5 best wrestlers from the OVW Class of 2002 ft. John Cena

Overview

• The Ohio Valley Wrestling Class of 2002 delivered arguably the biggest stars for WWE from a single edition
• Randy Orton, John Cena, Batista, Brock Lesnar, and Shelton Benjamin emerged from the OVW Class of 2002
• Most of them went on to become the legends in Wrestling with four of them winning six or more world titles in WWE

The Ohio Valley Wrestling acted as the developmental promotion for WWE back in the 2000s, which led to the creation of many superstars. Some of the biggest WWE Superstars in the Ruthless Aggression era and beyond were a product of the OVW Class of 2002. 5 major wrestlers went on to make it big after using OVW as a platform.

5 best wrestlers from the OVW Class of 2002

Shelton Benjamin 

Shelton Benjamin is the only major wrestler from the OVW Class of 2002 to never become a world champion. Ironically, he was regarded to be the most talented and skillful among everyone in the batch. Benjamin still had a very good career in WWE and NJPW.

The veteran won both the mid-card titles like the Intercontinental Championship and the United States Championship, along with the Tag team titles. In 2024, he made it to AEW and has been a tag team champion with the Hurt Syndicate's Bobby Lashley.

Batista

Batista had a good career in WWE with six world title reigns. Among all the members of the OVW Class of 2002, Batista was the first to win the Royal Rumble in 2005. He became one of the key wrestlers on SmackDown from 2005 to 2010. 

Batista won the world titles six times and headlined the main event of WrestleMania multiple times in his career. Batista was a huge powerhouse whose sheer strength was presented well and was loved by the fans, especially as a Babyface.

Randy Orton

Randy Orton is one of the most decorated WWE Superstars of all time. With 14 world titles to his name, he's amongst the top 5 wrestlers to have won most world titles. The Viper won the Royal Rumble in 2009 and 2014, which ensured him headlining WrestleMania.

For his 2009 version, Randy is regarded among the greatest heels of all time. While he had great accolades, Orton wasn't regarded to be the guy to carry forward the company, which led to him not being in top 2 in this list.

Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar became the biggest face of WWE from 2014 to 2020, till Roman Reigns turned heel and formed the Bloodline. The Beast was pushed hugely soon after his love from OVW to WWE, as he won the Royal Rumble and world title in under half a year. 

The Beast won two world titles before making a move to UFC. He returned in 2012 and won world title eight more times. He was the biggest face of WWE when the product wasn't as good in the second half of the 2010s.

John Cena

John Cena is arguably the greatest WWE Superstar of all time. The Leader of the Cenation Army holds the record for the most world titles (17). He is arguably the biggest Babyface WWE has ever produced

Cena is probably the greatest on mic and was the biggest face of the company from 2005 to 2013. In his peak, WWE attracted family audience and kids to the promotion, gaining a huge momentum during the rough period.