Grading the Ohio Valley Wrestling Class of 2002

In the 2000s, Ohio Valley Wrestling served the purpose that WWE NXT fulfils today. Wrestlers were sent to OVW to be trained for television in 'the WWE style'. OVW was led by head booker Jim Cornette, owner 'Nightmare' Danny Davis and head trainer Al Snow. They were helped and overseen by the Head of Talent Relations in the WWE, Jim Ross, who brought these recruits to the promotion.

All the debuts that happened in 2002 would ultimately change the very face of wrestling as we know it today. Who exactly were the members of this illustrious class?

Before we begin, there were many people part of this group, however they made their debuts in 2003 and 2004, so we will just give them an honorable mention here.

Rene Dupree: Debut- April 28, 2003

Eugene (Nick Dinsmore): Debut- April 5, 2004

The Basham Brothers (Doug and Danny): Debut- May 29, 2003

Matt Morgan: Debut- October 30, 2003

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#6 Rico Constantino

A big deal in OVW, not so much in WWE

Debut: March 21, 2002

Easily the least succesful member of this class, Rico was 40 when he debuted on SmackDown as the stylist of Billy and Chuck. He had a very colorful gimmick, being portrayed as a homosexual stylist to the heel tag team.

He won the Tag Team Championship with Rikishi, which would be the only title in his very short career with the WWE. He retired in 2005, having had just a three year stay on the roster. In OVW, Rico was a big player, winning the Tag Team Championships with a wrestler called The Prototype (someone we will cover later on this list).

He could be considered a successful manager, as he managed to work an over-the-top gimmick with the crowd and provided very entertaining television during his brief stay on the roster. He is 56 now, and has not wrestled since 2012.

Grade: C

#5 World's Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas)

The 'World's Greatest Tag Team' with their leader Kurt Angle

Debut: December 26, 2002

Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Hass were one of the best tag teams on SmackDown during their run as Team Angle. Put over by Paul Heyman as soon as they debuted, the tag team had a hot start in the company. They won the Tag Team Championships within two months of debuting on the brand, mixing it up with the likes of Edge, Chris Benoit, Los Guerreros etc.

The team was soon broken up in the WWE Draft and both competitors have had very different singles careers since. Charlie Hass failed to be relevant on his own, but Shelton Benjamin burst on to the scene in a big way. He had multiple reigns with the Intercontinental and the United States Championships, a high profile feud with Ric Flair and even had interactions with Shawn Michaels on Raw.

After being released in 2010, he returned in 2017 and has been slightly underwhelming since. He has been in a tag team with Chad Gable, and is now showing promise again after turning heel on SmackDown Live last week.

Hass became a comedy character soon enough, and started impersonating other wrestlers and would have a ridiculous mask gimmick. He became a jobber and left the company in 2010.

Grades: As a team B. Benjamin gets a B+. Hass gets a C-.

#4 Dave Batista

The Leviathan in OVW, The Animal in WWE

Debut: May 9, 2002

We start the famed 'OVW 4' with Batista. Batista was the Leviathan in OVW and was a member of the Disciples of Synn stable. He was undefeated until he was defeated by Kane, with an assist by Steve Austin, at Christmas Chaos. He won the OVW Heavywieght Championship but lost it to the mysterious wrestler - 'The Prototype'.

He debuted as Deacon Batista on SmackDown, the enforcer for Reverend D-Von. He soon joined Evolution on Raw and became Tag Champions with Ric Flair. After winning the 2005 Royal Rumble, he main-evented WrestleMania 21 and won the World Heavyweight Championship, defeating his mentor Triple H.

Batista stayed in the main event throughout his tenure with the company, feuding with John Cena, The Undertaker, Randy Orton, Edge etc. He quit WWE in 2010, but returned for a brief run in 2014, main-eventing WrestleMania 30 with Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan. This run is known to be a failure.

He is easily one of the most memorable stars in WWE history and is a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer. His legacy is one of great destruction, but littered with missed opportunities. He left prematurely in 2010 after getting disillusioned with the direction the company was taking, and his 2014 run was a disaster. However, everything else he has done is uber memorable and he will surely live on in the annals of wrestling history.

Grade: A

#3 Randy Orton

One of the biggest stars in WWE history started out in the humble Ohio Valley Wrestling set-up too.

