Themed around the Christmas and holiday season, ...
on December 30, 1995, Raven defeated Dreamer to become number one contender for the
ECW World Heavyweight Championship The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...
, unsuccessfully challenging incumbent champion The Sandman later that evening. At the same event, The Dudley Brothers left Raven's Nest following a confrontation with Richards. During the build-up to the match, Raven further expounded on his grudge against Dreamer, accusing Dreamer of not having been there for him during his parents' divorce, an accusation that Dreamer hotly denied. At
House Party A house party is a type of party where people gather at the residence of the party's host. Organization A house party might be organized several months or just a few hours in advance. News of a party may be spread by personal invitations, ...
on January 5, 1996, Richards attempted to kiss McGillicutty, who refused, eventually announcing that she was pregnant. After Raven angrily confronted McGillicutty, she informed him that he was not the father, causing Raven to attack Richards. McGillicutty then revealed that Tommy Dreamer was the father, with Dreamer storming the ring and beating down Raven, Richards and The Blue Meanie before embracing Beulah.


ECW World Heavyweight Champion (1996–1997)

On January 27, 1996, Raven introduced his new girlfriend, Kimona Wanalaya. Later that evening, Raven defeated The Sandman to win his first ECW World Heavyweight Championship following extensive interference from Raven's Nest. Over the following months, Raven successfully defended the ECW World Heavyweight Championship in bouts with opponents including
Shane Douglas Troy Allan Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (W ...
, Pitbull #2,
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...
,
Damián 666 Leonardo Carrera Gómez (born July 9, 1961) is a Mexican professional wrestler best known under the name Damián 666. He has worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW), Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CM ...
, 2 Cold Scorpio and
Terry Gordy Terry Ray Gordy Sr. (April 23, 1961 – July 16, 2001) was an American professional wrestler. Gordy appeared in the United States with promotions such as Mid-South Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, World Class Championship Wrestling, Jim ...
. Wanalaya left him in April 1996 at
Massacre on Queens Boulevard Massacre on Queens Boulevard (sometimes written as Massacre on Queens Blvd) was a professional wrestling live event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on April 13, 1996 in New York, USA. The event was held in the Lost Battalion Hal ...
after he slapped her. At
Hardcore Heaven Hardcore Heaven was a professional wrestling event produced by Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It took place annually from 1994 to 2000, with the exception of 1998. The 1997, 1999 and 2000 iterations aired on pay-per-view Pay-per-v ...
on June 22, 1996, Raven began playing
mind games Playing mind games (also power games or head games) is the largely conscious struggle for psychological one-upmanship, often employing passive–aggressive behavior to specifically demoralize or dis-empower the thinking subject, making the a ...
with The Sandman,
brainwashing Brainwashing (also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and forced re-education) is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwash ...
his ex-wife, Lori and his son, Tyler to join Raven's Nest. Lori and Tyler subsequently began accompanying Raven to ringside for his matches, with Raven using him to wage
psychological warfare Psychological warfare (PSYWAR), or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations (PsyOp), have been known by many other names or terms, including Military Information Support Operations (MISO), Psy Ops, political warfare, "Hearts and Mi ...
against The Sandman over the following months. At
High Incident ''High Incident'' was a police drama television series produced by DreamWorks Television for the ABC network. The show was created by Steven Spielberg, Michael Pavone, Eric Bogosian, and Dave Alan Johnson. It aired from March 4, 1996, to May ...
on October 26, 1996, Richards was involved in one of ECW's most controversial
angles The Angles ( ang, Ængle, ; la, Angli) were one of the main Germanic peoples who settled in Great Britain in the post-Roman period. They founded several kingdoms of the Heptarchy in Anglo-Saxon England. Their name is the root of the name ' ...
, with Raven's Nest " crucifying" The Sandman by tying him to a
cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
and placing a crown made of
barbed wire A close-up view of a barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is t ...
on his head. The angle, which was widely criticised as being in poor taste, led to Olympic gold medalist
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...
severing his links with ECW and delayed the promotion's debut on
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
. At the instruction of Paul Heyman, Raven came to the ring and offered a somewhat insincere apology for his actions. The relationship between Raven and Richards began to deteriorate in late 1996. At Ultimate Jeopardy on October 5, 1996, Raven was scheduled to team with Brian Lee against Dreamer and The Sandman in a match with Raven's ECW World Heavyweight Championship on the line. After Raven was announced as being unable to compete, Richards substituted for him, with Raven losing his title after The Sandman pinned Richards. Upon his return, Raven blamed Richards for the loss. At
Holiday Hell In professional wrestling, Holiday Hell was a supercard produced by the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States-based promotion Eastern Championship Wrestling/Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). Themed around the Christmas and holiday season, ...
on December 7, 1996, Raven defeated The Sandman in a barbed wire match to regain the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. Despite this, the tension between Raven and Richards continued to build until, on December 28, 1996, Richards turned on Raven by superkicking him during a match with The Sandman. Richards, The Blue Meanie and Super Nova subsequently broke away from Raven. At the
Crossing the Line Again Crossing the Line Again was a professional wrestling event held by the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States-based professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on February 1, 1997. The commentator for the event was ...
event on February 1, 1997, Raven successfully defended the ECW World Heavyweight Championship against "Dr. Death" Steve Williams – inflicting Williams' first loss in the United States in a decade – after interference from Richards backfired. As part of an agreement between ECW and the World Wrestling Federation, Raven and several other ECW wrestlers appeared on the February 24, 1997 episode of ''
Raw Is War ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show f ...
'', with Raven confronting Richards. Over the following months, Raven successfully defended the ECW World Heavyweight Championship against opponents including Dreamer, Richards,
Rob Van Dam Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
and
Super Nova A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last stellar evolution, evolutionary stages of a mass ...
. His reign lasted until April 13, 1997, when he was defeated by Terry Funk in the main event of Barely Legal, ECW's first
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
. On the May 1, 1997 episode of ''ECW Hardcore TV'', a controversial angle took place in which a morose Raven, despondent at the loss of his title and other setbacks, confronted Richards, telling him he had one final "mission" for him. Raven then attacked Richards before begging him to " end my pain". At The Buffalo Invasion on May 11, 1997, Raven and Richards reformed their tag team to face Dreamer and Funk, with Richards pinning Funk despite bickering with Raven throughout the match. In the main event, Raven, Richards, Funk and The Sandman men faced one another in a four-way elimination match for Funk's ECW World Heavyweight Championship. During the match, Raven DDT'ed both Funk and The Sandman and then demanded that Richards pin them and then lay down for him. Richards refused, instead superkicking Raven and enabling Funk and The Sandman to pin him. At
Wrestlepalooza Wrestlepalooza was a professional wrestling event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It took place in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2000. The 1998 iteration aired on pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast ...
on June 6, 1997, Raven faced Dreamer in a "Loser Leaves ECW" match. During the bout, Raven abandoned his new
valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "vale ...
, Chastity, and unsuccessfully begged Beulah to take him back. Dreamer ultimately won the match by pinning Raven for the first time, marking the end of their lengthy feud and the end of Raven's ECW career. Raven subsequently left ECW and rejoined World Championship Wrestling.


