"World Wrestling Entertainment has severed all ties with Ohio Valley Wrestling. Effective immediately, OVW will no longer be a WWE developmental territory. Here are the details:
A meeting was held today with all contracted developmental talent. WWE's John Laurinaitis and Ty Baily made the announcement that all of the contracted wrestlers training at OVW there would be heading to Florida Championship Wrestling - which is now WWE's only developmental territory.
WWE wants all of their developmental talent in one place. From a logistical standpoint, it didn't make business sense to have their developmental talent in Kentucky, specially since so many WWE employees live in Florida.
Talent was told that there will be no releases stemming from OVW shutting down and that they will all be relocated to Tampa after finishing a few more weeks in OVW.
Talent was told the trainers in FCW would be Tom Prichard, Steve Keirn, & Former WWE Star Billy Kidman
FCW is slated to run its first official TV taping later this month and there have been plans in place to run a regular schedule of live events in Florida.
The move had been suspected for some time as the amount of contracted talents working in Louisville had dwindled greatly in the last year and morale in OVW overall had fallen. Over the years, OVW has groomed a number of WWE's biggest stars, including Brock Lesnar, Batista, John Cena and Randy Orton, among others."
Source: www.wrestling101.com
IWA Deep South, the developmental territory that gave us Mike Miz, the Great Khali, Matt Striker, MVP, Ryder & Hawkins and many others, has shut down citing the reasons of MMA popularity and 'Satan's son, Vince McMahon'. The statement was posted on the IWA Mid-South message board. Read on:
"IWA Deep South is closed and we have no plans to bring it back at this time. Thanks to all the fans who supported us the last two years. Pro Wrestling just isn't what it used to be. There is way too much drama and bulls*** that goes on. Also to the promoters lets face the facts, there is NO MONEY in the wrestling business anymore. It just isn't worth the risk. The average person will never like wrestling, so it doesn't matter. MMA is the wave of the future, it is popular in the mainstream, and everyone is making money. Sorry to burst everyones bubble but, pro wrestling will become just like boxing almost obsolete, irrelevant to the mainstream. We have satan's son Vince McMahon to thank for that. MMA is taking the place of wrestling and boxing, as the top action sport that is just facts. When you put PRO WRESTLING at the top of your poster to advertise, no matter if its the best s*** in the world the average person don't give a s***. However if you put ULTIMATE FIGHTING at the top of the poster, you have a line two miles long to get into the son of a b****. I am not talking down about wrestling, I Love wrestling, I have all my life, its just looking like it may have ran its coarse. So don't anyone get mad, what I am saying is from 7 years of promoting shows. The last year from observing MMA I have seen it take off like crazy. It is truly sad, I know but it appears to be the way it is."I understand your frustration, but a little bitter, aren't we?
