The OVW 4: The Class of 2002

Brian Damage

Since instituting a developmental system for newly signed talent…the WWE has seen its fair share of hits and misses. While there has been some talent that thrived and became superstars for the company…others have faltered a bit and quickly disappeared. No year in recent memory developed bigger names for the company than in 2002.

In some circles, they have been referred to as “The OVW 4.” The OVW stands for Ohio Valley Wrestling…which was the WWE’s top developmental farm system from 2000 to 2008. Located in Louisville, Kentucky…it was/is owned and operated by former territorial wrestler ‘Nightmare’ Dan Davis. The head booker was Jim Cornette and the trainers included Al Snow.

Around this time, Jim Ross was the WWE’s head of talent relations. He would scout the talent and he would sign the talent. The talent would then be assigned to OVW or another WWE approved territory for seasoning. This is where the OVW 4 come into play…

Randy Orton

He competed in OVW from 2001 to 2002 under his real name. He was called up to the main roster in 2002. Initially, Orton was a babyface…until turning heel and becoming the Legend Killer. He is a Royal Rumble winner…a 1 time tag team champion….a 1 time Intercontinental champion and a 12 time WWE/World champion. He is also the 17th wrestler in WWE history to become a Triple Crown champion. (IC…Tag team…World titles)

Dave Bautista

He competed in OVW from 2000 to 2002 under the moniker of Leviathan. He was called up to the main roster in 2002 as Deacon Batista…a bodyguard of sorts to Reverend D-Von. He later joined Evolution with Ric Flair, Randy Orton and Triple H. He is a 2 time Royal Rumble winner…a 4 time WWE tag team champion and a 6 time WWE/World champion.

John Cena

He competed in OVW from 2001 to 2002 under the moniker of Prototype. He was called up to the main roster in 2002 under his real name. He challenged Kurt Angle in his debut match. Cena is also a two time Royal Rumble winner…a 4 time tag team champion…a 3 time United States champion and a 15 time WWE/World champion.

Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar wrestled for OVW from 2000 to 2002 under his real name. He debuted on the main roster in 2002 still under his real name. He was immediately paired with manager Paul Heyman and became the youngest WWE champion in history at age 25. He is a former King of the Ring winner….a 1 time Royal Rumble winner…a 4 time WWE/World champion and the man selected to end the Undertaker’s undefeated streak at Wrestlemania 30.

All four men became important, main event caliber talent and they did it relatively quickly in their careers. As impressive as their wrestling resumes are, they were not just limited to the squared circle.

Randy Orton has dabbled recently in commercials and movies such as 12 Rounds: Reloaded and That’s What I Am.

Dave Bautista has also recently started an acting career with his co-starring roles in Riddick and The Guardians of the Galaxy which grossed an estimated $557 million worldwide.

John Cena is yet another one of the four to get the acting bug. He’s starred in movies such as the Marine and The Reunion amongst other TV and movie credits.

Brock Lesnar left the WWE to try his hand in the NFL and made it to the practice squad of the Minnesota Vikings. Lesnar also had a successful career in Mixed Martial Arts and was a former UFC heavyweight champion.

It should be stated, that other notable call ups in 2002 included…Rico Constantino and Brock Lesnar’s former OVW tag team partner in the Minnesota Stretching Crew..Shelton Benjamin.

While both Rico and Shelton had varying degrees of success in their WWE tenures…no doubt with the emergence of Orton, Batista, Cena and Lesnar…2002 was a very good year for the WWE. So good, they are still reaping the rewards of those call ups in some shape or form. Love them or hate them, all four left an indelible mark in WWE lore.