Post by Ross Report on Jun 24, 2019 11:40:00 GMT
With Red, White & Bruised just two weeks away, you can bet your bottom dollar there was a whole lot of exciting developments on this week's SLAM! And with the amount of disqualifications last night, it seems as if tensions are running at an all-time high as well! Let's take a look at how it all shook out!
We got things started with Fit Finlay heading to the ring to vent about Marty Scurll's actions the previous week, where "The Villain" invited Fit's family to a special Father's Day edition of SLAM!, looking to use them to get inside "The Fighting Irishman's" head. That obviously resulted in Finlay snapping and beating our World Champion to a bloody mess, but if anyone was expecting an apology from the number one contender, you had another thing coming! Of course, the leader of "The Horde" didn't take too long to show up, and Marty being Marty, the mind games continued as he revealed a letter he'd received from Fit's son, Brogan. One that was part thank you for inviting them to SLAM! and part apology for his father's actions! Needless to say, Fit Finlay looked shellshocked upon reading the note, but that soon gave way to out-and-out fury when Scurll declared he was dedicating his victory at Red, White & Bruised to Brogan Finlay! It seems as if things are starting to get deeply personal in this rivalry between Scurll and Finlay, and one can only imagine how this is affecting "The Belfast Bruiser's" psyche ahead of the biggest match of his 45 year career!
If you thought Charlotte Flair might be reeling after being forced to give JoJo a Women's Champion's match at Red, White & Bruised, I'm sorry to disappoint! If anything, it seems like it hasn't made any dents to her confidence whatsoever! On the contrary, "The Queen" sounds as determined as she's ever been to take JoJo out and retain her championship in two weeks time! And with Lacey Evans backing Charlotte up, that could well be the case!
It's fair to say that Maxwell Jacob Friedman has been rubbing up a lot of people the wrong way with his "holier-than-thou" attitude since debuting earlier this month. Whether turning his nose up at our backstage producers or talking trash about our amazing fans, it was only a matter of time before "MJF's" actions caught up with him. And indeed, that's precisely what it looked like was going to happen as "Luchasaurus" stalked his opponent down to ringside, only to get blindsided by "The Salt of the Earth!" However, that advantage would be short-lived as the half-dinosaur, half-luchador Jurassic grappler fought his way back into the match, showing why he's so hotly tipped as a breakout star in 2019. Just as their battle was heading towards a conclusion though, Mike Mizanin would make his presence felt. "The Miz" obviously still has a bone to pick with "MJF" himself, revealing it wasn't Steven Spielberg who directed the short movie at Eagle Nest Orphanage, but his third cousin Stephen Spielberg! With the truth told, Mizanin then got the jump on the humiliated Friedman, handing "MJF" the DQ victory and inadvertently taking out "Luchasaurus" at the same time, after an errant clothesline meant for "MJF" caught the lucha dinosaur! That allowed "The Top One Percenter" to escape before "Miz" could do any more damage, but I'd suggest it's only a matter of time before all three of these superstars find themselves clashing in a more official capacity! Perhaps even as soon as Red, White & Bruised...
It's been a long while since we've seen the "Mean Street Posse" in the EWA, but they were on hand this week so that Pete Gas could volunteer himself for a future World Championship match, having apparently taken inspiration from one of Harry Smith's answers on that hugely popular AMA a couple of weeks ago. Rather than earn a title opportunity though, Gas found himself interrupted by Orange Cassidy, who seemingly walked onto the scene without realizing he was live on TV. Well, Pete was understandably upset by that, slapping "Freshly Squeezed's" Hot Fries out of his hand and asking what he'll do about it, resulting in two words from Cassidy..."Next week!" Sounds like we're about to witness the much-anticipated in-ring debut of the "OC" when SLAM! hits up Little Rock on the last stop before Red, White & Bruised!
