OVW wrestling episode 1046 – He Is Here
On commentary tonight are Gilbert Corsey, Shannon The Dude and Ted McNaler.
Ace Austin vs. Corey Storm [Clipped]
We opened up with some footage from a match between Corey Storm and Ace Austin. Corey had the match won, but Mad Man Fulton caused a distraction, allowing Justin Smooth to hit Street Justice on Corey, giving Austin the win.
It’s a shame we didn’t get to see the whole match, as I feel like these two would really click.
Al Snow, The Trinidad Titan, and Corey Storm
Al was in the ring, and confirmed that he’d given Dean Hill the night off? Why? Because he heard the Sami Callihan wanted to negotiate with somebody, so he figured it should be him. He called out Sami, who didn’t appear, then declared that he’s unhappy with Justin Smooth too and called him out to the ring.
Smooth came out and tried bullying the female ring announcer again, but Al cut him off. He got in Al’s face and got annoyed when the crowd cheered the OVW owner. They argued back and forth until Al put his foot down and verbally berated him for his actions. He set up Justin Smooth vs. Mad Man Fulton, which upset the champ.
Corey Storm came out to interrupt. He cut a good babyface promo, telling Smooth that he’s selfish and saying that he actually cares about OVW. He asked if Smooth was scared of Mad Man Fulton, which got him riled up. When he said he’s not scared of anyone, Al made the match official and informed Smooth that if he loses to Fulton, he’s out the door.
That was a hot opening segment. Grumpy veteran Al Snow is great, and he makes a point of not overdoing it with TV appearances. His role here made sense too as he still wrestles, so if anything, he’s better qualified to tackle Sami than Dean Hill right now. Meanwhile, Justin Smooth is superb as the arrogant heel champ, and Corey Storm is proving an excellent foil for him. Great work all round!
OVW TV Title Gauntlet
We started this one with ‘Mr. Marvellous’ Melvin Maximus vs. Shiloh Jonze. Melvin got to do his usual introduction for his wife, but like last week, Shiloh interrupted her entrance again! That got Melvin angry again, and Shiloh ended up bumping all over the place. Just when it looked like Melvin had the match won, Shiloh scored a roll-up – assisted by both the ropes and DL3 – to advance.
Defending champion, Maximus Khan was out next. Shiloh was distracted by a scuffle between DL3 and Miss Marvellous and turned around into a spear, giving the champ a quick win. Nigel ran in next and, after failing his first attack, tried to bribe Maximus into walking out. Maximus thought about it, then speared Nigel for another quick win.
Brandon Espinosa was the next competitor. He managed to get in a few quick shots before biting a spear and bailing to the outside. When we returned from the break, Espinosa had managed to gain control of the match. The pair went back and forth until Maximus nailed a spear while Espinosa jumped off the top rope.
Drew Hernandez was the final entrant, and immediately took control of the fatigued champ. This was a slower match than the last couple, but built to a quicker home stretch. Khan managed to hit a spear on his second attempt, but before he could make the pin, The Legacy Of Brutality in their entirety ran in. They got up on the apron but didn’t direly interfere, meaning no disqualification. The distraction gave Drew enough time to recover and hit the Mayan Apocalypse for the win and the title.
Drew bailed out after the match, leaving Maximus to take a beating from the heel stable. Leonis ran in alone again, and once again, he too fell to the superior numbers.
The match itself was enjoyable. I’m happy to see Drew get the belt back as he’s a consistent performer, and one that should really be talked about more. Meanwhile, King’s Ransom don’t need the TV Title, as they’re already in a personal feud with the LoB. I’m still not a fan of Leonis running in alone each week. These guys are faces, so they should be able to muster up some allies, and Leonis running in to get beat down every week is making him look silly. Overall though, good work.
A Wild Mad Man Fulton Appears
We cut to Mad Man Fulton arriving outside the arena. The audio was odd here though we could not hear Fulton or the interviewer but instead got the audio from Al Snow calling out Sami earlier. Sami was in the back of his car, so that as cool. Really though, that needed to be reshot or cut given the issues.
OVW Women’s Title Match: Megan Bayne [champion] vs. Valerie Vermin
The baseball bat-wielding Vermin went straight to work on the champ, who we were told is dealing with an injury from the last bat attack. This was all Valerie for a long time until Megan managed to rally and get the win with an F5.
