Taking a look at the first episode of OVW TV from back in 1998, as we start a new series.
We’re trying something new here – both on Twitter and on the site I’ve got links to Kofi/Buy Me A Coffee – if you want to chip in, you can recommend a match from the past for me to watch and write up, seeing how big of a blind spot wrestling’s past is to me.
First up, Parker J Klyn from Fight Game Media and the Observer website has chipped in, and left the picks to me. Oh boy. Let’s make this an auspicious start…
Ohio Valley Championship Wrestling TV – Episode One (aired January 17, 1998)
Yep. We’re going back to the past. Dean Hill’s your host with a resplendent mane of hair and moustache, as was the style at the time. Dean tell us that the company’s been running weekly since 1993, and is looking to replace the departed USWA’s spot at the Louisville Gardens, evoking the memories of the past. He mentioned the litany of names that passed through the USWA on the way to the top, as they put on “great, clean professional wrestling, the way it ought to be.”
Given this was around the time of the Attitude Era, you can see what they’re the antithesis of. “Parents, we don’t want you to have to leave the room, but if you have to, don’t worry about the kids.” It was a much simpler time.
We’re told that Rip Rogers is the current heavyweight champion in town before Dean pitches to the ring.
David C vs. Doug Basham
David C is billed as the “international playboy”, while Basham is the “all American.” A far cry from what he’d become.
The studio show presentation continues as you can hear fans, but damn sure not see them from one of the hard cameras, which shows the ring against a backdrop of a black wall with six yellow stars, and a banner proclaiming the Danny Davis Arena in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Another, isometric hard camera shows the crowd, thankfully, with Dean Hill solo on commentary in the background. It’s a very much self-contained venue.
As for the wrestling, well, it’s decent fare as Basham trips David to the mat before working armdrags and arm wringers. A wristlock ends in the rope, before David C pulled down Basham by the hair. Doug’s quickly back up to hit some shoulder tackles and armdrags, leading to an armbar. David’s wristlock is escaped as Doug took him down with a drop toe hold, before a slam and a leg drop keeps Basham ahead. David C’s jawbreaker buys him some time, but Basham hits a bulldog off the middle rope before a neckbreaker gets the win. Man, they weren’t kidding when they said this was going to be just like the old stuff – very basic, but it worked as a backdrop for commentary to put over Basham. **
Dean Hill pitches the training school – saying that if you want to learn basketball, you should be getting trained by the best. He reads out the title history of Danny Davis as they plug the OVW training school, before Danny jumps in as a monitor in the background is running a screensaver. Danny thanks the fans for their support and pushes OVW as a place where you won’t see obscenities or sexual content. They really were going for the clean cut thing, eh?
Dean plugs upcoming TV tapings and their house shows, complete with specific directions to the arena… because this was back before Google Maps was a thing.
The Intern & Jason Lee vs. Cousin Otter & Jebediah Blackhawk
…because what would wrestling be without “good ol’ boy” gimmicks? Blackhawk and Lee start – Lee’s running the “most handsome man” gimmick as he tripped Blackhawk to the mat ahead of some posing.
Dean tells us a bit about Blackhawk’s past (before TV), saying that David C mocked Blackhawk by giving him the hillbilly get up, but Blackhawk came from Kentucky, and gave up the mask for the overalls. Fair enough. A floatover in the corner and a hiptoss from Blackhawk takes Lee down, before Cousin otter comes in to help land a double-team hiptoss.
Otter corners Lee, throwing him back in as Lee tries to hurry away before hitting an atomic drop. Double shoulder tackles from Blackhawk and Otter land, but Lee goes to the eyes then tagged in his masked Intern partner. Intern’s met with a hiptoss as Otter returns… a chokeslam from Blackhawk sets up for a big splash off the top from Otter for the win as Jason Lee just watched in horror. Not too much to write home about here, as they introduced more characters with Dean Hill in particular spotlighting Cousin Otter – who’d go on to have a decent run through OVW. *½
They don’t show the Intern being dragged away by Jason Lee as Dean Hill commentates… meanwhile Rip Rogers interrupts on commentary to cut a heel promo. He’s got a sheet of paper that I guess he’s got some bullet points as he’s got “something important to say about Ohio Valley Championship Wrestling.” The crowd chant “crazy”, but not because they think Rip’s not all there… it’s a reference to Kousin Krazy, whom Rip was feuding with at the time.