Meanwhile, Jay and Mark Briscoe earned a Tag Team Title opportunity with their controversial win over "Mustache Mountain" last week, and "Dem Boys from Delaware" made sure to let "The Kings of Wrestling" know that their reign was about to come to an end! Speaking of "The Kings" though, Nick Aldis and Chris Hero decided to meet their next challengers face-to-face, exchanging a few insults until "The National Treasure" attempted to restore some sense of decorum by congratulating The Briscoes over their win last week. That sportsmanship was soundly rejected by Jay and Mark though, suggesting when these two teams meet at Red, White & Bruised, it's likely to be an all-out fight for the Tag Titles!
Tom Lawlor has struggled in recent weeks to get any momentum going, thanks in part to being the focus of Ilja Dragunov's wicked intentions. Meanwhile, Shinsuke Nakamura made his return to the EWA last week with a big win over Brian Pillman Jr, and now looking to continue his winning ways! What resulted was a fantastic match between two deadly strikers, with Nakamura controlling the early goings! However, Shinsuke's cockiness eventually came back to haunt him, opening the door for "Filthy" Tom Lawlor to turn things around on "The King of Strong Style!" Between exchanging wicked blows, painful submissions and brawling at ringside, this one was a slobberknocker of the highest order, finally coming to a conclusion when Lawlor managed to counter a Bomaye into the Destino, picking up the hard-fought victory! However, he didn't much of a chance to celebrate the win before "The Russian Nightmare" appeared from out of nowhere, playing some more mind games with the former MMA star! Lawlor has understandably had enough, demanding a match against Dragunov at Red, White & Bruised, with "Unbesiegbar" accepting the challenge and promising to use Lawlor to cement his legacy! We'll see if that turns out to be the case, but no doubt about it, Dragunov making his in-ring debut at one of the biggest shows on the EWA calendar speaks highly of how much EWA officials think about this young man from Russia!
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the triple threat match to determine the leader of the "bWo." As much as I try to be positive about the EWA product, something which is easy to do for the most part, even I can't claim this was any good. Still, the idea that they would specifically ban headlocks from the match only to immediately grab one another in variations of that very hold (thus leaving the Referee with little choice but to disqualify all three of them) is pretty "on-brand" for Colt Cabana, Santino Marella and the Meanie. No one's ever accused any of them of being the sharpest knife in the drawer, meaning we're no closer to having this issue settled. At least we got to hear from JoJo and Bradley afterwards, with the newly crowned number one contender to the Women's Championship making it clear that although she'd avoided coming to this week's SLAM!, she'd be back next week for whatever attempt at retaliation Charlotte Flair has planned! I just hope the "bWo" stalwart knows what she's letting herself in for!
There was rumors in Wrestleline that the winner of last week's match between "The Reaper" and Roman Reigns might be line for a National Title shot, and that proved to be the case as Tully Blanchard tried hunting down Buh Buh Ray Dudley to inform him of his RWB opponent! With Bubbs a little preoccupied, Tully had to inform "Show E" instead, asking him to pass on the message. Alas, upon discovering that his first title defence is going to be against "The Reaper," Buh Buh wasn't exactly thrilled at that prospect! As much as he was eager to earn a spot on Pay-Per-View (not to be confused with View-Per-Pay), I don't think he quite figured on that spot coming against a competitor as ruthless and sadistic as the man formerly known as Gabriel! Speaking of "The Reaper," he would find himself interviewed by Renee Young later in the broadcast about his title opportunity, calling it his "redemption." However, his diatribe would soon be interrupted by Brian Pillman Jr, with the second generation superstar making a point of taunting "The Reaper" over the many instances where he came up short during previous marquee matches. Could it be that Pillman Jr has got into "The Reaper's" head in the run-up to Red, White & Bruised? Or might "The Reaper" finally live up to his potential and secure some championship gold? Either way, I'd bet every penny I own that Buh Buh Ray Dudley isn't about to let the National Title slip through his fingers without one hell of a fight first!
I'll be honest...when my old pal "The King" suggested a rematch with "Honky Tonk Man" this week, I had a feeling we might see some shenanigans before it was all said and done. However, what I didn't expect was that those same such shenanigans would come from "Desperado" Joe Gomez and Ken Raper having to be held back from interfering in the match (presumably out of a desire for revenge after their own encounter was cut short last week), thereby allowing "Mr Shake, Rattle And Roll" to blast Lawler with Jimmy Hart's megaphone and secure the win! Not only does that mean the "Honky Tonk Man" doesn't have to retire, but it gives us another match to look forward to at Red, White & Bruised, where "Honky" and "The King" will go to war one final time in a Carl Perkins Guitar On A Pole Match! Try saying that one five times fast! After weeks and weeks of back-and-forth, it's anyone's guess how this one is gonna go, but I can't wait to find out!
