Before there Was NXT and the Performance Center, there was Ohio Valley Wrestling. Ohio Valley Wrestling, better known as OVW was founded by “Nightmare” Danny Davis, not to be confused with the former WWE referee Dangerous Danny Davis in Louisville, Kentucky. Through Variety, we learned today that a docuseries by Greg Whitely who produced and directed Cheer and Last Chance U titled Wrestlers will debut on Netflix on September 13th.
Initially OVW was founded in 1993 and was a member of the NWA through 2001. In 1999 Jim Cornette bought a piece of OVW and took on the role as booker, show writer and on-camera commentator. OVW was a developmental territory for the WWE from 1999 through 2008. The first group of developmental talent to come through OVW was historic as it is well noted that group included John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar and Batista. In 2007 WWE launched Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) which would evolve into NXT thus ending their relationship with OVW in 2008.
The synopsis of the new show Wrestlers is: Once a proud finishing school for aspiring pro wrestlers, the gym has since hit hard times. Acclaimed wrestler Al Snow clings to an old school wrestling philosophy with a heavy emphasis on storytelling, but in spite of the love of a few diehard fans, the gym struggles week to week to stay relevant enough to keep its doors open. Things have become so dire financially that Al has to sell a majority stake to a group of local businessmen including Matt Jones, the most popular radio personality in the state of Kentucky. Matt and the new ownership group have infused the struggling gym with much-needed cash but it still operates at a staggering loss. The new owners have given Al the summer to turn things around. Wrestlers chronicles the efforts Al and his band of aspiring wrestlers make as they struggle with their personal ambitions and each other while they attempt to come together to save this historic gym.
It seems that there will be a huge emphasis on Al Snow and the push from new investors to make OVW profitable and make it happen. Snow, former ECW, WWE and TNA IMPACT wrestler purchased OVW in 2018 and in 2021 sold a majority to Matt Jones and Craig Greenberg and Snow still runs the day to day for OVW.
What do you think about the upcoming Ohio Valley Wrestling docuseries Wrestlers? Will you be checking it out on Netflix? Let us know down in the comments or by hitting us up on our Twitter account by clicking here. As always stay tuned to Culture Splat for more content coming your way!
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