Hamilton’s OVW TV #1095 07.28.2020 Review

Ohio Valley Wrestling has had a storied past. Created in 1996, it was perhaps the late 90s/early 2000s that brought OVW to prominence, as the WWE’s developmental territory du jour, churning out a LOT of future stars. Brock Lesnar? John Cena? Randy Orton? Batista? All passed through OVW with varying degrees of kind words coming out the other side. In the current day, the OVW roster’s had some flirtations with the “mainstream”, with Corey Storm having appeared on 205 Live, while Tony Gunn and the Kings Ransom tag team appeared on the most recent Gut Check segments for Impact.

The OVW-WWE connection ended in 2008, and while OVW has continued on as a developmental territory for Impact Wrestling (on two occasions), it’s fair to say that the glory days are behind them. Still, as you can see from the title, they’ve produced almost 1100 episodes of weekly TV shows, and while there may not be the clamour around the product there once was, that’s still quite some going. It’s a show I’d been watching the archived YouTube live streams of when they used to run at the Davis Arena – but more to keep an eye on new names they were featuring….

During lockdown, OVW did continue to create content – originally in the form of clip shows with the hosts coming in via video conference – before they returned to their home at Davis Arena in Louisville, KV to film the same segments in-person. In addition to airing on local WNBA21 TV and on cable through YouToo America, the shows would still end up being released via the promotion’s YouTube channel (alongside a second, Saturday morning show called Overdrive, which seems excessive, but if it works… it works), while their recent expansions that added Amazon Prime Video and Roku to their existing Pivotshare VOD service offer more options, even if they are a little muddled in terms of what’s available where and when, especially considering that on this show, everything gets plugged.

While other states have opened up to the point where wrestling in front of crowds is a thing, Kentucky remains closed… so to resume live events, OVW had to travel 12 miles across the Ohio river and across state lines, to Jeffersonville, Indiana and a building suitably called The ArenA. If you’ve gone deep into the IWTV library you’ll recognise the building and it’s wacky lucha-inspired artwork as the recent venue for IWA:MS, along with other promotions like Paradigm Pro.

Quick Results

Cash Flo & Big Zo pinned D’Mone Solavino & AJ Daniels in 6:20 (**¼)
Dustin Jackson pinned Drew Hernandez in 9:00 (**¾)
Corey Storm defeated OVW Rush Champion Dimes by disqualification in 8:10 (through commercial) (***)

We join the show “in progress” with OVW Commissioner Dean Hill plugging the recent broadcast expansions which have made OVW global. The lighting here is very wacky, with Dean somehow being over-exposed yet in shadow at the same time. He calls out the OVW locker room as we cut to the titles.

Now the locker room’s out, Dean addresses the past. Specifically, “March 11, 2020, a horrible thing came from China and rocked our nation.” March 11 was the day after OVW’s last TV tapings, for those wondering, since America was already a thousand cases deep at that point. I feared this was going to morph into the Jim Cornette post-9/11 speech that did the rounds, especially since it got chants of “USA” from the crowd… but Dean quickly changes track.

He addresses the title pictures in OVW – and says that since they were shut down, the 30-day rule was exempted, despite “some in the roster” calling to harass him to strip champions. He claims that as OVW have five champions (yes), they’re not going to have five tournaments, because it’d be too much. Instead, for the most part, they’re retaining champions and top contenders, and will defend titles on a weekly basis… except for the OVW Anarchy champion, which was stripped since Amon had barely been around this year. So his belt’s now vacated, and they’re doing a “hardcore weapons rumble” next week to crown a new champion. Can you tell that belt’s a throwback to the Attitude era plunder matches?

Tonight’s title match is for the Rush championship. That’s OVW’s sort-of take on the X-Division – and their newest title, given that the TV title was deactivated last year after it was tossed into a river. The current champion, Dimes, is upset that he’s having to defend against his former friend and tag team partner Corey Storm… and then exits stage left. Current OVW champion Tony Gunn enters the ring and takes the mic. He doesn’t care who he has to wrestle, and threatens to take out Dean Hill if he keeps going for him.

OVW’s doing a show at a whiskey distillery? That’s.. Different.

After adverts, we’re backstage with Melvin Maximus being convinced by his other half Mrs. Marvelous to join the weapons rumble. He’s hesitant, so she walks out…

Ten minutes in, we finally hit live action. Commentary comes from Bryan Kennison, Steven Johnson and Shannon the Dude.

Legacy Of Brutality (Big Zo & Cash Flo) vs. AJ Daniels & D’Mone Solavino

This is a non-title match, and we’re meant to believe the champions have been living in cages during lockdown. Shannon on commentary is playing the easy heat route, saying that “this arena smells the way it looks.” What, dark?

We get going with Solavino and Zo, and thankfully OVW’s ditched the disco lights that they’d taken to flashing on the ring during matches. Solavino overshoots Zo with a crossbody, leaping over him before crashing and burning before eventually catching Zo with a spear. Daniels tags in to hit a shoulder block, but he’s taken into the champions’ corner as Cash Flo tags in.

Flo chops Daniels, who baseball slides to the outside to start a Benny Hill chase in the dimness. Back inside, AJ trips Flo and comes in with some kicks, before Solavino came in to help with a double sliding clothesline for a near-fall. Cash goes back to chops though, stinging Solavino in the corner, keeping him there as Zo tagged in to splash him some more.

