OVW! OVW! OVW!: When Paul Heyman Took Over WWE Developmental

Brian Damage

Most fans today know about how Triple H transformed WWE’s developmental promotion NXT, by bringing in and pushing top indie talent starting in 2014. Years before Triple H’s version of NXT emerged, there was Ohio Valley Wrestling. Paul Heyman would attempt the same type of philosophy in OVW starting in 2005. This is the story about how Heyman transformed a southern based WWE developmental territory into something much different.

Wrestling With Sin: 336

Brian Damage

This is the 336th installment of the ‘Wrestling with Sin‘ series. A group of stories that delves into the darker, underbelly of pro wrestling. Many of the stories involve such subjects as sex, drugs, greed and in some cases even murder! As with every single story in the Sin series, I do not condone or condemn the alleged participants. We simply retell their stories by researching interviews, newspapers, magazines and various other sources of media.

Wipeout! WCW’s Dynamic Dudes

Brian Damage

They were supposed to be the next generation of tag team wrestling for World Championship Wrestling. The next bigtime babyfaces. Their blonde hair, rugged good looks, colorful outfits and skateboards…yes skateboards…the Dynamic Dudes were ready to set WCW on fire! That didn’t exactly happen…the Dynamic Dudes became the Dynamic Duds. This is their story…

What a Racket! Jim Cornette Joins the WWF

Brian Damage

He was loud, arrogant, boisterous and outspoken. Jim Cornette was and still is to this day….one of the greatest promos in pro wrestling. His entire career was spent as a manager for a number of promotions and territories including Mid South, World Class, Memphis and the NWA/WCW. How did this southern good ol’ boy become a major player up north for the World Wrestling Federation? This is the unlikely story of how Jim Cornette came and briefly conquered Vince McMahon land.

The Mark of The Beast: Dan Severn’s Brief WWF Career

Brian Damage

He was a UFC heavyweight champion in Mixed Martial Arts and a world champion in the world of pro wrestling. He was accompanied to the ring by a loud, brash manager. Not only that, had a contract that limited the amount of dates he worked in the WWF. He also had a nickname of ‘The Beast.’ If you guessed we are talking about the Beast incarnate Brock Lesnar….you would be wrong. The man in question, was none other than ‘The Beast’ Dan Severn.

The Mount Rushmore of Wrestling: The Managers

Lowlife Louie Ramos, Padraic Toolan, Brian Damage and Amerigo Diehl

For the next few weeks we are going to do something a little different. We are going to do a Mount Rushmore of top wrestlers, tag teams, managers etc. This week, we are going to do a Mount Rushmore of top managers in pro wrestling. Remember, Mount Rushmore only has FOUR faces…so you have to really narrow down your choices. Who were the top wrestling managers that deserve their face of Mount Rushmore of Managers? There are no wrong answers. These are all personal choices.

The Rise, Fall and Possible Comeback of Managers in Professional Wrestling

Brian Damage

There was once a time in professional wrestling when it was absolutely essential for a heel wrestler to have a manager. Someone who could talk up an upcoming match, interfere in said match and make that heel wrestler look more villainous. The names may have changed, but there was always a seedy, manager for a wrestler to hire. Names like Jim Cornette, Bobby Heenan, JJ Dillon, Paul E. Dangerously and Sir Oliver Humperdink were just some of the all time great managerial characters in wrestling history. They were just as important as the wrestlers themselves. As the years have gone by, managers are seen less frequently and in some ways are a dying breed.

Wrestling With Sin: 269

Brian Damage

This is the 268th installment of the ‘Wrestling with Sin‘ series. A group of stories that delves into the darker, underbelly of pro wrestling. Many of the stories involve such subjects as sex, drugs, greed and in some cases even murder! As with every single story in the Sin series, I do not condone or condemn the alleged participants. We simply retell their stories by researching interviews, newspapers, magazines and various other sources of media.

Xanta Klaus is Coming To And Then Leaving Town….

Brian Damage

Who doesn’t love a really good ‘bad gimmick?’ It’s sorta like passing by a car crash and admiring it from a far. I am not sure this gimmick was so bad that it was good, but looking back on Xanta Klaus (The evil wrestling version of Santa Claus) it certainly was bad. Today on the blog, we examine how the gimmick came to be and why it didn’t last all that long.