The main event of this week’s show was a number one contender’s match between Daniel Puder and Smackdown superstar Mr. Ken Kennedy, and Puder made Kennedy tap out to the Key Lock. Either the story of Puder being given walking papers is bogus, or Paul Heyman is up to something. Puder making Kennedy tap sets up Puder vs Johnny Jeter for the OVW Title, so who knows what’s really going on right now? Let’s get to the tv show, because there is a lot to cover.
This week’s show aired on Saturday night September 10 on the WB in Louisville, Kentucky. The show opened up with a replay of the final moments of last week’s controversial TV Title match between OVW TV Champion Ken Doane and Brent Albright, who was wrestling with an injured left eye. This included Bobby Lashley mistakenly hitting Dean Visk with Visk’s coffee pot but then shrugging his shoulders. Albright caught Doane in the crowbar, but Doane was in the ropes. The referee started the five count for Albright to break, and Doane tapped out between 4 and 5. Does the title change hands?
“Let The Bodies Hit The Floor” OVW TV Opening airs. Instead of Dean Hill and Al Snow opening the show, The OVW Southern Tag Team Champions The Tolands are in the ring, and Tank asks who the OVW TV Champion is. “We’ll find out tonight” he promises. Meanwhile, Tank points out, the only thing that remains constant in OVW is the fact the Tolands are the tag team champions, and they are the most dominant tag team in OVW history.
This brings out WWE jobbers but former OVW top tag team The Heartbreakers. Apparently, the WWE legal department likes this tag team, as they are not called The Heartbreakers but The Heart Throbs, which the crowd doesn’t really like. The Throbs do a promo that was funny but too long, and had their old manager Mo Green with them. I loved The Heartbreakers, but this act seemed stale tonight. The Throbs call The Tolands the Oompa Loompa wrestlers, and the match is on. The Tolands defeat The Heart Throbs in a match that I wanted to like, but it was really sloppy. I don’t know what being in WWE has done to Romeo Rosselli, but this is the sloppiest I’ve seen him. Not good at all.
Also, in the stupidest moment since Heyman took over the booking chores in OVW, Al Snow completely ignored the great drama of last week’s TV Title story with Brent Albright and his injured eye and said, “It’s all fun until you lose an eye, and then it’s hilarious.” I’ve been a fan of Al Snow’s recently, but this was a bad week for him. The Tolands won with their version of the Vegamatic.
Over to the announcers desk, Dean Hill reads an announcement from OVW Owner Danny Davis. First, because Davis likes to live up to his promises, he’s going to make OVW Champion Johnny Jeter’s life a living nightmare. Since Jeter’s alliance with Mr. Kennedy and Daniel Puder is now public knowledge, Davis has booked a number one contender’s match for tonight’s show between Kennedy and Puder! Plus, after consulting with respected referees around the world, Davis has ruled on the OVW TV Title controversy. Did the ropes stop the tap? Or is it legal to get the tap before the 5 count? Davis ruled that the rope break prevails, and Ken Doane keeps the title. Al Snow, in his best moment on the show, said, “I respect Danny Davis, but I disagree with this. Brent Albright made Ken Doane tap.” So it’s not over between Albright and Doane, which is good because their match last week was really good.
Maria interviews Ken Doane, who calls himself the undisputed OVW TV Champion. Maria asks where is Bobby Lashley, Kenny Bolin announces he gave Lashley the night off. Bolin starts talking about Doane when Lashley walks in. Bolin panics. Lashley asks Dean Visk how it felt last week when Lashley broke the coffee pot over his head. Visk starts screaming insanely, which is the third week he’s done this gimmick and it’s great. Lashley says, “If I were you” and then sticks his chin in Visk’s face and says “I’d hit me. Come on, be a man.” This was exploding, with both monsters face to face, pressing noses, when Mr. Kennedy, just at the right moment, whisks away Maria and brings her to safety, which is in the Kennedy, Puder, Jeter locker room. Kennedy turns down the number one contenders match. Puder won’t turn it down.
