Sexy?
It's just something he's been doing as a tradition for the last 15 years. There's nothing iconic about it or anything. It's just something he does to get the crowd fired up and believe me...it works. You have to see it in person to believe it, it's different than watching it on TV.
Ray Lewis will go down as an NFL legend. Some people disagree with me on this but he's NOT sacrificing the success of the defense by still being a 3 down player. He can still cover tight ends effectively. He still takes great angles to the ball carrier. He does get swallowed up a lot easier by blockers on inside runs, I will agree with that. But his football IQ is on another level than most. That's the reason he's played so long: his awareness on the field and his dedication to working hard while preparing to play.
The defense is better with him than without him, end of story.