12. Raven
Raven and Steve Austin don’t appear to have much in common at first glance. However, that may only be due to the fact most fans don’t have that great an understanding of the real Scott Levy, the man behind the Raven character. The real Raven is far more of a joking prankster than how the dark and brooding wrestler acts when the cameras are rolling. Yet, back in the day when he was known as Scotty Flamingo in WCW, that fun-loving personality was the key to his early success. It was also the key to his friendship with Austin, which spawned from Raven’s earlier friendship with Brian Pillman, Austin’s partner in The Hollywood Blondes.
Austin, Pillman, and Raven were traveling partners while all three were in WCW, and their careers even intersected due to this arrangement. Raven had originally intended to form a tag team with Pillman but was passed up in favor of Austin, thus creating the infamous Blondes. The three still maintained a strong rapport, earning a reputation as a comedy trio, constantly making each other and the rest of the locker room laugh. The friendship faded apart as did Austin and Raven’s career, and the two were even rumored to be involved in a brief backstage scuffle during the Invasion Era. Based on Raven’s appearance on The Steve Austin Podcast, however, any bad blood between the two has long since gone away and they have resumed a friendly relationship with a strong undercurrent of mutual respect.
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