OVW TV REVIEW FOR 8/13
- 08/14/2005 (12:34:17 pm)
- Dan Wills
Heyman scores with Best TV Show of the Year…..
OVW TV REVIEW for August 13, 2005
Heyman Scores with Best TV Show of the Year
by Dan Wills
I witnessed it live, and it was even better on television. This week's OVW TV is possibly the best hour of wrestling television this year. The production values are beaten by little indy feds who put their shows up for download on the Internet, but it doesn't matter. The story told over this hour is perfect, and the performances were the best from everyone involved. In this week's hard copy Wrestling Observer, Dave Meltzer writes how everyone in OVW that is a regular on the Heyman-era TV shows is already coming across like a big star, and I could not agree more. This is Heyman's fifth OVW TV show, and you can really feel why people in the New Davis Arena were crying that night for Matt Capotelli and how Heyman reeled in the emotion.
The show started off with a recap of last week's surprising Johnny Jeter victory for the OVW Heavyweight Title and excellent heel turn on the injured Matt Capotelli. They showed the finish with Ken Anderson and Daniel Puder pulling referee Chris Kay out of the ring while Jeter tapped to Albright's crowbar.
Then the "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor" video open aired, and after over two years of the same clips, the clips have changed! This was actually exciting to watch, because while the song may be 5 years old, the clips picked were chosen to make the current roster even bigger stars. The first clip was Jeter hitting Capotelli with the title belt. There was also The Tolands, Jillian Hall, Ken Doane hitting an RKO, Nick Nemeth, Alexis Laree, and Daniel Puder. There was also the old clip of a board being broken, to match the sound effect. The Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit clips remain. And so does one of Jim Cornette. Another savvy move by Heyman, if you ask me. And he keeps the same music, because while OVW has changed dramatically under Heyman, he's not throwing away the past or traditions.
The show opens with Dean Hill and Al Snow hyping the two main events of the night, Johnny Jeter vs Brent Albright in a rematch, and Ken Doane teaming with Bobby Lashley vs Nick Nemeth and Chris Cage. Out comes Aaron "The Idol" Stevens, who is with not just one valet (Beth Phoenix) but two (an LA newcomer to OVW named Shelly). Stevens is set to face Robbie Dawber when we crash backstage to Maria, who looks exceptionally hot tonight. Maria interviews former OVW Champion Brent Albright, who was in full gear, positioned to fight, staring at a door. Albright said, "When Johnny Jeter walks through the door tonight, we're going to have a conversation face to face. And then I'm going to find Ken Anderson and Daniel Puder. and let my hands do the talking." Great promo.
We go back to the match, which starts, and The Idol is in control most of the way and pins Dawber. Shelly, the vampire looking female hellcat, attacks Dawber as we go break. Idol has new music, Rob Zombie's version of Brick House, which rocks, by the way.
Back from break, we have Ken Anderson and Daniel Puder coming out, in gear, in protest. Anderson said Albright was a lunatic, screaming and yelling (even though Albright was calm, cool, and collected). Anderson said they're leaving, but Puder wanted to stay and fight Albright. Anderson would have nothing of it, and forced Puder to leave with him. As they were departing the back door, they ran into Danny Inferno, and an argument broke out. Inferno went to the ring, and taped up his hand. Anderson and Puder came back in, and Anderson did his great routine of introducing everyone. He made this a "striker vs wrestler" match, and Puder beat Inferno with the Key Lock in a stiff looking match. i kind of thought this match played better live, with the immediacy of the angle, but it still looked interesting on TV. Anderson announced Puder as the winner, and Albright hit the ring. Anderson tried to pull out Puder, but Puder squared off with Albright, who took Puder down. Anderson pulled Puder out of the ring. I liked that angle, and it looked good on TV too. They went to a commercial break here.
