• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

Missy's Manor: JBL Saves Ohio Valley Wrestling And Even Wrestling's Future?

Posted: Mar 23rd 2009 By: CMBurnham

I never considered John Layfield as a wrestling god as he likes to profess himself to be. I might consider him to be the possible savior of wrestling in a few years. JBL's financial sponsorship to OVW will benefit many people in the wrestling business. It is no secret that the wrestling business has became very stagnant in developing new talent to become future headliners. There are many factors in why WWE is having a hard time developing and finding new talent. One of the reasons is there are no more territories.

A territory provided many wrestlers the opportunity to work 1-3 shows a week. This allowed wrestlers to get ring time in front of a live crowd. This allowed the wrestlers to develop psychology, ring skills, and to learn how to keep things fresh in order to have the same fans attend the following week. I learned a ton by working 3-4 shows a week for World Class. By my first year, I probably had more experience than most current independent wrestlers that have worked for several years.

I wouldn't trade my experience in working for World Class, UWF, Continental, and Memphis for anything. Every new territory was a learning experience and a challenge. You were always fresh by playing to a new audience. You had to find a way to get yourself over in order to have a job. There were no guaranteed contracts that made you a promotions obligation to provide you with employment in case you didn't get over. I learned that promo skills were one of the most important variables in making you a player. If the fans could not hate you or like you enough to see you live, you would definitely be getting your notice. I still wish I had the opportunity to have worked in another territory before I went to WCW [I actually wanted to work in Stampede].

Preserving a promotion like OVW is vital to the industry. They run two-three shows a week and they air a weekly television show. Wrestlers need to experience how to be in a week-week storyline that entices people to pay to see a issue continued or resolved at a house show. The wrestlers also need a place to develop personalities. The young wrestlers can not expect for a creative person to create their persona for themselves. By developing a character in OVW and incorporating it in to a program is the best way to get noticed in order to get a developmental contract.

OVW already got the brains of Rip Rogers and Danny Davis that had already helped develop Dave Batista, Randy Orton, John Cena, John Morrison, and many other superstars. Hopefully JBL's financial resources will help some upcoming wrestler to be able to develop his craft and headline a future Wrestle Mania. Everybody got their own ideas on how to develop a wrestler. I still believe that you have to send a person with potential to a promotion in OVW that got a proven track record in creating million dollar players.

I'm hoping OVW will be continuing to run a regular schedule and maybe add additional dates to their schedule. Hopefully this will entice wrestlers to flock to the OVW area in hopes of be able to work for OVW. If the potential wrestler can work a regular schedule and present a decent character, perhaps this will persuade WWE to sign them to a developmental contract.

I'm hoping OVW will be this generation's answer to Memphis wrestling. Wrestlers used to flock to Memphis in order to have the opportunity to work 5 shows a week and appear on live television. Granted many wrestlers starved in Memphis. It was the wrestlers incentive to gain experience and perfect their to land themselves in to a bigger promotion. Do you think Steve Austin was willing to work for $50 pay offs and to budget himself to tuna and potato's if he wasn't serious about the business?

Hopefully WWE will develop a strategy that will incorporate both OVW and FCW in their developmental systems. By shuffling rosters from FCW to OVW, it will allow the wrestlers to learn more by working in a different territory and being taught by different trainers. WWE can also send wrestlers that are not being sent out on the road to work in either FCW or OVW. The younger wrestlers could learn and improve themselves by working against a senior wrestler. Plus sending a veteran from time to time could be a great asset to the developmental roster.

I remember I learned by discussing ideas with the veterans on the road trips. I would ask a million questions on what worked and what doesn't work. Maybe you can send a developmental wrestler from time to time to do a ride-along with a established superstar to WWE. Have the developmental wrestler watch every match at the television tapings and house shows. The wrestler will learn on what works by watching how established wrestlers incorporate what he is learning on to a bigger playing field. The ride-along wrestler can also pick the brains of the agents for the week. Every wrestler can learn something from a Arn Anderson or Ricky Steamboat caliber agent.

I'm very passionate about developing new wrestlers. Unfortunately there are too many independents that are using badly trained wrestlers, ticket sellers, and guys who pay to play. Promotions like these are why it is hard for a quality wrestler to find a decent promotion to gain experience. For every wrestler that got potential, there are a limited amount of shows for them to perfect their craft. Promotions like OVW need to be preserved in order to allow potential wrestlers become more well rounded and to work on a regular basis.

Over the last few months, a couple of ROH wrestlers had invited me to check out a live show. I usually subscribe to the theory that you don't go to a show unless you are booked or invited. Since I got a invitation by a couple of the wrestlers, I finally decided to go. I don't want to run down a redundant report about the show. Here are a few of my observations on the show.

I have seen Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Terry Funk, Jushin Liger, and other legends wrestle live. The Nigel McGuinness VS. Kenta match ranked up as one of the greatest matches I ever seen live. They worked around Nigel's limited use of his arm and injury to create a match that made everybody suspend belief for over twenty minutes that he might lose the title. I was glad to see that there are still wrestlers that can put together a match that had the aura of MMA match & the drama of wrestling at its finest.

WWE missed the boat on Colt Cabana. The guy is a decent wrestler. He can incorporate comedy spots at the right time. Plus he got such a great goofy charisma that makes him stand out. I'm glad that Colt got a great grasp of his character and can now incoporate it in matches that got a audience that will appreciate him. COLT RULEZ!

Bryan Danielson is so awesome that he can make a song that was ranked as one of the all time worst songs by VH1 in to one of the greatest ring entrances. Danielson is sooooo over with the ROH audience. Tyler Black is going to be a big money player in less than 3 years. I didn't enjoy the endurance match stipulations, but one can't deny Tyler's potential. El Generico is AWESOME! He is so over with the crowd and busts his ass in the ring. Davey Richards got the potential to be the next Dynamite Kid. He carries himself as a stiff-pissed off junior heavyweight wrestler.

I'm all psyched for April 3rd - Legends of Wrestling FanFest @ the George R. Brown Convention Center - 1111 Fannin Street, Houston, TX. I give Booker T a ton of respect for giving back to his community with his fund raising event. I am looking forward in meeting everybody who wants to discuss old school wrestling and developmental ideas. I can't wait to hang out with Baby Doll at this event at Greg Price's table. Greg runs a first rate vendor table. You can purchase digital pictures that will be printed on the spot. You can get more information @ http://www.bookertlow.com/tickets.shtml. I'm also in town in case WWE wants me to work at Wrestle Mania #25 as the Gobbledy Gooker, that way I can fulfill my Wrestle Mania Dream.

The Missy Hyatt Road Tour will be coming to NWS. April 10 is the 3rd. Annual Womens J Cup Tournament
@ 321 South Washington Ave., Bergenfield, N.J. at 7:30 PM. You can't go wrong with a one night tournament with Angel Orsini, Rain, Annie Social, Roxxi Cotton, April and others. April 11 is the 4th Annual King & Queen Tournament @ 663 Kearny Ave., Kearny, N.J. at 7:30 PM. One of the first round matches is Black Machismo & Miss April vs HELTER SKELTER & Trixie Lynn.

Tags: Missy Hyatt, WWE, WCCW, UWF, WCW, Ric Flair, Baby Doll