If you watched Wrestlers on Netflix and haven’t watched OVW TV yet, this is the place to start.
The 2024 Nightmare Rumble showcased everything that is great about OVW. Young stars were featured. Storylines were moved ahead every so slightly. New, potential stories were teased. (Real1 and Cash Flo??) And surprises were not relegated to surprise guests.
Here’s a quick hit list of notes from inside Davis Arena last night:
- The new layout of Davis Arena is the most dramatic yet, with the concession stand moving closer to the ring. Still feels like a work in progress, but last night’s arrangement allowed crew to bring in extra seats for those who had tickets but no place to sit in general seating.
- AJ Vest vs. Will Austin, and unannounced but outstanding curtain jerker for the pay-per-view. If you read my stuff here and on Slam, you’ve read Will Austin’s name many times now. He’s in the spot Luke Kurtis was in a year ago. Fans are struggling with whether they should cheer or boo him. Yeah, he’s a jerk in the ring, but did you see THAT move??
- Special guest commentators for the Women’s Rumble: your OVW Women’s Champ Freya the Slaya and… MICKIE JAMES??? Eric Cornish wasn’t kidding about the surprises.
- Your number three entrant: HOLIDEAD! Actually, most of the ladies in the Rumble were surprise guests, but I did not see Holidead coming. They can’t top that, right?
- NATALIA MARKOVA!! One of the top stars in the NWA (and a phenomenal trainer), Markova nearly went the distance in the Women’s Rumble.
- Loudest pop for a women’s elimination: no surprise, Shaloncé Royal. Inconvenient truth haters: the lady CAN sing, and you’re just jealous.
- Second loudest pop: Grindhouse Academy’s own, The Lovely Miss Larkin. Not sure if a large Grindhouse fan contingent was in the house or what, but Miss Larkin had heat for all the right reasons.
- Ring psychology 101: how to get the new girl over. A young lady named Gema from Puerto Rico made a very dramatic entrance into Davis Arena only to be tossed over the top rope immediately by the Baddies the crowd was on the new girl’s side and booed the heels… but guess what, kids? In the Nightmare Rumble, one eliminated contender gets to come back as a Wild Card after everyone else has made their entrance. Gema got the call, and she hit the ring like a spitfire. The crowd came unglued.
- Many of the young ladies in the Rumble were seeing their first national TV exposure, and ALL of them lived up to the moment. Ivy Malibu and J-Rod were two of the names I caught, and both lit a fire under the crowd. My daughter Lydia and J-Rod really hit it off afterwards. I think they found something in common.
- “Oops.” I’m not gonna spoil the end, but I think we all saw it coming. They were supposed to be besties. They had each other’s backs til the very end. She could have saved her bestie from falling off the apron. Again, I say, “Oops!”
- Haley J vs. Tiffany Nieves. OVW has an incredibly solid women’s division right now. These two ladies are right at the top. There’s really not a weak link in the group. Leila Gray, Dream Girl Ellie, Shaloncé Royal, Freya the Slaya, TT. Any combination of these seven ladies can put on a showstopper. It was Tiffany and Haley’s turn last night, and they delivered.
- Mick Foley is in the house! Your special guest announcer for the Rumble entered to a thunderous chant and seemed to have a great time. As I mentioned on Twitter, the Hardcore Legend grinned ear to ear seeing the monstrous pops Cash Flo and Mahabali Shera received. I hope someone got a snapshot to show both those guys.
- MOONSAULT AND BATTERY! I saw it coming, and when Shane Mercer hit his signature high spot on Joey “The Jet” Avalon, the crowd didn’t know what to think. Shane Mercer is, pound for pound, the strongest man in the indies, a real freak of nature. And for the record: I’ve seen him do that same move not only to the giant Kongo Kong but to two smaller men at the same time. I still can’t believe I’m seeing the Iron Demon in OVW!
- Fans of Jack Vaughn… watch for the *thigh slap.* It was Jack’s fault. He covered his chest when Cash was dishing out chops. He’s going to have the big man’s handprint on his thigh for a month.
- BEAU AMIR! Don’t know the name? Oh, look this guy up. He jobbed out to OVW’s Tony Gunn a few weeks ago, but last night, they put him over like the monster he can be. Seven feet tall with facial expressions that make Vince McMahon look inanimate, he eliminated four big guys as soon as he entered, and it took a crowd of heels and faces working together to oust him.
- Manny Domingo might be one of the top 5 most over guys at OVW. The set up and pay off to his Rumble encounter with arch-enemy Joe Diniero was priceless.
- Al Snow, master of the slow burn, continues to build the feud between Real1 (aka Enzo Amore) and Tony Gunn. Al’s never in a rush, and this feud is only just beginning.
- Kal Herro might have eliminated more guys than anyone last night, including one mass elimination. If OVW is to become a national presence, he’s one of the young pillars they’ll be building on. But…
- So is Luke Kurtis. Luke did everything he does well last night. He oozed arrogance. He bumped like the second coming of Ricky Morton. He made everyone boo him, and he basked in the hate. Sorry haters, this is Luke’s year. He’s gonna be a national name before the year is out.
- EC3 vs. Jessie Godderz. Here, once again, we see the slow burn brilliance of Al Snow’s booking as the rubber match proves not to be the end but another chapter in this heated rivalry. Godderz and EC3 are a formidable duo, two of the very best. But it’s the controversial finish that will keep Davis Arena selling out in the weeks to come. Prior to the match, Al threatened to fire EC3 if any of his associates – namely Luke Kurtis, Adam Revolver, or Joe “You’re a Baby!” Mack showed up. Honest to goodness, you have to see this finish. Everyone thought it was the end for EC3. Everyone thought wrong. Very, very wrong.
Seriously. It’s time, fans. Pony up the cash, watch the Nightmare Rumble. Then tune in Thursday night on Triller or YouTube – that is, unless you can score a ticket to the live show at Davis Arena. OVW kicked off the new year right, and I’m excited to see where this one leads.