Return to WCW (1997–1999)


The Flock (1997–1998)

On June 30, 1997, Levy made his return to WCW as Raven. He was seen sitting in the front row at ''
Monday Nitro ''WCW Monday Nitro'', also known as ''WCW Nitro'' or simply ''Nitro'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and broadcast weekly every Monday night on TNT in the United ...
'' 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 ''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). T ...
'', 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 In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
", but eventually accepted a contract with WCW Commissioner
J. J. Dillon James Morrison (born June 26, 1942) is an American retired professional wrestler and manager, better known by his ring name, J. J. Dillon. Professional wrestling career J. J. Dillon had an extensive wrestling career. He broke into wrestling at th ...
which stipulated that he could wrestle only when he wanted and under his own rules. The Flock was a
stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
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 again in a match, and later joined The Flock. With The Flock's help, Raven won the
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, along with the WWE ...
which lasted only a day as Raven defeated
Diamond Dallas Page Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), better known by his ring name Diamond Dallas Page (often stylized as DDP), is an American actor and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. In the course of his wrest ...
at Spring Stampede and lost the belt the following night to
Bill Goldberg William Scott Goldberg (born December 27, 1966), often known mononymously as Goldberg, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and former professional football player. He is best known for his tenures in WCW and WWE. One of the most ...
on ''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 Fall Brawl was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and was held in September from 1993 through 2000. The name was derived from the fall edition of ''Clash of the Champions'', ca ...
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.


The Dead Pool (1998–1999)

Without The Flock, Raven began a series of depressing interviews and walked out on several matches. In October at
Halloween Havoc Halloween Havoc is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE for the company's developmental brand, NXT. As the name implies, it is a Halloween-themed show held in October. It was originally produced as an annual pay-per-view ...
, Raven refused to wrestle
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...
for the WCW Television Championship, but eventually was convinced to return to the ring which he lost the match and was not seen until 1999. On his return, a series of
vignettes Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...
were shown in which a camera crew followed Raven to his supposed childhood home, where he had led a privileged
upper class Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status, usually are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper class is gen ...
lifestyle. He was also reunited with his former valet Chastity, who WCW claimed was his sister. teaming with
Perry Saturn Perry Arthur Satullo (born October 25, 1966) is an American retired professional wrestler known by his ring name, Perry Saturn. Since debuting in 1990, Saturn wrestled for promotions including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Champions ...
winning the
WCW Tag Team Championship The WCW World Tag Team Championship (previously NWA (Mid-Atlantic) World Tag Team Championship) was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). ...
at 1999 Slamboree, losing the belts to the debuting
The Jersey Triad The Jersey Triad was a triumvirate stable active in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from mid-to-late 1999. The group consisted of Diamond Dallas Page, Chris Kanyon and Bam Bam Bigelow. Their name came from the members being billed from New Jer ...
three weeks later. He later joined with
Vampiro Ian Richard Hodgkinson (born May 31, 1967), better known by his ring name Vampiro, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler who most recently served as director of talent for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He also worked for Lucha Unde ...
and the Insane Clown Posse in a short-lived stable called
The Dead Pool ''The Dead Pool'' is a 1988 American neo-noir vigilante action thriller film directed by Buddy Van Horn, written by Steve Sharon, and starring Clint Eastwood as Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan. It is the fifth and final film in the ''Dirty ...
. In a backstage meeting in August 1999, which involved every contracted WCW wrestler,
Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, professional wrestling booker, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Senior Vice President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and ...
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 ECW (1999–2000)

