When we think of Al Snow, many of us immediately go back to his Head gimmick during his ECW and WWE days. While he was mainly in the mid-card ranks, his matches were memorable for his skill and talking to Head. We may also remember him as the head trainer on WWE’s Tough Enough for a few seasons.
Since then, he’s gone into several business endeavors, the most notable being his purchase of Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), and how he’s worked to help it grow. His hard work has paid off as OVW now has a national television deal on the Youtoo America network.
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This is beyond awesome for professional wrestlers and fans as it offers another alternative to the WWE as they Join Impact, Ring of Honor, NWA, and other smaller promotions in what could be the beginning of an awesome moment of growth in professional wrestling.
While they’ve had their weekly program on youtube for some time, this helps open the doors for other promotions to grow and become something special. It’s even more impressive given OVW’s past as a developmental territory for several promotions. Because of that, and as is the case with other smaller promotions, their hardcore fanbase has been the majority of fans that have taken them seriously. This will hopefully begin to end the view that smaller promotions aren’t as good or as exciting as the larger ones.
Humble Beginnings
Much like All Snow, OVW started as a nondescript member of the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance). It was created and owned by Nightmare Danny Davis (a former referee and wrestler known as Dangerous Danny Davis in the WWE) in 1993 and based out of Louisville, Kentucky.
Brought on by his not liking living in Connecticut and his dislike of some of his fellow WWE creative team members (Vince Russo and Kevin Dunn) Jim Cornette bought a stake in the company in 1999 and offered the idea of it being a developmental territory for the WWE.
After Cornette fired from the WWE in 2005 for allegedly hitting a talent for not having the right response to a confrontation with the Boogeyman, Al Snow took over COrnette’s position at commentator and eventually as head booker.
In 2007, the WWE shifted their developing talent to the newly created Florida Championship Wrestling (would become NXT in 2012), but continued to recruit developed talent from OVW until 2011, when OVW became a developmental territory for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, now Impact Wrestling). This latest relationship would end in 2013 due to financial issues.
Al Snow Era
Al Snow bought OVW from Danny Davis in 2018 and started working to expand it into international markets by joining with Top Notch Boxing in Louisville and forming the Gladiator Sports Network, which led to OVW’s first live broadcast event on FITE TV.
OVW then expanded their wrestling schools (currently 17 in total) into international markets with OVW-EU, and also teamed with Impact Wrestling to hold their own event called “Clash in the Bluegrass” that helped draw in more fans and revitalize the promotion.
In 2019, it was reported that OVW was working on a formal vocational educational professional wrestling program through Al Snow Wrestling Academy. They applied with the Kentucky Department of Education for accreditation.
The program is a two year course that equals 60 credit hours on the semester system. They receive in-ring wrestling instruction, English, finance, business, marketing, and TV production and receive a degree in professional wrestling and sports entertainment.
On September 15, 2019, the school was approved by the state of Kentucky. This makes OVW the first officially accredited professional wrestling trade school. Since it also gives future professional wrestlers full training and teaching on the other aspects of the business, they’ll be able to enter the profession with a better understanding of what to expect.
All of this is Al Snow giving back to professional wrestling in a way that no one has before, while also preparing others for their chosen careers. This could be the most significant advancement in sports entertainment in years if not ever, and should change the landscape in the years to come.
The professional wrestling world has suddenly gotten a lot bigger, and smaller.
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