Latest news with #OhioValleyWrestling
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Mail Sport Extreme: 'People think we're mental which helps!' How Luke Scouler went from carer to Ohio Valley Wrestling's first-ever Scottish champion
With WWE making its way to Netflix earlier this year, wrestling has become much more accessible than in previous years, with legions of new and returning fans discovering love for the 'sport entertainment' bonanza. For those of a certain vintage, it was the norm to either have to sit up into the wee small hours to see a live show or wait days until you could watch a recorded broadcast, even then top-tier wrestling was restricted to those who had a Sky subscription for the most part. Following the emergence of Drew McIntyre and Joe Hendry, both Scots who have become mainstream stars of the sport in the last few years, it's safe to say that their homeland is enjoying its moment in the sunshine. While most aspiring wrestlers fail to break into main-event scene, the latest Scot planting the Saltire Stateside is Luke Scouler, aka Crixus, with Ohio Valley Wrestling, the promotion responsible for helping launch the careers of the likes of John Cena, Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Batista. The Scottish War Machine has always maintained that to succeed in the sport, patience, more than fitness, is necessary. 'For Drew, he had a big advantage with his look and size,' he says. 'But even then, most big promoters won't take you seriously until you've done about five years of training. 'They call it 'paying your dues' - going to shows, helping build the ring, doing whatever needs done, just in the hope you might get a chance at an early match for the experience of a live crowd. 'I know Drew did that for years, working the holiday camp circuit too, like Butlins and Havens. 'Even then he was released from his first contract, but he came back to ICW and basically started again. I think that was the flip of the switch for him. 'The real secret is patience, being seen more and more, and giving it 100 per cent whether it's a crowd of 20 or 20,000. 'I'm a smartass, cheeky b******, and the accent helps too. Over here in the States, people already think we're mental which helps. I just turned my personality up to 11. 'I wasn't pretending to be someone else - just the version of me you probably wouldn't want to sit next to in a pub. 'I get to act like an a**** and they still love me. They boo you, but they're cheering underneath. 'It's cool seeing people wearing your shirt in the crowd, or getting random messages because something you said on a podcast or in an interview has resonated with them. Being able to do that, and have a building chant for you, is special. Especially for a wee dafty fae Bellshill. 'I don't think anyone saw that coming. Certainly nobody I grew up with, in all my good times and bad, is over here doing this. So I feel very blessed I've been physically able to, because it's tough on the body. It really is. But we're built tough.' The world Scouler is living in now is certainly a far cry from the one he grew up in. Having grown up and moved between three different primary schools and then three different high schools - all the while having undiagnosed ADHD until he reached high school - the Scottish War Machine found fitness in his teens before moving into work as a carer. Though he admits to having loved his time in the care industry, the 33-year-old admits that he was doing too much. From there, Scouler enrolled in former WWE star Al Snow's London wrestling academy and hit the road with his dog, Odin. Now fighting in the OVW rings, Scouler is channelling his energy in a positive way and enjoying life once again. 'I really loved that job,' he says. 'But it was tough emotionally. I've always had a bit of a Batman complex - I thought I was going to save everybody. 'I was in a bad place with it. I knew it wasn't for me and I was burned out. 'I was in a bad place and I remember sitting in my house in Newmains watching TV with my dog, Odin, when wrestling came on and I just thought: 'Screw it. Let's go'.' Scots have made it big in this business - why couldn't I? 'We've got thicker skin, especially in Glasgow. You're battle-ready by the time you leave primary school, so wrestling comes naturally to us. 'I drove through the night with no plan and no place to stay. 'Me and the dog slept in the car for a bit. Eventually the guy who ran it asked if I was serious. I told him I'd already quit my job and left my house. That was it. We moved into the gym and didn't go back.' The Scot would eventually secure his place with OVW in 2019, only to see Covid halt his progress. But, as with everything in his wrestling journey, the man from Bellshill took the setback in his stride and bided his time, coming through training - belatedly - and has since gone on to become OVW's first-ever Scottish champion. Based in Kentucky full-time now, things are just a little different to when he was growing up, though Scouler faces less sceptics when it comes to the strain wrestling can put on the body compared to when he first started. He adds: 'I love it here. It's worlds apart from home. I do miss back home, but I just love everything about it here. 'The only thing that isn't as good is the food. And the lack of Irn-Bru. '(To the sceptics) I tell them I've got two words for them... 'Nah, it's not something I really experience. I think most people have heard the 'is it fake?' question asked and answered so many times that they know better than to even ask. 'I've had a few boxers or MMA guys slate it in the past, but I've got a background in cage fighting too so I'm willing to put them to the test if they want. They never do. 'It can be hard maintaining your fitness goals - well, at least mine. I used to train more in a pumping iron, bodybuilding kind of way my whole life, until I started this full time. 'You pick up injuries, need to recover, and it's tough. So I've had to adapt to lighter weights and higher reps. Which sucks, because it doubles your time in there. But it'll keep your cardio fit, that's for damn sure.'
