Raven

[6.0] "I felt that Raven did what he did well, and of course it didn't hurt that he was pushed to the heavens during the ECW run. While I think what he did was commendable, I'm not sure I can rate him too highly because the rest of the package never did it for me. I feel like Dreamer carried most of that feud and that ECW was perfect for what was needed from Raven at the time. Look at him outside ECW and you'd put him even lower."

[8.0] "Raven was the epitome of a villain in ECW history. His in-ring work was fine, simple but not bad. BUT his in-ring psychology was terrible (terrible in the sense of being terrifying, not just bad in terms of quality). The most accurate definition of Raven is: A manipulative madman who has a cult of lunatics. I feel that Raven was too much even for ECW. If ECW had few limits on "what to do" and "what NOT to do, " imagine what Raven had to do to exceed them. And when he left ECW, his options were limited; he was wasted in WWF and WCW, but that was because his true self couldn't be anywhere. He couldn't maintain the same intensity or darkness; he was created to be in the ECW product."

[10.0] "I think Raven is a perfect example of how a performer can be obviously lopsided and still a 10. One of the greatest talkers and minds in wrestling, with such a creative drive, that catalyzed some of ECW's most iconic matches and angles. A despicable, cunning heel who managed to consistently have the number of the babyfaces, and whose group was one of the most compelling stables in ECW history. Never the performer in-ring that he was away from it, his time in ECW managed to highlight his strong points, and he certainly wasn't an inept slouch either. Maybe a bit of a difficult guy to work with, and definitely someone whose work outside ECW just didn't have the same spark, but I adore Raven, anything less than a 10 feels criminal."

[9.0] "Raven was a very "cool" wrestler. He didn't have the muscular look that was often seen in TV wrestling but he wasn't "just a t-shirt guy". Some of his promos I didn't quite understand back then or today. What I like best about Raven was his solid performances trough multiple companies: WWF, WCW, ECW, TNA, MLW. When he was watching the flock and sitting in the audience. That was the best version of Raven that I could think of."

[8.0] "Good In Ring, Great on The Mic, amazing character worker, underrated story teller, Scott Levy is a severly underrated worker, and the fact that some folks have bizzarely called him cringe or insufferable is sacrilegous. We need to stop overusing the word cringe, it's lost all meaning, and claiming this guy has no Charisma is borderine moronic. Should have been pushed more In WCW and WWE. Tna did him right at first but lost him in the shuffle unfairly after 2005."

[7.0] "Raven brought a unique blend of psychology, storytelling, and brutality. His character work was ahead of its time, blending angst, intellect, and violence in a way that influenced a generation of darker, layered performers. A master of storytelling with a distinct identity and underrated in-ring ability. Raven made you feel something--whether that was pity, hate, or fascination. You could argue the most important character in ECW history"

"I don't know man, I can appreciate how good of an in-ring competitor he is, and how well he can cut a promo, but goddamn is Raven just most cringe, insufferable gimmick in pro wrestling history. I just don't get it, man. He's just like, this angsty teenager reading his bad poetry out loud and cupping his own farts into his hands and sniffing them. I prefer to believe that the true canon is Raven in WCW, where he's actually revealed to be a spoiled nepo baby trying to put on this persona to seem cool, which is objectively funny and a far more interesting character than "brooding lip piercing and band t-shirts"."

[5.0] "This is going to be a very unpopular opinion, but I just think Raven isn't all that great. People go on and on about his promos and whatnot, and whilst the story behind them is very good, I just feel as if he has zero charisma. He kind of just talks in a monotone voice throughout the entire thing, I personally feel like there's no real oomph behind what he says. He's ok in-ring, and certainly a product of the ECW era in the 90s. But man, I just really don't get the hype. I find him to be super boring in-ring and on the mic. I must admit though, I did enjoy some of the stuff he did in the WWF and TNA. But I just feel like he's not all that people make him out to be, incredibly overrated."

