The If Factor: Debra McMichael Joins Raven’s Flock in WCW

Posted on November 8, 2024 by bdamage1

Brian Damage

The ‘If Factor’ are a series of articles that takes a look at real scenarios in pro wrestling that at one point or another were suggested, planned, considered…but did not get the green light to continue. What would the landscape of professional wrestling look like if these ideas came to fruition?

The If: Debra Joins Raven’s Flock in WCW

Debra McMichael was appearing regularly on WCW Monday Nitro as a top valet/manager to Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen along with Woman and Miss Elizabeth. Her gimmick was a former beauty pageant winner who dubbed herself ‘The Queen of WCW.’ By 1997, Debra and her real life husband Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael separated from each other and Debra was moved away from the Horsemen and used to manage other talents including Alex Wright.

Towards the end of ’97, Wright had fired Debra as his manager leaving her all alone without a wrestler to guide. According to Wade Keller, an idea was pitched by Eric Bischoff to Debra for his next gimmick. The idea would be for Debra to scout and try to sign different wrestlers for her to manage. After several attempts and failures to secure a new wrestler to guide, she would become disenchanted and depressed. That’s when Raven would enter and invite her to join him and his flock faction. 

The gimmick in mind would be Debra to turn from beauty queen to a sort of Courtney Love type of character. She would look disheveled and strung out and be completely under the mind control of Raven. The idea was presented to Debra and she declined it. Following her rejection of the gimmick, Debra would leave WCW altogether and sign with the WWF. What if Debra agreed to the Courtney Love gimmick? Would it have worked or would eventually end up like many other WCW gimmicks at the time and go nowhere?