Ohio Valley Wrestling
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| Acronym | OVW |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Style | Sports Entertainment Professional wrestling |
| Headquarters | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Founder(s) | Danny Davis |
| Owner(s) | Danny Davis |
| Formerly | NWA Ohio Valley Championship Wrestling |
Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American developmental professional wrestling promotion [1] based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW was initially a member promotion of the National Wrestling Alliance from its inception in 1997 until 2000, when it became the primary developmental territory for the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE). OVW remained in this role from 2000 until 2008.[2] The promotion was unaffiliated from February 7, 2008 until November 2011, when it became the official and current developmental territory for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, run by owner Danny Davis.[3] As of December 2011, over 100 OVW alumni have appeared in WWE.[4]
Contents |
History [edit]
Jim Cornette was head booker of OVW for a period before being fired by WWE for slapping a student, Anthony Carelli.[5] He was replaced by Paul Heyman, who booked OVW until being called up to be the booker of the ECW brand. Greg Gagne was supposed to be booker after Heyman, but his knowledge of OVW was limited so the booking was extended to also include Al Snow and Danny Davis. Gagne was later released from the company, leaving booking to Snow and Davis.
On February 7, 2008, WWE announced that it had ended its relationship with OVW as a developmental territory, moving all contracted talent to Florida Championship Wrestling.[6] However, on September 23, 2009, OVW announced via a press release from WWE that Senior EVP John Laurinaitis visited and scouted OVW wrestlers and that WWE will take "a much more active role in recruiting OVW developed talent". OVW and WWE maintained a close relationship as throughout 2008 and 2009 WWE-contracted talent would make occasional appearances on OVW shows and OVW talent has remained a large part of WWE's recruiting classes with eight members of the roster being signed to the WWE since February 2008 and many more being used on WWE programming as extras or enhancement talent. On February 22 and 23, 2010 the WWE in conjunction with OVW held a two-day tryout camp for independent wrestlers. It was the first event of this nature held outside Florida Championship Wrestling since FCW became WWE's sole developmental territory.
On September 8, 2010, in what was dubbed the company's season premiere, Danny Davis, who himself was making his return for the first time in over a year, announced that Jim Cornette was returning to his role as head booker of the company.[7] Cornette, who is also executive producer of Ring of Honor's HD Net show, stated that Ring of Honor (ROH) talent as well as talent from other companies were going to work in OVW along with the current crop of stars and returning OVW stars in an effort to return the company to its previous reputation as the best independent wrestling company to get recruited from. A similar claim was made by Cornette during the announcement of the ROH HDnet program moving its tapings to the OVW/Davis arena.
On November 7, 2011, it was announced that OVW and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) had reached an agreement for OVW to become TNA's official training and developmental territory.[8] TNA's Director of Talent Relations Al Snow would take over/return as booker of the company replacing the outgoing Jim Cornette.
Television [edit]
| Ohio Valley Wrestling TV | |
|---|---|
| Format | Sports entertainment Professional wrestling |
| Created by | Danny Davis |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 716 (as of May 11, 2013)[9] |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | WKYI-CD WKYT-TV WOBZ-LD Online[9] WBNA-21 |
| Original airing | 1997–present |
OVW currently airs a 60-minute television program Saturdays in the Louisville area on WBNA-21 at 1:00 PM and Wednesdays at 9:00 PM, after WWE Main Event, and on WOBZ-LD in London, Kentucky at 9:00 p.m. OVW also has streaming video via their website ovwrestling.com, where new episodes are streamed on Thursdays following the previous Wednesday's television taping. The television shows originate from the Davis Arena in the Buechel neighborhood of Louisville.[4][9]
Current champions [edit]
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Date won | Won from |
|---|---|---|---|
| OVW Heavyweight Championship | Jamin Olivencia | March 2, 2013 | Doug Williams |
| OVW Television Championship | Randy Royal | May 11, 2013 | Rockstar Spud |
| OVW Southern Tag Team Championship | The Coalition (Crimson and Jason Wayne) |
April 3, 2013 | The Gutcheckers (Alex Silva and Sam Shaw) |
| OVW Women's Championship | Trina Thompson | April 17, 2013 | Epiphany |
Defunct championships [edit]
