By nature, professional wrestling villains are troublemakers.
In many ways, they are the glue to the narrative of sports entertainment. Without a dragon to slay or odds to overcome, there simply isn’t a role for the hero in the story. Could Rocky show his courage and bravery without Drago or Clubber Lang? Would Dorthy’s adventure on the yellow brick road through Oz be nearly as dramatic without vanquishing the wicked witch of the west?
Regardless of the genre, the heels or “troublemakers” set the table for the audience to feast on the peaks and valleys of the drama of storytelling.
For Ohio Valley Wrestling, one of the most storied territories in the history of the industry, literally a pair of Troublemakers arrived earlier this year, turning the tag team division of Louisville-based group upside down.
Anchored by longtime veteran and serious professional, “The Big Boss” Glenn Spectre, who brings an old school, no nonsense approach to the ring, the addition of his student “The Natural” Canaan Kristopher, a youngster with all the physical gifts an athlete could ask for, the duo of The Troublemakers collectively check all the boxes of a top-tier tag team.
Ironically, Spectre broke into the sport in 2001, around the same time period that OVW produced one of its most legendary classes with names like Randy Orton, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Shelton Benjamin, Nick Dismore, and others. Also ironically, the grizzled vet of today didn’t start his career nearly as gruff, when he originally found international fame as “Wonder Man” Glenn Spectre, a flamboyant superhero persona that eventually proved how versatile he was as a performer in the grand scheme of things compared to the roughneck that he is in the ring now.
In 2004, when his future tag team partner was still a toddler, Glenn Spectre became the first “gaijin” or foreigner to win the DDT Tag Tag titles in Japan, working tours with the group throughout 2005 as well. With the advancements of modern technology, the barrier of international exposure is much lower today compared to the VHS format that promoters in Japan had to use to initial see Spectre’s talent before he was offered the chance to work on the other side of the planet. He became a cult favorite on shows that were broadcasted on Samurai TV in the country, which he later had a chance to watch on that same clunky VHS format at the time.
In the years that followed, injuries from wrestling across the independent scene, and the sudden passing of his trainer James “Devil Bhudakahn” Fawcett, prompted Glenn to step away from the industry. As we know, the other side of the spectacle of sports entertainment is the harsh, unforgiving reality of the any genre of live performances. With that in mind, Glenn started a family and launched his own business, Drawbridge Games, a successful venture for more than a decade with a store that specializes in tabletop games.
Still, there was unfinished business for Glenn, and with the memory of his late mentor Fawcett always in his heart, it was training students that brought Spectre back to the squared circle in 2021. He didn’t know it at the time, but among his first batch of students, was the previously mentioned Canaan Kristopher, a top athlete that was 6’4 of clay with all the potential a new student could ask for that Spectre could mold into a prospect with true potential through his years of knowledge and extensive experience.
“Well, I came up with his moniker The Natural for a reason, I’ve never seen an athlete take to pro wrestling quite as effortlessly as Canaan. That’s not to say that he’s not a hard worker, in fact he’s one of the most dedicated, which is why he’s gone so far so quickly. He is the kind of wrestler who can see a technique demonstrated or a concept implemented and pick it up almost immediately. The rare instances this doesn’t happen, he backs it up with his terrific work ethic,” Glenn said of his initial impressions of Kristopher.
“Taking my time and allowing the crowd to get behind everything I’m doing. Nothing is more important than the story being told, cool move are exciting, but not as important. A clothesline can be just as important as a 450 splash if the story being told is good,” Canaan said of lesson he learned from his trainer.
The idea for a tag team was pitched, and when Spectre or Kristopher aren’t working as featured singles stars around the tri-state area, their pairing as The Troublemakers is one of the most prominent tag teams in the region as well.
While the Pittsburgh scene, a city that is known almost as much for its wrestling as the steel it once produced, has a stellar line-up of teams throughout various organizations in the area, The Troublemakers wanted to test themselves against the best teams everywhere they could.
Considering that Glenn’s old school style and throwback persona are a nod to pro wrestling history, as well as Canaan’s level of potential as an example of what OVW was built on, it seemed like a perfect fit when The Troublemakers arrived at the Davis Arena earlier this year.
The level of organization and production on a completely different level. Going into OVW, I did not have a lot of live TV experience. I had done extra work for WWE and I had done a tons of pre-taped programming for DDT in Japan, but doing weekly TV at production levels similar to the big two is on a whole other level,” Glenn explained.
One of OVW’s longtime calling cards is its live weekly programming, with the notion that anything can happen. OVW stalwarts like Kal Herro, Big Zo, Donovan Cecil, and Jack Vaughn are just some of the stars that highlight OVW’s Thursday night program.
“The level of attention to detail is high and the agents will get deeply involved in getting the match they need out of you for the TV program. I love the environment. For a guy my age and time in to still be learning new things every week is such a blessing Credit to former WWE tag champion, Doug Basham, his feedback helped us get to a whole new level as a team,” Spectre added.
For Spectre, the 10-hour round trip from western Pennsylvania to Louisville is a reminder of his early days in the short, and a valuable learning experience for Kristopher as the grind that is required to truly make waves in the industry.
“Canaan is like a little brother. It’s the comfort of knowing wherever you go, someone has your back. We’ve been on the road together for years now so we’ve got our travel habits down, and he knows to just nod along when I tell him the same random wrestling war story for one hundredth time,” Spectre remarked.
“Traveling can be really tiring and doesn’t get easier. But, if you travel with the right people, it’s fun and you can learn a lot. More memories are made on the road than in a match,” Kristopher added.
Very similar to Spectre himself, Ohio Valley Wrestling as a promotion has seen a resurgence in recent years. It goes without saying that any organization that has any major impact on the sports, especially to the degree that OVW does, will go through different phases as the overall business evolves over the years. After the WWE corporation decided to take its developmental program in-house, Ohio Valley worked with TNA for a period of time, and ownership changed a few times over the years as well. Just over two years ago, a compelling documentary series on Netflix gave viewers a glimpse of the inner workings of how a regional league works to keep the doors open and fans in the seats.
True to its lineage, with the legendary Al Snow as a figurehead and longtime pros like Basham and Amazing Maria working behind the scenes, OVW is still educating the next generation of talent today the same way that it did when the company launched more than a quarter of a century ago. A throwback to an era from the past, OVW not only brings weekly live cards for the fans of Louisville, it provides valuable experience for the young talent to polish their skills.
“I learned so much from OVW, I learned a completely different style from what I was used to. Working TV is way different and way more strict from most independent promotions. I can definitely say I am a way better wrestler now because of OVW,” said Canaan.
After Netflix peeled back the curtain with its documentary series a few years ago, there was a renewed spotlight on Ohio Valley Wrestling and it once again became a place to be for talent that want to make a statement, which is exactly what The Troublemakers have planned to do in the tag team division.
“I hope what everyone hopes, I would love for someone to give us an opportunity to get a contract. I believe Spectre and I have something really great going on and if someone gave us an opportunity we will deliver,” Canaan said.
“Winning the OVW Tag Team titles is a great goal for us. I’d like to see the Troublemakers make it all the way to national and international fame. I try to focus on the small goals, which are all pointed towards a larger goal, but I’d like to wrestle as long as I can, make some good money, and be involved professionally in the business in some capacity for the rest of my life,” concluded Spectre.
For more information about Glenn, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/enrico.nardini.77
For more information about Canaan, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/canaan.kristopher
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
