OVW was initially a member promotion of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from its inception in 1993 until 2000, when it became the primary developmental territory for the World Wrestling Federation, now known as WWE.[3] It remained in this role from 2000 until February 7, 2008, when the promotion became unaffiliated.[4] In November 2011, OVW became the developmental territory for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.[5] This relationship initially ended on November 2, 2013, but on March 19, 2019, the two promotions re-established their developmental agreement.[6]
OVW's television programming originates from the Davis Arena in the Buechel neighborhood of Louisville.[7] Their weekly series, known informally as OVW TV, currently airs locally on WBNA-21 and is streaming online via FITE TV as well as the promotion's YouTube channel. As of 2020, through various syndication and distribution deals, OVW's weekly series is available to view in over 100 million households in the U.S., and to over 700 million worldwide.[8][9][10]
History
Founding and NWA membership (1993–2001)
OVW was founded by Nightmare Danny Davis in 1993 as a National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) member promotion under the name NWA Ohio Valley Championship Wrestling.[11] The company primarily ran shows in the Kentucky and Indiana territories that were formerly run by the United States Wrestling Association, with weekly shows run out of the original Davis Arena in Jeffersonville, Indiana, with larger shows run out of the Louisville Gardens in Louisville, Kentucky.
In 1997, OVW ended its relationship with the NWA and renamed itself Ohio Valley Wrestling. Later that year, Trailer Park Trash became the first OVW Heavyweight Champion by defeating Vic the Bruiser.[12]
On January 16, 1998, OVW taped the first episode of its weekly television series, emanating from the original Davis Arena in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Louisville Gardens ring announcer Dean Hill served as play by play commentator alongside Faye Davis as the Ring Announcer. The show featured an introduction to the company by owner Danny Davis, with a main event of Nick Dinsmore and Rob Conway vs Juan Hurtado and The Assassin #2.[13]
WWF/WWE developmental territory (1999–2008)
In 1999, WWF creative team member Jim Cornette bought a stake in OVW.[citation needed] Cornette, taking on the role of booker and show writer while appearing in an on-camera commentator role, made his first televised appearance on July 10, 1999, and spoke of the changes that were to take place.[citation needed] The first group of developmental talent included future stars such as John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Batista, and Shelton Benjamin.[14]
OVW held its final show at the original Davis Arena on August 21, 2002, headlined by a match between Damaja and Rene Dupree.[15] On September 4, 2002, the company would debut its show at the current Davis Arena at 4400 Shepherdsville Rd in Louisville, KY.[citation needed] On July 10, 2005 Jim Cornette parted ways with WWE and was relieved of his duties overseeing OVW. This resulted from an incident where Cornette reportedly slapped an OVW beginners class student Anthony Carelli (better known as Santino Marella) for having an inappropriate reaction to being confronted by a horror-themed wrestler called The Boogeyman during a match at an OVW live show.[16] The two have not been on positive terms since, even having a confrontation during an event both were performing at as recently as October 2017.[17] Cornette was replaced by WWE Trainer Al Snow on the announce team, and Snow was replaced as creative director/producer by Paul Heyman. This arrangement would be short-lived, however, as WWE would eventually put Heyman in charge of the revival of ECW as a WWE brand. Eventually the booking duties would go to Al Snow, who would have the longest tenure outside of Cornette. Jim Cornette sold his stake in OVW to Davis in 2007.[18]
In 2007, WWE launched Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) in Tampa, Florida to serve as a new developmental territory. OVW and FCW simultaneously trained WWE prospects for a brief period, but on February 7, 2008, WWE announced that it had ended its relationship with OVW, moving all contracted talent to FCW.[4] WWE-contracted talent also made occasional appearances on OVW shows, including a match between John Cena and Lance Cade as the main event for the final Kentucky Kingdom show.[19] However, FCW was dissolved in 2012 and was relaunched as NXT, formerly a reality/scripted television program that existed in its format from 2010 to 2012, replacing the ECWbrand.
