Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...

. The company is currently run by

Al Snow Allen Ray Sarven (born July 18, 1963) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Al Snow. He is best known as a wrestler for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. ...

and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect,

Craig Greenberg Craig Greenberg (born August 22, 1973) is an American businessman, lawyer, and politician from Kentucky.

. OVW was initially a member promotion of the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA began as a governing body for a ...

(NWA) from its inception in 1993 until 2000, when it became the primary

developmental territory In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a highe ...

for the World Wrestling Federation, which is now known today as the WWE. It remained in this role from 2000 until February 7, 2008, when the promotion became unaffiliated. In November 2011, OVW became the developmental territory for

Impact Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the pro ...

(then known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling or TNA). This relationship initially ended on November 2, 2013, but on March 19, 2019, the two promotions re-established their developmental agreement. In 2020, OVW stopped becoming a developmental promotion and transformed into a full-fledged TV promotion featuring superstars such as Jessie Godderz, Mahabali Shera and current OVW National Heavyweight Champion James Storm. OVW's television programming originates from the Davis Arena in the Buechel neighborhood of Louisville. 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 YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

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.

History

Founding and NWA membership (1993–2001)

OVW was founded by Nightmare Danny Davis in 1993 as a

(NWA) member promotion under the name NWA Ohio Valley. 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. On January 11, 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 Robert Thomas Conway Jr. (born November 28, 1974), is an American professional wrestler. He is known for his work with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he performed under his real name and as Robért Conway. Post-WWE, he is also known for hi ...

vs Juan Hurtado and The Intern.

WWF/WWE developmental territory (1999–2008)

In 1999, WWF creative team member Jim Cornette bought a stake in OVW. 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. The first group of developmental talent included future stars such as John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar and Batista. OVW held its final show at the original Davis Arena on August 21, 2002, headlined by a match between Damaja and Rene Dupree. On September 4, 2002, the company would debut its show at the current Davis Arena at 4400 Shepherdsville Rd in Louisville, Ky. 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 for having an inappropriate reaction to being confronted by a horror-themed wrestler called The Boogeyman during a match at an OVW live show. 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. Cornette was replaced by WWE Trainer

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

, who would have the longest tenure outside of Cornette. Jim Cornette sold his stake in OVW to Davis in 2007. In 2007, WWE launched Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) in Tampa,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

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. 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. 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 ECW

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create a ...

Post-WWE years (2008–2018)

In 2009, OVW alumnus John "Bradshaw" Layfield would leave WWE to sponsor OVW. 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. Cornette, who was also executive producer of

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was s ...

HDNet AXS TV is an American cable television channel. Majority-owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, it is devoted primarily to music-related programming (such as concert films, documentaries, and reality series involving musicians) and combat s ...

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. 175px, 2010s logo On November 7, 2011, it was announced that OVW and

(then known as TNA Wrestling), had reached an agreement for the former to become an official training and developmental territory. This agreement would end on November 2, 2013, due to a financial dispute.

Gladiator Sports Era And Post-Danny Davis Era (2018–2021)

On April 6, 2018, it was announced that professional wrestler

was purchasing the promotion from Danny Davis, who was planning to retire but didn't want to shut the company down. 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. 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. 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. 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. In February 2019, OVW would announce a partnership with

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. 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 The Kentucky Department of Education (KY DOE) is an agency within the government of Kentucky that is responsible for regulating education in the state. History The Kentucky Department of Education became an official organization in 1924.Board o ...

. On September 15, the school was approved by the state of Kentucky, making it the first officially accredited professional wrestling trade school. In October 2020, OVW announced a partnership with Qatar Pro Wrestling. 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.

2021–present

On January 5, 2021, OVW announced that Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio and

Craig Greenberg Craig Greenberg (born August 22, 1973) is an American businessman, lawyer, and politician from Kentucky.

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. 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 The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

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.

Current champions

As of , .

Defunct championships

Roster

Men's Division talent

Women's Division talent

Announcers/Commentary

Medical Staff/Officials/Referees

Management

Notable alumni

* Aaron Aguilera/Jesús * Abyss * Alicia Fox * Antonio Thomas * Ariel *

Armando Estrada Armando Estrada (born Hazem Ali; December 20, 1978) is a Palestinian American professional wrestler and manager best known by his ring name Armando Alejandro Estrada. Professional wrestling career World Wrestling Entertainment Ohio Valley Wrest ...

* Aron Stevens *

Bam Neely Justin Bruce Rocheleau (born June 18, 1975) is an American former professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its ECW brand under the ring name Bam Neely. Professional wrestling career Indepe ...

* Batista * Beth Phoenix * Big Show * Bobby Lashley * The Boogeyman * Bradshaw * Brent Albright/Gunner Scott * Brian Pillman Jr. * Brock Lesnar * Bull Buchanan * Carlito *

Chad Toland Charles "Chad" Wicks (born March 6, 1978) is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his time with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). While part of WWE, Wicks wrestled as Chad Toland in its Ohio Valley Wrestling branch and l ...