[8.0] "An incredibly underrated wrestler who understood psychology to the level of a Jake Roberts or Roddy Piper. The only reason he's not a 10 is because I find his ROH run underwhelming, (outside of the brilliant work he did with CM Punk). His WWF and WCW runs were also forgettable... But that's coincidentally all because of management (Seriously. This guy's luck is bad! ) But the true highlight was his legendary ECW career."

[10.0] "Hell of a performer, and was born to be in the very soap opera-y world of professional wrestling. When youve done a deep dive on this guy, whether that be his shoot interviews, seminars, and all parts of his career, you can tell he takes self and character expression very seriously in wrestling, and once youve listened to him discuss anything that ties back to his own career at all, youd probably come to understand and appreciate his work more. If youre willing to listen to him yap in his shoot interviews, (which, hes a known yapper) he explains everything in detail. And, considering how much hes talked about the same things in interviews, you can easily find patterns before making sense of everything eventually."

[10.0] "No one will ever be as cool as raven, this is like what an entire generation of wrestlers aspired to be. looking in retrospect, he really hard carried every ECW feud he was in. Who knows that he would do if he didn't get absolute screwed in WCW and WWE."

[9.0] "Raven was one my favorite wrestlers in the late 90s, even during his poorly booked WCW run. Raven should've been a main event level heel, as he generated more heat than anyone in the company with his whiny, victim-narrative complex gimmick, complemented by his "What about me? What about Raven? " catch phrase. In his US Heavyweight title match against Goldberg, more fans were chanting "Raven sucks" rather than cheering for Goldberg. That is very telling in terms of how over Raven was. I'll be using Bret Hart's three categories of ranking wrestlers (look, promo, in-ring ability) to rank Raven. First is look, a category where Raven truly stood out, particularly in WCW where the majority of roster wore glossy spandex tights. Raven rocked the 90s grunge attire, complete with leather jacket, ripped up shorts, and a flannel. This helped set him apart from anyone on the roster immediately. When he formed The Flock (the WCW version of The Nest from ECW), his lackeys all dressed like him too. As far as promo skill goes, Raven was excellent in his work in ECW as well as WCW. His character was interesting and his perspectives were unique in a time where yelling at opponents was the accepted norm. His character had depth and evolved with no parallel at the time. The "cinema" style storytelling Roman Reigns often speaks about was being done by Raven almost a quarter-century earlier. Lastly, Raven had good in-ring ability too. The Raven's Rules gimmick in WCW was awesome, as it set his matches apart from the rest on a three hour Nitro broadcast. My favorite move of his, besides the Even Flow DDT, was the drop toe hold onto an unfolded chair. I believe Raven's matches were a great case of a wrestler hiding his flaws and accentuating his strengths, as the hardcore style took attention away from his lack of athleticism. His match against Chris Jericho at WCW Halloween Havoc 1998 had no build up, but is one of my favorite matches to watch to this day. All in all, Raven excelled in ECW, was underutilized yet still awesome in WCW, and completely made a fool of in WWE. Quote the Raven, Nevermore."

[8.0] "Very underrated had one of the best gimmicks in history , he has great psychology for the Buisness, plus he was involved in my opinion the best fueds in pro wrestling history his feud with Tommy dreamer and him not being beat for years reminds me abit of Roman reigns bloodline run now proper old school booking to bad the wwf and wcw didnt push him a bit more, also I love his sense of humour on his podcast"

[10.0] "All time character/creative mind in wrestling. I was one of those weird little kids he was talking to in his promos, and I connected with him immediately as an 8-year-old who was new to wrestling at the time ('96). Scotty Flamingo and Johnny Polo were not bad shots at trying to be different and get over (which, fell flat). But then came cult leader Raven, and wrestling wasn't really the same since. You can sum up his career with his LEGENDARY ECW run including those amazing promos, a decent run in WCW with The Flock before a wrestling promotion became a wrestling promotion and got tired of their new toy, a fun (but definitely goofy AF) run in TNA, a highly regarded Indy run where he became a GOD in Ring of Honor, and finally a retirement run in MLW where he's on screen as a Manager and is an Agent backstage. I am a *MASSIVE* Raven mark, and I am not ashamed. The man deserves his flowers."