As a condition to leaving WCW, Levy was not allowed to directly join the WWF 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. His in-ring appearances were initially limited by a recent surgery to repair a
rotator cuff tear A rotator cuff tear is an injury where one or more of the tendons or muscles of the rotator cuff of the shoulder get torn. Symptoms may include shoulder pain, which is often worse with movement, limited range of motion, or weakness. This may limi ...
. Raven made a surprise return at
the Last Show at the Madhouse The Last Show at the Madhouse was a professional wrestling live event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on August 26, 1999. The event was held in Elks Lodge #878 in New York City, New York in the United States. Excerpts from the L ...
, which was televised on ECW's debut on TNN, winning the tag team title from the departing
The Dudley Boyz The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley family me ...
along with Tommy Dreamer on August 26, 1999. A reluctant tag team, Raven and Dreamer reigned as
ECW World Tag Team Champions The ECW World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Championship Wrestlin ...
for several months. When they lost the belts, they feuded briefly. Raven and
Mike Awesome Michael Lee Alfonso (January 24, 1965 – February 17, 2007) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the American professional wrestling promotions Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestl ...
won the tag team title from Tanaka and Dreamer on March 4, 2000, only to lose them a week later to
The Impact Players The Impact Players were a professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable in Extreme Championship Wrestling that was composed of Lance Storm and Justin Credible. History The Impact Players formed when Lance Storm an ...
at
Living Dangerously In professional wrestling, Living Dangerously was a pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and me ...
. 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)

Levy returned to the WWF, as Raven, in 2000 at
Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American Revisionist Western film starring, directed, and produced by Clint Eastwood, and written by David Webb Peoples. The film tells the story of William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job, ...
when he interfered in the Strap match between
Tazz Peter Senerchia (born October 11, 1967), better known by the ring name Taz (also spelled Tazz) is an American radio personality, color commentator, and retired professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator and manage ...
and
Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "The King" Lawler, is an American color commentator and professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, although he has not performed as a full-time commentator since Apr ...
, by hitting Lawler with a
DDT Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, is a colorless, tasteless, and almost odorless crystalline chemical compound, an organochloride. Originally developed as an insecticide, it became infamous for its environmental impacts. ...
. 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. Raven feuded with Jerry Lawler that fall until January 2001. He then moved on to the Hardcore division, where he would often bring out a shopping cart full of trash cans and other potential weapons during his entrances. On December 22, 2000 in Chattanooga, he defeated Steve Blackman for the 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 WrestleMania 17 (stylized as WrestleMania X-Seven) was the 17th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on April 1, 2001, at the Reliant Astro ...
, he competed in his only
WrestleMania WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event held annually between mid-March and mid-April by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Since premiering in 1985, 37 editions followed, mos ...
match, losing the Hardcore Championship to Kane in a triple threat match that also included
Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...
. At
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character * ''Backla ...
, he lost to Hardcore Champion
Rhyno Terrance Guido Gerin (born October 7, 1975) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Rhyno or Rhino. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is one-half of the Impact World Tag Team Champions in his secon ...
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. When the
Invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
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 Terri Lynne Boatright Runnels A transcript of the article can be found a (born October 5, 1966) is an American retired professional wrestling manager, television host, and professional wrestler. Runnels began her professional wrestling career i ...
and destroyed the love interest of Saturn, his mop called "Moppy." He also started teaming with
Justin Credible Peter Joseph "PJ" Polaco (born October 16, 1973) is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name Justin Credible. He ...
in late July 2001. By the end of the year, Raven was not seen on WWF programs, as the Alliance lost the "Winner Take All" match at
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
. In March 2002, when the WWF brand extension was announced, Raven was drafted to
Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
. On the final ''SmackDown!'' before the split began, he defeated
Maven MAVEN is an American spacecraft orbiting Mars to study the loss of its atmospheric gases to space, providing insight into the history of the planet's climate and water. The spacecraft name is an acronym for "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolu ...
to once again win the Hardcore Championship, thus bringing the title to ''Raw''. He lost the title that Monday to
Bubba Ray Dudley Mark LoMonaco (born July 14, 1971) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and Impact Wrestling under the ring name Bully Ray. He was previously known as one-half of The Dudley Boyz tag t ...
. 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 he was banished from ''Raw'' after losing a match to former
Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...
alumni Tommy Dreamer on June 24, 2002. Raven was forced to spend the rest of the year on ''Heat''. Although he won his way back onto the ''Raw'' roster, he lost to
Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...
in a
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...
qualifier match in what would be his final match in the WWE. He was released from the promotion the following week on January 20, 2003.


Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003–2010)


The Gathering (2003–2004)

Raven debuted for
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
(TNA) on January 22, 2003, two days after his release from WWE, attacking and hitting his finisher on
Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he also serves as Director of Business Development. Beginning his career in his father J ...
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. On September 17, 2003, Raven lost his trademark long hair after he was defeated by
Shane Douglas Troy Allan Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (W ...
in a hair versus hair match, thanks to the surprise interference of
Vampiro Ian Richard Hodgkinson (born May 31, 1967), better known by his ring name Vampiro, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler who most recently served as director of talent for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He also worked for Lucha Unde ...
. 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 Brian Wohl (born April 14, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known for his ring name Julio Dinero. His real name is sometimes mistakenly given as Brian Wall. Professional wrestling career Wohl debuted in 1994 after tra ...
and
Alexis Laree Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) Additional January 6, 2017. is an American professional wrestler and country singer. She is currently signed to Impact Wrestling. She has also had tenures in WWE and the National Wrestling Alliance (NW ...
, though they would later turn on him. He created matches involving old friends and brought in former colleagues from ECW such as
New Jack Jerome Young (January 3, 1963 – May 14, 2021) was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name New Jack. He was best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he became notorious for his willingnes ...
, Perry Saturn,
Mikey Whipwreck John Michael Watson (born June 4, 1973), better known by his ring name Mikey Whipwreck, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler working for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a trainer, and global ambassador. He is best known for his career ...
, and Justin Credible, all of whom Raven beat in matches. Later in the year these superstars overturned
Sports Entertainment Xtreme Vincent James Russo (born January 24, 1961) is an American professional wrestling booker, writer, and pundit. He is notable for his tenures with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop ...
(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 Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, 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 Terrence Funk (born June 30, 1944) is an American retired professional wrestler, rapper, disc jockey and actor. Funk is known for the longevity of his career – which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements – a ...
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 Abyss may refer to: * Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld Film and television * ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film starring Asta Nielsen * ''The Abyss'' (1988 film) (''L'Œuvre au noir''), a French- ...
and "The Alpha Male"
Monty Brown Montaque "Monty" Brown (born April 13, 1970) is an American retired professional wrestler and NFL linebacker. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) where he wrestled under his real n ...
. 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 Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer and manager. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop ActionImpact Wrestling under the ring name Sonjay ...
, until Sabu finally broke and attacked him on July 23. Raven defeated Sabu in a
No Holds Barred match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
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 A Monster's Ball match is a professional wrestling, hardcore match staged by Impact Wrestling. Originally, the key premise of the match was that all contenders were sequestered alone in a locked room without light, food, or water for 24 hours befo ...
, with Abyss and Brown.


