Okay, okay, enough about Toni Storm as Clara Mortensen. Enough about Jim Cornette as the NWA Commissioner, Naomi as Ethel Johnson, and Kamille as June Byers.
Strike that. I’m #TeamJuneByers, and we definitely can’t get enough of Kamille as The Great and Inimitable June Byers!
We know all the big name, big promotion stars in the movie. We knew about them back in the summer while the movie was in production. What you may not know is that the film is jam-packed with familiar faces from Louisville’s own OVW.
OVW is one of the reasons Ash Avildsen brought the movie to Louisville. Savannah had just as many vintage locations as Louisville, if not more, but Louisville has one thing Savannah does not: a pro wrestling school as legendary as the characters in Queen of the Ring.
It was OVW who taught Emily Betts Rickard, Marie Avgeropoulos, and the other non-wrestling cast members how to work in the ring, and when the call for extras and bit roles went out, OVW workers and fans seized the day. There’s hardly a scene in the movie where you won’t see someone from OVW in a ring, in the crowd, or dancing the night away at a fancy party.
What follows is hardly a comprehensive list. It’ll take a number of viewings to catch every familiar face in every scene, but this little guide will certainly get you started.
Let’s start with the man who was clearly born to be in this movie.
Jared Kripke
“Big Whiskey,” as he’s known to OVW fans, sports facial hair from another time and place. I can only imagine Ash Avildsen jumping out his his seat the moment Kripke walked into the room. Kripke plays Gypsy John, an arrogant son-of-a-gun and pal of Billy Wolfe who learns his lesson when he steps in the ring with Millie.
Dean Hill
Dean Hill was the voice Louisville Gardens, the voice of OVW, and (in a few Christian indie films), the voice of God. So who better to announce the results of the climactic battle between Mildred Burke and June Byers? Dean can be seen seated at at table alongside Jim Cornette, Martin Kove (as Al Haft), and another man OVW fans will recognize.
Daniel Spencer
Spencer is OVW’s senior official and a regular referee for TNA Wrestling. He’s featured prominently at the movie’s climax, seated next to Martin Kove and Jim Cornette as the time keeper. “The bout went over the time limit of an hour, but the NWA wanted a true Women’s Champion. It was an honor to be selected for that small, important role in the movie’s final scenes.”
The actual, long-term result of the match came out a little different than shown in the movie, but that’s a story for another column. #TeamJuneByers
Speaking of time keepers, you may also see Shannon the Dude filling that role in another match. Shannon the Dude, the World Radio Champion, is one of the most hated men at OVW but a beloved radio host covering Kentucky Wildcat Sports.
ZDP, aka Zach Pittman, aka… Super Z?
While no one has yet unmasked and confirmed that wrestler Zach Pittman is also Super Z (trust me, he is), you can spot Pittman refereeing a match between Mildred Burke and Clara Mortensen. Pittman was a regular on set and may be spotted in the background of a number of other scenes, including the carnival and various wrestling crowds. He’s also one of the reporters at the Mildred Burke – Nell Stewart press conference along with his fellow Grindhouse Pro Wrestling Academy grad Dude Baddington.
OVW official Jack Cloyd can also be spotted as a referee during the movie as well as Dallas Edwards. Edwards also trained at Grindhouse across the river in Jeffersonville but has since become a regular at Davis Arena. You may also recognize him as Aaron Rubin from the short-lived Goldbergs spin-off, Schooled.
Jebediah Blackhawk
One of the OVW originals, going back to the early days at the Quadrangle in Jeffersonville, Blackhawk cut his beard and went with a period look for some time during the filming. At various points he worked as a roulette dealer; a challenger to Burke at the fair; a billiards player; a wrestling fan; an NWA official; and a carney. He definitely made the cut as one of the country boys getting tossed by Mildred Burke, as did OVW lead trainer (and current OVW Heavyweight Champion) Doug Basham.
Maria James (and Maximo Suave)
One of the stars from Netflix’s Wrestlers, Maria takes a body slam from Mickie James during a women’s wrestling training montage. Incidentally, Mickie James (an OVW alum herself) is listed in the credits as playing Moolah, who would have been simply Lillian Ellison at the time. Moolah became a World Champion herself, even though she never defeated an actual champion for the title. #TeamJuneByers
I list Maximo Suave here because you can see Maximo in a few scenes with his real life wife Maria. The two are standing side by side at one of the wrestling matches and seen dancing together in the background during a scene between Mildred Burke and G. Bill.
Eagle-eyed OVW fans should keep a sharp look out for more familiar faces who were frequently on set. These include Hy Zaya, Tony Gunn, Mahabali Shera, Dream Girl Ellie, Sophia Rose, and Orion.
And let’s not forget the Kentucky Colonel! Not the real Colonel Sanders, mind you, but the gentleman frequently seen ringside at Davis Arena sporting a T-shirt promoting Colonel Weddings. Yes, wrestling and fried chicken fans, you can be married by “Colonel Sanders.” This is very, very real, and the “Colonel” is incredibly easy to spot in the wrestling crowds during Queen of the Ring.
It’s been a long (almost) two years for the OVW crew, waiting to see if they made the final cut in a very special movie. For many of them, this was a chance not only to add a movie to their resume but be a part of history. The wrestlers have enjoyed hearing the stories of Mildred Burke and her contemporaries and meeting the families who attended screenings and even visited the set.
Chief among those relatives: Kay Parker, granddaughter of the woman who succeeded Mildred Burke as champion. Oh yes. She’s very much #TeamJuneByers
A huge thank you to my friend Maria James for helping me to compile this article and is also #TeamJuneByers. At least I assume she’s #TeamJuneByers. She is a natural heel, after all!