[8.0] "Raven was a master of psychology, an insanely deep character, and great promo work. I feel like he does not get the credit he deserves as an actual "wrestler" due to his hardcore persona but if you watch him as Scotty Flamingo, while nothing is stellar you can tell he was actually a solid technician."

[10.0] "Although his move set was a little bit basic, he did have some cool moments and surprising high flying stunts. Where he lacked in technique, he more than made up for in storytelling, in ring psychology, character work, and some really creative hardcore spots (Although he stole the drop toe hold onto a chair from Shane Douglas.) However where he really shined was his promo ability. After Jake the Snake, and before Bray Wyatt, we had Raven, who, in my opinion combined both of the things that Bray and Jake are remembered for here in 2023 and excelled at them. Quoth the Raven, nevermore."

[5.0] "Overrated worker and promo. He had some good stuff in ECW and WCW but he was not a good worker despite having a relatively good mind for the business. Was good at character work and storytelling but his in ring work was average at best."

[7.0] "Another one of those guys who would thrive in ECW but was kinda out of place in WCW and the WWFE where it didn't involve hard core wrestling. Also, underappreciated commentator. Sometimes I forget he was the annoying manager Johnny Polo back in 1993/1994 WWF."

[9.0] "A total gimmick wrestler, but honestly he made his gimmick work. Raven was a very unique character in his era where just about everyone in wrestling had a silly PG gimmick. Honestly, I think Raven was one of the best gimmicks that came out of the 90s or just one of the best gimmicks of all time. His look was so unique for its time, I think that Raven should've gotten a bigger run in WCW and the WWF. It is really sad how WWF/WWE really screw their wrestlers over the years. Who knows what run Raven could've had in the WWF/WWE. Just Imagine John Cena vs. Raven in the One Night Stand 2006 PPV, and Raven gives John Cena his Raven Effect for the win :)"

[6.0] "I don't wanna ruin anyone's nostalgia or rose tinted glasses but Raven aged poorly. His feud with Dreamer was comically terrible, His promos are so edgy and tryhard. I like edgy shit like the Malakai Black or Bray Wyatt stuff but man, he was a whiney bitch. Man was on TNA every week in 2005 talking about being a jihad like that's the most brilliant idea he could come up with, HE WAS FORTY. This man basically did CAW promos before they were a thing. I think WCW were right on the money of making him a spoiled rich brat because he sounds exactly like one. His wrestling is average, it's mostly helped by good hardcore matches so I can't totally fault him on that. His 90s look is probably why people still love him, pure aesthetic. I think his WWF run could've been better but it wasn't completely awful, I think they did the best they could've done with him unlike his fellow ECW contemporary Taz who should've been more of a star. I also think he shouldn't have won the NWA Championship in 2005, it was way too late and they had more established talent by then. There's a reason those "Best of Raven" DVDs were warming the boxes in the TNA warehouses."

[4.0] "It is a shame he is not half as bright as he thinks he is or he might have delivered some consistently good matches. Credit where credit is due, he is good at getting beat up by Goldberg. He wasn't very good when the bell rings, for every great promo he delivered there would be five that were Bray Wyatt levels of bad and I do not see much evidence of his supposed creative genius at work in most of his programmes."

[8.0] "One of wrestling's greatest minds. He had an excellent understanding of psychology so it's not a surprise Vince tried to turn him into a booker before he was 30. He still had a lot to give on screen though and the reinvention as Raven was a work of art. He would always tell a great story in the ring as well even with a fairly standard offence. I've always felt Raven could have given so much more to the business beyond his great ECW and TNA work."

[9.0] "Character work was so ridiculously good as Raven that he is a 9. Had a couple of actual really good matches too with his three way vs. DDP and Benoit as my favorite."