Dean asks Rip what’s next for him, but Rip reckons he’ll be champion forever – while naming Nick Dinsmore and Rob Conway as potential title chasers.
Trailer Park Trash vs. American Ninja
Gee, I wonder who the babyface is here?
TPT trips up Ninja to start, going for a side headlock, as Dean Hill tells us about TPT getting his cousin for some help… except his cousin was brought from an asylum, the aforementioned Kousin Krazy. Except TPT turned on him, laying him out with a chair shot, which lead to TPT being a bad guy. It’s very shlocky for a back story, but it fits with the old school feel. Shoulder blocks from TPT keep the Ninja down, but a Japanese armdrag and dropkicks have Dean Hill going wild, but the ropes save TPT. A rear kick from Ninja, then a somersault legdrop got him a two-count, before he came in with a springboard legdrop that misses. TPT chokes away at Ninja, before taking him corner-to-corner for a splash.
Ninja gets a foot to the rope to break up a pin, as Trash followed with a slam and a knee drop for another two-count. A bell clapper gets Ninja free of a bear hug, with a leaping back elbow building up some offence, but Ninja telegraphs a back body drop and takes a powerbomb before a top rope legdrop gets the win. Ninja didn’t get too much going here, but was easily the flashiest so far on the show, which counted for nought here. *½
During that last match Dean shot back at imaginary claims of “I don’t recognise Trailer Park Trash” by saying that “they didn’t recognise the Macho Man the first time he walked to the ring, either.” A kinder way of saying “these guys aren’t stars… yet.”
Dean plugs some advertising offers then pitched to… Doug Basham introducing himself. It’s more of an advert for the training school, which he said he parlayed into success in the USWA and the WWF. That WWF run is being filed under “footage not found,” since Cagematch doesn’t list anything with him and the WWF before 1999 – a year after this was taped.
After a quick break, Dean flashes up the address for fan mail, then threw to the main event…
Assassin #2 & Juan Hurtado vs. Rob Conway & Nick Dinsmore
Just look at him. Years before he was a sight to see, Rob Conway was cleaner than clean cut, as was a way-before-Eugene Nick Dinsmore.
Hurtado’s name was a) a struggle for Dean Hill and b) used as the base for a chant from the Jeffersonville crowd that was very much NOT family friendly. He starts with Dinsmore, taking him into the corner as Dean tells us these two used to be tag team champions until they split in a tag match against Rip Rogers and “Dave The Rave”. Conway filled in in that match after Hurtado took powder to the face, and afterwards Juan got mad over it. Simple story, explained pretty well… Dinsmore hits a hiptoss and a dropkick as Assassin #2 and Conway tagged in. Hiptosses from Conway have Assassin down, before another slam and a leaping elbow left Hurtado beside himself on the floor. He walks away from the match, leaving Assassin on his own as Conway and Dinsmore exchanged quick tags, before a back body drop bounced Assassin off the ropes. Another slam drops Assassin, before a Rocket Launcher from Conway pushed Dinsmore onto Assassin for the pin. Very short, with the big angle in the match being somewhat rushed by the end. *
The show wraps up with Dean Hill once again pushing the family atmosphere, advertising opportunities and the venue before signing off…
So, for a half hour show, steeped in the roots of “studio wrestling”, this wasn’t designed to provide competition to the burgeoning WWF and WCW at the time. Ohio Valley Championship Wrestling knew what it wanted to be: a throwback to the not-too-distant past, while being a local replacement for the USWA that’d closed just months earlier. Of course, OVW’s still running today, having run over 1100 episodes and gone through several reinventions – having served as a developmental league for the WWF between 1999 and 2008, during which it’d reach what many saw as a creative peak as the product became a hot commodity with tape traders, before embarking with an on/off relationship with Impact Wrestling.