10 WWE Stars Who Left And Returned More Badass

7. Raven

Two Drews
WWE.com

Johnny Polo was a quiet riot as the New Generation took shape.

Not as famous nor hysterical as his managerial antecedents, the future Raven was nonetheless very amusing in patches at the commentary desk, referring to Vince McMahon relentlessly as "Vic" and, with a bit too much enthusiasm, yelling "SPLAT!" as Yokzuna infamously crushed a jobber's skull like a woodsman with a botched Banzai drop.

It was never his calling. Raven wanted to wrestle, and did so to much critical acclaim as the zeitgeist-grabbing, grunge-influenced Raven character in ECW. WWE Raven just wasn't the same, not least because the gutter-dwelling guy with a penchant for nihilism wore a shockingly clean white t-shirt, smoothing his edge and undermining the gimmick entirely. Still, he was clearly more badass than the ingratiating rich kid, and a subdued run at least yielded a blinder of a Hardcore Title match at Backlash 2001, in which he illustrated his celebrated wrestling mind by dropping Rhyno with a lightning-quick drop toe-hold onto a stop sign a millisecond after the bell rang.

More caddy for the stars than a golfer in 1993, Raven couldn't even drive the cart at WrestleMania X-Seven, proving just how drastic his intervening transformation was.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!