Ohio Valley Wrestling – Episode 792
October 24th, 2014
Davis Arena
Louisville, Kentucky
http://www.ovwrestling.com/tv/792
Disclaimer/Introduction: Taylor C. Mitchell here (@LuchaNerd on Twitter) and I have been writing reviews of Smackdown for Voices of Wrestling for a little over 8 months. It started off as a really cool/fun thing I got to do for a well-known wrestling website. Well, as anyone who follows the WWE knows, lately the product has been pretty awful. In addition to the product being awful Smackdown has become even more irrelevant than it always was. In my boredom I decided to seek out different wrestling products to review for VOW. I wanted something completely different with a completely unique roster. I didn’t want to be familiar with much of anything so I could sink my teeth into discovering new talents, getting excited about feuds that haven’t been done to death, and open my eyes to a new product.
Ohio Valley Wrestling has done that for me in spades. There is a lot of good stuff happening in Kentucky that no one knows about. Now, as a disclaimer to anyone reading this, I watched OVW episodes 788-791 to familiarize myself with the product before I began reviewing it regularly. So, if it appears as if I don’t know about anything that has happened before OVW Ep. 788 or don’t type someone’s name properly then it’s true and/or OVW needs to update their roster page. However, after watching 5 episodes of OVW TV I have to say I am excited about writing about wrestling again. All OVW TV episodes are posted on OVWrestling.com every Thursday and are FREE to watch. Their “Saturday Night Specials” which are akin to their monthly “PPV’s” are available on their site for a low price of $.99. This product is easily accessible and they are nice one-hour weekly episodes that are easy and fun to digest.
Episode 792:
We kick the show off with OVW commentator/interviewer, Gilbert Corsey, calling Frank Miller aka Trailer Park Trash out to the ring. Gilbert breaks down the fourth wall and tells Trailer Park Trash that he wants to talk to “the man” Frank Miller. The fans are giving Miller a pretty warm welcome. TPT is a veteran of OVW and has been with OVW since their inception. TPT has been a trainer for OVW’s school and occasionally wrestles for them as well.
Gilbert allows Frank to talk about why he has been away from the business for the last few months. Frank goes on to tell the fans about his father passing away and how close he was to his father. Frank fights back tears and thanks the fans for their support and talks about how this was so overbearing he almost stepped away from the business altogether.
Michael Titus enters the ring and interrupts Frank Miller’s promo about his dad. Michael Titus is the ultimate heel manager of OVW and runs “Titus Enterprises” which is akin to the “Heenan Family” or “Dangerous Alliance”.
Michael Titus comes out to tell TPT that he is wasting precious TV time airing his dirty laundry and to get over his dad’s death. Titus goes on to tell TPT that TPT is the reason his father died and that TPT was even too cheap to spend money on a good quality casket, that TPT buried his dad in a ratty old shoebox. The fans are livid and hot for this segment. It shows how over TPT is with the OVW crowd. Danny Davis and the rest of the babyface locker room come out and kick Titus out of the ring.
This was a very hot segment, but the making a storyline out of someone who really died is a very thin line to toe. This has been done for years upon years in pro wrestling and it can either turn out to give a heel the right kind of sleazy heat to put them over or it can turn out to be cheesy, and “edgy” for the sake of being “edgy”. It is tough to tell where this feud will end up, but I’ll reserve my judgment until the feud breathes some and I can see the payoff.
After a commercial break OVW owner, Danny Davis, is in the ring addressing the fans about what had just happened between TPT and Michael Titus. We then pan to the commentating table with Gilbert Corsey and another gentleman (there were no graphics telling me who he was, Gilbert didn’t mention his name, and he is not on the OVW roster page) Gilbert goes on to say that it is alright with him if we never see Titus again.
Dapper Dan vs. Robbie Walker: Dapper Dan is a guy with a ton of potential and has come a long way in a short amount of time. Dapper Dan is already one of the most impressive OVW roster members I have watched and he just completed the OVW Beginner’s Class this past January. Dapper Dan is an old timey throwback wrestler with a handlebar mustache. He stands about 6’4” with a bulky frame. Tonight he is wrestling Robbie Walker who I kind of picture as the Jerry Lynn of OVW. Walker is the ultimate babyface with sort of a rocker gimmick.
