Okay, let me tell you about a wrestling promo that's stuck with me for years. It's Raven(Scott Levy) in ECW, doing his "Brooding weirdo with a cool jacket" thing, and it's a masterclass in character work, if you ask me.
So, picture this: Raven, ultra cool, brooding, almost gothic character, sits at an old, very uncomfortable looking school desk. He's cutting a promo for a match against Tommy Dreamer, delivering this ominous, almost poetic speech about Childhood. It's the kind of intense, dramatic stuff we've come to expect from him.
The description for this video says it's actually Scotty's 3rd promo since debuting this character in ECW. So much character development and he's still a very new and fresh character that that point.
This shit is bonkers, mayne! Watch the video. 👇
Now, in wrestling promos, that kind of action usually leads to a loud crash or a satisfying smash of some sort. There would be a locker to hit, a chair to throw to the ground, etc. It's a way to emphasize the wrestler's rage, and their power. But with Raven, the result was this sharp, high-pitched squeak. It was jarring, completely at odds with the dark, serious tone of his promo.
And that's what made it brilliant.
See, Raven's character was always more complex than just your typical evil wrestling bad guy. He had More of a laidback vibe to his demeanor, as opposed to the big loud hulking wrestlers you had in the 80s. Look up 90s wrestler in the dictionary, A picture of Raven T-posing should be right fucking there.
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| the aura! |
WCW had this backstory that revealed he was actually a privileged kid, spoiled by his parents, but rebelling against it all. He created this persona as a way to cope with his own internal turmoil. The pre-taped segments from that story are responsible for the classic "what a mark!" gif you'll sometimes see in various internet wrestling communities.
So, the WCW backstory for this character focused on his great upbringing influencing his dastardly actions as an adult. That's an interesting plot point on it's own, but the desk is something I think was more effective due to it's simplicity.
The fact that he's doing this intense promo in a classroom, sitting at a kid's desk, it highlights the core and true nature of his character. He's an angry child, throwing a tantrum, but ultimately, he's lost and confused.
He's talking a big game about hurting Dreamer, but that part only comes after reminiscing about being an outcast. childhood for Raven wasn't that enjoyable because he didn't fit in with the other kids. This setting(a classroom, full of desks that would of course jog memories of the other kids heckling him to no end, each and every day) doesn't have any pleasant memories attached, as it's nothing more than a painful experience to hearken back to...
Then you have the desk's role in all this. The squeaky desk reveals his immaturity, his lack of real-world experience. Putting professional wrestling aside, Lets view this as a straight up fight he's gearing up for. Raven is in no position to be demanding or threatening towards anyone. He's so consumed by his own anger and self-pity that he's blind to his own limitations, and has retreated to a place that brings nothing but pain to his eternal soul.
The man at that desk hasn't come to terms with what people said about him as a kid. It probably keeps him up at night, and he knows it really shouldn't. What he experienced is some very relatable shit, and most people manage to cope with it have decent lives in spite of what happened in the past. Raven, however, doesn't know how to deal with his fears, so he hides behind his leather jacket and band t-shirts, lashing out at others.
That squeak, that seemingly insignificant detail, it told you everything you needed to know about this persona Scott Levy came up with. It wasn't just a funny moment; it was a perfect encapsulation of his(then) new character. It was quirky, sure, but it was quirkiness done right.
I always loved the Raven character, and that promo is a big part of why. The Grunge look is really cool. That's really all it takes to get me liking anyone in pro wrestling. I wanna root for the cool guy, and Raven, from a design standpoint, is still one of the coolest out there.
Knowing this is the same guy who played Scotty Flamingo a few years earlier, and he's also the cat who managed the Quebecers, is still crazy to me. I hate the phrase "glow up," but this would be a great time to use that garbage ass phrase and not feel like a lame for doing it.
The Scotty Flamingo Division, huh? 🙄
