It has taken me a few days to process my thoughts on the WWE severing all ties with Ohio Valley Wrestling and it's top trainer / booker, Al Snow.The official company line is that they've decided to house all of their developmental talent under one roof - in Florida Championship Wrestling. They talk about how many wrestlers make their home in Florida and how it's just makes sense logistically for the talent. This has nothing to do with the talent.
The word on Al Snow's release is that OVW was in shambles and workers were not improving under his guidance. Bullshit.
I've personally spoken to many people who have both worked with Snow during his OVW run and those who were trained by him before he was ever affiliated with WWE development. Sure, Snow is known for being tough and old school.
I've heard the comment that Snow was teaching all the heels in OVW to work the same way - as chicken shit heels - and making all the babyfaces act like typical 80s babies. Maybe people should look at the guys on the roster.
Was Birchall booked as a chicken shit?
How about Kozlov?
Is there ANYTHING typical about Atlas Dabone?
Fuck no is the correct response to each.
Aside from that, maybe they gotta look at how they're signing. A lot of guys who aren't believable as heels - who are barely believable as underdog faces. I like Matt Sydal, but c'mon. Will he ever be a main eventer in the fed? How about Colt Cabana?
Fuck no is the correct response to each.
The complaints that OVW attendance was dwindled is also not Snow's fault. There are a lot of people who need to take at least partial blame.... instead, Snow is the scape goat.
Take a look at some of the names who have graduated from OVW:
John Cena, Randy Orton, Beth Phoenix, Santino Marella, Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley, Ken Kennedy, Batista and dozens more.
If the fed really wanted all their talent in one place - why are they still scouting new developmental territories to open up? Yes I do know this for a fact.
Al Snow is a wrestling genius and a guy who can make chicken salad out of chicken shit. For him to be unemployed - not offered a spot as a booker, agent, trainer or shit EVEN as a vet worker to help the kids in ECW or "SmackDown!" is a joke.
There's no room in your company for Al Snow but there's room for Snitsky? There's no room in your company for Al Snow, but the Miz is walkin around with a belt?
It's pathetic. They pulled the plug on OVW and they forced the captain to walk the plank. It's just bad business in my opinion.
10 comments: on "The Captain Went Down With His Ship"
The WWE doesn't know how to operate at this point. What I kept hearing was that Triple H and Shawn Michaels hated OVW and it's workers and that had alot to do with it.
Are you surprised though that the E is doing bad business...again?
Man, TNA needs help. Instead of picking up expensive old WWE talent, pull OVW under your wing and develop NEW stars. God knows Snow is not going to be happy with Vince and if there's a chance that he can help the competition then he'd probably take it.
Granted a shitload of workers will most likely jump ship to FCW ASAP. But the potential of some guys in OVW to be big in TNA is huuuge. Atlas DaBone is so TNA it's not funny. Colt Cabana and Christian Cage for the TNA title is straight up MONEY. Jamin Olivencia in the X division or with G-Rilla as part of an LAX takeover angle is dope. However, it's quite possible OVW decides to be a stand alone company. Only time will tell but if I'm TNA management, I'm on the phone with OVW already.
Mike, the sick thing is, the E probably signs most of the guys you mentioned just to keep them out of TNA. Carlito's a walking poster boy for that. When i think of it, Colt Cabana's the first guy who comes to mind. He's been in developmental for about a year now, and hasnt even went as far as to work a dark match. What are they trying to develop? The guy could work circles around most of the active roster. With that in mind, although it would be dope, i doubt the E will let these guys go. Chances are they'll all just be moved to FCW.
I agree with you Mikle, TNA should grab up OVW and use as their training ground. It coudl help TNA make some of tehir own stars and not have ot pick up everyone WWE lets go.
It coudl also be good for TNA business , they could send some of their bigger stars ot make guest apperances from time to time to that part of the country.
They could also send some of their mid-carders, espeacially ones the barely use, there on a regular basis to help draw more fans to OVW shows.
It could be a win , win situation for TNA and OVW.
Cabana CAN work circles around most of those guys, and thats exactly why he's not on TV. He either hasn't grasped the WWE Style as they want him to, or he got it, and they dont "have anything for him."
Al Snow going to TNA would be great, but I dont think that TNA's problems is teaching their guys to work, they seem to know how to do that already.
As far as OVW becoming a developmental for TNA, don't hold your breath. The independant wrestling scene as a whole is a developmental system and territory for TNA. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get it done, but I also don't think that it would save them or turn them around enough to notice in the first year or two.
I see Vince deciding to pack up and move to FL as a way for him to keep the indys and smaller feds just that.
One of the major components of success for any company is exposure and capital; both of which were provided by the E. The O had a television presence in the region as well as money from above. Given time, the marketability for the O would increase to a point of being a TNA like entity.
I see it as a smart business decision. It happens every 5 or 6 years, if I remember correctly. DSW was a developmental back in the day, and eas eventually supplanted by OVW.
FCW will be in the same place as OVW is now come 2013.
I wonder if Shawn Spears will do as well in FCW.
DSW and WWE parted ways not too long ago actually, I dont even think it's been a year. It wasn't the primary fed of course, but it was one of their 2 or 3 main territories.
I remember when the E was using the Memphis territory in the days of the Mean Street Posse.
You do seem to have the right take that in 2013 this will be the big discussion when FCW and WWE cut ties.
DJB - I knew it was possible for a Panthers fan and a Bucs fan to agree on something (about Colt).
I used to think they were holding him back because of what you said, but as the months go by i start to believe they really just want to keep him off of TNA, because he'd kill over there.
I completely agree that WWE has most of the better known, more over, or better working guys on a WWE contract rather than them being contracted to OVW.
And I wasn't saying that TNA needs it to get better workers, but OVW has proven to turn out decent workers who because of being in development so long, get sooooo over with internet fans. Batista, Cena and Orton are good examples of guys who were in OVW for a bit, and were brought up prematurely and subsequently struggled to get over at first; however, think of Harry Smith, Nattie Neidhart, Ken Kennedy or Colt Cabana. They spend FOREVER in OVW and in turn OVW fans and internet marks alike just cream their pants hoping to see them on WWE tv. When TNA picks up a guy like Austin Aries or Roderick Strong, there isn't the same buzz about them. If not so much for the school aspect, OVW is marketable in an underlying sneaky way that generates that buzz for both the company and fans(Which actually reminds me of when I used to play EWR, putting new guys in development I could never wait for them to be ready to come out and I'd have so many ideas for angles when they got out). Also, TNA having a 'training ground' would really help their image from 'indy turned mainstream' to a small factor but a factor nonetheless in the industry.
And Colt Cabana as good of a worker as he is and as oozing of charisma and comedy as he is, I really don't think he fits in the E. Christian is the same, and as mad as everyone was that he never got a push, he really had no spot in the main event or even the WWE in my opinion. Colt Cabana, like Christian Cage definitely has the makeup to be a huge factor and a franchise player that pulls TNA to the level WCW was at. As long as they fire Russo. Those two guys along with Styles, the X Division and a different and better put together product as Andrew Gray wrote about COULD in time bring TNA up to the E's level.
But Cabana as far as I'm concerned in the E, would stick out like an adam's apple on a chick.
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