In 1997, after finding success in ECW, Raven made his way over to WCW and quickly began the formation of a new faction known as The Flock. Although Eric Bischoff was Senior Vice President of WCW at the time, he revealed on a recent episode of "83 Weeks" that it was not his idea to bring Raven to the company. It was instead Kevin Sullivan, who was booking WCW at the time and was a fan of the former ECW WorldHeavyweight Champion.
"Kevin Sullivan could relate to Raven, I couldn't. I didn't get his character," Bischoff stated. "I didn't have a personal problem with Scott Levy, but the character the kind of grunge, Pearl Jam-inspired, miserable, hates the world, 'The world hates me,' kind of darkness I didn't see the money in it."
At the time, Bischoff felt that grunge had been a fad that was on its way out and Raven's arrival had come too late. The executive had another problem, too, which was that he had trouble figuring out if Raven and The Flock were babyfaces or heels. Bischoff and the other members of the WCW creative team had a difficult time figuring out what to do with the group.
The Flock didn't end up lasting long in WCW, though its leader stayed with the promotion for about two years before taking Bischoff up on the offer of a release. He'd later say that it was because Bischoff had no interest in using the Raven character. Raven then returned to ECW before signing on for a run with WWE in the early 2000s. After that, he's spent the remainder of his career working in TNA, the NWA, MLW, and the rest of the independent scene.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "83 Weeks" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
