Post by Ross Report on May 13, 2019 14:26:03 GMT
As we fast approach the summer months, things certainly seem to be heating up in the EWA, especially if this past Sunday's SLAM! is anything to go by!
The night got underway with a tense in-ring confrontation between Samoa Joe and Pete Dunne, two men who've been at one another's throats for months now. And at long last, it looks as if this exciting rivalry is finally going to come to a head when "The Destroyer" and "The Bruiserweight" do battle next weekend! This one has understandably got the EWA Universe buzzing, but will the score actually be settled? Or could it wind up being the prelude to even more drama down the road? I guess we'll have to wait until Sunday to find out, but I'd bet all the BBQ sauce in the world it'll be a slobberknocker!
Elsewhere, Nick Aldis has been getting around lately since his return at Spring Scramble. Indeed, "The National Treasure" has been reaquainting himself with old friends, even if those friends aren't exactly popular among his fellow "Kings of Wrestling." Last week saw Samoa Joe not take too kindly to Aldis marching to the beat of his own drum, and I can only assume he'll be even more upset when he finds out that the current Tag Team Champion met up with both our World Heavyweight Champion as well as "Mustache Mountain." While Aldis made the point that Samoa Joe's problem with Dunne and co was "The Samoan Submission Machine's" problem and not his, it will be interesting to see if that's a viewpoint shared by his fellow "Kings."
Another week, and another near miss for Santino Marella by the sounds of it! You'd think maybe he would start getting suspicious of these "accidental" brushes with death, especially given Colt Cabana's involvement with the majority of them, but I guess Marella has never been famous for his powers of observation, particularly what's right in front of him! Who knew being the new "Al Snow" could be so dangerous to one's health?
It's been some time since we've seen Becky Lynch, with "The Queenslayer" understandably taking a break to look after her mother following on from Daffney's actions a month ago. It seems almost fitting then that Lynch returned to action on Mother's Day itself, making short work of her opponent and getting back to winning ways. It's great to have her back in the fold, especially as we heard from Charlotte Flair later in the show and her search for a new challenger to the Women's Championship. Could it be that these two old rivals are set to do battle once again? And if so, can Charlotte keep up her winning ways over Becky Lynch, or could this perhaps be Becky's time to shine? Only time will tell!
Speaking of Mother's Day, I think the concept may have been slightly lost on Buff Bagwell, despite the fact that he's been around for enough of them. Indeed, Buff seemed to think Mother's Day was about his mom getting a gift for him, with Judy introducing "Buff Daddy" to a representative of Long John Silver's over the possibility of becoming a spokesperson for that particular brand of seafood (and chicken). Needless to say, Buff was eager to sign on the dotted line without checking the finer details if it meant getting a lifetime's supply of free food. We'll have to wait and see if his haste comes back to bite him on the keister though.
There were several debut showings this past week, with Tom Lawlor and "The Miz" going up against one another in an extremely competitive match. I think it's fair to say that Lawlor is more of a "fighter" than a "wrestler," but that's by no means a slight. On the contrary, he brings an entirely different flavor to proceedings, much like we've seen from the likes of Ken and Frank Shamrock in the recent past. As for Mike Mizanin, he might come across as being too wrapped up with Hollywood and getting Instagram likes, but this was a clear reminder of just what he brings to the squared circle. Well, inbetween the complaining to the Referee over perceived injustices anyway. "The Miz" came mighty close to stealing this one only for Lawlor to just about pip him to the post, but given the quality on show here, I for one would love to see these two go another round somewhere down the line!
John Cena had been teasing a huge announcement all week long, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who didn't know what to expect. As it would turn out, "The Doctor of Thuganomics" had ditched his entire "nWo" brethren to go it alone, declaring in no uncertain terms that he didn't need anyone else watching his back to be a success! While I admire the sentiment (even if Cena's overall attitude still stinks), I do have to question what I've been hearing since SLAM! went off the air. Indeed, Cena has issued a challenge to the Tag Team Champions, something that seems an odd choice now that he's supposedly flying solo. Nonetheless, it's my understanding that "The Kings of Wrestling" have accepted the challenge (noticeably ignoring "Mustache Mountain" and their recent overtures for a title opportunity at the same time), and we'll see that match take place next Sunday!
It can be an extremely tough ask trying to fill the boots of a famous father, something I've seen many young superstars struggle with over my 45 years in the business. Still, I think it's safe to say from this initial showing that the proverbial apple doesn't fall far from the tree as far as Brian Pillman Jr goes. Honestly, there were times while watching his match with the extremely talented Aleister Black that I had to remind myself he wasn't actually "Flyin' Brian." That's not to take anything away from "The Dutch Destroyer" however, who put in another great showing albeit without getting the rewards for his effort. It might seem as if he can't buy a win at the moment, but given how undeniably good Aleister Black is, I'm certain it's only a matter of time before the "Anti-Hero" finds his feet and starts moving in the right direction.
Of course, while all that's well and good, the big draw for last night's show was the "Beat The Clock" Challenge which had been set-up to determine Marty Scurll's next challenger! This would involve four matches, where whoever scored the victory in the quickest time would walk out with the opportunity of a lifetime!