Flo slams Zo onto Solavino on the mat, but Daniels breaks up the cover, before Flo went to choke Solavino in the ropes. There’s a bunch of outside stuff that we barely see because of the lighting, before Solavino’s sandwiched with splashes. They take their time as Zo slams him, before Flo went up for a frog splash… and that’s it for the win. Pretty one sided stuff, which you’d expect against a makeshift team. **¼

The Gilpinator vs. Adam Revolver

The Gilpinator is wearing a JOB Squad tee. I think you can see where this is going to go. Meanwhile, Adam Revolver’s got the social distancing gimmick, as he’s got a tape measure for distance and a bottle of spray. Cheap heat.

Revolver cuts a heel promo on the crowd, saying this might be “the lowest point of his career.” He doesn’t want to wrestle because of the distancing… and says that the country should be shut down. Gilpinator talks him into a fight, but he just gets sprayed in the eyes with the “disinfectant” as Revolver leaves. So this technically wasn’t a match?

Officials come out to help Gilpinator to the back as they cut to ads…

… Mrs Marvelous is still trying to talk Melvin Maximus into the weapons battle royal. She tries to guilt trip him by saying that taking a bit of Amon’s past would be revenge, given the angle they had between them earlier in the year.

Dustin Jackson vs. Drew Hernandez

Hernandez got the “already in the ring” treatment, as Shannon on commentary bragged about being Jessie Godderz’s new manager. I mean, that’s a weird flex, but whatever works. We open with a handshake, before a tie-up took Jackson into the corner. Shoulder tackles follow as Hernandez bulled through Jackson, who responds with a standing STO to take Hernandez down… as things just felt a little staccato. A back rake from Hernandez antagonises Jackson, who fought out of a side headlock before he came off the ropes with a clothesline.

A splash keeps Hernandez in the corner, but the favour’s returned as the pair trade lariats. There’s an armdrag too out of Hernandez, but he can’t follow up as Jackson hits a slam, then a dropkick as the former tag champion almost took the win. Hernandez punts his way back in, but misses a leaping elbow drop… he recovers to chop Jackson in the corner, but he takes too long to follow up and ends up taking another dropkick.

Jackson figures things out and heads up top, but he’s caught as Hernandez press slams him down a la Ric Flair, before a three point stance led to a near-fall… with Dustin grabbing the bottom rope in the nick of time. A chinlock keeps Jackson down, before things degenerated into some clubbing… Jackson ends up getting lifted onto the apron, then comes back inside into a German suplex before he countered another three point stance with a dropkick. Hernandez rolls outside… and ends up getting leapt onto in the aisle. Jackson makes it back inside, while Drew took a little longer, eventually beating the count at the last possible second.

From there, Jackson dumps Hernandez with an ushigoroshi, then stopped to go up top for a match-winning frog splash. At nine minutes, this was pretty long by OVW TV standards, and pretty solid too – even if the lack of a clear good and bad guy made it tough for the crowd to invest in too much. **¾

After more commercials, we’re taken back to March’s Saturday Night Special, where Corey Storms & Dimes had won a “three wishes” ladder match. Of course, Dimes’ wish was the ruiner as he demanded to be handed the Rush division title. Apparently he had to hand it over or he’d be fired, and so ends that tag team.

OVW Rush Championship: Corey Storm vs. Dimes (c)

This was Storm’s rematch for the title he’d never technically lost… and Dimes has managed to get his ring gear after throwing the temper tantrum at the top of the show.

We get going with Dimes powdering to the outside as he tried to stall out Storm. Wash, rinse, repeat… and eventually Storm gives chase, suckering Dimes into an elbow drop that misses, before a slingshot sunset flip drew a two-count. Dimes heads to the apron after getting kicked in the face, and ducks as Corey faked out a dive.

A handspring from Dimes comes to nought as Storm keeps going for pins, before an atomic drop on Dimes almost turned into a spinebuster. Storm keeps on top of him with a PK as they cut to commercial… and we return with the pair fighting around ringside. Storm breaks the count-out, then misses a kick as he ends up connecting with the side of the ring as he was aiming for Dimes’ head.

While Storm recovers, I can’t help but notice that the only thing that’s properly lit in the venue appears to be a toilet, since someone forgot to close the door after having used it. Dimes rolls back in to try and get the win, but instead hits a chop block as Storm hobbled back into the ring. From there, Dimes goes for the knee, repeatedly stomping on it before a low dropkick took Storm back down.

Dimes tries to force a submission with a toe hold, but gets pushed away. A right hand keeps Storm down, but Dimes goes for a handspring cutter and ends up getting knocked away with elbows as Storm finally lands that spinebuster from earlier. Dimes tries to beg for forgiveness, but ends up getting caught with a superkick as Storm wasn’t in the mood for making up… and with Storm going back up top in search of the finish, Dimes grabs the referee as Jay Bradley runs out and shoves Storm off the top rope, Ah yes, Bradley was fired as part of that Three Wishes match, so they’re running with the “he doesn’t work here!” angle… it’s the obvious DQ to a match that was bubbling up nicely until the run-in. ***

After the match, Dimes hugged Bradley, thinking he’d helped him… Bradley raises Dimes’ hand and leaves the ring, as the show comes to a close.

6.6

The final score: review Average

The 411

For an hour-long show, OVW is as meat-and-potatoes as it gets. While there were clear teething issues in the new arena, with the lighting being a massive issue, this was as straight-forward a restart show as you’ll get without the reset button actually getting pushed. They (re) introduced the key characters to some degree, exposed storylines and future direction, but there’s only so much you can do in an hour.