[10.0] "Raven is one of the best in this business. He was an amazing wrestler, brilliant promo worker, and creative genius. His ECW run was arguably the best run in his career. His rivalry with Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman was gut-wrenching. His promos were gloomy and powerful. (This also includes his WCW promos). He even came up with the Dudleys (Big Dick, Dudley Dudley, and Snot Dudley), and more. His WWF run completely butchered any momentum he had. WWF barely let him cut a promo, and put him as the main guy for the hardcore title. Don't know much about Raven during his TNA run but he made himself different in ECW and WCW."

[10.0] "A master at promos and ring psychology.Very creative and innovative wrestler.Definitely my all time favorite"

[8.0] "Ok, full disclosure: My favorite era is Scotty Flamingo. I remember seeing videos of when he was "Scotty the Body" and I was impressed. With his physique - the title of "The Body" seemed even more sarcastic & self aware than early Jesse Ventura; and I liked that, that's how true heels are. It wasn't long before WCW snagged him and Scotty did what all true A team players do: He took what WCW gave him (almost nothing) and got over all on his own with notably strong ring work and PROFOUNDLY CONFIDENT mic skills. I would recommend every match he had in early 90's WCW, he certainly helped make that organization more watchable in a time where their wheels were falling off behind the scenes. Outrageously great chemistry with Brian Pillman and Brad Armstrong. The first move to WWF was a major disappointment. The newly christened Johnny Polo (fine name and gimmick) never wrestled =( . He was excellent as a manager & superb as a commentator but, Vince never saw him as a ring guy (damnit! ). Then the move to ECW; Raven. While it was in a way ruined for me because ... yah forever a Flamingo fan; Raven became a 90's wrestling icon and helped reinvigorate the product as a whole. Kiss this man's figurative ass you should. Unfortunately (again for me personally) the character was a bit too heavy handed 90's edgy and I feel his ring work suffered for it. Beyond incredible psychology though, this is where he became the second coming of Jake Roberts in some ways. The ECW material is something I have yet to revisit, so I may edit this section later. The Tommy Dreamer saga was must watch TV at the time though! The Raven WCW stuff I wasn't really feeling (the "Kanyon visits Raven's family" angle was the sh! ts/not good). The return to ECW was absolutely nothing close to the caliber of his first run. The WWF/E runs have some fun moments, but are mired by the fact that Vince did NOT want him wrestling....and this is where my journey of knowledge with Scott Levy ends. One of the best mic guys in the whole history of the business; close company with Jim Cornette, Gordon Solie, Bill Eadie, Jake Roberts and Jim Ross when he felt like it. Hard to rate, I never fast forward but I feel myself not paying attention as much outside of Scotty Flamingo. 8 maybe."

[10.0] "One of the guys who in my opinion checks all of the boxes of what makes a wrestler great. He has a great mind for the business. His psychology and mental understanding of the business was always top notch. His character depth/ work was some of the best i've ever seen (especially his runs as Polo and Raven). His promos were incredible, drew you in, and could make you feel however he wanted you to feel. I also don't think he gets the credit he deserves for some of the gimmicks/ideas he came up with for other guys that ended up having a ton of longevity, especially in his ECW run -- the dudleyz, the blue meanie, and stevie richards are 4 that come to mind right off the top of my head. Great worker as well who told good stories in and out of the ring, and had some very memorable feuds/matches."

[10.0] "I love Raven and especially his hardcore gimmick, his matches were awesome, he was giving literally whole hardcore vibe in hardcore matches, the best hardcore guy of 2000 era, in WCW he was on the top too, just awesome wrestler with awesome hardcore gimmick giving a lot of entertainment, I have nothing bad to tell about him, [9.5/10] which means 10"

[10.0] "He's one of the best ever. He has a great mind for the business and has creativity like no other. Why he was never pushed in WWE, regardless of his feelings, I'll never know. But he's definitely one of the smartest men in the business. He's a 10 on this rating. But to me personally, he should be higher than that."

[10.0] "His style certainly isnt for everyone but hes one of my favourites. Incredible in ring psychology, footwork and didnt look like anyone else on the roster. Undoubtedly a top 5 talker in wrestling history its a shame WCW and WWE didnt use him to his full potential but his ECW and TNA runs were great."

