Back before NXT became the go-to developmental territory for WWE, Ohio Valley Wrestling was the place where world champions like John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Batista got their start. Though the Louisville based wrestling promotion is no longer the last stop for wrestlers before being called up to the WWE main roster, the company is still kicking today, and is the subject of the Netflix docuseries, Wrestlers.
If you’ve heard about the 2023 Netflix series, which was added to the streamer in September, but don’t know what to expect, stick around because we’re about to break down five things to know about Wrestlers before you watch.
Netflix's Wrestlers Centers On A Small Promotion At A Crossroads
Netflix’s Wrestlers tells the story of Ohio Valley Wrestling in its current state, one long-detached from being WWE’s premier developmental territory and instead a promotion at a crossroads. Early in the first episode, it’s pointed out that OVW, while popular with local fans, barely bringing in enough money to sustain itself. With new ownership, plans for a summer tour, and a myriad of other issues, the wrestlers and bookers find themselves in a tight spot.
The Docuseries Also Provides Historical Context For The OVW Promotion
Though the docuseries mainly focuses on the current state of Ohio Valley Wrestling, it does provide a great deal of historical context for its place in modern wrestling history. Early on, David Shoemaker, author of the must-read wrestling history book The Squared Circle, gives a brief history lesson on the territory and the stars who flourished there in the early 21st century, which helps us get a better understanding of the impact of the promotion. This little breakdown of OVW also gives us a better understanding of the old developmental system as a whole, and how much things have changed in professional wrestling in the past two decades.
An Underdog Story With Human-Interest Elements
At its very heart, Wrestlers is an underdog story about a group of wrestlers doing everything in their power to keep their company alive. Though there is some head-butting with the new ownership, who legitimately seem to want for OVW to succeed, the main issue the promotion comes up against is a changing system and economic pressures that make producing a wrestling show difficult without financial backing by major corporations. This also leads to the human-interest element of the series, which spends a tremendous amount of time with the various wrestlers in their daily lives. Many of the major OVW stars are forced to work day jobs to supplement their income, as one grappler states in the opening episode.
The Docuseries Consists Of Seven, One-Hour Episodes
Unlike more recent Netflix docuseries like Untold: Swamp Kings, which consisted of a few chapters, Wrestlers is split into seven parts that are all around the one-hour mark. Each of these episodes, which have titles paying homage to wrestling terms like “Cheap Heat,” “Get Over,” and “Faces & Heels,” focuses on a different aspect of Ohio Valley Wrestling and its major players.
Wrestlers Is Rated TV-MA
It’s not as extreme as the true crime documentaries on Netflix, but Wrestlers does have a TV-MA rating. This is mostly due to the mature language throughout, but there are multiple displays of violence, especially when it comes to some of the more hard-hitting matches involving tables, barbed wire, and other weapons.
One last thing to know about Wrestlers is that you will need a Netflix subscription to check it out along with countless other documentaries, TV shows, and movies.
