On this past weeks episode of Dynamite, there was a legend of wrestling hidden in plain sight. During the opening tag team battle royale, fans caught a glimpse of ECW legend Raven sitting in the crowd. His presence was confirmed by a picture he took backstage with Jimmy Havoc.
He was notably sitting very close to The Dark Order, who were recruiting the losing tag teams before being attacked by S.C.U after being provoked. The Dark Order claimed The Exalted One was close, could they have been referring to Raven?
Raven Is An Experienced Faction Leader
Raven is no stranger to leading factions. He lead Ravens Flock in WCW, as well as Ravens Nest in ECW. Both had misfits flocking to Raven for guidance, and them supporting him on the way to championship glory. This was more successful in ECW than WCW, with Raven being a two time ECW World Heavyweight Champion. He also brought this group into Impact Wrestling during his time there, as The Gathering.
Raven would absolutely have the mind to lead a faction like Dark Order, and him gathering misfits and people plagued by losses fits the history of his flock.
At 55 years old, Raven is noted as being semi-retired from wrestling. This means that he still works on rare occasions, but isn’t near a full time wrestler at this point of his career. He hosts the Raven Effect podcast, where he comments on happenings across wrestling. He will actually be in Chicago on the weekend of AEW Revolution, as he will be in town for a convention.
Another Red Herring?
The mystery of The Exalted One is one of the best storylines in AEW. It has added extra intrigue to The Dark Order. Many names have been thrown around as their leader. We have seen Kenny Omega, Adam Page, Christopher Daniels, Marty Scurll and Broken Matt Hardy thrown around as possible examples of who could be behind this faction. Adding Raven as an option to mislead fans further makes sense, and will help make the eventual reveal all the more interesting. His history adds up, but they will likely want someone who can wrestle on a more frequent basis than Raven would be capable of. That being said, the voice of the Exalted One did sound a bit like Raven, and the trademark phrase nevermore was used.
Do you think Raven could be the man leading The Dark Order from the shadows, or does he make too much sense for this role? Let us know you what you think in the comment section down below.
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