Prior to NXT becoming WWE's primary developmental territory, there were numerous farm systems throughout the United States that would help train, refine, and establish new talents to be featured on the main roster. The most well-known WWE territory was Ohio Valley Wrestling, which was WWE's primary developmental promotion from 2000 to 2008. During this time, most of WWE's new talent--be they young upstarts or more experienced talents who needed to adjust to the WWE style--would spend time in OVW to hone their skills before debuting for a wider audience of fans to see on Raw or SmackDown.

Throughout all its years of affiliation with WWE, the most revered class of new OVW talent was in 2002. While talent is not normally remembered for the year they passed through developmental, this class was incredibly special as many of the talents had very successful WWE careers. Between those that "graduated" from the OVW class of 2002, there have been over sixty WWE championships shared between them, and that includes four of these men being the kinds of world champions who'd have thrived in any era. To say that this class has been one of the highlights for WWE over the years would be an understatement.

UPDATE: 2024/04/01 11:30 EST BY MICHAEL CHIN

When Vince McMahon launched his national expansion of WWE in the 1980s, one of his cardinal strategies was the round up the top stars from different territories. With offers of more money and greater fame, he was able to secure the services of talents ranging from Hulk Hogan to The Junkyard Dog to Jim Duggan who’d starred elsewhere to fill up his roster with premium characters. There was a real shift in the early 2000s, though. WWE had bought out ECW and WCW alike and the top stars in the business weren’t getting any younger. The answer was for WWE start developing its own next crop of top talents. To be fair, WWE already had a history of repackaging talents like The Undertaker and cultivating young studs like The Rock. Getting more serious about a developmental system was key, though. One need only look at where the OVW Class of 2002 is now to have a sense of just how special this cluster of talents were.

The OVW Class Of 2002 By The Numbers

7 Stars Made Up The 2002 Class

While pro wrestling talent is all but inevitably subjective, before ranking the stars from the OVW Class of 2002, it's worth pausing to consider some of the sheer numbers attached to this group. Within the bounds of WWE alone, this collection of talent has combined for 46 world title reigns, 7 United States Championship reigns, 4 Intercontinental Championship reigns, and 17 Tag Team Championship reigns. Additionally, they've cumulatively won 8 Royal Rumbles and the group features four different, highly decorated WrestleMania main eventers.

Rico Was The Least Successful Of The 2002 Class

He Held The Least Titles Out Of Anyone Else

Rico's WWE career included the least amount of championships out of any wrestler in the 2002 OVW class. While he did win two WWE Tag Team Championships, both were included as comedy tag teams due to his flamboyant character.

Despite having the skills to be a success, Rico was never taken seriously during his main roster stint. In comparison to the rest of the 2002 class, Rico pales in comparison from an accomplishments perspective and is not fondly remembered as one of WWE's greatest wrestlers.

Charlie Haas Joined Forces With Shelton Benjamin

While Great In Tag Team Action, Charlie Haas Was Not Successful In Singles Wrestling

When it comes to tag teams, there is often one very successful member and another that gets left behind in their singles career once the team splits. When it comes to The World's Greatest Tag Team, the many versions of Shelton Benjamin went on to have a very successful singles career, making him a multi-time Intercontinental Champion. Unfortunately, Charlie Haas would not be as fortunate after their team broke up.

Haas is certainly a very capable wrestler as evidenced by his amateur wrestling pedigree, but he did not have the same level of charisma as his partner to help propel him as a singles star. When the team split in 2004, Haas was quickly lost in the shuffle and was quietly released shortly afterwards.

Batista's WWE Success Has Translated To Hollywood

"The Animal" Became A Big-Time Actor

As a six-time World Champion, Batista had his share of great matches and exceeded fans' expectations from his initial debut, as he was initially dismissed as just another big man wrestler. However, his evolving wrestling abilities and charisma set him apart from others, and he enjoyed a very successful WWE career. While he did not have the same in-ring skills as other members of his class, his accomplishments cannot be denied.

Following a long WWE stint, Batista has also proven himself to be the most successful outside the ring in the acting world. As Drax the Destroyer in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers franchises, he has experienced solid success at the box office now that his in-ring career has winded down.

Shelton Benjamin Is One Of WWE's Most Underrated Performers

Benjamin Shined In Both Singles And Tag Team Wrestling

Shelton Benjamin may not have achieved a World Championship in his WWE career, but he has been consistently labeled as one of the most underrated performers in the company's history. With incredible wrestling abilities in both the technical and high-flying departments, Benjamin has proven he has the skills to be a top star, but he has never been given the opportunity.

