Wrestlers (TV series)

Documentary television series

Wrestlers

Directed by| Greg Whiteley
Music by| Zach Robinson
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 1
No. of episodes| 7
Production
Executive producers|

* Ryan O'Dowd
* Greg Whiteley

Production companies|

* One Potato Productions
* BBC Studios

Original release
Network| Netflix
Release| September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13)

Wrestlers is a television documentary series broadcast by Netflix that follows Al Snow and the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) promotion.[1] The series debuted on September 13, 2023 and has received positive reviews.

## Episodes

[edit]

Overview of Wrestlers, season 1 episodesNo.| Title| Original release date

|
|

1| "Ohio Valley Wrestling"| September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13)

Al Snow has run the struggling Ohio Valley Wrestling promotion for years and after coming close to financial collapse, two outside investors came in to save it.

2| "Cheap Heat"| September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13)

Al and investor Matt Jones have different visions of how to make money with OVW: Matt wants to emphasize a live tour in the summer and Al prefers the weekly television program leading to live pay-per-view (PPV) events. The tour starts and a new PPV event fails to bring in anywhere near enough money. Al talks about his career as a wrestler.

3| "Faces & Heels"| September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13)

The tour continues in the Ohio Valley region and one of the wrestlers gets arrested for drug use. Matt's management style causes conflict with the talent and while he discusses it with some of the other higher-ups in OVW, he has a seizure.

4| "Get Over"| September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13)

Matt establishes a relationship between OVW and the much larger promotion All Elite Wrestling and Al pursues bringing in James Storm for a match to defeat champion Mahabali Shera, even though he is expensive. Second-generation wrestler Hollyhood Haley J has charisma and is given an opportunity to fight on a nationally televised Women of Wrestling event with her mother The Amazing Maria, but that interferes with Al's OVW storylines.

5| "Mother"| September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13)

Haley works through the intense trauma of her childhood by having a deathmatch with her mother and she also experiences tension with her boyfriend Eric Darkstorm who is several years Haley's senior and has been wrestling for decades, but has yet to experience the fame that Haley has in her short career.

6| "About Face"| September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13)

The summer tour wraps up successfully and in the lead-up to a pivotal PPV event, Haley gets another WOW job and will be gone for multiple shows. Shera has dislocated his shoulder and will also miss many matches. Matt encourages Al to wrestle, against his better judgement, due to being retired from being in the ring and in pain. Before she heads out, Haley has a blow-up with Eric and the two break up.

7| "The Big One"| September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13)

In the lead up to The Big One PPV, Al agrees to wrestle and Haley has gone off to the WOW event in Los Angeles, where she anticipates missing OVW's event. Haley manages to make the event and the crowd is enthusiastic. Al's match goes well and the OVW roster go out to celebrate, where Eric and Haley reconcile.

## Critical reception

[edit]

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes scores season one 100%, based on six reviews.[2] Sean T. Collins of Decider recommended that readers stream the series for giving "a largely unvarnished glimpse into a place both wonderful and strange".[3] Alfred Konuwa of Forbes.com stated that the series perfectly captures the wrestling world by showing the personal lives of the superstars and the difficult finances behind running the business.[4] Allison Herman of Variety called the first season a "(body) slam dunk" for causing the audience to become emotionally invested, writing that "we take Al at his word when he says what’s best for his employees is what’s best for OVW, even when they leave the roster for other promotions, and why we worry just a bit about what a mass audience may mean for the group".[5] In The Wall Street Journal, John Anderson called this series a "low-rent, high-art drama" and summed up that the series was possibly too lengthy, but the show "requires enough narrative content to make a journey from enmity to empathy".[6]

The series was nominated for Best New Non-Scripted Or Documentary Series at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards, losing to Dear Mama.[7]

## See also

[edit]

* 2023 in professional wrestling
* Cheer
* Last Chance U

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Otterson, Joe (August 21, 2023). "Netflix Sets Premiere Date for Ohio Valley Wrestling Docuseries 'Wrestlers' From 'Cheer,' 'Last Chance U' Creator". TV > News. Variety. ISSN 0042-2738. OCLC 810134503. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
2. ^ "Wrestlers". Rotten Tomatoes. n.d. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
3. ^ Collins, Sean T. (September 13, 2023). "'Wrestlers' Netflix Review". Stream It Or Skip It?. Decider. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
4. ^ Konuwa, Alfred (September 13, 2023). "Netflix Perfectly Captures Pro Wrestling In New 'Wrestlers' Docuseries". Business > Sportsmoney. Forbes.com. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
5. ^ Herman, Allison (September 13, 2023). "Netflix Docuseries 'Wrestlers' Follows Up 'Cheer' With a (Body) Slam Dunk: TV Review". TV > TV Reviews. Variety. ISSN 0042-2738. OCLC 810134503. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
6. ^ Anderson, John. "'Wrestlers' Review: A Low-Rent, High-Drama Art on Netflix". Arts & Culture | Television | Television Review. The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 1042-9840. OCLC 781541372.
7. ^ Barsanti, Sam (February 25, 2024). "Here are all the winners from the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards". Newswire. The A. V. Club. Retrieved February 26, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Netflix cast guide

