If you’ve visited Davis Arena during the Al Snow era, you know Joe.
After scanning your ticket, passing security, and strolling past concessions and the merch stands, you’ll find Joe Cooley directing General Admission ticket holders to sit on the side opposite the hard cam until it’s full.
When the action starts, you’ll hear Joe. He’s not only OVW’s head of security and front of house, he’s the head cheerleader. He cheers the loudest for the babyfaces. He boos hardest at the heels. He pumps up the fans, especially the quiet ones, getting them engaged.
“I like to call Joe our Head of Security and Head of Fan Experiences,” says OVW ring announcer Eric Cornish. “Not only will Joe keep the peace if the rare issue arrives, but he will also be the first one to get the fans off their chairs and cheering once the cameras are rolling.”
Joe will tell you he’s not watching the action himself. At least, not as much as he’s watching the crowd. It’s rare he has to step in to intervene in a situation, but you’ll see him move quickly when it happens.
“The crowd’s as entertaining as what’s in the ring,” said Joe.
He loves watching the fans, especially the little kids, react to what they’re seeing.
You’d be forgiven for mistaking Joe for a man who used to wrestle himself. With 27 years experience in private security and as a special officer for the Louisville police, he’s got a solid body and stands out in a crowd. He’s bald on top, with a snowy Santa beard and glasses. He’s always dressed the same: in a T-shirt and kilt.
“For 27 years, people told me how to dress every day of my life and how to wear my facial hair when I had it,” Joe said. “When I retired, I had a conversation with my wife. And with her approval, I started wearing kilts.”
It’s not a gimmick for OVW. Joe is Scot-Irish, so the wardrobe choice is a nod to his Celtic heritage. “Occasionally I’ll wear shorts, or sweatpants, but it’s very rare. And it really throws people who know me when I wear them. I could wear a kilt every day for two or three weeks and not wear the same thing twice.”
It was in his past life as a security officer that Joe first met Al Snow. The WWE was in town, and Joe was working security when he bumped into Al and Head. Their first meeting was brief, but memorable. Years later, Joe was working roadside assistance when he was dispatched to lend assistance to someone named Allen Sarven. Of course, Joe had no idea that was Al Snow’s real name, but the two recognized each other immediately.
“Al told me he was running this Wrestling-A-Go-Go event at Davis Arena, and he asked me if I would work security,” said Joe. “I must have done a good job, because he kept asking me to help after that.”
When Al bought OVW from Danny Davis, Joe became a permanent part of the staff. “It went from being head of security to where I’m now an instructor with the Academy.”
Joe’s in charge of everything front of house. On show days, he leaves his day job early and drives to the Arena. Once he’s in the building, class is in session for first and second term students.
“I tell them, ‘We have a party tonight, guys. We have X number of guests coming, so we need this many chairs. We have live entertainment, so we have to get the practice pads off, the show pads and canvas on, and get it good and secure. A loose canvas is the difference between a twisted knee or a busted ankle.”
Joe makes sure the bathrooms are scrubbed, the concession stand is fully staffed, and the food gets picked up from Four Pegs and Wick’s Pizza. When the doors open, he’s got students in position to wand all the guests, direct them to their seats, and ensure everyone has a safe night.
And Joe doesn’t just do this at Davis Arena. He’s traveled to house shows all over the region since the Netflix Wrestlers documentary.
“It’s a lot like herding cats and nailing Jell-O to the wall, but it’s all for the fans,” said Joe. “Everything we do is strictly for the fans, and I love every second of it.”
Joe takes a lot of pride working for OVW, and not just as a wrestling promotion. OVW offers students a well-rounded, complete education in the business with classes covering nutrition, finance, English, production, and yes… wrestling.
“A few years ago, we had a young man who really took to doing the video production,” said Joe. “Last I heard, he’s working for WWE. That’s why they call this the Harvard of professional wrestling.”
If OVW is Harvard, that makes Al Snow the Dean, and Joe has nothing but respect for the boss. “Al is the Library of Alexandria of Wrestling. He teaches history, etiquette. He really belongs in the Hall of Fame for all the contributions he’s made to the business.”
Joe Cooley is very humble about his own role at OVW. He was reluctant to speak with me, and even consulted with Al Snow before doing so. To him, it’s all about the students and the fans. But fans, students, and staff alike have a great deal of respect for Joe.
“The Hotpoint Davis Arena floor moves to the beat of Joe Cooley’s drum,” said TV announcer Bryan Kennison. “The man knows every inch and somehow commands even more of it. The rest of the show can roll on smoothly because everyone backstage knows that ‘Joe and Co.’ (I’m taking credit for that name) have things locked down on the front on the house side of things.”