Post-WWE years (2008–2018)
In 2009, OVW alumnus John "Bradshaw" Layfield would leave WWE to sponsor OVW.[20] 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 match maker of the company.[21] Cornette, who was also executive producer of Ring of Honor's HDNet show, Ring of Honor Wrestling, announced that ROH talent were going to work in OVW, along with other new and returning OVW members of the roster.[citation needed]
Logo used in the 2010s
On November 7, 2011, it was announced that OVW and Impact Wrestling (then known as TNA Wrestling), had reached an agreement for the former to become an official training and developmental territory.[22] This agreement would end on November 2, 2013, due to a financial dispute.[23]
Gladiator Sports and Al Snow era (2018–2021)
On April 6, 2018, it was announced that professional wrestler Al Snow was purchasing the promotion from Danny Davis, who was planning to retire but didn't want to shut the company down.[24] On September 12, 2018, it was announced that Ohio Valley Wrestling would be merging with Top Notch Boxing, a major boxing promotion in Louisville, to form the Gladiator Sports Network.[25] OVW's first event under the Gladiator Sports banner was the 1000th episode special of its television series on October 10, 2018, from Louisville's Fourth Street Live!. This was OVW's first ever live televised event and it was streamed on FITE TV.[26] The event featured a tournament to crown the vacant OVW championship featuring both current and past stars as well as a tribute to the companies founders.
On October 29, 2018, the brand announced an international expansion of its wrestling school and television product to the European Market labeled OVW-EU.[27] Most of the schools now affiliated with the OVW Brand outside the United States were formally with the "Al Snow Wrestling Academy" brand which was merged with OVW upon the purchase by Gladiator Sports. This expands Ohio Valley Wrestling to a total of 17 wrestling schools worldwide. An on-demand service, which will air past and current editions of the original American brand plus the possibility of a future OVW UK Brand, was also announced. The service would officially launch on the third week of March 2019 at a cost of $4.99 a month.[28]
In February 2019, OVW would announce a partnership with Impact Wrestling to produce an exclusive event for Impact's Global Wrestling Network (GWN). The event, titled Clash in the Bluegrass, would be an Impact One Night Only special held on March 2, 2019, in Davis Arena. The full-length event would stream on GWN on March 9, 2019. Clash in the Bluegrass would mark the first collaboration between OVW and Impact since 2013, and would be the first time the new Davis Arena has ever sold out an event via pre-sale tickets. On March 19, 2019, Impact announced that the company had entered a new partnership with OVW as its developmental territory.[29]
In April 2019, local media in Louisville reported that OVW was developing a formal vocational educational program in professional wrestling through the Al Snow Wrestling Academy, and had applied for accreditation with the Kentucky Department of Education. On September 15, the school was approved by the state of Kentucky, making it the first officially accredited professional wrestling trade school.[30][31]
In October 2020, OVW announced a partnership with Qatar Pro Wrestling.[32] That same month, Game+, a Canadian channel owned by Impact's parent company, Anthem Sports & Entertainment, began syndicating OVW's television program in Canada and the United States.[10]
2021–present
On January 5, 2021, OVW announced that Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio and Craig Greenberg of 21c Museum Hotels were lead investors in a group that purchased a majority interest in the company. Snow continues to run the promotion's day-to-day operations.[33] Later that year, Louisville TV station WDRB reported that OVW was preparing to move into a building in the city's St. Joseph neighborhood that had served as a University of Louisville employee fitness center before being closed in 2019. If zoning approval is obtained, both OVW and the Al Snow Wrestling Academy will operate out of that facility.[34]