NWA World Heavyweight Champion (2005–2006)

On June 19, 2005, Raven turned face and fulfilled his self-proclaimed destiny when he won the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is i ...
at
Slammiversary Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling. It is one of Impact's “Big Four” PPV events (along with Hard to Kill, Rebellion, and Bound for Glory), and celebrates ...
(by taking Jeff Jarrett's place after Jarrett attacked a fan from the crowd earlier that night and got arrested), defeating
A.J. Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
, Abyss,
Sean Waltman Sean Michael Waltman (born July 13, 1972) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his appearances for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) under the ring names 1–2– ...
and Monty Brown in a five way
King of the Mountain match The King of the Mountain match (Queen of the Mountain when female wrestlers are involved) is a professional wrestling match exclusive to Impact Wrestling (formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling). Match format The five competitors in the match st ...
. He successfully defended the title in two defenses over the following months against Abyss at
No Surrender No Surrender may refer to: Politics * "No Surrender!", a British Unionist slogan originating from Siege of Derry now used in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England *No Surrender (to the IRA), a political chant since used by England football fans ...
, and Rhino two months later at
Unbreakable Unbreakable may refer to: * '' Unbreakable: My Story, My Way'', a book written by Jenni Rivera * Unbreakable (horse) (1935–1962), a Thoroughbred racehorse and sire Film and television * ''Unbreakable'' (film series), a trilogy directed by M ...
. 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. On September 15, Raven lost the NWA Title to Jeff Jarrett in Oldcastle, Ontario, Canada, at a special event of
Border City Wrestling Border City Wrestling (BCW) is an independent professional wrestling promotion owned and booked by Scott D'Amore, and based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Many of the promotion's employees were trained at the ''Can-Am'' wrestling school. Aft ...
. 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 Lawrence Whistler (born December 5, 1951), better known by the ring name Larry Zbyszko, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, Bruno Sammartino, during the early 1980s as well as his w ...
, who declared the title change official (TNA had briefly gone dark on its national television timeslot prior to jumping to
Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was o ...
, 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. This culminated in a match at
Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling Impact Plus event held by Impact Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to Decem ...
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 A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...
pay-per-view, and reignited his feud with Zbyszko. They would end their feud at Victory Road in a
Hair vs. Hair match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
which Raven won.


Serotonin (2006–2008)

He next feuded with Abyss and Brother Runt, losing to the former in a Hangman's Horror match on Impact after the latter 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 John Parsonage (born April 27, 1974) is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Hot Shot" Johnny Devine. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Professional wrestling career Early ye ...
, and
Matt Bentley Matthew James Bentley (born December 10, 1979) is an American professional wrestler best known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) by the ring name Michael Shane, later changed to "Maverick" Matt Bentley. He was trained by his c ...
. On the TNA Primetime Special before
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
, the three came out in goth, addressing a new movement in TNA. After a loss at Genesis, 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 Serotonin () or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Its biological function is complex and multifaceted, modulating mood, cognition, reward, learning, memory, and numerous physiological processes such as vomiting and vas ...
. 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 ''
Impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a high force or shock (mechanics) over a short time period * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Impac ...
'', 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 episode 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 Aerial techniques, also known as "high-flying moves" are maneuvers in professional wrestling using the ring's posts and ropes as aids, in many cases to demonstrate the speed and agility of smaller, nimble and acrobatically inclined wrestlers prefer ...
, Daniels hit a Best Moonsault Ever, and Senshi hit a Warrior's Way on Havok. Raven won a House of Fun match, on the August 9 episode of ''Impact!''. He teamed with
Robert Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to undergoing neck surgery. Roode is known for his 12-year tenure for Total Nonst ...
and James Storm against the team of Chris Harris, Rhino, and Kazarian. Raven lost to Kaz, who had rebelled against him, at
Hard Justice Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, is an annual professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind use ...
despite having the remaining members of Serotonin involve themselves in the match. 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. Raven briefly formed an alliance with Havok, Black Reign,
Judas Mesias Gilbert Cosme Ramírez (born May 25, 1972) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler, better known by his ring names El Mesías, Mil Muertes, Ricky Banderas and King Muertes. He began his career in the International Wrestling Association based in ...
, and James Mitchell with the purpose of defeating Abyss. 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 episode of ''Impact'', Havok was revealed to be
Team 3D The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley family me ...
's
X Division The X Division is a high-flying, high-risk, fast-paced style of professional wrestling seen in Impact Wrestling (formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) and since then in various NWA member promotions. Its tagline is that "It's not about weight ...
traitor, effectively ending Serotonin. At
Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
, 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.