When they come back from the commercial break, we find out Johnny Jeter has entered the building while Albright was out in the ring. Maria is there to interview him, and just as he gets arrogant, Brent Albright walks in and calmly asks Maria to excuse them. Albright never stops staring directly into Jeter's eyes. As good as Albright was here, Jeter was a good heel too. Albright said he was going to protect Jeter until their match tonight, because "no one will hurt you tonight until I do when I win back my title ." At this point, Matt Capotelli hobbles in the door, and throws his crutches at Jeter, screaming at Jeter. Albright stops Capotelli and carries him, kicking and screaming, out of the dressing room. Great angle.
We go to commercial here on TV. Live, Kenny Bolin introduced Ken Doane and Bobby Lashley, but that did not air on television. Instead, we went straight to commercial, and when we came back, Doane and Lashley were in the ring, being introduced, and we got a quick glimpse of Dean Visk, who was paid off last week by Bolin, at ringside with Bolin as Bolin's new director of security. Al Snow kept calling Visk "The Cooler" for some reason.
Out comes Nick Nemeth and Chris Cage, and the first of the two big angles of the night happens as Nemeth pinned Doane (the OVW TV Champion) in the tag team match. The story of the match was t hat anytime Lashley was in, he just crushed the opposition. Eventually, Doane hit the RKO on Nemeth, but Nemeth became the first person to kick out. Lashley delivered more punishment. Doane tagged in, tried to pick up Nemeth, but Nemeth hit a small package for the huge pin. The place really popped. But Heyman also plants the seeds for the future here, as after the match, Doane just sat in the ring in disbelief and he and Lashley, who was on the apron, just stared at each other. This works even better on TV than in person, and it worked good in person too. This TV show just seems like everything is coming together in OVW.
When we come back from the commercials, we get a "Moments Ago" and "Nemeth pins Doane" screen with the pinfall and Doane - Lashley look at each other replayed. We come out of the commercial and have Johnny Jeter about to be interviewed by Al Snow. This was really good. Al says, "I was going to ask you if you had any involvement with Ken Anderson and Daniel Puder last week, but I can't count on you to tell me the truth, so say what you want to say." The crowd is all over Jeter, chanting YOU TAPPED OUT!
Jeter cut a great heel promo. I thought his promo last week was lacking, but this one rocked. A really good heel promo and the same people who were screaming for him at the beginning were really booing him at the end. Jeter then defended the OVW Title in a 15 minute match against Brent Albright. Matt Capotelli came out and sat ringside. Albright and Jeter had one of the better matches in OVW TV history. You can see referee Chris Kay start to vomit at one point, but the camera cut away. Albright locked in the crowbar, but Jeter was in the ropes. Albright had to break. Jeter rolled out of the ring and superkicked the injured Capotelli. Jeter took the chair and creamed Albright with it. The referee called for the bell.
Jeter then turned around and smashed Capotelli with the chair. Capotelli collapsed. Jeter was in a rage, and then went crazy, smashing Capotelli time and time again with the chair. Al Snow grabbed Jeter and pushed him up against the entrance way. Wrestlers poured out of the locker room and helped restrain Jeter. Deuce Shade had Jeter from behind by the throat and looked shocked when he looked down at Capotelli. We couldn't really see what was happening to Capotelli. Dean Hill started talking, but they slowly faded to black. This was amazing TV.
There was an OVW commercial, so I knew there was more on TV.
When we come back to close the show, there's no announcer talking. The crowd is hushed, but you know they are there. Like a real news program, they are having problems getting a clear camera shot of Capotelli, because people and medics are in the way. What you do see is everyone covered in blood and a quick shot between people's arms of Capotelli and he looks very upset. The camera tilts up to Dean Hill, at the desk. Dean has blood on his hands, and a spot of blood on his face. Dean says he's been doing this a long time, but has never seen anything like this. "What Johnny Jeter did here tonight was unforgivable," Dean says, all choked up, and then repeats, "Unforgivable."
Dean then walks away from the desk and back to Capotelli. We see an IV bag. and it looks like they put an oxygen mask on him, as we fade to black on the best angle of the year.
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