“Joe Cooley is definitely a unique individual!” said manager-turned-TV announcer Josh Ashcraft. “OVW is lucky to have him keeping an eye on the crowd and the front of house for us. He is passionate about OVW, its fans and its performers. I’ve also heard a rumor he might be the Santa each year for OVW… which if thats true means he’s tazed me… and given me a stunner… maybe I should keep my distance from him.”
Brian Hines of The OVW Podcast shared his appreciation for Joe as well. “Joe Cooley is the heart and soul of the live OVW experience at Davis Arena. He’s equal parts security, cheerleader and man-at-arms directing academy students during shows.”
“Joe Cooley is one part security guard, one part cheerleader, one part teddy bear,” said “Tyni” Brian Woodard of The OVW Podcast. “His presence Thursday nights at Davis Arena makes it safe and fun.“
“Joe Cooley taught me how to boo,” added fan and fellow podcaster Victor Anderson.
The value Joe Cooley brings to OVW goes far beyond his front of house duties. When Al Snow needs something, no matter how strange, his first phone call is to Joe.
“Al calls me his left handed giraffe guy,” said Joe.
There’s a story behind it, and it’s worth telling.
Al called Joe up one day and asked Joe if he could get his hands on “a donkey or a mule or a goat or maybe a monkey.” Instead of questioning why in the world Al Snow wanted a donkey or a mule or a goat or maybe a monkey, Joe simply said, “Give me a minute,” and hung up.
Within an hour, Joe had a line on a sixteen-hand high mule. Al asked if Santa could also come. “That’s my alter ego,” said Joe. “So of course I said yes.”
Joe finally asked where Al needed Santa and the donkey would need to be. When Al told him they were filming at a bar, Joe finally offered some advice. “If you take a mule into a bar, you’re not going to handle the mule. The mule will handle you. Why don’t I get you a chicken?”
And that, OVW fans, is how a chicken and Santa Claus ended up at the bachelor party for former referee Aaron Grider.
“At ten minutes ’til seven, Santa walked into a bar with a chicken under his arm,” said Joe. “Al was always amazed that I never asked why. I just said, ‘Give me a minute.’ He says I reminded me of a guy from WWF who could get a left-handed giraffe if they needed one. So whenever Al asks me for something, I say, ‘One left handed giraffe coming up!’”
“Joe is invaluable to OVW and to me,” said Al Snow. “He’s the one person you can call day or night and he’s there, no matter what for you. He’s my go-to guy for literally anything and everything. I just wish I had more of him.”
Eric Cornish vouched for Joe’s ability to get things done on the fly as well. “If I need anything logistically during the live broadcast, I flag down Joe, and he gets it done… period.”
Joe’s uniquely gifted for the role Al Snow gave him in ways that continue to surprise. A few weeks ago, I saw Joe signing with Jordan Ramser, better known to fans as Ram Ju of the Deaf World Order. So of course I asked him how he knew American Sign Language.
“You caught that, huh?” he laughed. “I have a daughter who had problems with her hearing and some difficulty enunciating words The we lived in Danville, she attended the Kentucky School for the Deaf. She learned sign language. I learned sign language. I’ve had to brush up on it over the years, but it makes me well rounded.”
And no, ASL, is not Joe’s only linguistic skill. “I know Spanish, some French, and I speak fluent cuss.”
Joe is used to some fans bristle when he gives them direction, especially first timers. But if Joe asks someone to move, he has a good reason. “At the end of the day,” said Bryan Kennison, “It’s a TV product, and we need them where we need them. Joe absorbs all the anger and chagrin, and you’d never know it because he’s always popping around the corner with a smile and a kind word.”
“Don’t be offended if Mr. Joe gives you some direction,” added Eric Cornish. “Joe is one of the kindest humans you’ll ever meet. Joe is dedicated to make sure our TV product looks great, so if he asks you to move seats, do it for him, It’ll make the overall experience better on air, and let’s face it, there’s not a bad seat in the house.”
It’s true. Davis Arena is small enough, you’re going to get a good view no matter where you sit. Joe makes it his business to see to it that every fan has a blast.
“Our goal for the next two hours or so is to take whatever is bothering you out of your head, and let you have the best possible time. It’s a family show. Bring the kiddies. We keep it light. We keep it happy. And we want you to yell. All your life you’ve been told to Shhh and be quiet, Well not here. Cheer for the good guys. Boo the bad guys. And if you don’t know which is which, listen for me because I’ll let you know!”
And no one is allowed to have a bad time at Davis Arena. Not while Joe Cooley’s managing front of house.
“I tell people every day, ‘You know what makes the day so great? We get to do wrestling stuff!’ I love it, and I love being a part of something bigger than me.”
That love and passion fuels everyone who works at OVW, according to Bryan Kennison “Whether it’s Joe making sure right seats are filled, or just his belly fully of energy yelling, ‘Let’s start the show!’ Joe Cooley has made that floor his own and carved his own legacy in the halls of OVW.”