Alliance with Dr. Stevie and EV 2.0 (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 Shannon Claire Spruill (July 17, 1975 – September 1, 2021) was an American professional wrestler, wrestling manager and actress better known by her ring name Daffney. Daffney began her professional wrestling career in World Championship Wre ...
. On the June 18 episode of ''Impact!'' he won a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match against Jethro Holliday. At
Slammiversary Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling. It is one of Impact's “Big Four” PPV events (along with Hard to Kill, Rebellion, and Bound for Glory), and celebrates ...
, Abyss and
Taylor Wilde Shantelle Larissa Malawski (born January 26, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler. She is signed with Impact Wrestling, where she performs under the ring name Taylor Wilde. Malawski was under a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) contract ...
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. On the November 12, 2009, episode of ''Impact!'', Raven returned again to TNA attacking Abyss and throwing a fireball at
Mick Foley Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American actor, author, retired professional wrestler, and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE under the company's Legends program, acting as a company ambassador. Foley worked for m ...
's face, aligning himself again with Dr. Stevie and Daffney. At
Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling Impact Plus event held by Impact Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to Decem ...
, Abyss and Foley defeated Stevie and Raven in a "Foley's Funhouse" tag team match. Raven appeared on the January 4 episode of ''Impact!'', teaming with Dr. Stevie in a number one contender's tag team match, where they were defeated by
Matt Morgan Matthew Thomas Morgan (born September 10, 1976) is an American politician, actor and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is a current City Commissioner in Longwood, Florida. He is known for his time in Total Nonstop Actio ...
and Hernandez. He appeared on the February 18 episode of ''Impact!'', helping Eric Bischoff take out Abyss, along with Rhino,
Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...
, Tomko, and
Desmond Wolfe Steven Haworth (born 23 January 1976), better known by his ring name Nigel McGuinness, is an English actor, professional wrestling commentator and retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with WWE where he worked as a color ...
. Raven returned to television four months later on the June 24 episode of ''Impact!'' showing signs of a face turn, appearing in the Impact! Zone crowd beside Stevie Richards and Tommy Dreamer. The following week the three were joined by Rhino. On the July 15 episode of ''Impact!'' Raven, Dreamer, Richards, Rhino,
Brother Devon Devon Hughes (born August 1, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works backstage as a producer. Hughes wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1999 and for the WWF/E ...
,
Pat Kenney Patrick Kenney (born May 26, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and baseball player, better known by his ring name, Simon Diamond. He is currently working for the National Wrestling Alliance as Director of Talent Relations. Diamo ...
and
Al Snow Allen Ray Sarven (born July 18, 1963) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Al Snow. He is best known as a wrestler for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Sn ...
, led by
Mick Foley Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American actor, author, retired professional wrestler, and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE under the company's Legends program, acting as a company ambassador. Foley worked for m ...
, aligned themselves with the
TNA World Heavyweight Champion The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result o ...
Rob Van Dam Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
by attacking Abyss and the rest of the TNA locker room. The following week, TNA president
Dixie Carter Dixie Virginia Carter (May 25, 1939 – April 10, 2010) was an American actress. She starred as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom ''Designing Women'' (1986–1993) and as Randi King on the drama series ''Family Law (American TV series), Family La ...
agreed to give the ECW alumni their own reunion pay–per–view event, Hardcore Justice: The Last Stand, as a celebration of
hardcore wrestling Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling where disqualifications, count-outs, and all other different rules do not apply. Taking place in usual or unusual environments, hardcore wrestling matches allow the use of numerous items, inclu ...
and a final farewell to the company. On the July 29 episode 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. The following week, Raven explained his turn by saying that he had not 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. On August 8 at Hardcore Justice Raven defeated Dreamer in a "Final Showdown" match refereed by Mick Foley. On the following episode of ''Impact!'', the ECW alumni, known collectively as Extreme, Version 2.0 (EV 2.0), were assaulted by A.J. Styles, Kazarian,
Robert Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to undergoing neck surgery. Roode is known for his 12-year tenure for Total Nonst ...
, James Storm, Douglas Williams and Matt Morgan of
Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...
's stable, who thought they didn't deserve to be in TNA, thus once again turning Raven face. At Bound for Glory, Raven, Dreamer, Rhino, Richards and Sabu defeated members Styles, Kazarian, Morgan, Roode and Storm in a
Lethal Lockdown match A Lethal Lockdown match is a professional wrestling match used in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). This match has become a staple of TNA's Lockdown pay-per-view event, but has also made appearances at other TNA pay-per-views, and during Impac ...
. At
Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
, 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. 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. His release from the company was legitimate. 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 Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...
''
live event A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...
.


Sporadic appearances and Hall of Fame (2018–2022)

