OVW TV 1036

Welcome, one and all, to my latest OVW TV review. This week, we start the build for the next Saturday Night Special. Let’s dive in.

 

OVW Episode 1036

On commentary this week is Gilbert Corsey, Josh Ashcraft, and Ted McNaler.

 

The Void vs. Corey Storm & ‘The Boy Wonder’ Sam Thompson

This was a decent showcase for some of the roster’s younger members. The Void, Nigel Winters and Chace Destiny, are certainly talented but have lacked direction of late. Meanwhile, both Corey and Sam are also talented pair and hungry for a moment in the spotlight. The match was kept high paced and saw all four guys get a chance to shine. Sam Thompson was perhaps a little sloppy at times, but I’m glad he had a bit more focus, as he’s floundered a little since the Ca$h Flo feud. Meanwhile, The Void were almost heelish at times, which makes me wonder if they’ll fully turn again soon. In the end, Corey Storm continued his run of good results, hitting Nigel Winters with the Eye Of The Storm for the three.

 

Thunder Kitty Is At it Again

We cut to Thunder Kitty hanging out with Shiloh Jonze at an arcade. They heard DL3 coming, and Kitty shooed Shiloh away. DL3 kinda spotted him but it soon transitioned into him insisting Thunder Kitty pay for their entry. This was harmless fluff.

 

Let’s Hear From Dustin Jackson

The number one contender for the OVW Heavyweight Title came out to the ring to talk about his title shot on July 6^th. He said that he beat Justin at the Fight At Fort Knox, and felt like if he beat him once, he can beat him again. Justin Smooth then interrupted and blamed the loss on Michael Hayes cheating and his own preoccupation with the masked man that keeps running in during his matches. Smooth told Justin that he can’t handle 100% of Smooth and must have hired the masked man himself. Dustin got annoyed and tried to set up a match for right now. Smooth told him that he thinks Dustin can’t beat him, so he’ll give him a non-title match later, but if Dustin loses, then the title match is off. He also told him that if he doesn’t accept the stipulations, he’ll get his lawyers involved and have the title match postponed anyway.

Before they could finish arranging everything, the masked man appeared and Justin Smooth bailed. A load of referees ran in and a few of them ate cutters, which I would assume means the masked man is suspended if commissioner Dean Hill follows the rules. Smooth got back in, and Dustin speared him and accepted the challenge. Decent angle in terms of crowd heat, but it does make the faces look a little silly.

 

Back At The Date

Thunder Kitty and DL3 were sat down, with DL3 wearing a VR helmet. Kitty made her excuses and left to find Shiloh. While they wandered off, a random guy sat next to DL3. DL3 tried to hold his hand, and the guy pushed him away but strangely, didn’t say anything, leaving DL3 still thinking it’s Thunder Kitty. Meanwhile, Kitty and Shiloh played an arcade machine, but Kitty got tired and had to leave.

 

‘Mr. Marvelous’ Melvin Maximus vs. Josh O’Hagan

Melvin took the mic before the match and introduced his wife, Miss Marvelous, much like he did at the Fight At Fort Knox. Again, she has an excellent physique and actually looks in better shape than some of the wrestlers. Josh tried jumping Melvin before the bell, but never stood a chance. Melvin won with nothing but a knee to the gut and a Side Russian Leg Sweep.

 

The Date Continues

Kitty is now back with DL3, playing a basketball game. Kitty is getting more and more tired, and when DL3 wins, he does the whole ‘This is my yard’ bit. He goes for a  kiss and she pulls away again, but he kisses her anyway. When we return from the ad break, we see that DL3 is playing Crossy Road and Shiloh is playing Flappy Bird, with the pair only not seeing each other because of the massive screens. Thunder Kitty was trying her best to move between the two without them noticing.

 

Megan Bayne vs. Valerie Vermin

This one was announced as a non-title contest. Valerie got a few good shots in, but the result here was never in question. The popular women’s champion nailed a couple of nice power moves and finished the match with her Hook And Ladder. The match was short but entertaining, with the crowd behind the champ. My only real issue was that Valerie actually did one of my bugbears when she performed an Irish Whip without using her free hand on her opponent’s back.

After the match, Megan got on the mic and thanked the crowd for coming out tonight. She reminded us that Cali Young said she didn’t beat her for the title, so she went to Fight At Fort Knox and made her eat her words. Now, she doesn’t want to just be the OVW Women’s Champion, she wants to be a fighting champion. She will fight anyone who wants to step up to her, starting next week with Thunder Kitty. She finished  the promo with a great line again: “I hope that Kitty has nine lives, because next week, I’m gonna beat at least one of them out of her.”

