OVW paid tribute to Matt Cappotelli on their TV show as we take another look at the former developmental territory going into their latest Saturday Night Special.
We’d not been planning to dip into OVW until the 1000th episode of their TV show following their recent buy-out by Al Snow. While we’ve been watching in the last few weeks, and witnessed the changes (subtle or otherwise – including that one episode where everyone was wearing Collar X Elbow gear, with no exceptions), we felt that this was an episode we had to take a closer look at. The show opens with a video of Cappotelli, as he self-eulogised his career, through winningg Tough Enough 3, his brief time on the WWE roster and his initial diagnosis with brain cancer. He’d been forced to relinquish the OVW title and a main roster call-up because of it, before being able to become a trainer at OVW before fate cruelly intervened again.
Cue opening titles, which are making a point of identifying everyone who’ll be on the show this week, and we’re taken inside the Davis Arena as Al Snow, Gilbert Corsey and Dean Hill led the tributes to Matt Cappotelli before we had the traditional ten-bell salute.
Gilbert Corsey and Ted McNaler are on the commentary for this show, the go-home for the Saturday Night Special called “No Limits” – a show full of gimmick matches, featuring an “evening gown powerbomb match” and a casket match. Corsey tells us that there’s been a decision in the recent feud between Justin Smooth and Ryan Howe, who’d been feuding over the number one contendership, but to no clear victor… but instead, we go to the ring.
OVW Television Champion: Adam Revolver vs. Sam Thompson (c)
Since was last covered OVW, Logan James turned bad and lost his television title to the “Boy Wonder” Thompson. They’ve also implemented flat ten-minute time limits across all OVW TV matches…
Revolver takes Thompson into the corner early on, but gets taken down with an armdrag as “Ducky” went to work on the arm of the former Mobile Homer. There’s a cheapshot from Revolver, before McNaler left commentary to throw down Thompson by his hair – assisting his former tag team partner in the process – but it’s not enough to get a win. A sleeperhold from Revolver looked to wear down Thompson, but the champion escapes and mounts a comeback with clotheslines and a neckbreaker… only for McNaler to interject himself as he crotched up top for a near-fall – as the referee spots Revolver putting his feet on the ropes. There’s a shoving match between the ref and Revolver, which led to Revolver getting shoved into McNaler, as Thompson scored the win with a roll-up.
If you’d not been a long-term fan of OVW this’d have gone over your head as they’ve not done much between McNaler and Revolver in recent weeks, and save for some digs on commentary, there’d been little between McNaler and Thompson either. Post-match Thompson beats down McNaler and went to superkick him, but the Mobile Homers scatter. **½
More adverts for the Saturday Night Special and upcoming shows. They still haven’t corrected the “tickects” typo from MONTHS ago.
There’s a backstage promo with Michael Hayes behind a tea-light. He’s wrestling Aamon in a casket match soon, and Hayes vows to keep digging himself out – even if he’s put six feet under.
Tony Gunn vs. Ashton Cove
Gunn has been on an anti-hardcore wrestling agenda as of late, going as far as to create his own picket sign. He’s got that evening gown powerbomb match for the Anarchy/Hardcore title on Saturday, but commentary’s thinking out loud about Gunn’s sartorial choices.
Cove hasn’t been on OVW TV before I don’t think, so this’ll be enhancement duty for him as Gunn showed his wrestling chops by scoring with takedowns and a headlock. There’s shoulder tackles and another waistlock takedown as Gunn is coasting here, only to get tricked with a roll-up as Cove starts giving Gunn a taste of his own medicine. Gunn recovers with a German suplex, before getting the win with a reverse DDT. By the numbers stuff, and exactly what you’d expect. **
After the match, a referee brings out a box and a microphone for Gunn… is it a present? Of course it is, but it’s a “kill them with kindness” thing as Dapper Dan’s sent him something ahead of their match on Saturday: it’s a dress, which Gunn pulls out just in time for Dan to appear at ringside and laugh at.