On the December 6, 2018, episode of '' Impact!'', Raven appeared as a mental paitent helping Eddie Edwards escape Sandy Acres mental hospital giving Edwards a key card to get out of the hospital. On the January 3, 2019, episode of '' Impact!'', Raven made a surprise appearance helping
Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...
attack
Eli Drake Shaun Ricker (born November 1, 1982) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name LA Knight. Ricker is known for his time in Impact Wrestling as Eli Drake. Rick ...
. On March 31, 2020, during the ''
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Special! Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Special! was a professional wrestling television special produced by Impact Wrestling, which took place on March 6, 2020 at Coca Cola Roxy in Atlanta, Georgia on AXS TV. Background This television special was origi ...
'', Raven made an appearance helping
Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...
during an altercation with
oVe Ove or OVE may refer to * Ove (given name) * Ové, a surname * Ove Peak in Antarctica *'' A Man Called Ove (novel)'', a novel by Fredrik Backman *'' A Man Called Ove'', a 2015 Swedish film based on the novel * Danish Organisation for Renewable Ener ...
afterwards he attacked Dreamer hitting him with a kendo stick following a match between
Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
and
Madman Fulton Jacob Southwick (born April 2, 1990) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Madman Fulton, where he was a former member of OVE (Ohio Versus Everything). He also wrestled in WWE on their ...
. On July 1, 2022, at Against All Odds, Raven returned to ''
Impact Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
'' as a special guest commentator for the Clockwork Orange House of Fun match between
Moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...
and
Sami Callihan Samuel Alton Johnston (born September 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by the ring name Sami Callihan, currently signed with Impact Wrestling and is a former Impact World Champion. He also wrestled for Luch ...
. On September 23, 2022, at Victory Road, it was announced that Raven would be inducted into the
Impact Hall of Fame The Impact Hall of Fame (stylized as ''IMPACT! Hall of Fame'') is a hall of fame that honors professional wrestlers and wrestling personalities who contributed to the history of the U.S. based wrestling promotion Impact Wrestling formally known as ...
. On October 7, at Bound for Glory, during the pre-show Raven was inducted into the Hall of Fame by
Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...
.


Independent circuit and semi-retirement (2008–2020)

In 2008, Raven appeared in
Juggalo Championship Wrestling Juggalo Championship Wrestling (formerly Juggalo Championshit Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (Joseph Utsler), better known as the hip-hop duo In ...
(JCW) for Season 2 of
SlamTV! SlamTV! is an internet Professional wrestling, wrestling show, broadcast by the Insane Clown Posse's wrestling promotion Juggalo Championship Wrestling. It features color commentary by "Handsome Harley 'Gweedo' Guestella" (Shaggy 2 Dope) and "Diamo ...
. In the main event of the second episode, JCW Heavyweight Champion
Corporal Robinson Stephen Robinson, known by the ring name Corporal Robinson, is an American professional wrestler best known for his hardcore wrestling style, Robinson has wrestled for various wrestling promotions, including Juggalo Championship Wrestling, Combat ...
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. 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. 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. At ''
Bloodymania II Bloodymania II was a professional wrestling event produced by Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW), which took place at midnight on August 10, 2008 at Hog Rock in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment in ...
'', Raven lost to Corporal Robinson in a "Loser leaves JCW" Ladder match. However, Raven returned to the company at
Bloodymania III Bloodymania III was a professional wrestling event produced by Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW), which took place at midnight on August 9, 2009 at Hog Rock in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment ...
in a losing effort against his old nemesis Sabu in a
Raven's Rules match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
. Levy was the heavyweight champion of CWA Pro Wrestling, an
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...
professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...
based out of
Orangeburg, South Carolina Orangeburg, also known as ''The Garden City'', is the principal city in and the county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population of the city was 13,964 according to the 2010 United States Census and declined to 12 ...
, from March 15 through August 8, 2008. He won the championship when he defeated Timber in
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
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 Joseph Edward Hitchen (born September 2, 1969) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler and trainer, known under his ring name Joe E. Legend. He also wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 2000 to 2001 under the ring name Just ...
. 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 Bloodymania IV was a professional wrestling event produced by Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW), which took place at midnight on August 15, 2010 at Hog Rock in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment i ...
, in the main event Raven took on
Corporal Robinson Stephen Robinson, known by the ring name Corporal Robinson, is an American professional wrestler best known for his hardcore wrestling style, Robinson has wrestled for various wrestling promotions, including Juggalo Championship Wrestling, Combat ...
and
Mike Knox Michael Knoxville Hettinga (born July 17, 1978) is an American professional wrestler best known under the ring name Mike Knox. He currently performs for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Hettinga is best known for his work in World Wrestli ...
in a triple threat match for the
JCW Heavyweight Championship The JCW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Juggalo Championship Wrestling. It was established in 1999 at JCW's first show, the taping for the DVD ''JCW Volume 1'', with Evil Dead winning a 20-ma ...
where Robinson retained his championship. At JCW Legends and 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 Bloodymania 5 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW), which was only available online. It took place at midnight on August 14, 2011 at Hog Rock in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. Professiona ...
, Raven and Sexy Slim Goody won the
JCW Tag Team Championship The JCW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship in Juggalo Championship Wrestling. Twelve teams, comprising a total of twenty-five wrestlers, have held the JCW Tag Team Championship, combining for a total of twenty ...
. 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
The Ring Rydas The Crist Brothers were an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers David Crist Jr. and John Crist, who are best known by their ring names Dave Crist and Jake Crist, they are best known for their time with Impact Wrestli ...
. On April 28, 2012, Raven debuted for
Extreme Rising Extreme Rising (formerly Extreme Reunion) was an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 2012. Meant to fill the void of hardcore wrestling left behind by the defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Extreme Rising ...
in a dark match against Gary Wolfe ending in a no contest. On October 27, Raven appeared for
Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the 2016 census. It is part of the St. Catharines - Niagara Census M ...
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 Michael Stephen Manna (born October 9, 1971), better known by his ring name Stevie Richards, is an American professional wrestler. Over the course of his career, Richards has performed for major professional wrestling promotions including Easte ...
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 William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the lead singer, primary songwriter, guitarist, and only permanent member of the rock band the ...
's
Resistance Pro Wrestling The Resistance is an American professional wrestling promotion, formerly known as Resistance Pro Wrestling, founded by musician Billy Corgan, alongside brothers Jacques and Gabe Baron. The promotion holds monthly events around Chicago, attracting " ...
, defeating Brady Pierce and Mad Man Pondo. Raven had spent 2014 in Nigeria and South Africa. He defeated Fury in a singles match at a house show in
Lagos, Nigeria Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...
on November 7, 2014. He won the WWP Tag Team Championship with Venus on November 24, which they lost December 22 at house show in Abuja, Nigeria. Raven signed with NWF and made his debut on the main event defeating Strong Bone in a Hardcore match on December 23. He teamed with
The Steiner Brothers The Steiner Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner. The brothers wrestled as amateurs at the University of Michigan. The team ma ...
where they defeated Sabu and The Wolves in a Christmas house show in Lagos. He won the NWF World Heavyweight Championship on December 27, defeating Kamjarlio in steel cage match. He earned his first title defense on December 29, by defeating Sabu on a live event in Cairo. He retained again in six-man battle royal on December 30, in a house show in Newark, New Jersey. In 2016 he returned to wrestling.