Western Telegraph
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
Pembrokeshire football club owner moves into wrestling
Rob Edwards, owner of the football club, has taken over Kentucky's Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW)—the promotion that launched the careers of stars John Cena, Randy Orton, and Brock Lesnar. Mr Edwards said: "I've got no idea how I ended up here, really. "In the blink of an eye, I was flying to Kentucky to watch wrestling shows with the view of taking over the running of OVW. "It's completely surreal, but honestly, it all comes from the same place. "I'm obsessed with sport and the impact it can have on communities. "I'm doing things I never imagined doing, but I'm enjoying every second and looking to create a legacy as I go." Mr Edwards' sports management group, MSM, now holds a controlling stake in OVW, which was recently featured in the Netflix documentary series Wrestlers. His journey into sports ownership began unexpectedly during lockdown when he came across a listing for a semi-professional football club for sale. Six weeks later, he became the owner of Haverfordwest County AFC. Under his leadership, the Pembrokeshire club has qualified for European competition twice in three years and recently achieved its highest league finish in two decades. Mr Edwards said: "Within three years, we had gone from an amateur side to playing in Europe." He now aims to replicate that success with OVW, expanding its reach beyond Kentucky and into Europe. Since taking over, Mr Edwards has launched a company-wide survey, restructured leadership, and implemented a 'fan-first' approach. He believes OVW can become the world's leading independent wrestling promotion. He said: "We're building something that can stand on its own. "A company where people want to stay, not just pass through. "We want OVW to be the best indie promotion in the world – and we want it to feel like home." Mr Edwards also sees OVW as part of a broader vision for MSM, which aims to build a portfolio of five to seven clubs across different sports.
Pink Villa
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
John Cena vs Randy Orton: The Final Chapter in a Legendary Rivalry
WWE brought a historic chapter to a close as John Cena put the Undisputed WWE Championship on the line against Randy Orton at Backlash 2025, in Orton's hometown of St. Louis. With more than two decades of their careers intertwined, this match of significance was the last between two of the greatest figures in company history. The next chapter of this legendary rivalry started just a day after Cena wrote history at WrestleMania 41, outlasting Cody Rhodes to win a record-breaking 17th World Title. The next night on RAW, Orton stunned everyone by attacking Cena, reigniting their age-old feud. By week's end, the Backlash title match was officially announced, which streamed live in May 2025. Cena and Orton's histories have been entwined from their initial days training with one another in Ohio Valley Wrestling. Through the 2000s and 2010s, they were stalwart adversaries in WWE, feuding in 21 singles bouts, including several brutal battles. Cena presently boasts a 13-8-1 record against Orton, i.e, 13 wins, 8 losses, and 1 draw. The 17-time world champion revealed that his 25-year-old rivalry with Randy has ended forever. Cena confirmed that the two will never square off again. He said, "On the WWE side, we're just taking them one at a time. We did our last one in St. Louis. I had my last match with Randy Orton, and that was pretty cool to call, kinda put a close on that 25-year rivalry. So, it's, you know, as every chapter happens, it's a different feeling for everyone." John Cena exits as champion after pulling off a victory in Backlash 2025, which signifies the conclusion of an era, one of respect, intense competition, and wrestling superiority. WWE Backlash streamed live on Peacock in the U.S. and Netflix internationally.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
John Cena vs. Randy Orton: The brutal, iconic history of WWE Backlash's decades-long rivalry
