• “Very Disappointing & Disheartening” – WCW Veteran Says Goldberg Didn’t Need To Win The U.S. Title
Old School Wrestling Veteran Raven won the WCW United States Championship from Diamond Dallas Page in a ‘Raven’s Rules’ match at the Spring Stampede 1998 pay-per-view, but then lost the title to Bill Goldberg the next night on Monday NITRO.
During a recent interview with PWMania, the former leader of the Flock spoke about WCW’s decision to take the championship off him that quickly.
Here’s what Raven had to say:
“I had no idea. It was very disappointing and disheartening too but it’s a business. I felt like, sometimes they put the belt on somebody and they can elevate it. Sometimes they put the belt on the guy it devalues it. And sometimes it’s just neither, it just doesn’t do anything for it doesn’t hurt it. Whereas I felt like I could have elevated it.
Not that Goldberg didn’t elevate the title, you know what I mean? Because he was in the jetpack, you know what I mean?
He deserved to win the U.S. Title because he was over, you know, whether he could work or not, it doesn’t even make a difference. He could draw money. And he did. I felt like he didn’t need it. And I could have used it at that point.
Ultimately, when I thought about it, I’m like, I don’t really need it, because my character is so unique that I’m gonna get over anyway. Despite bad booking decisions or good booking decisions or any booking decisions, I’m gonna get over regardless. And that’s what I’ve always counted on myself.
I’ve always said to anybody that when I want to get a job somewhere when I started. I said, give me three weeks. That’s it. All I need is three weeks to get over if you don’t think I’m valuable then get rid of me.”
Scott Levy first wrestled for a major promotion when he joined Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling in 1992 as Scotty Flamingo, but left in February 1993 and by May 1993 he was in the World Wrestling Federation as Johnny Polo, manager of Adam Bomb & The Quebecers.
By 1995, he wrestled for Paul E. Dangerously’s (Paul Heyman’s) Extreme Championship Wrestling, where he appeared as a new darker character named Raven and founded a faction, called The Raven’s Nest.
In June 1997, Levy returned to WCW and also had his own stable right away, which was this time named The Raven’s Flock.
In August 1999, Raven returned to ECW again, right in time to have his surprise return featured on the debut episode of the company’s brand new weekly show ‘ECW on TNN’.
He then re-joined The World Wrestling Federation with his by far most successful gimmick (Raven) and wrestled there from September 2000 until January 2003, but joined Total Nonstop Action! (TNA) right away and stayed with the promotion till 2010.
Raven was inducted into the IMPACT Wrestling (fka TNA) Hall of Fame in 2022 by his former longtime ECW storyline rival, Tommy Dreamer.
Also Read: Raven On Why He Confronted Chris Benoit In WCW
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• ON THIS DAY IN WCW HISTORY (April 27, 1998) – WCW MONDAY NITRO
On this day in 1998, Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling aired another episode of their weekly TV show ‘WCW MONDAY NITRO’ but only aired 1 hour LIVE that day, while they taped 2 more hours that aired the next day.
It was broadcasted from The Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia and featured matches, interviews & storyline segments on the road to the ‘WCW Slamboree 1998’ PPV.
The cards can be found here:
April 27th:
– Chris Jericho vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.
– Goldberg vs. Scott Norton
April 28th:
– Chris Benoit vs. Disco Inferno
– Chris Jericho vs. Psychosis
– Hugh Morrus & The Barbarian vs. Public Enemy
– Juventud Guerrera vs. Billy Kidman
– Booker T vs. Eddie Guerrero
– Saturn vs. Marty Jannetty
– Diamond Dallas Page vs. Sick Boy
– Bill Goldberg vs. Jerry Flynn
– Sting, Lex Luger & The Giant vs. Brian Adams, Konnan & Scott Steiner