Debut: April 25, 2002

The chosen one, Randy Orton was hot property for WWE from day one. He was the son of Cowboy Bob Orton, and his third-generation pedigree was pushed hard by WWE. He debuted on SmackDown with a win against Hardcore Holly, and showed a level of finesse and suave that no one expects from a debutante. Even though his face character didn't connect, Randy went through an... Evolution.

Paired with Batista, Ric Flair and Triple H, Randy Orton was pegged to be the breakout star of the group. He did do exactly that, as he become the youngest World Heavyweight Champion ever, defeating Chris Benoit at Unforgiven 2004. He had a failed rivalry with Triple H, but the seed for his stardom was set. He never wavered from the main event again.

His career has slowed down since, as everyone is tired of his stale character, but we cannot understate what Randy has done for the WWE. There are multiple missed opportunities and an argument can be made that he has not fulfilled his potential. That doesn't mean Randy isn't one of the best WWE has ever produced, and he will always be one of the greatest of his generation.

Grade: A

#2 Brock Lesnar

The longest reigning Universal Champion was a high flying tag team wrestler in Ohio Valley Wrestling

Debut: March 18, 2002

Easily one of the most dominant wrestlers in WWE history, Brock Lesnar left his OVW tag team partner Shelton Benjamin behind and debuted assaulting Spike Dudley, Maven and his trainer, Al Snow on SmackDown. Unlike any wrestler ever, Lesnar was pushed to super-stardom extremely hard as he destroyed The Hardy Boyz in one of his first feuds in the company. He beat Rob Van Dam to win the King of the Ring 2002, which led to him destroying The Rock to win the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2002.

A great two year run followed for Lesnar, with programs against Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero. Lesnar left the company for 8 years after WrestleMania 20, citing burnout. His farewell match against Goldberg can be considered one of the worst to ever grace the 'grandest stage of them all', but it was a wrong that would be corrected at WrestleMania 33. His hiatus saw him fail at becoming a footballer (American football) and succeed immensely at MMA, becoming one of the biggest draws in UFC history.

His return in 2012 saw him in a poorly booked program with John Cena and Triple H, but a very strong one with CM Punk. He became the one to end the famed WrestleMania winning streak of The Undertaker at 21 wins. After the decimation of John Cena at SummerSlam 2014, he has been the single most dominant competitor in WWE and is currently on a 365+ day reign with the Universal Championship.

What Brock has achieved in his short spells with the company is something the biggest wrestlers spend two lifetimes achieving. He is easily one of the greatest to have ever stepped in the ring, and his accomplishments will not be matched for ages.

Grade: A+

#1 John Cena

Who would have thought that someone called The Prototype would blossom into the biggest star to ever step foot into the squared circle?

Debut: June 27, 2002

Love him or hate him, there is no bigger star than John Cena in the WWE. For everything his OVW cohorts achieved, Cena has been the true flag-bearer of the WWE and is one of their most recognisable icons.

The Prototype is a former OVW Heavyweight Champion, having had feuds with the Leviathan and Randy Orton in the territory. Along with that, he also held the tag belts with Rico Constantino. The robotic man was built like a machine, so he acted like one and got this ridiculous gimmick over.

He debuted on SmackDown, answering an open challenge by Kurt Angle. His answer to why he thought he could beat the Olympic champion was simply - "Ruthless Aggression", and a new era was born in WWE. This era had 4 cornerstones, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton and Batista.

Cena was a super cool and edgy character in his early days as a WWE wrestler. He was a rapper that cut scathing promos on his opponents and cheated to win. He was a despicable heel, who won the fans over (ironic now, isn't it?). He feuded with Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar and The Big Show right at the start of his career. He beat The Big Show for his first ever singles title at WrestleMania 20, winning the United States Championship and JBL for the WWE Championship the following year. He has been on a rocket to the moon since, and no amount of turbulence has been able to stop him.

Cena is THE MAN in WWE. No one is bigger than him on TV and he is the biggest deal in wrestling today. He is up there with the industry giants like Hulk Hogan, The Rock and Steve Austin. Cena will be remembered as one of the best ever, because of everything he has achieved and will be remembered and cherished as an icon of this industry.

Grade: A+