The minute WWE announced 2025's Backlash PLE would be taking place in St. Louis, most of us figured we knew where this was going. And here we are: Just one sleep away from WWE running back one of its greatest 21st century feuds, John Cena vs. Randy Orton, under the portentous banner of "one last time." The word "generational" gets used so often in wrestling commentary that it sometimes feels more like an annoying catchphrase than a genuine accolade. But is there any better way to describe the contribution these two have made to the modern WWE product? At the very least they're amongst the top three stars of the early Millennium era. Advertisement But what about when they come together? Is Orton the ultimate opponent for Cena? When I debated the question with the other Uncrowned regulars ahead of Saturday's weekend, we all agreed that Cena vs. Orton was somewhere in our top five Cena feuds. What's clear, though, is that this is perhaps the best placed of Cena's legendary feuds (if not neck-and-neck with CM Punk) for a modern-day revival. By this point, most people know the backstory: How Orton and Cena emerged in tandem from the golden days of Ohio Valley Wrestling — then serving as WWE's developmental partner — around the late 1990s, before bursting onto the main scene to help finally turn the page on the Attitude era. Advertisement Once both men had established themselves as main-carders, the scene was set for their feud to begin. At the time, Cena was firmly in place as the WWE's golden boy, defending his title with a predictability that had begun to grate on some of the more cynical fans. A string of triumphs over The Great Khali in 2007 had practically confirmed Cena's invincibility. After hitting the champ with a surprise RKO on "WWE Raw," Randy Orton threw down his glove as Cena's next competitor. And while he might not have quite punctured that invincibility, he did succeed in getting under the champion's skin — not least of which with a brutal punt kick to John Cena Sr. (Cena's real-life father) that left the all-American hero desperate for revenge. Looking back, surely even Cena himself (Junior, that is) would concede that it was exactly what was needed. All of a sudden, the all-American babyface had a rawness and rage to his character — a development that led to Orton getting the better of him (at least psychologically) at 2007's Unforgiven event. Advertisement When a legitimate injury forced Cena to vacate the title, the feud fell dormant, only to spring back into action with the former champ's shock return at the 2008 Royal Rumble. Given that his rival had won the WWE championship just an hour earlier, the stars were perfectly aligned for the old hostilities to resume. If the smart fans had resented Cena's protected status as babyface champion, the next chapter went to great lengths to subvert their expectations — as the conniving Orton used every trick in the book to hang onto his gold and deprive the good guy of his prize. The legendary finish to their match at 2008's No Way Out — in which Orton assaulted the referee to force a DQ — remains one of the most famous heel moves in history. Within months, Cena and Orton were being booked as blood rivals, in a similar vein to Austin and The Rock a decade earlier. The marquee treatment led to their best matches yet: A grueling "I Quit" showdown in 2009 that tested Cena's signature tenacity to its limits, and a similarly brutal 60-minute Iron Man match at Bragging Rights. Both remain modern classics to this day. With Cena's destiny soon intertwined with that of the returning Rock, the Orton feud had to take a back seat for a few years. But that all changed in 2013, when a rug pull ending to SummerSlam saw Randy Orton returned to the top of WWE hierarchy — at the expense of the fans' beloved Daniel Bryan. Advertisement Having screwed over the biggest babyface in all of pro-wrestling, "The Viper" was once again perfectly placed for another collision with his old nemesis. The fact that the two men were each holding the two biggest prizes in WWE pointed to an obvious landing point: A unification match to crown the one true champion. It may have seemed the most predictable path. But who would have guessed back then in the blazing heat of a Los Angeles summer that the vendetta would culminate in a hardcore spectacle — a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match — just 10 days before Christmas? A very different prospect, to put it lightly, than the usual one-on-one stadium match at WrestleMania. The match itself was an instant classic, with a series of inventive spots that drew as much on the deep psychological history of the Cena-Orton rivalry as they did on the TLC gimmick. There's a reason that WWE have been running so many video packages of it ahead of Saturday's reunion match. If you haven't seen them, go back and drink them in. Given that the highlights have been shown on the