| Championship | Final champion | Date won | Won from | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OVW Light Heavyweight Championship | Chris Michaels | April 12, 2000 | Sean Casey | Retired on March 1, 2001. |
| OVW Hardcore Championship | Randy Orton | May 5, 2001 | Flash Flanagan | Retired on May 5, 2001. |
Roster [edit]
Male wrestlers [edit]
| Ring name | Real name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Adam Revolver | Jared Pridgin | |
| Alex Silva | Alexandre Freitas | Also works in TNA. |
| Chris Silvio | Christopher Silvio | |
| Cliff Compton | Cliff Compton | Also works in ROH. |
| Crimson | Tommy Mercer | Also works in TNA. OVW Southern Tag Team Champion[10] |
| Dylan Bostic | Dylan Bostic | |
| Eddie Diamond | Unknown | |
| Espy | Brandon Espinosa | |
| Flash Flanagan | Christopher Kindred | |
| James Thomas | Tom Wabs | |
| Jamin Olivencia | Jamin Olivencia | OVW Heavyweight Champion |
| Jason Wayne | Jason Light Wayne | OVW Southern Tag Team Champion |
| Jay Bradley | Brad Bradley | Also works in TNA. |
| Jessie Godderz | Jessie Godderz | Also works in TNA.[11] |
| Joe Coleman | Joe Coleman | |
| Johnny Spade | Josh Adamson | |
| Michael Hayes | Michael Hayes | |
| Mohamad Ali Vaez | Ali Vaez | Inactive; hasn't appeared in over 30 days |
| Paredyse | James Long | |
| Randy Royal | Unknown | |
| Randy Terrez | Randy Gutierrez | |
| Raul LaMotta | Aaron LaMotta | |
| Rob Terry | Rob Terry | Also works in TNA.[12] |
| Rockstar Spud | James Curtin | Also works in TNA. OVW Television Champion |
| Rudy Switchblade | Eric Matlock | |
| Ryan Howe | Ryan Howe | |
| Sam Shaw | Sam Shaw | Also works in TNA. |
| Tony Gunn | Anthony Gunn |
Female wrestlers [edit]
| Ring name | Real name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Epiphany | Devorah Frost | [13] |
| Hannah Blossom | Lucy Knott | Also works in TNA.[14] |
| Heidi Lovelace | Dori Prange | [15] |
| Holly Blossom | Kelly Knott | Also works in TNA.[16] |
| Jessie Belle | Jessie Belle McCoy | [17] |
| Josette Bynum | Josette Bynum | Valet of Flash Flanagan[18] |
| Lovely Lylah | Kristina Saeger | |
| Nikki St.John | Unknown | |
| Taeler Hendrix | Taeler Conrad | Also works in TNA.[19] |
| Trina | Unknown | OVW Women's Champion |
Other on-air personnel [edit]
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Bobbie Bardot | Valet of Eddie Diamond/ occasional wrestler |
| Brittany DeVore | Valet of The Mobile Homers |
| Timmy Danger | Manager of Eddie Diamond/ Co-host of "The Mixtape" |
| Dean Hill | Color commentator |
| Gilbert Corsey | Play-by-play Commentator |
| Michael Titus | Color commentator/ occasional ring announcer |
| Mo Green | Manager of Chris Silvio |
| Terry Boddie | Ring Announcer & Interviewer |
Referees [edit]
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Chris Sharpe | Senior Referee |
| Jordan Barker | Referee |
| Josh Ashcraft | Referee |
Training Staff [edit]
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Al Snow | Psychology/Advanced Methodology (TNA Director of Talent Relations) |
| Danny Davis | Owner of OVW |
| Doug Williams | Occasional wrestler Also works in TNA |
| Nick Dinsmore | Beginners Class |
| Rip Rogers | Head Trainer/Advanced Class |
| Trailer Park Trash (Frank Miller) | Intermediate Class |
References [edit]
- ^ http://www.ovwrestling.com/about
- ^ http://www.1wrestling.com/2008/02/07/wwe-pulls-developmental-deal-from-ovw/
- ^ http://ovwrestling.com/articles/20111107/tna-impact-wrestling-and-ovw-sign-developmental-deal
- ^ a b Marshall, Anne (December 7, 2011). "Learning the ropes". Louisville Eccentric Observer. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
- ^ "Santino Marella's profile". OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com. Retrieved 2009-04-14. "Anthony Carelli was the student that Jim Cornette slapped"
- ^ "WWE to cease affiliation with Ohio Valley Wrestling". World Wrestling Entertainment. February 7, 2008.
- ^ Caldwell, James (2010-09-09). "ROH/OVW News: Jim Cornette announced as new OVW matchmaker; "working relationship" announced between ROH & OVW". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
- ^ Caldwell, James (2011-11-07). "TNA News: TNA announces official training program with WWE's former developmental territory". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
- ^ a b c "Streaming Television Episodes". Ohio Valley Wrestling. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
- ^ "Crimson's TNA Profile". TNA Wrestling. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
- ^ "Jessie Godderz's TNA profile". Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
- ^ "Rob Terry's TNA profile". Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
- ^ "Epiphany's OVW page".
- ^ "Hannah Blossom's OVW page".
- ^ "Heidi Lovelace's OVW page".
- ^ "Holly Blossom's OVW page".
- ^ "Jessie Belle's OVW page".
- ^ "Josette Bynum's OVW page".
- ^ "Taeler Hendrix's OVW page".
External links [edit]
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