[8.0] "Great storyteller and character. Best work is by far in ECW, he just sucks you in with his great interviews. A solid technician and okay brawler who has had great matches in the 90s and 00s."

[9.0] "An unsung hero of late 90's and early 2000's wrestling. His character reworking from Johnny Hot-body/Polo to Raven deserves enormous praise in and of itself, but his work as the Raven character is what yields Scott Levy's perhaps understated reputation as one of the greats. Enigmatic, brooding and an utter bastard without scruples, Raven's main strength was his promo skills and character work; In that sense he was very much akin to a Gen-X reimagining of Jake the Snake. As a worker perhaps the only criticism with weight you can throw to him is that he rarely worked matches that did not go outside his usual hardcore purview, but even then Raven is probably one of the best users of the hardcore stipulation in regards to match quality. Raven was a true standout in the 90's wrestling boom, and was able to effectively reinvent himself into the early 2000's to success."

[9.0] "I remember Raven mostly from WCW and I enjoyed his work there, wwf, as in most cases, had no idea what to do with him. Not necessarily a top promotion world champion material, but I am happy for his NWA and ECW reigns. Wcw used him as a transition us champion between Ddp and Goldberg, since they were both babyfaces, but at least he got that on his record, us title was actually a prominent title back then. His promo was good, his matches were interesting, he had some pretty cool moves and he actually used ddt as a finisher, as God intended. I am absolutely not into hardcore wrestling, but at that time in wcw it was refreshing, because he was pretty much the only one doing it (other than public enemy doing their table matches). I liked his tagging with Saturn, his matches with Benoit in singles and tags, and his flock was an unusual group that stood out."

[9.0] "Raven is fantastic promo and a good worker. His character remains the same, yet it continued to change and evolve over time. One of my all-time favorites."

[8.0] "Raven had a really great look and a good connection with the fans. He had a cool aura about him. His work was often pretty strong, although I think he was underutilized during his prime."

[9.0] "Absolute legend. He was pretty good in the ring, but where he shone brightest was on the mic and in his general presentation."

[8.0] "Raven's an all time great. A true master on the microphone and in ring psychology. Also is a smart and creative guy. Fairly underrated in the ring. I feel he never truly reached his potential although the closest he got was is run in TNA where he was a featured fairly prominently on their program. He's almost 60 now and shouldn't be wrestling but he is someone who can continue making contributions to the business for years to come."

[10.0] "This man is a bonafide legend, with a 30+ year career that has seen him acquire gold in WWF/E, WCW, TNA and most famously ECW. His Raven character is easily one of the greatest and most influential in the history of wrestling. A master of the promo and an underrated worker between the ropes; Raven was an expert of psychology both in the ring and out. As much as he is praised for his revolutionary work in the land of the. extreme, I find that his work on the indies with CM Punk after parting ways with Vince's company the second time to be the best of his career. The man is a multiple time world champion and any awkwardly timed sequence is quickly forgiven because the man sitting in the corner is genius. An ass, maybe, but a genius, and one of the most interesting minds this industry has to offer. Less than a 10 is a grave injustice."

[10.0] "Raven's arc from 95-05 is one of the most magical rides a wrestling fan can go on. He's an evil cult leader addicted to power and drugs that is seemingly bent of self-destruction, and the destruction of everyone. But the truth is, behind all that is a scared broken kid that is fighting to achieve his destiny and finally be on the top as the anti-hero he always wanted to be. I adore this man so fucking much, and he's a wrestler i think everyone should watch because he got it."

[6.0] "Exceptional (really exceptional actually) off-ring worker, capable of working a variety of gimmicks. As Raven, I believe he is the best character in ECW history and his legacy precedes him. However, his in-ring skills were quite average and he didn't perform as well as in his promos and his antics."