* Charlie Haas * Chris Cage *

Chris Kanyon Christopher Morgan Klucsarits (January 4, 1970 – April 2, 2010) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1994 to 20 ...

* Chris Masters * Christopher Nowinski *

CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known ...

* Cody Rhodes * Crash Holly * Crazzy Steve *

Crimson Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple. It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, '' Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red c ...

* Cryme Tyme * Curt Hawkins/Brian Myers * Damaja/Danny Basham * Daniel Puder * Daniel Rodimer/Dan Rodman * Davey Boy Smith Jr. *

Deuce 'n' Domino Deuce 'n Domino is an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Deuce Shade and Dice Domino, who were managed for the majority of their run by Cherry Pie and briefly by Maryse. The pair teamed together in World Wrestling Entert ...

* Dexter Lumis * DJ Gabriel * Doug Basham * Drake Maverick * Elijah Burke/D'Angelo Dinero * EC3 *

Eve Torres Eve Torres Gracie (born Eve Marie Torres on August 21, 1984) is an American actress, dancer, model, martial arts instructor, and former professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with WWE, where she was the first ever three-time WW ...

* Faarooq * Flash Flanagan *

Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. In addition, Kazarian also performs for Impact Wres ...

* Gail Kim * Gene Snitsky * The Highlanders * Jackie Gayda/Miss Jackie *

Jamie Noble James Gibson (born December 23, 1976) is an American retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name Jamie Noble. He is currently signed to WWE as a producer. In addition to his appearances with WWE, Noble is known for his appeara ...

* Jamin Olivencia * Jay Bradley/Ryan Braddock *

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

* Jillian Hall Jim Cornette * Joey Mercury * John Cena * Johnny Nitro/John Morrison * Johnny Jeter * Johnny Swinger * Jon Heidenreich * K.C. James *

Katie Lea Katarina Leigh Waters (born 10 November 1980) is a German-born English American professional wrestler and actress. She is best known for her time with Impact Wrestling under the ring names Katarina or Winter and for her time in WWE under the ri ...

* Kelly Kelly * Ken Doane/Kenny * Kenzo Suzuki * Kevin Thorn/Seven *

Kid Kash David Tyler Cash (born July 31, 1969) better known by his ring name Kid Kash, is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, best known for his tenures with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Total Nonstop Action Wrestlin ...

Kizarny Nicholas Cvjetkovich (; born August 29, 1973) is a Serbo- Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE), where he worked on its SmackDown brand as Kizarny. He currently works the independen ...

* Kofi Kingston * Lance Cade * Lei'D Tapa * Linda Miles * Luke Gallows/Festus *Luther Reigns *Madison Rayne *Muhammad Hassan (wrestler), Marc Copani/Muhammad Hassan *Mark Henry *Mark Jindrak *Maryse Ouellet *Matt Cappotelli *Matt Morgan *Matt Sydal *Melina Perez *Melissa Coates *Mickie James *Mike Mondo, Mike Mondo/Mikey *The Miz *Mohamad Ali Vaez *Ken Anderson (wrestler), Mr. Kennedy/Mr. Anderson *Natalya Neidhart, Natalya *Nathan Jones (wrestler), Nathan Jones *Nick Dinsmore, Nick Dinsmore/Eugene *Nick Mitchell, Nick Mitchell/Mitch *Nidia Guenard, Nidia *Dolph Ziggler, Nick Nemeth/Nicky/Dolph Ziggler *ODB (wrestler), ODB *Orlando Jordan *Paul Burchill * Randy Orton *Ray Gordy, Ray Gordy/Jesse *Rebel (wrestler), Rebel *René Duprée *Rhyno *Ricky Ortiz *Rico Constantino *Roadkill (wrestler), Roadkill *

*Rob Terry *Rodney Mack *Romeo Roselli *Ron Waterman, Ron "H2O" Waterman *Rosa Mendes *Ruby Soho (wrestler), Ruby Riott/Ruby Soho *Ryback *Santino Marella *Sean O'Haire *Serena Deeb *Shane Twins, The Shane Twins/The Gymnini *Sharmell *Shawn Daivari *Shawn Spears *Shelton Benjamin *Mike Bucci, Simon Dean/Nova *Sojourner Bolt *Steve Bradley *Sylvain Grenier *Sylvester Terkay *Taeler Hendrix *Tank Toland *Taryn Terrell *The Tate Twins *Tommy Dreamer *Trevor Murdoch *Tyson Tomko *Lisa Marie Varon, Victoria *Vito LoGrasso, Vito *Vladimir Kozlov *Wade Barrett *Matt Cardona, Zack Ryder/Matt Cardona

References

External links

* * {{Professional wrestling in the United States Ohio Valley Wrestling, American independent professional wrestling promotions Events in Louisville, Kentucky Independent professional wrestling promotions based in the Southern United States Companies based in Louisville, Kentucky Entertainment companies established in 1997 National Wrestling Alliance members American companies established in 1997 1997 establishments in Kentucky