Scott Levy (born September 8, 1964), also known as Raven, is an American professional wrestler who historically competed for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). Besides ECW, he is best known for his appearances with other professional wrestling promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) / World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and NWA Total Nonstop Action (TNA). Widely recognized as "one of the best talkers in wrestling", Raven is known for his "psychological heel tactics" and grunge-inspired gimmick. His feud with The Sandman in the mid-1990s has been described as "one of the most emotional rivalries in professional wrestling's history". Over the course of his career, he held championships including the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, ECW World Tag Team Championship, NWA World Heavyweight Championship, WCW Light Heavyweight Championship, WCW United States Heavyweight Championship, WCW World Tag Team Championship, and WWF Hardcore Championship 39 times. He was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame in 2022.
Early life Levy is of Jewish descent; he was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Paul F. Levy, a journalist and senior editor of The National Enquirer. He graduated from Lake Worth Community High School in 1982. He went on to attend the University of Delaware, where he earned a degree in criminal justice. He took a semester off from college to enlist in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1988–1992) Levy trained as a professional wrestler under Larry Sharpe at the Monster Factory in New Jersey, making his debut on February 20, 1988, against Jimmy Jack Funk. Early in his career, Levy competed for the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico as well as the Memphis, Tennessee-based promotion Continental Wrestling Association under the ring name "Scotty the Body", where he was given the gimmick of being the "boy toy" of Missy Hyatt, 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, British Columbia-based promotion NWA All-Star Wrestling before leaving due to differences with owner Al Tomko. From there, he returned to the United States, joining Pacific Northwest Wrestling in Portland, Oregon. Over the next three years, he was positioned as one of the main heels, winning all of the titles and feuding heavily with Steve Doll. His manager in PNW was Taylor Made. After taking a brief break from competing, he returned to PNW as a face and began a feud with The Grappler. In the summer of 1989, Levy made a number of appearances under a mask as "Matman", a Batman-inspired character who teamed with Beetlejuice. Wrestling as Scotty the Body, Levy made a one-off appearance on WWF Prime Time Wrestling in a losing effort against Koko B. Ware on October 9, 1990. After leaving PNW, Levy joined the Dallas, Texas-based Global Wrestling Federation, where he adopted the ring name "Scott Anthony". Levy was part of the stable known as "The Cartel", along with Cactus Jack, Makhan Singh, Rip Rogers and Max Andrews. Levy also served as a color commentator for GWF's televised broadcasts on ESPN alongside play-by-play commentators Craig Johnson and Scott Hudson.
World Championship Wrestling (1992–1993)
In 1992, Levy joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He was given the ring name "Scotty Flamingo" and the gimmick of a surfer from Florida, even carrying a surfboard to the ring. According to him, he did not like the character nor the high flying style, but was forced by the promoters. He was originally managed by J. T. Southern. Levy competed in the WCW light heavyweight division, winning the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship from Brian Pillman 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 and Vinnie Vegas 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 on November 18, 1992, Levy defeated Badd in a boxing 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.
World Wrestling Federation (1993–1994) After leaving WCW, Levy briefly wrestled for the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) before joining the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as manager "Johnny Polo", a spoiled, rich preppy kid. He was initially placed with Adam Bomb, appearing for the first time on May 22 episode of WWF Superstars. He managed Bomb for four months until he was replaced by Harvey Wippleman. He then became the manager of The Quebecers in September, whom he led to three reigns as WWF Tag Team Champions. 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 Ouellet. 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. Levy left the company in October 1994, his final match losing to Adam Bomb on October 2 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. His last appearance as Johnny Polo was at a house show in Montreal, Quebec on October 21 when he managed Pierre Ouellet in a match against Jacques Rougeau.
Extreme Championship Wrestling (1995–1997)
Feud with Tommy Dreamer (1995–1996)
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
