12 Famous Wrestlers Who Got Their Big Break in Louisville, KY

Coming to Netflix on September 13th, Wrestling is a new limited series with its primary focal point being the local wrestling scene.

Ohio Valley Wrestling

The OVW has a large fanbase all across the country, and with the new 8-part docuseries landing on Netflix in a matter of days, the league is hoping to spread the interest in the OVW even further. New investors in the league are hoping to maintain the OVW for many years to come while hoping for a renewed interest in this entertaining sports industry.

It is said to walk you must first crawl, and it is out of wrestling leagues such as the OVW that household names in the sport get their start. A big draw for the OVW can be found in those who follow along with the careers of their favorite names, to watch them become globally known.

Catch a look at future big-time hopefuls on Wrestlers premiering on Netflix on Wednesday, September 13th.

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Famous Alumni of the OVW

In the late Nineties to early 2000s, several of WWE's superstars came through the OVW developmental system. It was positioned as a training academy and it launched the careers of several major names in professional wrestling including:

John Cena

Wrestlers such as John Cena, were launched to the top of the game with the help of the OVW. Cena signed with the Ohio Valley Wrestling organization back when they were a training academy for the WWE. The guy who made the "You Can't See Me" tagline famous can be seen in major roles in feature films. Some of his filmographies include The Marine, Bumble Bee, The Suicide Squad, and the new to theaters hit, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

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Dave Bautista

Dave Bautista was sent to the OVW upon signing with the WWF in 2000, he appeared in the ring later that year under the pseudonym Leviathan. He went on to win the OVW heavyweight championship stealing the belt away from fellow competitor "The Machine" Doug Basham. Dave Bautista has gone on to have a successful acting career appearing in films such as Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Knock at The Cabin, My Spy, and Dune.

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Brock Lesnar

Names as big as Brock Lesnar had close ties with the OVW in the twilight of his successful career. Brock was signed with the Ohio Valley Wrestling team between 2000-2001 which helped to rocket launch his career to the stratosphere. The OVW is where Brock met his friend and future manager, Paul Heyman. A booker for the OVW paired Brock Lesnar with Shelton Benjamin in October of 2000. This dynamic duo was known as the "The Minnesota Stretching Crew" and together they won the OVW Tag Team Championship on several occasions. It wasn't long until Brock was called to join the WWF roster.

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