Other media


Filmography


Film


Television


Comedy

In 2010, Levy began working as a
stand-up comic Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...
, taking part in Bob Levy's ''Levy World Order'' comedy tour.


Music videos

Along with
Diamond Dallas Page Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), better known by his ring name Diamond Dallas Page (often stylized as DDP), is an American actor and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. In the course of his wrest ...
and members of Raven's Flock, he appeared in a music video for the band
Stuck Mojo Stuck Mojo is an American rap metal band from Atlanta, formed in 1989 by bassist Dwayne Fowler. The band is considered to be one of the pioneers of rap metal. They have toured alongside bands such as Machine Head and Slapshot. Stuck Mojo's most ...
's song "Rising". In 2011, Raven starred in the music video "Owata" by the
Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Ar ...
.


Merchandising

According to the Wrestling Figure Checklist, there are 18 different Raven action figures from WWE, TNA, WCW and ECW, making him one of few wrestlers to have one from these four major promotions.


Personal life

Levy possesses an IQ of 143 and is a member of Mensa and the
Theta Chi Theta Chi () is an international college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 at Norwich University then-located in Norwich, Vermont, and has initiated more than 200,000 members and currently has over 8,700 collegiate members across Nort ...
fraternity. He suffers from
type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urinatio ...
, and has also been diagnosed with borderline,
histrionic Histrionic may refer to: * related to or reminiscent of (theatrical) acting, or acting out * Histrionic personality disorder, a Cluster B personality disorder * ''Histrionics'' (album), by The Higher * ''Histrionicus The harlequin duck (''H ...
and
narcissistic personality disorder Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a life-long pattern of exaggerated feelings of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration, a diminished ability or unwillingness to empathize with other ...
. Levy married in January 2007, but announced on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
in March 2013 that he and his wife had divorced. Levy is a lifelong fan of comic books. In ''
Wizard Magazine ''Wizard'' or ''Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture'' (previously titled ''Wizard: The Guide to Comics'' and ''Wizard: The Comics Magazine'') was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by W ...
s May 1999 issue, Levy is quoted as saying
I love the
Marvel Knights Marvel Knights is an imprint of Marvel Comics that contained standalone material taking place inside the Marvel Universe (Earth-616). The imprint originated in 1998 when Marvel outsourced four titles (''Black Panther'', ''Punisher'', '' Daredevil ...
line. I'm a big
Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film ''Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co ...
fan, and his work on '' Daredevil'' is the best on that book since
Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...
's stuff. ''
Inhumans The Inhumans are a fictional superhuman race of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many peop ...
'' 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 ''Watchmen'' is an American comic book Limited series (comics), maxiseries by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 a ...
'', ''
Swamp Thing The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental List of swamp monsters, creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or mo ...
'', and especially ''
Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The Sandman is a traditional charact ...
'' and that he has a tattoo of
Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...
's Sandman character (
Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...
) on his back. Levy, along with
Brian Azzarello Brian Azzarello (born August 11, 1962 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter who first came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series ''100 Bullets'', published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo. ...
, wrote Issue #14 of ''
Spider-Man's Tangled Web ''Spider-Man's Tangled Web'' is a comic book series starring Spider-Man and his supporting cast published by Marvel Comics for 22 issues from June 2001 to March 2003. Overview The title was conceived as an anthology series, where various creat ...
'', entitled "The Last Shoot". The
comic a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...
was based around the professional wrestler (named Crusher Hogan) who
Peter Parker Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August ...
defeated in the character's first appearance in ''
Amazing Fantasy ''Amazing Adult Fantasy'', retitled ''Amazing Fantasy'' in its final issue, is an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics from 1961 through 1962, with the latter title revived with superhero features in 1995 and in the 2000 ...
''. He also provided a cover quote for a trade paperback edition of '' 100 Bullets''. Levy, along with former colleague
Chris Kanyon Christopher Morgan Klucsarits (January 4, 1970 – April 2, 2010) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1994 to 200 ...
and colleague Mike Sanders, attempted to sue World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for "cheating them out of health care and other benefits", but a federal judge in
Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
dismissed the case. In a 2010 interview Levy explained that the case was dismissed due to statute of limitations running out.