With a proven track record in the singles and tag team divisions, Benjamin has nothing to be upset about when it comes to his accomplishments. Even with a seven-year hiatus from WWE from 2010 to 2017, Benjamin came back looking as good as ever and enjoyed a respectable run in WWE before his release in 2023.

Randy Orton Matured To Become One Of WWE's Most Reliable Wrestlers

He Is The Only Remaining Member Of The 2002 Class Still With A Full-Time Schedule In WWE

Randy Orton's WWE career has been spent almost exclusively at the top of the ladder, and he has maintained his spot as one of the premier wrestlers since he debuted in 2002. As one of the few wrestlers who can successfully transition between good and bad with ease, Orton has proven to be one of WWE's most consistent and reliable performers.

As the WWE wrestler with the most pay-per-view matches in history, Orton has earned his place at the top of WWE's pecking order. While he has been criticized for not having the most exciting matches, there is no denying his abilities. There are few performers who could sustain a main event run as long as Orton has, which is a testament to his skills.

Despite Being A Part-Timer, Brock Lesnar Dominated WWE

Lesnar Was The One To Break The Undertaker's WrestleMania Streak

When Brock Lesnar debuted with WWE in 2002, he was quickly labeled as The Next Big Thing. Since then, he has grown into one of the biggest box office stars in WWE history. As one of WWE's most unstoppable monsters, he has maintained a stranglehold on the WWE's top championships any time he is a part of WWE programming.

Wrestlers like Lesnar come around once in a lifetime, and WWE struck gold when they brought him into OVW. As one of the legitimately toughest wrestlers of all time, Lesnar has been successful in both his professional wrestling and mixed martial arts careers, which turned him into one of WWE's bankable stars. Even past his prime, he remained a special attraction for the company until allegations emerged in 2024 that appear to have spelled the end of his WWE career.

John Cena Became The Undisputed Face Of WWE

Cena Is The Most Decorated World Champion In WWE History

There has not been any wrestler who has remained on top of WWE's main event scene other than John Cena. Since his debut on Smackdown in 2003, he has been one of WWE's biggest stars and has transcended the sports entertainment industry. Through the help of his long WWE career, Cena has become a star in the cinema world as well. Even if they are not wrestling fans, people around the world have heard of John Cena.

As the most decorated World Champion in WWE history, Cena is the most successful of his OVW class. In fact, Cena has arguably become the most decorated WWE wrestler. Despite just how successful the 2002 class has been, it is unlikely that any other wrestler will reach the same heights that Cena has.

The Legacy Of The 2002 OVW Class

Some Of WWE's Biggest Stars Defined Eras

In looking back on the seven men associated with the OVW Class of 2002, they combine for a truly remarkable legacy. John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Batista in particular are marquee stars who have now been viable main event level performers across three decades. Moreover, Lesnar went on to become a heavyweight champion in UFC, while Cena and Batista became two of the most legitimate crossover success stories ever, transitioning from wrestling to acting in major motion pictures.

It's little wonder that when Netflix dropped its Wrestlers docuseries in 2023, focused on modern OVW, the territory still proudly touted its connection to these men, long after OVW's association with WWE had ended. It's a remarkable set of young prospects who turned into full-blown stars, the likes of which wrestling had never seen before and is unlikely to see again.

The OVW Class Of 2002: Where Are They Now

For All Their Successes, These Stars' Lives Have Gone In Different Directions

Twenty-plus years down the road, it's difficult to predict where a wrestler's life and career might take them. It's worth noting that out of this class, five out of seven have wrestled in WWE in the last five years, another still wrestled on a national level, and only one had left the business behind altogether.

John Cena and Batista are certified WWE legends, each with world title reigns, Royal Rumble victories, and WrestleMania main events on their resumes. It's even an greater testament to their determination, charisma, and talent that each man also made successful transitions to Hollywood as movie stars.

Meanwhile, Randy Orton remains a featured WWE Superstar and there are very few milestones he hasn't accomplished yet with the company. The warm reception he got upon his return to the ring in late 2023 reasserted his place as star who has a special bond with WWE fans. Both Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas remain in the business too, with Benjamin under WWE contract as recently as 2023. Haas hasn't been in WWE for some time, but was wrestling for TNA as recently as 2022.

Brock Lesnar and Rico had about as different main roster careers as anyone, with Lesnar winning ten world titles in WWE and main eventing WrestleMania five times. Nonetheless, allegations sent The Beast into exile and it appears unlikely he'll wrestle again at this point. Meanwhile, Rico last worked for WWE in 2004. He continued to wrestle off and on but is, by all indications, retired from wrestling at this point and transitioned to work in law enforcement.