Someone posted the logos for WWE and AEW on Twitter yesterday with the question, “Where are you getting your wrestling fix?”
I replied with the names of my three favorite local promotions:
Girl Fight, which is coming back thanks to Billie Starkz
And of course, OVW
Oddly enough, until tonight, I had not been to OVW since July. That’s a long dry spell for me, but it wasn’t by choice. A busy work travel schedule coupled with a busy family life means too many Thursdays have been tied up to drive over to Davis Arena. It was nice to break the drought, and nice to see some familiar faces.
Katie Gannon was one of them. Most fans still despise her, which is by design, but I enjoy her uniqueness. The fans also gave her one of the loudest pops of the night when she slapped the piss out of Stephen Steele in a video segment. It was vicious, and Stephen’s grin was pure gold.
Being gone four months, there were some changes, most notably during commercial breaks. Instead of broadcasting the ads to the live audience, OVW cranked up the tunes like “Shout” from Animal House and the Ace of Base Classic “The Sign.” The games and fan engagements made the show feel more like an NBA or NHL game during the breaks, keeping everyone happy and entertained.
There were some new faces on display, too. Two young ladies, Leela Hall from Detroit and Dayami from Mexico, impressed with some surprising maneuvers in their singles match. Too bad the current hot women’s heel, Killer Kai, had to come out and smash them both. But there’s a premium live event coming up in two weeks, and storylines take precedent.
Dustin Jackson was a great surprise tonight as well. He’s in the midst of a big heel push, with tonight appearing to be his big coming out moment. A solid hand who has had some nice mid-card runs over the past decade, Dustin’s showed some real character and spirit destroying Jota Peso and laying down the gauntlet with Kal Herro.
Kal has as many haters as fans these days, with a “Thank you, Dustin!” chant breaking out after the challenger cold-cocked the champ, but it’s setting up a great feud between the two.
Of course Dustin has a ways to go to catch Tony Evans in the heat department. That’s no slight on Dustin. Tony has steadily grown into one of the biggest heat magnets in the history of the company. The boos are just deafening for the man, and the most he says, “Hush!” the more raucous they get. There hasn’t been a heel red hot since Jessie Godderz turned babyface a few years back.
And then, there’s Larkan.
The Lovely Miss Larkan, wearing a black duster and a mismatched pair of sparkly heel boots and piggy slippers, is now managing a tag team almost as dysfunctional as she is. Jack Vaughn and Donovan Cecil clearly do not like one another. The combination of their oil and water, mixed with Larkan’s Jolt Cola level madness, was worth the price of admission alone.
Ah yes, the price of admission. In an era when Nick Khan insists the WWE is only raising prices to meet the market demand, OVW’s ownership continues to serve the fans in its community. General Admission remains $10. $10.60 with Kentucky sales tax. Concessions are no more overpriced than at your local high school basketball game, and T-shirts range from $20-30. Some wrestlers offer stickers, autographed photos, and other items for well under $20, while handshakes and photo ops remain free.
Fans who want to attend the big Thanksgiving show on November 21 can get their ticket at half price but bringing two perishable food items as a donation to a local food pantry.
To those of you fans who spend as much on your Wrestlemania ticket as you would a brand new Toyota Camry, you go and enjoy.
For the rest of us, indie wrestling offers the chance to see more live wrestling, up close and personal, on a budget that won’t rob you of a retirement.