Raven's Initial WWE Character Was Inspired By WWE HOFer

WCW/ECW veteran Raven is best known for his grunge-inspired gimmick that he held through both promotions and early into WWE, which granted him a loyal fanbase that often quotes him to this day. However, even before his Johnny Polo mouthpiece days, Raven had a very different gimmick early in his career, which, according to the veteran, was a homage to one of his favorite wrestlers growing up.

"Well, I wanted to be a chicken s**t heel, I loved chicken s**t heels. They're fun, they're funny, they get great heat, and everybody's a tough guy," he recalled during an interview on "The Wrestling Classic" when asked about his 'Scotty The Body' character. "I was 220 pounds when everybody was 280, you know? So, I wasn't a big guy...So, I mean, I was a big fan of Jesse 'The Body' on commentary, so I like – that's why I liked the name, and it rhymed. You know what I mean? Scotty The Body."

Raven also explained that it was a joke at the same time, because while he was built, he admits he didn't compare to the guys of his time, and because of that, he'd get heat and reactions from it. 

"But instead, people now just remember it and say, 'Aw, he was so built back then!' No, I wasn't! I wasn't! I just photographed well," he expressed. "Everybody was 280 in the WWF, so you know, even the 5'10 guys! Guys were 5'9, 280, and that's what Vince liked."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Wrestling Classic" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.