Former WWE superstar Al Snow announced Friday he's buying Louisville-based Ohio Valley Wrestling.

OVW produces one of the longest running televised wrestling shows in the U.S. The company was once the official training ground for the WWE and helped launch the careers of stars like John Cena and Brock Lesnar.

Snow is best known for the mannequin head that he brought to the ring, but he's also spent more than three decades as a trainer, writer and executive.

He said professional wrestling has always been a passion and after 36 years in the ring, he felt he could pass his experience and knowledge on to the next generation of OVW wrestlers.

Nightmare Danny Davis founded OVW in 1997. He's now retiring to Florida.