[1997-07-22-WCW-Tuesday Nitro] J.J. Dillon and Raven

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

JJ Dillon has an important announcement about Raven. Well, that feels like an oxymoron. They want to sign Raven's WCW contract. Stevie Richards is immediately out to claim that he too has signed with WCW. Stevie is great here, and it's weird that his WCW run was so short and not notable. Stevie apparently put together the deal for Raven, but Raven goes into a long poem before tearing up the contract. Stevie calls him on it and Raven slugs him.

[Kevin Ridge]

I hope Richards got a commission in this contract signing of Raven to WCW. Why would Raven do a public contract signing?! The Genius is a much, much better poet than Raven.

[Loss]

The Genius is a much, much better poet than Raven.

Sig worthy.

[Strummer]

we've had this discussion before but was a Gen Xer/slacker/grunger still a workable character in 1997? Hell from 94-96? There were still some remnants of that culture in society but it was definitely fading. I was a freshman in college at this time and I don't remember seeing hardly any grunge type kids anymore. In fact it was so long ago I can't even remember the style at that time anymore. I just remember hearing a lot of Third Eye Blind songs on the radio.

[Matt D]

Wrestling is always four years behind, at least. The fans are used to it. Add in the southern/conservative (socially not politically) WCW fan base and sure, why the hell not?

[soup23]

Stevie was good here but this feels like it has been drug out way too much and Ravens apathetic character doesn't play well in retrospect.

[El-P]

WCW sure did a good job making Raven's signing look like a big deal. Stevie & Raven had a great chemistry together depsite their personnal issues. Gotta love Gene & Dillob's appaled look as soon as Raven begins to recite a poem. Funny stuff.

[BackToBionic]

I was at this show and you couldn't hear a word of this. In the days before giant screens everywhere, these Nitros with their extended backstage (ringside in this case?) segments were pretty boring half the time for a live crowd.

[PeteF3]

Richards has taken the liberty of negotiating Raven's contract on his behalf, and put together a blockbuster deal that sees Raven getting a full-sized rental car and tape deck and *almost* as much money as Dancin' Stevie. Somehow Raven is less than impressed. Raven's poetry may not be as good as the Genius' but Poffo didn't have Okerlund and Dillon there to play off of it, either.