The OVW 4 are the four developmental wrestlers who left Ohio Valley Wrestling in 2002 and headed up to WWE’s main roster. We know the names as all four became World champions: Randy Orton, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and Batista.
While Brock Lesnar was an instant hit, John Cena and Randy Orton had to find themselves after a period as white meat babyfaces while Batista carried a collections box around his neck and seconded D-Von.
The Trip Back Down to OVW: Randy Orton vs. Tank Toland (6/7/2003)
During the 2000s, it wasn’t unusual to see guys who had made it to the roster return to their roots in OVW. It was their best developmental territory until Florida Championship Wrestling/NXT.
Hell, when the larger stars had the space in their schedule and with some positive, beneficial talks between Jim Cornette and Jim Ross, even bigger, established stars made appearances in OVW for television or larger monthly shows.
In something of a lost match—meaning it doesn’t pop up as part of the OVW tapings nor in the match histories of Orton and Tank Toland on Cagematch—we see Randy Orton return to Ohio Valley Wrestling for a match.
At this time, Orton was no longer an up-and-comer. He had turned heel and joined Evolution alongside Triple H, Ric Flair, and Batista. The kid was on the rise at 22-years-old.
Meanwhile, Tank Toland was on his way to becoming a sensation in OVW as a singles competitor. While only 5’8, Toland was powerfully built and would’ve actually excelled at suplexes by looking at him.
However, Toland did a bit of everything in the ring and probably would’ve been more successful had he avoided the momentum-killing gimmick The Dicks.
Origin of the RKO
Returning in June 2003, Orton facedToland in a brisk match where both men got some good offense in. During the final seconds, Toland goes to whip Orton into the ropes but the youngster holds on, goes under, and drops Toland with the RKO.
It was only four minutes and wasn’t meant to get the RKO over. Jim Cornette—who was on commentary—called a Diamond Cutter when Orton popped it twice. I mean, this is a small audience in a smaller market for WWE. Only the folks there would see the move first. Plus, this RKO wasn’t as fluid as it would become at all.
Still, it’s always great to see what was going on down in OVW in the early 2000s as a lot of it would fuel the Ruthless Aggression period in both long-lasting and fleeting ways.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get The Overtimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
Remember to stay up to date with the latest news on TheOvertimer. Don’t forget to visit ScreenJuicer for great videos, news, and gameplay!
