10 Things We Learned From The FCW Documentary
Started from the bottom now we're here. The recent documentary by WWE is well worth a watch.
There is a new documentary on the WWE Network, and it seems to have come out of nowhere. A Future WWE: The FCW Story details the rise and fall of the last third-party training promotion WWE had used to develop talent for their main roster.
The documentary covers a lot of different topics - from the moving of trainees to Florida to the frustrations felt by some of the talent for not making the jump to main roster sooner - and spanning almost an hour and a half, it is the best documentary WWE has produced in some time.
Many of the wrestlers and staff interviewed appear genuinely nostalgic when discussing the developmental territory, and it raises the question of why FCW has never really received much of a mention on WWE programming before.
Featuring comments from such alumni as Steve ‘Skinner’ Keirn, Dr Tom Prichard, Big E, Charlotte Flair, and Brie and Nikki Bella, this is an exceptional documentary on Florida Championship Wrestling, how it came to be, and its lasting legacy.
10. Deep South And OVW Were Screwed Over By FCW
John Laurinaitis, now acting as the Vice President of Talent Relations in WWE, decided to move all training down to Florida to attract more high profile athletes coming out of college. Florida was more appealing due to the weather, tax breaks, and it had the promise of being a far more glamorous training ground than Kentucky or Georgia.
However, in moving all trainees from both previous training camps, WWE left Deep South Wrestling with no roster, and Ohio Valley Wrestling with a very small amount of talent remaining.
Deep South closed its doors immediately, and OVW had to merge with other companies - before partnering with TNA - in order to survive.
While McMahon and company claim to operate on a ‘strictly business’ approach, it seems a little callous to sever all ties with little forewarning. OVW, and to an extent Deep South, had helped WWE immeasurably during one of its toughest times and for both companies to be left in the lurch seems a little ungrateful.