OVW TV review
October 29, 2005
Taped October 26, 2005 in Louisville, Ky.
Exclusive report by Killian, PWTorch.com correspondent

If Johnny Jeter-Matt Cappotelli doesn't win Best Feud of the Year, and if Paul Heyman doesn't win Best Booker/Writer of the Year for 2005, it's only because not enough people get to see the WWE developmental TV show "OVW Wrestling." This week's show featured the entire Jeter vs. Cappotelli title match without any interruptions and the surprise return of Mr. Kennedy; along with a superb Brent Albright vs. CM Punk match, and a great catfight involving Maria Kannelis that led to a confrontation between Bobby Lashley and Ken Doane.

This show wraps up the October series for OVW, which now sells its TV shows in monthly installments. Tapes are for sale dating back years ago. DVDs are now available starting with the July 2005 series. Heyman took over the 3rd week of July. Information on all these tapes and DVDs are available at www.ovwrestling.com

The TV show kicked off with OVW announcers Dean Hill and Al Snow hyping the Jeter vs Cappotelli match.

(1) ELIJAH BURKE PINNED "SUPERSTAR OF SUPERSTARS" DOUG BASHAM

Fast paced action as Burke and Basham are a good match up. Basham took over, tried to hit his Cradle DDT off the top rope, but Burke blocked it and nailed The Elijah Experience for the pinfall victory.

Backstage, Maria Kanellis says, "I am so excited about Cappotelli vs. Jeter, there is a puddle underneath me!" She actually said that. I'm not kidding. Ken Doane's valet, Sosay, walked up to Maria, and they both had on the same dress. It was like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston at that awards show a few years ago. One thing leads to another, and we have a Catfight challenge up next!

(Commercial break)

(2) WWE'S MARIA KANNELIS HAD A DRESS RIPPING CAT FIGHT WITH SOSAY THAT ENDED WHEN KEN DOANE AND BOBBY LASHLEY GOT INVOLVED AND INTO A FIGHT.

Yes, men, both dresses were ripped off and they fought in their skimpy undergarments until the run ins. Great staredown afterwards with Lashley in the ring (and Maria in bra and panties standing behind him) and Doane on the floor (with Sosay in bra and panties standing behind him).

(Commercial break)

It's announced that next week's TV Main Event will be Doane vs. Lashley for the TV Title. Since I was there live, I can tell you the Doane vs. Lashley match was every bit as good as Jeter vs. Cappotelli - it was an All Japan stiff style match with a modern day WWE PPV feel. If you get the chance, don't miss it.

(3) BRENT ALBRIGHT PINNED CM PUNK, BUT PUNK REVERSED THE CROWBAR AND OUT WRESTLED "THE SHOOTER".

This was a great match that Albright won cleanly by pinfall after a three quarter nelson suplex. Punk became made in front of the OVW crowd because he slapped the taste out of Albright's mouth when Albright offered a handshake, and because Punk reversed out of the crowbar and applied his own, which The Shooter could not break. Albright had to reach the ropes to avoid tapping out. Punk was elevated huge in this deal. Great match, also a candidate for best of the night along with Jeter vs. Cappotelli and Doane vs. Lashley for the TV Title (from the tapings). This match shows another one of Heyman's strengths as booker, in that Punk lost clean, the fans got a decisive finish, but Punk was made in that he reversed Albright's finisher and outwrestled OVW's babyface "shooter". People who wondered why Punk was such a big deal in OVW should watch this match. Albright came to impress. This match lasted two segments.

(Commercial break)

I hate to use the term "ECW style," because of all the promotions who do things "ECW style" today, and Heyman avoids it like the plague in O V Dub. There was a video that aired to hype up Jeter vs. Cappotelli match and it was brilliant. It starts with a half face shot of Jeter, who proclaims, "I'm Johnny Jeter." Then we see Cappotelli, but it's only half of Cappotelli's face, but the side that we didn't see with Jeter. He says, "I'm Matt Cappotelli." Then they say the same thing, and their voices are meshed together. It's three lines. "I am the real Thrillseeker." Then "I am better than my former partner." Then "I will leave tonight the OVW Champion." Then we cut back to Jeter, who says "OVW Champion." And then Cappotelli finishes with the same line. When they were both talking, you are shown clips of their faces, and it's shot in a grey kind of black and white. Really cool MTV style, ECW kind of way.

(Commercial break)

(4) OVW HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION JOHNNY JETER PINNED MATT CAPPOTELLI WITH THE HELP OF MR. KENNEDY.

The turn away crowd (by far the largest I've ever seen at the arena) was on its feet the whole night. When I got in, the arena was full, and there was still a line around the building. Johnny Jeter defeated Matt Cappotelli to defend the OVW Title in a 25-minute brawl. Before the match, it was announced all commercial breaks for the rest of the show were waived, and the match would air this weekend uninterrupted. Then a dozen referees came out to the ring and created a human security line in the middle of the ring. Jeter came out first. There was a large group of college kids who were heel fans and made the night very interesting battling the rest of the crowd in cheers for heels and babyfaces. Cappotelli came out. They played this up perfectly. The refs left two at a time from each side of the ring, and when one referee, Goose Mohoney was left alone, he rang the bell and two former Thrillseekers collided. A slugfest ensued. Both men tried everything they had, including when Jeter locked in a Walls of Jericho on the middle rope. A great match, with Cappotelli kicking out of the superkick. Finally, Cappotelli hit his own superkick, and had Jeter beat. At 2 1/2, Mr. Kennedy (pause pause Kennedy) appeared out of nowhere and pulled the referee to the outside. Cappotelli dove on top of both and wiped out the ref. He battled Kennedy, who threw in the title. Cappotelli nailed a sweet superkick on Kennedy. When Cappotelli came back in the ring, Jeter swung the title belt, but Cappotelli ducked. Jeter hit a low blow, and then a belt shot for the victory.

My thoughts are this: This was the best wrestling TV show of the year. The Albright vs. Punk match was stellar. The promo building up to the title match was excellent. The Lashley vs. Doane angle was really cool, with an excellent clothes-ripping cat fight to set it up. And the Jeter vs. Cappotelli match, with the surprise ending of Mr. Kennedy getting involved, and the uber surprise that Jeter won, was tremendous. It was a turn away crowd that got a match that has been hyped for three months, and the heel won, but everyone left knowing it was just the beginning. "Great" doesn't do this show justice.

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