Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
This is the 528th installment of the ‘Wrestling with Sin‘ series. A group of stories that delves into the darker, underbelly of pro wrestling. Many of the stories involve such subjects as sex, drugs, greed and in some cases even murder! As with every single story in the Sin series, I do not condone or condemn the alleged participants. We simply retell their stories by researching interviews, newspapers, magazines and various other sources of media.
Hot for Scott
Scott Levy…better known as ‘Raven’ recalled his brief time working for the Dallas, Texas based promotion Global Wrestling Federation in the early 1990’s under the moniker of Scott Anthony. Levy said that he wasn’t paid much wrestling for the GWF, so he used to supplement his income by being a male stripper on his off days. The stripper job paid a lot more and claimed that the job got him more women than wrestling on a nationally televised show (ESPN). The stripper job paid so well for Scott, that he claims he was “half retired” from the wrestling business and was looking at possibly becoming an actor.
The money he made as a male dancer, paid for his growing use of cocaine. Levy recalled an incident at the club that he was working at where a female patron kept buying him drinks. The woman was supposedly completely into Levy and made several passes at him. When Levy spotted a ring on her finger, he casually asked, “What’s your husband’s name?” seeing if it would scare her off. The woman revealed that she was married to a wrestler named Michael Hayes aka leader of the Freebirds. Scott Levy claimed that he completely “marked out” because he was a huge Freebird fan. Instead of taking her home that night, Levy said he talked wrestling with her for hours and it rejuvenated his passion for the business.
Wright Was Wrong
In 1975, Bearcat Wright joined the Memphis territory as a wrestler/manager. Wright managed ‘The Mongolian Stomper’ during his brief stint in the territory. His stay in Memphis only lasted a few months before he skipped town. The reason all stemmed during a show where a fan kicked Bearcat while he and the Mongolian Stomper were headed back to the dressing room.
Bearcat allegedly grabbed the fan and assaulted him with punches and then body slammed the fan on to the concrete floor. The fan started bleeding from his nose and mouth and Bearcat knew he was in serious trouble. Wright packed his bag and abruptly left the territory. According to Jim Cornette…who was a ringside photographer at the time, the attorney in the case subpoenaed Cornette for his photographs which allegedly caught Bearcat Wright assaulting the fan. Bearcat Wright never returned to Memphis after the incident.
Paranoia Will Destroy Her
Ghi Eburneo (Giovanna Eburneo in NXT) signed a WWE developmental contract in 2022. Eburneo has a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. After about a year training at the WWE Performance Center and appearing on NXT television as a secretary to Kianna James, Eburneo quit the company and moved back to Brazil. According to Eburneo, her year in Orlando, Florida was a nightmare. From being locked in a bathroom inside an Orlando mall due to a shooting, to the cost of living in Florida, to the language barrier and having a difficult time communicating with others, to her growing paranoia while living in the United States.
She was convinced that she suffered a concussion while training at the Performance Center and insisted on getting a doctor to check her out. The tests were all negative for a concussion, but said she still suffered from concussion like symptoms. Her depression and anxiety continued to worsen as she said she would ask other wrestlers and staff for a ride to the Performance Center was was either ignored or flat out refused. Eburneo then said that she believed someone was breaking into her apartment and drugging her water. She says one morning she was brushing her hair and a huge clump fell out.
Eburneo called her mother back home in Brazil in a panic and her mother believed she was acting paranoid and many of the things she feared was just “in her own head.” Eburneo’s fears worsened when she says she discovered a air tag tracker in her gym bag. This led her to believe that somebody was stalking her and following her every step. She decided to quit WWE and return home to Brazil. Eburneo said she handed the air tracker to local police in Orlando and claims that the case is ongoing.
The Boss’ Daughter
In March of 1923, pro wrestler Tony Gardini was arrested in Thomasville, North Carolina after he eloped with a 17 year old girl named Lois Guest. Gardini was 25 years old at the time of his arrest. It just so happened that Lois was the teen daughter to Gardini’s manager/promoter Vance Guest. After both Gardini and Lois were arrested, Lois sent a telegram to her father telling him that she was in jail and in trouble for running away with the older wrestler.
Gardini was transferred to a jail in Ashville, North Carolina…while Lois was released into the custody of her father Vance. No word how long Gardini spent time in jail, but he did resume his pro wrestling career in 1925 after moving to Los Angeles, California.