This is the third match of this feud, and the “rubber match”. Walker has been battling a knee injury in recent weeks. Dapper Dan gains control early on with some clubbing blows to Walker’s chest whilst holding Walker in a Dragon Suplex position. Dan follows this up with some stiff boots in the corner. Dan then delivers an ura-nage back breaker. “Primetime” Robbie Walker gains the advantage and goes for his signature superkick only to have Dapper Dan counter and go for his signature German Suplex, Walker counters the suplex into a roll up for a two count. Walker then goes for another superkick and Dan counters this one into a schoolboy with a handful of tights for the win. Post-match Walker hits Dan with a superkick as Dan is celebrating his win. ***
In the back, we have Rump Thump talking to one of the doctors of OVW about his ongoing knee injury. The doctor is happy to report Rump Thump has made a lot of progress. The Body Guy interrupts and insults the doctor by asking him if he is a “real doctor.” Rump Thump steps in and tells The Body Guy that the only reason he is meeting with a doctor is because Body Guy hurt his knee in their last match. The Body Guy tells Rump Thump that maybe after he is cleared to wrestle he will give him a rematch, but until then to shut up. The doctor gets in Body Guy’s face and tells him Rump Thump is cleared to wrestle. Rump Thump tells Body Guy that he will see him in the ring.
The No Class Connection, Leon Shelley and Dionte, come out to rap and tell people how tough they are. Former Television Champion Michael Hayes comes out tells the No Class Connection that he speaks for everyone in this building and that no one cares about what they have to say. Hayes tells TNCC that if they want to make a name for themselves they need to do it in the ring, because no one cares what they are singing about. TNCC tells Michael Hayes he better get on his knees and beg before they put out a man with only one leg. Hayes then tells TNCC that he is the only dog that protects this yard. Hayes this proceeds to take out both members of TNCC and gets on the mic and calls out current Television Champion, Chris Silvio. Hayes says that he is here and ready for Chris Silvio to give him his rematch. Hayes tells Silvio that he will get his title back.
Michael Hayes is a former member of the United States military and lost his leg in Iraq. I absolutely love and respect the way OVW presents him as a one legged wrestler. To use a phrase Joe and Rich use on the flagship podcast of this site, WWE would beat their fans over the head with the subtlety hammer when Zach Gowen wrestled. They would constantly go on and on about how he is an underdog because he is wrestling with one leg, but OVW mentions Hayes’ one leg much in the same light Good Ol’ Jim Ross might mention a wrestler used to play Division I football for Oklahoma. OVW just presents it as part of his story. With that said, it’s unfortunate that Michael Hayes shares the same name as an already famous legendary wrestler, but he is a very good wrestler and passionate on the microphone. One of the more impressive OVW roster members.
We then get a backstage promo from Chris Silvio, which must have been pre-taped since Michael Hayes just mentioned Silvio being at home. Silvio cuts a really good passionate promo about how he is on top of the mountain in OVW. Silvio says he ain’t no war hero like Michael Hayes, so he must be the villain. And Silvio says he will play his part, and if you pay your money, you come see him defend his belt in Elizabethtown, KY, but ol’ Silvio ain’t going nowhere. Not without the TV title.
David Lorenze and Raul LaMotta vs.TerreMex (The Mexicutioner and Randy Terrez): David Lorenze is making his television wrestling debut on this episode of OVW TV. Lorenze was trained by Nick Dinsmore, (who was recently interviewed by the Shake Them Ropes podcast) back in 2012 and was handpicked by veteran Raul LaMotta to be his next tag team partner. LaMotta has been picking different partners on a regular basis at house shows and TV. Before the match Raul kind of slaps Lorenze around a little bit telling him was to do. TerreMex make their way to the ring too much fanfare. Raul shoves Lorenze into the referee to start the match. The Mexicutioner and Terrez take turns working over Lorenze’s arm and then double team him with a drop toehold by Mexicutioner into Terrez’ knee. Terrez goes to hit the ropes and Raul grabs him by the hair and drags him down. Raul tags himself in with a stiff hard slap to David Lorenze. Raul then gives Terrez a short armed clothesline and gives Lorenze another stiff hard slap to tag himself out. Lorenze enters the ring and collapses on Terrez for a two count. Lorenze then climbs to the second rope for an elbow drop and misses. Mexicutioner gives David Lorenze a spine buster. This sets Raul off as Raul drops from the apron and walks to the back abandoning his partner. TerreMex then hits David Lorenze with their tag team finisher for the win. **
This storyline between Raul and Lorenze has a real interesting dynamic as they are both heels, but David Lorenze is playing the young lion role, to steal a term from Japanese wrestling, where the veteran doesn’t necessarily respect the rookie, and tries to show him tough love. This provides David the opportunity to sell his butt off in the tag team match as a sympathetic heel.
