“On the last episode of OVW Rise, Crixus and Tony Gunn had joined up with The Revolution, the newest evil faction that also includes EC3 and OVW legend Jamin Olivencia. But who is the mastermind behind the group? Surely it’s not Doug Basham. I mean, we saw what they did to Doug Basham! But who could it be?”
A lot could have happened in the last two months, had OVW not made the call to shut it down. Davis Arena needed a new A/C system, and in the interest of fan safety, they took two months off to install a new one, courtesy of the Arena’s new title sponsor Hotpoint.
Hot being the key word. At least from where I was sitting. When I first walked into the building, it was cool as could be. But once I got past concessions, it was a little on the warm side. I hear it was actually cool opposite the hard cam, but knowing the show was sold out, I picked a seat on the hard cam side, where it was definitely hot.
Is this OVW’s fault? Heck no. It’s not their name on the new A/C system. But I sure hope the people behind America’s hardest working appliances will do a little tweaking in the days and weeks to come.
But enough about that. How was the action for the Homecoming/ go home show before Saturday’s pay-per-view in Pikeville?
In short: OVW took all that story they probably would have told in eight weeks and crammed it into one night.
I walked in during the 6-7 pm taping of Overdrive, just in time to see Hy Zaya. I wouldn’t mention it, given this is a pre-taped show and I am not one for spoilers, but this is Hy Zaya. The Hood Ninja. The two of us go back ten years now, and I can honestly say, the man continues to only get BETTER.
So yeah, be sure to catch Overdrive Tuesday on YouTube.
And now, back to Rise.
As best as I can tell, the Rise broadcast began with carnage. Right at the end of Overdrive, the evil Revolution made their traditional entrance through the side exit. (Seriously? We don’t lock that door?) Everyone was laid out in the ring. Star Rider, Kal Herro, Luscious Lawrence, Omar Amir, Tony Evans, Jay DeNori, Luke Kurtis. Heck, Luke looked like he was dead. They used smelling salts on the poor man!
We got a LOT of run-ins from the Revolution tonight. It reminded me of when The Fallen was in their prime and we’d hear their theme 3-4 times a night. But again, we’re building for Saturday, and there’s a whole lot of story that needs to be told.
There was also a healthy dose of great action. The 10 Woman Rumble for the Number One Contender spot delivered big time. Champion Leila Grey replaced Bryan Kennison on commentary for the match that say Haley J, Tiffany Nieves, and Freya the Slaya eliminated one, two, three. Seeing the obvious top 3 choices eliminated up front heightened interest, and speculation turned to who was left, and who could it possibly be?
Angelica Risk came in at second and looked great. Shaloncé Royal entered in the latter half, and Dream Girl Ellie got the dream spot at number 10. But it was a lady not seen since the Nightmare Rumble who stole the show.
OVW gave J-Rod a golden opportunity, and she grabbed it. She eliminated five women (by my count) on her way to winning the Rumble and shocked the arena when Dream Girl Ellie went out last. I sent a text to my daughter Lydia, who had to miss because of ice hockey practice. She’s a huge J-Rod fan, and I knew she’d be stoked.
Half the crowd was already chanting J-Rod and continued when she cut a promo on Leila Grey and demanded a title shot – right now! Al Snow came out and made it official, pending Leila’s acceptance. Leila was game, so ref Charlene came out and started the OVW Women’s Championship match.
The crowd split this time, with half cheering on Leila and half pulling for J-Rod. The number one contender shocked Hotpoint Davis Arena again, pinning Leila clean to become the NEW OVW Women’s Champion.
Enter The Revolution.
Like vultures, the five heels slid into the ring and surrounded J-Rod. Some fans were worried. Would they really throw hands with one of the ladies? Others caught on more quickly what was happening. They weren’t there to attack. They were there to celebrate. Crixus lifted his title. J-Rod lifted hers. The Revolution has its first female member.
“I don’t care,” said Lydia, when I texted her the news. “I’m still cheering for her!”
Non-story sidebar: huge props to J-Rod. She returned to Davis Arena, she put on a show, and she got over. In a span of 15-20 minutes, she went from nobody to a fan favorite to a top heel.
And honestly, J-Rod did not need The Revolution. The Revolution needs J-Rod. She has the look, she has the talent. And she can cut a promo. She’s a star.
The second hour of Rise was dominated by a gauntlet match to become number one contender for Will Austin’s Rush Division Championship. Buzz Backlund, a hugely over rookie who has been a thorn in Will’s side, won the first few matches. Then Hotpoint Davis Arena erupted for the return of Jota Peso – aka Manny Domingo. Simply put, Jota is a beloved man in these parts, and the fans are eager to see him win. He scored a pin over Buzz and later Maximo Suave, but it was Dustin Jackson who seemed to be destined to win.
Jackson wrestled Austin earlier in a match that was interrupted by – you guessed it – The Revolution. Jackson’s always has potential, but right now, he’s trim, cut, and in better shape than ever. He certainly seems poised for a big push.
But that push will have to wait. After defeating Jota Peso and Orion, Dustin had to face the final competitor, Jamin Olivencia.
It’s really hard to hate Jamin if you’re an old OVW fan like me. I mean, it’s Jamin. He’s one of the greatest OVW products of all time. There’s not a man on the roster now he can’t hang with, not a student he can’t put over like they’re Ric Flair. But the fans booed when Jamin won and then started a confrontation, first with OVW announcer Josh Ashcraft, whom he bloodied up, and then with Will Austin.
That’s a big part of the fun of this Revolution angle. Yes, Will Austin, Tony Evans, Beaches and Cream, and others are still heels. But they’re also OVW. We hate Will, but we hate The Revolution more.
The Revolution had a few more acts of treachery on tap. First, Dalton McKenzie and AJZ claimed another title for The Revolution by beating up Tusk and Chains. Then the rest of the gang returned via the side door (Still unlocked? Aren’t they getting hot out there?) with a bloodied Luke Kurtis. Everyone rushed out of the back to help, and everyone got clobbered again.
And then, Cash Flo’s music hit.
Cash Flo has not been seen in months. He’s been in Atlanta, filming the second season of Tulsa King with Sylvester Stallone. Now he’s home, and only Cash was able to clear out the ring and send The Revolution packing.
Cash had a message for Crixus and The Revolution. On Saturday night, he will be in the steel cage match with team OVW against The Revolution.
Crixus was unphased. A video played on the monitors. The sound did not roll, but the visuals told the story – and confirmed everyone’s number one theory about The Revolution. We saw Al Snow, lying on the floor, knocked out. Standing over Al, holding a baseball bat, was none other than Doug Basham.
To borrow a line from WandaVision: IT WAS BASHAM, ALL ALONG!
It wasn’t easy, but OVW made like the opening of the old sitcom SOAP and caught the fans up just in time for Fight Night on Saturday, August 31. It was great being back in Hotpoint Davis Arena. Let’s just hope they can find a way to get the hot out of all corners of that building before the next episode of Rise.