[8.0] "Raven was never going to be top of a major company's card due to his look and relatively not impressive wrestling (I think even he would agree that's he's not good in the ring) but he carried himself well with a unique look and tons of charisma. Raven was a almost perfect heel in ECW: manipulative, cunning, even worth sympathising with a bit but could brutalise his opponents in the ring, and had plenty of heat on himself for his antics. Some of his promos there were some of the best in the company's history, and his ring psychology was always on point. WCW and WWE wasted that mind for wrestling by typecasting him as a guy who could only do hardcore matches, never anything else. He tried to break through those low standards, but it was clear they didn't want him anywhere near the main event, which is a shame. Raven did better in early TNA/NWA, but he was far past his physical prime at that point and his promos could carry him only so far. Solid wrestler and brilliant head for the business, but not a main eventer by any means."

[8.0] "Raven was never the most athletic wrestler on the card but he was a good worker with a very creative mind and great character for his time, promos and psychology were generally excellent. Hard to imagine the success of ECW without people like Raven and Shane Douglas to carry the load. Raven held notable territory titles from 1989 to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 2005. He was able to find a spot and success as a triple crowner in NWA Pacific Northwest, as a tag team star in USWA, a light heavyweight in WCW, a hardcore low carder in WWE, an upper mid-card cult leader in the WCW attitude era as well as a World Champion in ECW and early TNA. Raven's underrated run in Ring of Honor is also worth remembering as he did a lot to elevate CM Punk. Raven seems happier and healthier in his semi-retirement than he ever did in the ring but he had a terrific career that spanned several eras."

[6.0] "He was not that great. He was great at entertaining the fans and had many gimmicks he could perform well at. Also Raven was great at in ring psychology. His wrestling style did not excite me in any way."

[9.0] "Probably my personal favorite member of the ECW roster. I also really liked him in WCW -- he felt like a big deal coming in there & his matches always felt special as people often had to best his Flock before getting to him. He was booked like a "final boss" of sorts. Unfortunately, his WWE run & everything after that went WAY downhill. But in his prime he was very special."

[7.0] "Raven was a great character, and he was a legendary figure in ECW. His WCW run saw him bump his head on the infamous glass ceiling; his connection to DDP meant that Raven avoided being buried, but he was still never going to be allowed to reach the main event level. He came to the WWF two years too late, being a much better fit for the heyday of the Attitude Era rather than the tail end. Raven was a good worker, very smart, and if given loose enough reins, was an excellent talker."

[8.0] "6/10 as a wrestler but 9 or 10 out of 10 for character and promos. One of my favourites from the late 90s to mid-2000s."

[10.0] "Raven was great at character work and talking. He also had a great mind for the business that helped him concoct some amazing matches that looked shoddy on paper. Personally think he's underrated in the ring. He's no Steamboat but he was damn good."

[8.0] "Great character worker everywhere he went. One of the smartest men in the business and could do everything from commentary to wrestling to managing and do it all well. Told amazing stories in the ring. The Raven character was severely underused in WWE."

[9.0] "Amazing gimmick, showcased it inside and outside the ring with great psychology and THE best mic skills of all time. He would often couple his great psychology with well executed (if not unspectacular) moves nearly every match and had consistency through the roof. His feud with Tommy Dreamer is to this day the greatest of all time in my opinion. A solid 8. 8, would definetly be higher if he had more spectacular or flashy moves."

[10.0] "Massively entertaining in every gimmick he ever had. I actually think Johnny Polo was my favorite as it completely suited his obnoxious East coast persona - he was HILARIOUS on the mic. Raven was another thing completely that just showed his versatility. The Raven promos were so cerebral and so compelling, few men in the wrestling business could ever pull of a character as believable as that. The thing I most dislike about Raven is how he seemed to lose focus of his character in later years, growing the dreads and appearing so dirty & grimy, and affiliating himself with ICP. He just looked like a scuzzball, and IMO just drifted further and further from the essence of the original Raven gimmick. Probably at his peak in ECW and even WCW - some of the promos and stories they did then were just out of this world. As DDP says, he should have been a top guy."