Q
uite the technical wrestler, Doug Basham has fought alongside the best in the
WWE. He also assisted in the training of future stars in the developmental
Ohio Valley territory and worked alongside John Cena, Randy Orton, Batista
and others while they were training for stardom in the Louisville OVW promotion.
Now plying his trade on the independent scene, we managed to catch up with Mr
Basham for a chance to get his scoop on life within the WWE, leaving the promotion
and working the European and independent circuit.
>How did you get started in the business? and that matured into
I’ve been interested in wrestling ever since I was 3
watching when Bret
years old. I remember it was 3 years old because
Hart came through,
wrestling always came on Channel 3 and my parents
and Shawn
used to say that I was three years old and I always
Michaels. Those
turned the TV on at noon on Saturdays. And I
were the two guys I
watched it every weekend from 3 until the age I am
mainly watched a
now, which we’ll keep under wraps. Once I got to be
lot of and wanted
16-17 years old and got my driver’s license, I was
to emulate.
looking to travel to wrestling school but the nearest
one was about 6 or 7 hours away.
>Was OVW, when it became a developmental
But my aunt married a wrestler, Nightmare Danny
territory, seen by the boys as being merely a
Davis, who opened a wrestling school, and I was the
stepping stone to the WWE or was it an entity you
very first student to walk through the door and here I
enjoyed being in wholly for itself?
am today. Before it got its developmental contract, OVW was
pretty much just a place to work, to hone your skills
>This was the beginning of OVW I take it? and get better. Then when it gained its developmental
That was the beginning of OVW, but at the time it
contract it became a doorway to the WWE. A lot of
was called Nightmare Danny Davis’ School of
people came from different cities and states to
Professional Wrestling and he had that open for a
Louisville, Kentucky to try and get contracts.
couple of years before it eventually grew into Ohio
Valley Wrestling.
>How do you feel now that the WWE have done
away with OVW as a developmental territory?
WHEN HE (ORTON) STaRTEd
It’s just business. It’s unfortunate that wrestling is a
big money business now, but it’s just a business
HE WaS a faT, CHuNKy decision between WWE and Ohio Valley.
KId aNd HE REaLLy
WaSN’T THaT GOOd....
>While you were in OVW, you were there with a
pretty big class of students-Cena, Orton, Batista, all
were there at the same time. Was there anything
>Who are the people you remember first starting to special that stood out with those guys at the time?
watch and really enjoying their work?
Cena, Orton, Batista, Lesnar, Shelton Benjamin, were
Back in the day I got wrestling from USWA, and it all there. A lot of them came through and you
was Jerry Lawler, Superstar Bill Dundee, Austin Idol, thought, "Yeah, he’s going to be good, he’s a great
guys like that, and then eventually we got WWF entertainer and looks great". And my predictions
wrestling and I was watching, of course, Hulk Hogan have all come true, all the guys I thought would do
28 The online magazine for pro wrestling fans worldwide
thewrestlingpress.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64