Championships and accomplishments

*All Action Wrestling ** AAW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Australasian Wrestling Federation ** AWF Australasian Championship (1 time) *
Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...
**
ECW World Heavyweight Championship The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...
(
2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
) **
ECW World Tag Team Championship The ECW World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Championship Wrestli ...
( 4 times) – with
Stevie Richards Michael Stephen Manna (born October 9, 1971), better known by his ring name Stevie Richards, is an American professional wrestler. Over the course of his career, Richards has performed for major professional wrestling promotions including Easte ...
(2),
Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...
(1) and
Mike Awesome Michael Lee Alfonso (January 24, 1965 – February 17, 2007) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the American professional wrestling promotions Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestl ...
(1) *Extreme Wrestling Federation ** EWF Championship (1 time) *Great Championship Wrestling **GCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *
Heartland Wrestling Association The Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA) was a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 199 ...
**
HWA Tag Team Championship The HWA Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles contested for in the Heartland Wrestling Association. It was established in 1996 when the Head Bangers (Mosh and Thrasher) became the first champions. Title history Key See also *Heartla ...
( 1 time) – with
Hugh Morrus William Charles DeMott II (born November 10, 1966) is an American retired professional wrestler and road agent and trainer. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Hugh Morrus and World Wrestling Federatio ...
*High Risk Pro Wrestling ** HRPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *
Juggalo Championship Wrestling Juggalo Championship Wrestling (formerly Juggalo Championshit Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (Joseph Utsler), better known as the hip-hop duo In ...
**
JCW Tag Team Championship The JCW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship in Juggalo Championship Wrestling. Twelve teams, comprising a total of twenty-five wrestlers, have held the JCW Tag Team Championship, combining for a total of twenty ...
( 1 time) – with Sexy Slim Goody *
Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation was a Mid-Atlantic independent professional wrestling promotion based in Essex, Maryland. Founded by promoter Dennis Wippercht and wrestler Tim "Lucifer" Burke in 1991, the MEWF was one of the leading independ ...
**
MEWF Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation (MEWF) Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship was the second highest ranking singles title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, one of three in the promotion. The title was created when "Hollywood" Bob Sta ...
( 1 time) *
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...
**
NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship The NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship that served as the main title for the National Wrestling Alliance promotion, NWA Central-States Championship Wrestling. For most of its existence, however, ...
( 1 time) * National Wrestling Federation ** NWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Pacific Northwest Wrestling **
NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship The NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S. states of ...
( 3 times) **
NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship The NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S. states of O ...
( 3 times) – with Top Gun (1), The Grappler (1), and Steve Doll (1) **
NWA Pacific Northwest Television Championship The NWA Pacific Northwest Television Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of ...
( 1 time) *
Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling, or 3PW, was a hardcore professional wrestling promotion based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It ran many shows from the former ECW Arena. Following the close of Extreme Championship Wrestling, many former ECW veterans, su ...
** 3PW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * ''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...
'' ** Ranked No. 22 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''
PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...
'' in 2003 ** Ranked No. 168 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the "PWI Years" in 2003 *''Ring Around The Northwest Newsletter'' **Wrestler of the Year (1989–1990) * Total Nonstop Action/Impact Wrestling **
NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is i ...
( 1 time) ** King of the Mountain (
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
) **
Gauntlet for the Gold A Gauntlet for the Gold match is a professional wrestling match used in Impact Wrestling. Match format Different from the other gauntlet matches, in which one competitor faces several others in turn, the Gauntlet for the Gold match is very sim ...
(
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
– Heavyweight) **
Impact Hall of Fame The Impact Hall of Fame (stylized as ''IMPACT! Hall of Fame'') is a hall of fame that honors professional wrestlers and wrestling personalities who contributed to the history of the U.S. based wrestling promotion Impact Wrestling formally known as ...
(
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
) * United States Xtreme Wrestling ** UXW Heavyweight Championship (4 times) *
United States Wrestling Association The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Wrestlin ...
**
USWA World Tag Team Championship The USWA World Tag Team Championship was the primary professional wrestling tag team championship promoted by the Memphis, Tennessee-based United States Wrestling Association (USWA). The Continental Wrestling Association and World Class Wrestling ...
( 1 time) – with
Brian Christopher Brian Christopher Lawler (January 10, 1972 – July 29, 2018) was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered for his career in the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), where he performed as "Too Sexy" Brian Christopher and Grand M ...
* United States Wrestling Organization ** USWO Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * USA Pro Wrestling ** USA Pro Heavyweight Championship (5 times) * Vanguard Championship Wrestling ** VCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
**
WCW Light Heavyweight Championship The WCW Light Heavyweight Championship was a Professional wrestling championship#Weight class championships, professional wrestling championship that was contested in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1991 and 1992. Conceived in 1991, th ...
( 1 time) **
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, along with the WWE ...
( 1 time) **
WCW World Tag Team Championship The WCW World Tag Team Championship (previously NWA (Mid-Atlantic) World Tag Team Championship) was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). ...
( 1 time) – with
Perry Saturn Perry Arthur Satullo (born October 25, 1966) is an American retired professional wrestler known by his ring name, Perry Saturn. Since debuting in 1990, Saturn wrestled for promotions including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Champions ...
* World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment ** WWF/E Hardcore Championship ( 27 times)


Luchas de Apuestas record


See also

*
List of Jewish professional wrestlers This list of Jewish athletes in sports contains athletes who are Jewish and have attained outstanding achievements in sports. The topic of Jewish participation in sports is discussed extensively in academic and popular literature (See also: Lis ...


Footnotes


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Raven 1964 births 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers American podcasters ECW Heavyweight Champions/ECW World Heavyweight Champions ECW World Tag Team Champions Goth subculture Impact Hall of Fame inductees Jewish American sportspeople Jewish professional wrestlers Living people Mensans NWA/WCW/WWE United States Heavyweight Champions NWA World Heavyweight Champions Professional wrestlers from Pennsylvania People from Lake Worth Beach, Florida People with borderline personality disorder People with histrionic personality disorder People with narcissistic personality disorder Professional wrestlers from Florida Professional wrestling announcers Professional wrestling managers and valets Professional wrestling podcasters ECW Originals members United States Marine Corps reservists University of Delaware alumni WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions People with type 2 diabetes USWA World Tag Team Champions WCW World Tag Team Champions