There have been some questionable hiring choices made by WWE over the years, and even Vince McMahon wasn’t always sure about them. Raven spent several years with the promotion, but he is most well known for his time in ECW and WCW. Not long after WWE hired him and returned to hardcore wrestling action, Raven likely knew he wasn’t going to be used correctly by the way Vince reacted to his signing.
In late 2000, Raven returned to WWE after interfering in a Strap Match between Tazz and Jerry Lawler. The former ECW World Champion had some success and won the Hardcore Championship a record 27 times, but he was never involved in main event storylines or angles.
Raven has often spoken about his in-ring career and the things he has done. He said there came the point in WWE when he knew they weren’t going to use him right, and it happened during a conversation with Michael Hayes.
As reported by Wrestle Talk , Raven states he was sober and clean upon returning to WWE, and he felt his time had come. Unfortunately, he could never elevate above the mid-card during his three years in the promotion.
Raven states he knew they didn’t want to use him in a “prominent role” even though he accomplished so much in ECW and WCW. Ultimately, it was Vince’s confusion on Raven’s hiring that let him know where he stood within the promotion.
“Michael Hayes said that he was in a booking meeting when Vince said, ‘Who the F hired Raven?’ The way Hayes intimated it was that Vince was like, ‘What the f*ck are we hiring him for?’”
For years, Raven never let that conversation get to him, and he continued to perform at the top of his game in the ring. Raven says he knows how good he is as a wrestler, but it upset him to know that he’d never be used to his full potential.
In January of 2003, Raven was given his release from WWE and appeared for TNA Wrestling a mere two days later. Raven immediately jumped into the NWA World Heavyweight Title picture by attacking Jeff Jarrett.
Raven no longer wrestles on a full-time basis, and he has become a backstage producer for Impact Wrestling . He will always be one of the ECW Originals and the leader of The Flock in WCW, but WWE was never somewhere that elevated him to the same level.
