Why did Raven require a ninja's assistance in winning the Hardcore Championship? Why was that ninja revealed to be Tori? Why were there so many angles in WWE in the early 2000s on the mid and lower card that developed as if out of nowhere and gave fans no reason to actively care about the characters involved? Yes, Tori - as Terri Power - was Raven's valet when he was in the Pacific Northwest territory at the start of his career. Also, it's been revealed numerous times by Raven that he oftentimes would pitch his own stories to WWE creative during the Attitude era. However, of the ones that likely hit television, this is the one that is more nonsensical than most. Raven, while wrestling in matches where ALL objects are legal, required a woman wielding an object to win a match. Possibly the ultimate example of excess in the Attitude era, "Ninja Tori" is clearly a heel that absolutely nobody had any reason to care about whatsoever.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