It was announced on August 21, 2023, that OVW would be featured in a new docu-series to air on Netflix titled, Wrestlers. The show follows the company throughout their journey and climb back to prominence. The series comes from director Greg Whiteley (Last Chance U, Cheer) and BBC Studios Los Angeles and covers Al Snow's attempt to keep the promotion economically viable.[35] The success of the show led to OVW to enter a strategic partnership with Genvec Ventures, that would ensure them a financial stability. In addition, Ed Payer was named the new CEO of the company.[36]
On January 11, 2024, OVW announced that Mickie James has joined OVW as Creative Director, Head of Female Talent and Executive Producer of their wrestling shows.[37]
On October 30, Tony Gunn threw the Television Championship into the Ohio River. OVW Commissioner Dean Hill announced on OVW TV that because of this, the Television Championship was deactivated.[44]
At the February 15, 2024 OVW Rise event, Mick Foley presented Herro with the Ohio Valley Wrestling Media title, replacing the Kentucky Heavyweight title.[45]
New BrunswickCurrent seriesSize12 in × 6 in30 cm × 15 cmSerial formatABC 123Introduced2011 (2011)AvailabilityIssued byDepartment of Justice and Public Safety, Motor Vehicle BranchManufactured byWaldale Manufacturing Limited, Amherst, Nova Scotia[1]HistoryFirst issued1911 (1911)vte The Canadian province of New Brunswick first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1905. Registrants provided their own licence plates for display …
Bélâbre Entidad subnacional Escudo BélâbreLocalización de Bélâbre en Francia Coordenadas 46°33′05″N 1°09′29″E / 46.551388888889, 1.1580555555556Entidad Comuna de Francia • País Francia • Región Centro • Departamento Indre • Distrito distrito de Le Blanc • Cantón cantón de Bélâbre (chef-lieu) • Mancomunidad Communauté de communes du Val d'AnglinAlcalde René Duplant(2001-2008)Superficie • Total 4…
Leonard Ochtman Información personalNacimiento 21 de octubre de 1854 Zonnemaire (Países Bajos) Fallecimiento 27 de octubre de 1934 Greenwich (Estados Unidos) Nacionalidad NeerlandesaFamiliaCónyuge Mina Fonda Ochtman EducaciónEducado en Liga de estudiantes de arte de Nueva York Información profesionalOcupación Pintor Movimiento Impresionismo Miembro de Academia Estadounidense de las Artes y las Letras Firma [editar datos en Wikidata] Leonard Ochtman (21 de octubre de 1854 - 27 de …
English clergyman and politician This article is about the clergyman. For other people named Stephen Gardiner, see Stephen Gardiner (disambiguation). The Right ReverendStephen GardinerBishop of WinchesterPortrait by Quentin MatsysChurchRoman Catholic / Church of EnglandProvinceCanterburyDioceseWinchesterIn office1531–1551, 1553–1555Other post(s)Lord ChancellorMaster of Trinity Hall, CambridgeOrdersConsecration3 December 1531Personal detailsBorn(1483-07-27)27 July 1483Bury St EdmundsDied12 No…
Innisisri (nama asli Sri Kadaryatmo, 1951, lahir di Semarang dan wafat di Jakarta, 30 September 2009) adalah pemain drum/perkusi dari beberapa kelompok musik Indonesia. Grup yang paling dikenal yang dibantunya adalah Sirkus Barock, Kantata Takwa, dan SWAMI. Innisisri adalah kawan dekat Sawung Jabo.Innisisri membentuk kelompok Kahanan yang memiliki konsep bermusik berupa drum dan perkusi yang dipadu dengan musik tradisional. Rujukan Berita kematian Diarsipkan 2013-06-13 di Wayback Machine. Artike…
1670–1672 painting by Johannes Vermeer For other uses, see Young Woman Seated at a Virginal (disambiguation). Lady Seated at a VirginalArtistJohannes VermeerYearc. 1670–1672[1]MediumOil on canvasMovementDutch Golden Age paintingDimensions51.5 cm × 45.5 cm (20.3 in × 17.9 in)[1]LocationNational Gallery, London Lady Seated at a Virginal (Dutch: Zittende virginaalspeelster), also known as Young Woman Seated at a Virginal, is a genre pa…
Ella HuntHunt saat diwawancarai perannya di Anna and the Apocalypse pada 2018Lahir29 April 1998 (umur 25)Devon,[butuh rujukan] Inggris, Britania RayaPekerjaan Pemeran penyanyi Tahun aktif2011–sekarang Ella Hunt (lahir 29 April 1998)[butuh rujukan] adalah seorang pemeran berkebangsaan Inggris, yang dikenal perannya dalam Intruders (2011), Les Misérables (2012), Robot Overlords (2014),[1] serta pemeran utama dalam Anna and the Apocalypse (2017).[2][…
