Raven had power over people with his words, to the point where he often didn't need actions. And just because he could work, it didn't mean that he had to in order to get over.
In ECW, his 'Nest' comprised of a rotating gang of goons to do his bidding in his unending battle with Tommy Dreamer. Stevie Richards was the goon that brought him into the company in the first place, before eventually getting a goon himself in the form of The Blue Meanie. Cactus Jack turned his back on the hardcore fanbase and felt love in the embrace of Raven's evil-doers. During a feud with The Sandman, the character took control of the cane-swinger's wife and young son. When Beulah eventually left his side for Dreamer in the story, (in obvious and cynical need of the ego boost) he replaced her with the of-her-time Kimona Wanalaya, before replacing her with hitherto unknown female talent Chastity ahead of his 1997 departure.
Because the departure eventually came. Raven was money, and Eric Bischoff had lots of that to spend.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