* v
* t
* e

Ohio Valley Wrestling

Championships|

| Primary|

* Heavyweight (reigns)
* National Heavyweight (reigns)
* Kentucky Heavyweight (reigns)

|

Secondary|

* Anarchy (reigns)
* Rush Division (reigns)

Tag Team Division|

* Tag Team (reigns)

Women's Division|

* Women's (reigns)

Accomplishments|

* Triple Crown
* Other tournaments

Talent|

* Roster

Programming|

* OVW TV
* Clash in the Bluegrass
* Sacrifice
* Wrestlers

Partnerships|

| Current|

* Impact Wrestling

|

Former|

* World Wrestling Entertainment
* Ring of Honor
* National Wrestling Alliance

Ownership|

* Craig Greenberg
* Matt Jones
* Al Snow

* v
* t
* e

Netflix original current series

Since 2016|

* Stranger Things

Since 2017|

* The Toys That Made Us

Since 2018|

* Car Masters: Rust to Riches
* My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman
* Queer Eye
* Somebody Feed Phil

Since 2019|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Virgin River
* The Witcher

|

Other|

* Delhi Crime

Non-fiction|

* Formula 1: Drive to Survive
* Selling Sunset

Animation|

* Love, Death & Robots

Since 2020|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Bridgerton
* Emily in Paris
* Outer Banks
* Sweet Magnolias

|

Other|

* Alice in Borderland
* Mismatched
* She

Non-fiction|

* The Circle
* Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives
* Love Is Blind

Since 2021|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Ginny & Georgia
* The Upshaws

|

Other|

* Hellbound

Non-fiction|

* Love Is Blind: Brazil
* Single's Inferno

Animation|

* Gabby's Dollhouse

Since 2022|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Heartbreak High
* Monster
* The Lincoln Lawyer
* The Watcher
* Wednesday

|

Other|

* All of Us Are Dead
* Alpha Males
* The Empress
* Everything Calls for Salvation
* Midnight at the Pera Palace
* Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein

Non-fiction|

* Love on the Spectrum
* Selling the OC
* The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On
* Young, Famous & African

Animation|

* The Creature Cases

Since 2023|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Beef
* The Diplomat
* My Life with the Walter Boys
* The Night Agent
* One Piece
* Survival of the Thickest
* XO, Kitty

|

Other|

* 1670
* Barracuda Queens
* Berlin
* Bloodhounds
* Class
* Eva Lasting
* Fake Profile
* Gyeongseong Creature
* Kaala Paani
* The Law According to Lidia Poët
* Rana Naidu

Non-fiction|

* Full Swing
* Life on Our Planet
* Outlast
* Perfect Match
* Physical: 100
* Squid Game: The Challenge
* Stranded with my Mother-in-Law
* Surviving Paradise
* Tour de France: Unchained

Animation|

* Blue Eye Samurai
* Castlevania: Nocturne
* Pokémon Concierge
* Unicorn Academy

Since 2024|

| Live-action|

| English|

* 3 Body Problem
* A Man on the Inside
* Avatar: The Last Airbender
* Beauty in Black
* Black Doves
* Bodkin
* Geek Girl
* The Gentlemen
* Nobody Wants This
* Penelope
* Supacell
* Tires
* The Vince Staples Show

|

Other|

* A Killer Paradox
* Born for the Spotlight
* GG Precinct
* Heeramandi
* One Hundred Years of Solitude

Non-fiction|

* America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
* The Boyfriend
* Culinary Class Wars
* The Great Indian Kapil Show
* Love Is Blind: Sweden
* Love Is Blind: UK
* NASCAR: Full Speed
* Sprint
* Starting 5
* Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper
* Worst Ex Ever

Animation|

* Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld
* Jurassic World: Chaos Theory
* Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft

Since 2025|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Ransom Canyon
* Running Point
* Forever
* The Four Seasons
* Bet
* Dept. Q
* The Waterfront
* Untamed
* The Hunting Wives
* Leanne

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Other|

* Black Warrant
* Forget You Not
* I Am Married...But!
* Karma
* Melo Movie
* The Eternaut
* The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call
* Olympo

Non-fiction|

* Selling the City
* Everybody's Live with John Mulaney
* Million Dollar Secret
* With Love, Meghan
* Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark
* Hitmakers

Animation|

* Devil May Cry
* Leviathan
* Moonrise
* My Melody & Kuromi
* Wolf King

* Original ended series
* 2012–2018
* 2019 onward
* Continuation series
* Specials
* Upcoming series

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