We’re backstage as Meg and Cali are talking about the latter’s OVW Women’s title defence. Jaylee’s in mock Cali’s injured arm… and Meg ends up having to restrain Cali… by grabbing the injured arm. DOH! This bleeds into what’s become an OVW trait lately, a flowing backstage segment as David Lee Lorenze III and Shiloh Jonze just happen to be in the next room and ready to chat. DL3 reckons he’s found a new leading man to replace the Bro Godz who’ve left him lately… it’s not Jonze… it’s Billy O. We flow some more as Sam Thompson is having a pull-apart with Ted McNaler, who offers a tag team match between the Mobile Homers, the referee and Thompson in a sort-of hair vs. hair match.
Randy Royal vs. KTD
When we first took a look at OVW, Randy Royal had won the promotion’s championship – he’d go on to lose it then disappear for a spell… something that’s the norm for a promotion whose TV is a 45-minute weekly show.
Royal’s all over KTD early on, chopping him to the mat, before stomping on KTD’s hands. A knee-lift and a neckbreaker keeps KTD down for barely a two-count, but that starts a comeback for KTD as he nicks in a back elbow and a sunset flip… but Royal countered out and into an elbow drop as the veteran regains control. Another knee-lift traps KTD in the ropes for a double stomp off the top, but just as Royal looked for a Pedigree, Randall Floyd comes out and lays into his opponent on Saturday… and there’s the obvious DQ. A nothing-happening squash match until the run-in as referees and the locker-room come out for the usual pro-wres pull-apart. **
They replay the finish from last week’s show where Justin Smooth and Ryan Howe’s best of three-falls match ended tied at 1-1 and a double knock-out. Both men are at ringside as they continue to bicker over who’s getting the title shot… instead, Gilbert Corsey announces a new OVW Commissioner, Dean Hill. Yes, we’re going back to the past, as Hill announces that Smooth and Ryan will be in a Last Man Standing match. Which makes all the sense given their last match ended in a double knockout!
More from Michael Hayes and his candle. He again refuses to be buried by Aamon.
Gilbert Corsey and Ted McNaler run through some of the card for Saturday… and now it’s main event time…
Entourage 2.0 (David Lee Lorenze III, Shiloh Jonze & Billy O) vs. Big Zo & Bro Gods (Dustin Jackson & Colton Cage)
The Bro Gods have lost – and regained – the OVW tag titles recently… but they have an ominous challenge on the horizon as the War Gods (or the War Dogs, or the War Kings… I think they need a steady name) of Crimson & Jax Dane recently appeared in OVW.
We open off with Jonze against Jackson, with the latter scoring with some slams and a big splash to Shiloh, only for DL3 to intervene and help turn things around. Jonze pretends he’s been punched by Zo and Cage on the apron, so the referee remains distracted as Billy O comes in to keep wearing down Jackson… who manages to escape and score a roll-up for a visual three-count, only for Jackson’s opponents to have tied up the referee.
A spinebuster from Jackson gets him some breathing room, but Shiloh and DL3 clear the apron to keep Jackson isolated. The match ends up spilling to the outside as the referee loses whatever control she had, before it calms down as Big Zo dumped DL3 with a slam back inside. We return to Billy sidestepping a splash from Jackson as a Parade of Moves broke out… but the big boot from Billy left Jackson down, and without anyone else being tagged in, Shiloh steals the pin! O-kay… that’s a pin for Shiloh on the tag champions ahead of their title match on Saturday, but this felt like a singles match with four extra bodies. Had they had more time this could have been something, but it was too short to be anything. *½
We end with Michael Hayes and his candle, as he vows yet again to take Aamon down into the darkness with him. Hayes walks away, before Aamon appears and blows out the candle as his warped laugh closes out the show.
Compared to the last time we saw OVW, things have improved – sure, the matches are all short and still “stuck in the past” as some would say, but there seems to be a wind of change going around the place. The product hasn’t been flooded with Al Snow as some would fear, and the changes have been gradual rather than sweeping – something that prevents alienating fans. As a product, OVW is still light years away from their glory days, and whether they can reach those again remains to be seen.