ماكسميليان روبسبيار (بالفرنسية: Maximilien de Robespierre (Español)) معلومات شخصية الميلاد 6 مايو 1758[1][2][3][4][5] أراس الوفاة 28 يوليو 1794 (36 سنة) [1][2][3][4][5] باريس سبب الوفاة قطع الرأس مكان الدفن سراديب الموتى في باريس مواطنة فرن…
The Little Long March was a 600-kilometre (370 mi), two-month withdrawal by left-wing members of the Kuomintang and the National Revolutionary Army up the Gan River and down to the coast, subsequent to the successful mutiny and insurrection at Nanchang on August 1, 1927. Withdrawal of liberated troops Facing a counter-attack from Right-Kuomintang (Chiang Kai-shek-affiliated Nationalists) regiments moving up from Jiujiang, the Revolutionary Committee—basically Zhou Enlai, Li Lisan and thei…
Cultural rule that prohibits incest This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Incest taboo – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Part of a series on theAnthropology of kinship Basic concepts Family Lineage Affinity Consangui…
Phenotype of the typical form of a species as it occurs in nature For the cultured seafood company, see Wildtype (company). Unlike culinary bananas, wild-type bananas have numerous large, hard seeds. The wild type (WT) is the phenotype of the typical form of a species as it occurs in nature. Originally, the wild type was conceptualized as a product of the standard[1] normal allele at a locus, in contrast to that produced by a non-standard, mutant allele. Mutant alleles can vary to a grea…
1957 film by Herman Hoffman This article is about the 1957 film. For the 2014 film, see The Invisible Boy (2014 film). For other uses, see Invisible Boy. The Invisible BoyFilm poster by Reynold BrownDirected byHerman HoffmanWritten byEdmund Cooper (story)Cyril HumeProduced byNicholas NayfackStarringRichard EyerPhilip AbbottDiane BrewsterHarold J. StoneCinematographyHarold E. WellmanEdited byJohn FaureMusic byLes BaxterDistributed byMetro-Goldwyn MayerRelease date October 1957 (1957-10)…
Acha SeptriasaAcha pada Festival Film Indonesia 2015LahirJelita Septriasa1 September 1989 (umur 34)Jakarta, IndonesiaKebangsaanIndonesiaNama lainAcha SeptriasaAlmamaterLimkokwing University of Creative TechnologyPekerjaanAktrispenyanyimodelpresenterTahun aktif2003—sekarangSuami/istriVicky Kharisma (m. 2016)Anak1Karier musikGenrePopInstrumenVokalLabelWarner Music IndonesiaArtis terkait Anto Hoed Melly Goeslaw Irwansyah Jelita Septriasa (lahir 1 Sept…
Research and development unit of The Walt Disney Company Not to be confused with Imagineering (company). Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc.WDI headquarters in Glendale, CaliforniaTrade nameWalt Disney ImagineeringTypeSubsidiaryIndustryEngineering, architecture designFoundedDecember 16, 1952; 70 years ago (1952-12-16)HeadquartersGrand Central Creative Campus, Glendale, California, United StatesKey peopleBarbara Bouza (President)Bruce Vaughn (Chief Creative…
Mortgage insurance company This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. (August 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) This article relie…
807 Pasar Kebayoran Lama Halte TransjakartaPenampakan halte Pasar Kebayoran Lama dari atas skywalk Kebayoran Lama.LetakKotaJakarta SelatanDesa/kelurahanKebayoran Lama Utara, Kebayoran LamaKodepos12240AlamatJalan Teuku Nyak ArifKoordinat6°14′18″S 106°47′00″E / 6.238444°S 106.783209°E / -6.238444; 106.783209Koordinat: 6°14′18″S 106°47′00″E / 6.238444°S 106.783209°E / -6.238444; 106.783209Desain HalteStruktur BRT, median j…
Country and cajun music duo Rusty & DougRusty and Doug Kershaw, 1950sBackground informationOriginLouisiana, United StatesGenresCountry, bluegrassYears active1953–1959, 1961–1963Labels Feature Hickory RCA Victor Mercury Princess Past membersDoug KershawRusty Kershaw Rusty & Doug were a country music and cajun music duo composed of Doug Kershaw (born January 24, 1936) and his younger brother, Rusty Kershaw (February 2, 1938 – October 23, 2001). The two recorded for Hickory Records be…