The doctor is in the back now with Mohamed Ali Vaez talking to Ali about his recent concussion issues that he has run into recently. The doctor tells Ali that his career is over. The doctor tells Ali he understands what Ali is going through because he used to be a wrestler trained at the Power Plant by Dusty Rhodes. Ali stands up and walks away screaming that he doesn’t care where the doctor has been and that Ali feels he has wasted 10 years of his life. As Ali hits the doorway he runs into the Pastor of Disaster and he tells Ali that no matter what bad news Ali receives that through faith all things are possible.
The Pastor of Disaster then makes his way to the ring holding Ryan Howe’s guitar. PoD tells the fans that he has a good word for them today. PoD tells the fans that the word is humility and it takes a man to stand before someone he has wronged and tell them he is sorry. PoD asks Ryan Howe to join him in the ring and it is safe because PoD asked the Altar Boy and The Apostle to stay backstage. “Wrestling’s Rock star” Ryan Howe makes his way to the ring. Howe appears to have come a long way since being a contestant on the most recent season of WWE Tough Enough. Howe comes out with his guitar case and PoD’s “good book”, as both men has stolen each other’s signature props. Howe tells PoD to put the guitar in the case first. PoD then puts the guitar in the case and asks Howe for his good book back. Howe throws the book to PoD and grabs his guitar case. The Congregation comes out and beats down Ryan Howe. PoD steals the guitar back as the Wild Boyz hit the ring to even the odds for Ryan Howe. Howe comes out of this segment with the good book, and PoD with the guitar.
Body Guy w/ Big John vs Rump Thump: Body Guy is a sleazy heel whose name is tongue in cheek as Body Guy does not have a good body. Rump Thump comes out and appears to be a combination of Koko B. Ware and the Junkyard Dog. Body Guy begins the match by immediately going after Rump Thump’s injured knee, but Thump is able to escape. After a series of back and forth arm drags and arm bars Body Guy goes for the Figure Four Leg lock on Thump’s knee, but Thump breaks out of it and hits Body Guy with the Rump Thump. Yea, I guess his finishing move shares the same name as himself. Rump Thump picks up the win and post-match Body Guy and Big John beat Thump down appearing to re-injure his knee.
In the back we have Senior Official John Ashcraft talking to the rookie locker room about how they need to listen to him to get somewhere until Timmy Danger, another referee, interrupts and hits Ashcraft with a steel chair declaring “Class dismissed.” ½*
Shiloh Jonze vs. Melvin Maximus: Shiloh Jonze is one ½ of the OVW Southern Tag Team Champions. Maximus recently lost the OVW Heavyweight Championship to Cliff Compton. Cliff Compton joins the commentary team for the match ahead of their match at the next Saturday Night Special. The most entertaining thing about this match was Compton’s commentary. Maximus is a slow and plodding wrestler who looks no better in the ring or with his body than Warlord did in 1990. Shiloh Jonze steals Compton’s OVW title to use it on Maximus. Compton steals his title back and chases Jonze into the ring. Compton attempts to hit Jonze with the title, but hits Maximus as Jonze ducks. Compton shrugs his shoulders as to not care if he accidentally hit Maximus. ¼*
Final Thoughts:
The main event scene of OVW is pretty boring and unfortunately takes time away from the undercard/mid-card talents that appear to have potentially great futures in this business. It shows in the match ratings as the show goes on. OVW has a ton of potential and some talented wrestlers on their roster, but no one will ever care or pay attention until OVW does some necessary things like updating their roster page, marketing that their TV is free online every single week, and shedding some of the boring wrestlers who are occupying the top of the card.