 

OVW TV Title Gauntlet

Adam Revolver drew the short straw again and was the first out. ‘Livewire’ KTD joined him in the ring to kick things off. The commentary team talked about how KTD feels frustrated about his place in OVW and mentioned that he needs to be more intense to break the cycle. Even with his shoulder taped up, KTD did just that here, and was on a roll, right up until Revolver managed to drop his head on the turnbuckle and lock a Sleeper Hold in to grab the submission win out of nowhere.

William Alexander Moore was out next and, like KTD, started things off by using speed. Interesting stuff on commentary again, with them mentioning British wrestling being more catch-as-catch-can and hip tosses being done on the left rather than the right. That’s actually correct; we always worked on the left at NWA-UK, regardless of whether you were right or left handed. This one ended much the same as the first match, with Revolver dropping Moore’s head on the turnbuckle and locking in a Sleeper Hold for the win.

‘The Real Deal’ Randall Floyd was out next, and Revolver was looking worried. The defending champion took the fight straight to Revolver, throwing out slams and suplexes all over the ring. Revolver again locked a Sleeper Hold in out of nowhere, but Floyd reversed it into a Real Deal Slam for the pin.

Ashton Cove came out next, accompanied as always by William Lutz. This one was over quickly. Lutz posed on the apron while Cove posed on the middle rope, his back turned to his opponent. Floyd snuck up on him, hit a Real Deal Slam, and scored the pin. The final competitor was Hy Zaya. The match went back and forth with the competitors trading hard strikes until Floyd scored a roll-up to retain his title.

This was not near the quality of the gauntlet at the last show, but the right man won.

 

More Date Footage

Shiloh tells Kitty that they go together like salt and pepper, and they should take the relationship to the next level. She tells him to keep his motor running and she’ll meet him at his place. Shiloh leaves, and Kitty heads over to DL3. She tells him that she’s worn out, then falls asleep. DL3 starts going through her purse while the camera fades out.

 

Dustin Jackson vs Justin Smooth

To recap, the rules here were simple: if Dustin Jackson loses, he also loses his title shot. These guys have some great chemistry, and the match served as an extended preview for the title match. Being the only one with someone to lose, Dustin was all business here and showed a lot of fire in his moments of being in control. Meanwhile, Smooth slowed things down and picked his shots well. After several minutes of the pair trading off control sections, Jay Bradley came out to the ringside. Smooth actually kept his word here and sent him back, then set up for Street Justice. Dustin avoided it, hit a Falcon Arrow and a Frog Splash, and scored the win to end the show.

 

Overall

Let’s pick some highlights:

MVP: I have two this week. First up is Justin Smooth. He’s been fantastic in his role as heel champ and did a good job in garnering heat in his angle with Dustin Jackson. When it came to the match, he looked good in his offense, bumped well for his opponent, and left the crowd with a sense of hope that he could lose at the big show. Second up is Megan Bayne. I feel like OVW has something really special with Megan. The crowd loves her, her ring work is smooth, and her promos have been really good lately. If she continues to develop, she’ll be a star for a while to come.

Best Match: This goes to Dustin Jackson vs. Justin Smooth. Of all the matches on the show, this was the one with the most riding on it. The action was good, it gave a taste of what the title match should look like without giving too much away, and the result sent the fans home happy.

Best Angle/Promo: I’m going to give this to Megan Bayne’s promo after her match. It was short, but it set up a match for next week, featured a good closing line, and kept the fans attention.

Summary: This was an odd show in some ways. From a technical standpoint, the quality was way up. I noticed a new camera angle being thrown in, and it looked like the hard cam made some better use of zoom as well. At the same time though, Josh Ashcraft’s mic sounded like it was up higher than both Gilbert and Ted’s leading some distortion during his louder moments. On the flip side, it sounded like the crowd was noisy throughout eh show but were quieter than normal, so I wonder if they weren’t mic’d in the same way as normal.

Meanwhile, the in-ring action was good, but there was a little more sloppiness than usual. I was also a little worried about the angle with Dustin and Smooth, as it essentially saw the face gamble everything with nothing to gain. Then, when the masked man appeared, he attacked two referees, which by right should mean that – once he’s revealed as Dimes – he gets suspended, but I don’t think it will happen. It feels like OVW wrote themselves into a corner there, unfortunately. The show was still decent though. Melvin Maximus appears to be in line for a push, the Thunder Kitty angle is building towards a conclusion, and the right people are getting the focus in terms of the title belts. Really, OVW should be continuing an upward trend from here.