The Year of the Raven
Jul. 8, 2007

July 4, 2007. It is a date many will remember for the PWF's glorious return to pay-per-view. Others will remember it for being the country's 231st birthday.

But for Raven, it will be remembered as the start of the "Year of the Raven."

It's a claim he's been making for a long time -- that 2007 would finally be his year. Many times throughout 2006, Raven would promise what the next year would bring. He was on a hot streak the last quarter of 2006, and his plans were to turn it into a year-long celebration of his domination. He had plans, in fact, to challenge Taz in January to open the year in the most spectacular of ways.

Then the PWF/VCW lawsuit came.

A major setback to not only the PWF, in general, but of course to Raven's promising plans for 2007, as well. The Federation would finally return in June, and with his guaranteed PWF title shot from his newly signed contract in April, Raven was back on track and back to his claims for 2007 to be the Year of the Raven. The only thing stopping him would be Federation Champion James Ace, John Cena, and the Doomsday Cage.

June was one of Raven's rougher months in quite some time, beginning with a loss to John Cena and followed by a tag team loss the next week due mainly to his unlikely partner in Ace. Raven would defeat PWF Television Champion The Spoiler in a non-title bout to rebound, though, and hoped to swing that momentum straight into Terminal Solution where he would face Ace and Cena for the sport's top prize. In one of the most brutal and shocking matches in PWF history, Raven would withstand a fall from the top of the Doomsday Cage, a splash of monstrous proportions moments later, and a seemingly endless amount of time trapped in the STF-U ... to Even Flow Cena and then pin the already downed Ace to finally capture the PWF Championship for the first time in his career.

It's a title that's eluded him for a long time. He had three separate one-on-one opportunities to capture the gold last year, all against then-champion Mr. Perfect. Raven also had a shot, in a way, during a star-studded Recoil match last June but could not win the gold. The Federation title even stayed just out of reach for him at December's Nuclear Frost event, where a misplaced dropkick allowed Ace to yank the title away from Cena in a Ladder match to become a 10-time World Champion.

That's five times in 2006 that the PWF Championship escaped Raven's grasp. This year, 2007, brought one more shot, and Raven capitalized in the biggest of ways, finally becoming all that he has claimed to be.

Will 2007 indeed be what he claims? According to ThePWF.com's brightest analysts, there are a few men that will stand in his way.

Shane Douglas
The brand new King of the Ring. It's no secret that the man is on quite a roll, and being King will grant him a newfound, unique status among the PWF's elite. Last year, Mr. Perfect immediately used his new crown to receive a shot at the PWF Championship and went on to capture the gold. Can Douglas do the same, and will he want a shot at Raven for it? The new champion should keep an eye on The Franchise.

John Cena
Cena may be the hottest wrestler in the PWF right now. He was undefeated since the PWF's return until Terminal Solution, and, even then, the Doctor was not pinned when the match was decided. Can he be stopped? He has already "posterized" Raven and Ace in the ring, and his performance on July 4 was nothing short of stellar. He was very, very close to winning the PWF title for the third time in his very young career, a feat that is unparalleled by any of his peers. And, of course, let's not forget that Cena has a guaranteed title shot scheduled for sometime later this month. If Raven makes it past Steve Austin this week, he will have to fight off Cena to remain champion. If Cena remains as hot as he's been lately, that will be easier said than done.

Mike Flynn
Not many people would think that a tag team partner would be a worry, but Raven can not make that claim with Mike Flynn. Of course, it wasn't by choice that Raven finds himself partnered up with the man. Flynn forced his way into the situation, and by doing so, he's also got a ruling against Raven: if the new PWF Champion decides to harm him in any way, doing so will result in a 90-day suspension. There is little doubt that the PWF Championship would be stripped immediately if this happened. We know Flynn hates Raven, and Raven hates Flynn. The partnership is a shaky one. Flynn DID bury the PWF Champion last summer, after all.

James Ace
Maybe the biggest thorn in Raven's side. These two have been at odds since Ace returned during the Battle Field match last September. Their wars have been epic so far, and now that Raven pinned Ace to win the gold, anyone would have to be crazy to think the 10-time World Champion is done with Raven or the PWF Championship just yet. Even before the title was in the picture, Ace was nothing but trouble for Raven. As long as there's a James Ace, that will mean rough times for Raven keeping a stranglehold over the PWF in 2007.

There could very well be other men that could make it hard for the PWF Champion that haven't surfaced yet, but the short list that has already formed will be tough enough to fend off. Even this very week, Raven will be tested in a tough way against Stone Cold Steve Austin, a man that hasn't even been close enough to smell the PWF title since Recoil last year, and even then, The Rattlesnake's goal was to keep it around Mr. Perfect's waist. If Raven succeeds in retaining over Austin this week, he's got a long year ahead of him ...

... which could still very well be the Year of the Raven.