I'm trying to get through all of ECW. This angle stood out as being particularly nonsensical and stupid, which makes it even more baffling that it's still held up as one of if not the defining ECW storyline. It's exactly the kind of shytty sports entertainment angle ECW mutants would have shyt on hard if it was going on in WCW or WWF at the time.
It stands out even MORE because the side feuds Raven and Dreamer had in the midst of their feud are all better than the actual feud.
Youre gonna make me actually analyze this arent you? Ok here we go...
Tommy's story is someone who apparently was always popular and good looking. He was rejected by the ECW faithful because they were the outcast fans of pro wrestling. Tommy desperate to be liked and popular did everything possible to form a positive connection with the fans. When he took those cane shots from Sandman, he became accepted.
Raven, is a rich kid who despite this always felt alone and cast aside. He fell in line with the spirit of ECW. He was different.
Raven had resented Dreamer because Dreamer was everything and had everything Raven always wanted. The popularity, the good looks, the girl.
Which brings me to Beulah. Beulah loved Tommy since the summer camp. But Tommy rejected her, possibly because of her weight. She ended up befriending Raven for the rest of that summer but Raven, being the spoiled brat he is, did not like being the second choice. Even if he didnt actually like or respect Beulah.
Now with Dreamer being the most popular guy around high school jocks is one thing but to be accepted by outcasts, "his people". Well thats too much to bear. So letting Stevie Richards be his clueless self and thinking he masterminded this plan, Raven a now grungy brooding drug addict living in the Bowery in Manhattan among other heroin addicts, had his in to get revenge on Tommy for "making his life hell". And to get the adulation he deserves.
Like most narcissists, Raven saw himself as the victim here and would do anything to prove Tommy as the evil popular jerk. Enter Beulah. Beulah now a Penthouse Playmate, dropped the weight and chose Raven to get her revenge on Dreamer. Raven, being a depressed manchild took this one strand of kinship as love even though he constantly abused her because its the only thing he got from his own father.
Beulah, still in love with Dreamer, cheats on Raven and gets "pregnant" with his child. This ploy is done to hide two things. 1. Beulah's bisexuality and 2. Her intentions to finally have men from her childhood fight over her.
This betrayal from Beulah throws Raven into a tailspin. He brings in Kimona and that sane night wins the ECW title. So in addition to beating Dreamer repeatedly he got to the title first. But thats not enough for Raven yet. He is hell bent on destroying dreamers genetals so he cannot procreate with anyone especially Beulah. But when Kimona leaves Raven for Beulah, Raven becomes numb. He realizes what Beulah is and thus doesnt want her anymore. He also tells hismelf that he doesnt deserve anything good in his life and wants the worst most disgusting human being they can find for him to have sex with. Someone apparently worse than the hooker Hugh Grant got caught with.
Enter Sandman (
) He turns his attention to Sandman because Sandman reminds him of his drunken abusive father and he believes that he can destroy that memory. He brainwashes Lori the Sandman's wife and Tyler the Sandman's son, most likely by projecting his own memories of his childhood onto them. He taunts Sandman with his own family until they break free and join Stevie Richards, why by then has had enough of Raven's shyt as well, and the BWO.
However, Raven is still the ECW champion and has created enemies all around. As ECW goes into their first PPV Barely Legal raven feels hopless without his lead lackey Stevie Richards. He asks Richards to do one last thing for him: "take him out". Raven, too chickenshyt to do it himself, is still getting other people to handle responsibilities for him.
During this, Terry Funk has returned to ECW. Terry Being Dreamer's father figure takes great pleasure out of telling Raven he isnt shyt and continually pokes at Raven's emotional fragility to get a rise out of him (goddamn i love this dude).
Raven loses the belt to the old man and has nothing left. The nest is pretty much empty, no title, no Beulah, no Stevie. All he has is kicking Dremers ass. Except Dreamer finally gets his long awaited win on Raven. After this theres no reason for Raven to stay around so he leaves.
So in conclusion the storyline is very confusing but so was Raven's mind. Its not supposed to make complete sense to us because were not emotionally affected like Raven was. I Thought tye atory was fine BECAUSE it was so different.