After the match, Madison Rayne appeared on the big screen and cut a promo declaring herself the next challenger for the OVW Women’s Title. The two women will clash on September 11th, at Fight For Freedom.
Megan sold well, but Valerie’s strikes look far weaker than hers. The post-match angle was exciting though, as I think Megan will really benefit from working with Madison. That should be a good match.
Fight For Freedom Hype
Gilbert hyped the show a little and mentioned the sad death of Matt Cappotelli. He announced that, at the show, they will be honouring a family with the Matt Cappotelli Courage Award. That segued into a video package about a young girl with Mitochondrial and Leigh’s disease. She has defied the odds so far and absolutely loves wrestling. It was all really nicely done.
We then returned to the commentators, where Gilbert announced that Kevin Nash will be at the show too. That’s a nice get for OVW. Meanwhile, Rhyno is now confirmed as entering the OVW TV Title Gauntlet. Nigel, Ace Austin, William Lutz, and Dimes have also now qualified for the $100,000 Ladder Match. Plus, we have Megan Bayne vs. Madison Rayne, Sinn Bhodi vs. Aamon, and Smooth vs. Storm II. The show is looking pretty stacked so far!
‘The Trinidad Titan’ Justin Smooth vs. Mad Man Fulton
Smooth tried to leave as soon as the bell rang, but Sami Callihan stopped him! Once he got back in the ring, he and Sami had a brief confrontation. Corey Storm ran in to stand with his OVW companion, even if they are enemies…but Smooth hit him with Street Justice. Sami and Fulton then attacked Smooth, and Dustin Jackson and Randall Floyd ran in to make the save. Before they could all come to blows though, some familiar music hit and the former OVW champion ‘Shotgun’ Tony Gunn made his return!
Gunn had to step back after tearing his bicep in his match with Sami at the OVW vs. Impact show. He took Sami’s bat and backed the oVe members into the corner…then nailed Jackson and Floyd! The show went off the air with Gunn standing tall with Sami and Fulton. No winner was announced.
Sinn Bhodi Video Promo
Post credits, we got another Sinn promo. He has sent a present for Aamon. That was short but adds some intrigue to the feud.
Overall
That was an enjoyable show. The matches were perhaps not the most exciting that we’ve seen from OVW, but they did at least all serve a purpose. The priority right now is building up to Fight For Freedom, and this show did that in spades. My only real issue is that Shannon The Dudes mic was distorting again. It seems to happen every time he’s on commentary. Hopefully OVW can sort that as, if they want to use a three-person team, they really need all three to be audible. Otherwise though, there was some good work here.
Let’s pick some highlights.
MVP: This has to be the current OVW Heavyweight Champion ‘The Trinidad Titan’ Justin Smooth. The heated opening segment saw him not only declaring his self-confidence and loyalty to himself but also got across how important he feels like other people should view him. At the same time, him being goaded by Storm added a wrinkle to their ongoing feud and also showed him to have a slight weakness. If you question his self-belief, you can manipulate him. That’s a good touch. Then, when the main event came around, he again reiterated where his loyalties lie by attacking his potential ally. He paid for his selfishness too. This was a good night for the character.
Best Match: Well, the main event was more of an angle and the women’s match was too short. That really only leaves the OVW TV Title Gauntlet. Not the best example of the match, but it served its purpose. Nigel got to show off his character, the Shiloh vs. Melvin angle got some progression, the belt was moved to a TV Title division regular, and The Legacy Of brutality continued their feud with King’s Ransom. Potentially, this sets up a couple of things for Fight For Freedom. Melvin defeating Shiloh is obvious, an 8-Man Tag if King’s Ransom can find some allies and a showdown between Drew and Rhyno in the gauntlet. All of which sounds great to me!
Best Angle/Promo: I’m giving this to the two angles that bookended the show. The opening segment saw a rare Al Snow appearance, sold Justin Smooth’s character, made Corey’s loyalty to the fans and company clear, and set up a match. The show closer not only continued the Storm vs. Smooth feud but also added to the oVe vs. OVW feud by bringing back Tony Gunn and turning him heel. Given that the last we heard was that Gunn was welcome in Impact wrestling, him siding with oVe doesn’t seem like a bad move.
So, those were my thoughts. But what about yourselves? Did you watch the show? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.
Matt Doyle Media 