Walter Hahn proved to be the early pacesetter after defeating Brady Pierce in the opening contest of the evening, but "The Wizard of Wrath" definitely made him work for it. I heard through the grapevine that Pierce wasn't too happy with how he performed in their first go-around last month, although I personally believe he may be being a little hard on himself there. Still, Brady certainly came at Walter all guns blazing on this occasion! It's worth noting as well that this has been a big week for Walter Hahn, with some major revelations and the EWA Universe seemingly embracing him now that he's left the circus behind. It'll be interesting to see how this reinvention continues going forward.
The second "Beat The Clock" Match saw Jack Evans shake off some legal issues south of the border to go one-on-one with Buh Buh Ray Dudley, where Evans looked to use his speed and agility in the early goings to put his larger opponent away. Alas, the man from Dudleyville managed to turn things around using his superior size and strength, but it ultimately wasn't enough to defeat "The Aerial Emperor" before Walter's time had already expired! While "Bubbs" may have walked away with the win after the fact, it means that he and the "Flamingo Family" are still looking for a way to ensure they're a part of Red, White & Bruised in eight weeks time!
In our third "Beat The Clock" Challenge, Fit Finlay found himself duking it out with Bryan Danielson! This has obviously been a tough week for "The Fighting Irishman" between everything that's happened in both his personal and professional life, yet it's a credit to the sheer grit of Fit Finlay that he refused to let it get him down. Still, he was in there against one of the best technical wrestlers on the planet, and it's fair to say that Bryan Danielson was on a mission from the outset to make up for being pinned by "Desperado" Joe Gomez in the run-up to Spring Scramble. Despite Danielson's best efforts though, including some punishing submissions that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, Finlay managed to turn things around and pick up the victory, beating Walter's time by almost half a minute!
That all brought us to our main event of the evening, with Brock Lesnar taking on the brand new National Champion, Jake "The Snake" Roberts! Before that however, "The Beast" had a bit of a backstage run-in with Matt Taven, who didn't take too kindly to being overlooked for the "Beat The Clock" Challenge. Still, Lesnar was fully focused on getting his hands on Roberts, both for the part he played in Marty Scurll's Civil War cash-in two weeks ago and for the chance to get his rematch. Some might say that Lesnar was a bit too focused on revenge though, with Jake Roberts frustrating him in the early goings by remaining out of arm's reach. Inevitably, that was never going to last forever, but "The Snake" continued to show off his cerebral streak regardless, doing whatever he could to thwart his opponent's efforts, including hitting a DDT for a "close-as-they-come" two count! However, Lesnar rallied, countering an attempt at a second DDT into an F-5 and seemingly about to pick up the winning time...only for Matt Taven to get involved by putting Roberts' boot on the bottom rope! Understandably, "The Beast" didn't take too kindly to this, chasing Taven away and almost getting himself counted out, yet even after returning to the ring, "The Chaotic Idol" continued to cause problems for the former World Champion, meaning the time ran out before Lesnar could pick up the win! And what's more, just as he was about to take out his anger on Roberts, Taven cranked things up a notch with a wicked chairshot before running to the hills! I'm at a loss why anyone would want to antagonize one of the scariest competitors to ever step foot in an EWA ring, but it's safe to say that if Matt Taven wanted Brock Lesnar's attention, he's sure as hell got it now!
Still, with Lesnar's DQ victory coming after the time had expired, that meant that Fit Finlay was the winner of the "Beat The Clock" Challenge, officially becoming our new number one contender! Before he even had a chance to let that moment sink in though, Finlay was laid out backstage by the World Champion himself, with Marty Scurll blindsiding him with the gold before standing tall. While I'm sure "The Villain" would have much preferred facing a member of his "Horde" in a match where they'd have likely laid down for him, that doesn't mean he wasn't prepared for all other possibilities. And the fact that he was already able to get the jump on Fit Finlay shows just how much the "Belfast Bruiser" is going to have to stay on his toes if he wants any hope of finally realizing Brogan's dream!
Let's take a look at my picks for this week's top three movers and shakers, shall we?
1. Fit Finlay
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Walter Hahn
Even though he may have been left laying at the end of the night, there's no doubt that earning the number one contendership after an intense match with Bryan Danielson is enough to give Fit Finlay top spot. Coming in at number two, Brock Lesnar was arguably robbed of the chance for a rematch with Marty Scurll thanks to the actions of Matt Taven, who may have just made an enemy for life in the process! And last but by no means least, Walter shook off the face paint and fake crown to enjoy a new beginning this week. While he didn't manage to walk out as the winner of the "Beat The Clock" challenge, this is obviously a positive step forward for the big Austrian.
With this week's SLAM! in the bag, we can now look ahead to next week's show! And it's already setting up to be a doozy, with the aforementioned Tag Team Title Match and, of course, the one we've all been waiting for...Pete Dunne versus Samoa Joe finally going to war! No doubt we'll also hear from both Marty Scurll and Fit Finlay both regarding their impending World Championship showdown, whilst I'm sure there'll be plenty of other crazy developments along the way too! In short then, you're not going to want to miss even a second of the action when the EWA heads to Albany next Sunday! Until then,
BOOMER SOONER!