Kennedy says, “There are things I don’t tell you, like certain deals cut in private behind the promoter’s back.” Puder wants the match and the shot at the OVW title. Kennedy says, “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk, and friends don’t let friends interfere in Johnny Jeter’s title reign.” Puder still wants the match and the title shot. The falling out begins, and Kennedy hysterically throws Maria out of the locker room, saying “who invited you and your camera crew in here?” Kennedy is fantastic.
We come back from a commercial and see the incident from last week where Brent Albright made Da Beast tap, and then Mike Mondo gauged Albright’s eye and injured it. Back live, Albright is in the ring with his eye heavily bandaged, and reviews what happened last week with what he called Jeter’s bounty on everyone’s head. Albright calls out Mike Mondo. The week to week stories in OVW are the best in wrestling right now. Mondo comes out with Da Beast. and calls himself a wrestling machine. Albright slapped Mondo, and dared Beast to do something. When Beast wouldn’t, Albright said, “You aren’t Da Beast. You Da Bitch.” Mondo jumped Albright and ripped at his eye again. Referees came in and pulled Mondo off Albright. But The Shooter wanted a match, and jumped Mondo, so the match began. During the match, Albright jumped off the apron onto Beast’s back and choked him out with a Chicken Wing. Then it was just Albright and Mondo. Good match, with Albright scoring with the Crowbar submission. I have to make mention of Al Snow’s stupidity here again, as in the middle of this good match, Albright hits a hard power bomb on Mondo, and Snow screams “I think I saw a gerbil squirt out.”
After a commercial, Maria interviews Chris Cage, who talks about his match coming up with Aaron “The Idol” Stevens. Shelly came in and toyed with Cage, and then licked his mouth. Cage says, “Well thank you Shelly, but I’m still going to beat your man.” Then she kissed him. Cage is a bit stunned by the liplock. Then Shelly asks Maria, “You want some too?” Maria shows Shelly her mic, which can be read in many different ways. Shelly says “you don’t know what you’re missing.” Maria asks Cage, “Did she mean that to you, or to me?” This is great. We come back to ringside for more of Bobby Lashley’s babyface turn. Dean Visk (w/ Kenny Bolin) comes out for his match with Robert Fury, but throws a tantrum at the desk, so Bobby Lashley gets into the ring and beats Fury, and then thanked Visk for letting him steal the match. This is so much better than it reads. Good stuff.
Matt Cappotelli on a pretape talked about going to physical therapy for his broken leg and talked about getting ready to return to track down and get revenge on Johnny Jeter. Very strong promo. When Cappotelli finally comes back against Jeter, it will be the hottest angle in OVW history.
Mr. Ken Kennedy came out, and hopped onto the announcer desk. The guy is just tremendous. Kennedy introduced himself at 242 pounds, and then said off the cuff, “I gained a pound.” Kennedy pitched to “a word from our sponsors,” and they actually went to a commercial break!
When they come back, Kennedy introduces his tag team partner but tonight’s opponent, Daniel Puder. Kennedy then introduces the special VIP guest for the match, OVW Champion Johnny Jeter. In the main event, Daniel Puder won a number one contender match against Mr. Ken Kennedy by making Kennedy tap out to the Key Lock. Puder took Kennedy down to the mat and was doing UFC style punches when Jeter cracked Puder with the title belt. Kennedy covered Puder, but Puder kicked out at 2. Kennedy went to the top rope and hit a really cool Kenton Bomb, but Puder countered that into a Key Lock in a great looking finish. Kennedy held on, but finally tapped out. The Riggs Brothers, who are Puder’s UFC style cornermen, lifted Puder on their shoulders as the crowd chanted “Puder Puder.” But Johnny Jeter came flying off the top rope with a kick and knocked Puder to the canvas as the show went off the air.
Paul Heyman and company’s streak of strong shows continues. OVW is now selling the July and August videotapes, which feature the end of the Cornette era (first two weeks of July) and the Summer of Heyman writing OVW. I recommend this for anyone who wants to see great angles and week-to-week storylines at their best. The tapes are available at www.ovwrestling.com. OVW returns to the New Davis Arena, 4400 Sheperdsville Road, Louisville, Kentucky this Wednesday night for another TV Taping with Jeter vs Puder for the OVW Title, and the rematch of Ken Doane vs Brent Albright for the OVW TV Title already announced.
