Raven had two stints in WWE. Once in a manager’s role as Johnny Polo in 93-94 and then again from 2000-03 as Raven. During his run in the company as a wrestler, Raven set the record for most Hardcore title wins with 27.
Raven signed with WWE in 2000 as it became clear ECW was struggling financially. He would eventually join “the Alliance” as part of the Invasion angle.
“It was just a matter of trust for a variety of reason,” JR said on the show.
“The thing about Raven, it was never a talent issue. He had talent. He was a good talker, smart guy, high IQ. Probably could have been a good road agent at some point later on. He could have contributed in a lot of ways.”
Conrad Thompson had previously mentioned that Raven’s reputation for substance abuse may have hampered in him in WWE. He also is said to have partied a bit too much with Shane McMahon during his first run with the company.
“It was never a talent issue with Scotty. He needed to distance himself from his previous indiscretions.”
“We used him on TV, he was a broadcaster, he probably could have been a great manager over time,” JR continued.
Raven briefly served as a broadcaster on Sunday Night Heat before returning to the ring. He competed at WrestleMania X-7 in a triple threat hardcore match against Kane and Rhino as well.
JR’s comments can be heard in the player below:
