Granted, Raven's best work came during his times in both ECW and WCW, but he makes the list as he appeared in WWE under the same moniker so he counts, right! The Raven character was said to be inspired by 'The Poem' by Edgar Allan Poe and by Patrick Swayze's Zen master of crime in Point Break. This made for a depressed, sociopath with a chip on his shoulder; helped along by Scott Levy's - the man who portrayed the character - experiences as a youngster. You know what they say, the best characters are extensions of the real person's persona and this was never truer in the case of Raven as he was a pretty tortured soul from a privileged background in his youth. Raven was another character that was built around promos, as so many dark character are in the world of wrestling. His monologues were eloquent and philosophical with a number of suggestive thoughts that left you unnerved and confused in equal measure. This was something that played into Levy's hands as he is widely recognised as one of the most book-smart people ever to step inside the ring. We all know his most infamous moments; from his initial feud with Tommy Dreamer and the whole pregnancy angle, to his interactions with The Sandman and his family. Raven brainwashed Sandman's wife and son to join his Nest before all hell broke loose in that infamous crucifixion - something that turned Kurt Angle away from the land of the Extreme. His work in WCW's Flock was slightly restrained compared to what we saw in ECW, but compelling nonetheless. Raven was more openly abusive and controlling, which eventually led to rebellion by a number of the group's members. All of the Stable's matches were held under no disqualification Raven's Rules before he headed back to WWE and became a hardcore specialist. Raven was one messed up individual...