weekly shows in the build to Saturday, should we expect some callbacks at Backlash? Some handcuffs perhaps? After the shallow and contrived end to Cena's last match at WrestleMania, it would certainly restore some authenticity to the main card. Advertisement Acknowledging history is one thing, but it still leaves the obvious question: Can Saturday's match ever do justice to such a great rivalry? In all honesty, I wouldn't want to guess — but the fact that the 45-year-old Orton has lost none of the pace and appetite of his 'Legend Killer' days surely bodes well for what happens in the ring. Throughout their interlocking careers, the two rivals have consistently shown their ability to exceed expectations and bring the best out of each other. Given the growing questions over the wisdom of the whole Cena heel turn, their pairing couldn't come at a better time — especially given Orton's well-earned status as a fan favorite. Whatever else happens, there's a fitting symmetry to the whole thing. Just as the devious Orton helped round out Cena's babyface persona into something three-dimensional all those years ago, he now faces a parallel task some two decades later: To bring some much-needed authenticity to Cena's uneven run as the bad guy. And if he can rise to that challenge, 'The Viper' might just go down in history as Cena's greatest rival after all.
Newsweek
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
WWE Officially Announces John Cena vs Randy Orton for Final Time
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. John Cena has officially won the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41, meaning he is a record-breaking 17th time world champion. While the victory was in controversial fashion, it marks a major point in his retirement tour, potentially setting up multiple matches with up-and-coming stars. More Pro Wrestling: Released WWE Superstar Breaks Silence On Departure But before that, Cena will have to deal with an old friend from his past. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 20: John Cena is introduced before his match against Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship during WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium on April 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 20: John Cena is introduced before his match against Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship during WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium on April 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, this past Monday Night Raw, Cena explained to the audience why and how he planned to ruin professional wrestling. What he didn't expect was a surprise RKO from longtime rival Randy Orton. On Friday Night SmackDown, the two met in the ring again, this time to hash things out verbally. Orton explained that he couldn't let Cena ruin professional wrestling, something he has loved his entire life. This promo eventually led to Cena officially accepting Orton's challenge for the Undisputed WWE Championship, meaning that they would face off against each other, likely for the last time, on May 10, 2025, at Backlash in St. Louis: Orton's hometown. More Pro Wrestling: WWE Superstar Announces Retirement Match Cena and Orton have a long history as rivals, dating back to when they were in WWE's former developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling in 2001. This match will mark the 22nd world title match these two have engaged in, including matches with other wrestlers. Of the 21 previous matches, Cena has won nine of the matches while Orton has won 10. The dynamic for this final title match will be particularly interesting because the alignments have been reversed. More Pro Wrestling: Charlotte Flair Wanted A Different WWE Ring Name Cena has long been one of the most beloved heroes of WWE while Orton served as his arch villain, doing things like blowing up Cena with fireworks and punting his father in the head. John Cena to Randy Orton at Backlash: — Wrestling Pics & Clips (@WrestleClips) April 26, 2025 Now, Cena has lived long enough to see himself become the villain while Orton is seen as a beloved figure and family man who isn't afraid to get the job done in the ring. For WWE fans who grew up during the 2000s, this will be a match made in heaven. More Pro Wrestling: Bayley May Be Leaving WWE: Report AJ Styles Was Not Happy With WWE WrestleMania Match For more WWE and professional wrestling news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