For the past month or so, Ember Moon has been looking to undermine Sasha Banks' big return to the EWA. However, while being interviewed by the lovely Renee Young, it almost seemed as if Ember balked at the idea of wrestling "The Boss" anytime soon. In fact, "The Villainess" was only looking to concentrate on "The Horde's" success at Red, White & Bruised...but I think I speak for most of the EWA Universe when I say I'd like to know Sasha Banks' thoughts on the subject!
I was thoroughly impressed with Ace Austin this week, a talented newcomer to the EWA ranks who pretty much ran circles around Matt Riddle during their double debut! I may be wrong, but I think the occasion might have got to "The King of Bros" a little bit as he didn't quite seem to hit his stride during the match, but let's take nothing away from Austin here. "The Ace of Spades" was quicker than a proverbial hiccup as he zipped about the ring and flew through the air, showcasing his parkour-inspired skills! It's little wonder that Riddle's head was left spinning by the end of this one! Hopefully the former MMA star bounces back and gets a second chance to show us what he's made of, but as for Ace Austin? The sky could well be the limit for this young man!
What does Dave Meltzer have in mind to put "Great Khali" in the EWA spotlight? I haven't a clue, and to be honest, I'm a bit worried to find out!
All week long, there's been intense speculation over just who Pete Dunne had chosen as Samoa Joe's last "Pick Your Poison" opponent. While that may have been a mystery right up until our main event, we wouldn't have to wait too long to find out "The Bruiserweight's" final opponent next week, with Nick Aldis being thrust into that position! That sets up a pretty intriguing match on the last SLAM! before Red, White & Bruised, with two talented Brits ready to go at it! Still, getting back to this week's show, we'd finally discover the identity of Joe's opponent when the lights went out and three familiar letters appeared on the EWA-Tron, signaling the eagerly anticipated return of Bobby Lashley! It's been way too long since we've seen "The Dominator" on EWA TV, but boy, were the fans in Tacoma excited to see him back! Certainly a lot more excited than Samoa Joe, that's for sure! Especially with the way Lashley got the jump on "The Samoan Submission Machine" and took early control of their match! Joe's not used to being on the backfoot, but to his credit, he managed to get back into the fight the longer it went on! However, just as Lashley was setting up for the big finish, Shayna Baszler decided to stick her nose in, allowing Samoa Joe to take advantage of that distraction to cinch in the dreaded Coquina Clutch! Before he could force a submission though, Lashley's fellow "Santanic Clown Posse" members appeared out of the ether to attack Joe, handing him the DQ victory but also sending Joe packing in the process! Indeed, while "The Destroyer" has technically won the match to go 2-1 up in the "Pick Your Poison" Series, it's safe to say he didn't look like much of a victor as he and Shayna retreated up the ramp! Still, that puts Joe in pole position to name all three stipulations of the "Three Stages of Hell" Match, unless Dunne can defeat Aldis next Sunday! If he does though, Joe will get to name one stage, Dunne another, and then the EWA Universe will vote on the third and final one...but knowing both Samoa Joe and Pete Dunne, as well as how badly they despise one another, there's little doubt that both men are eager to win the entire series if they can! Needless to say then, there's a lot on the line heading into next week's SLAM!
Looks like it's about time again for good ol' JR's top three movers and shakers:
1. Samoa Joe/Bobby Lashley
2. Tom Lawlor
3. Ace Austin
While Joe might have technically won the main event, there's no doubt whatsoever that Bobby Lashley looked as good as he ever has in his surprise EWA return! As such, I honestly couldn't separate the two, opting instead to pick them both for the top spot. Coming in at number two, Tom Lawlor had to dig deep in order to put away a game Shinsuke Nakamura, while also making official a match we've been waiting weeks to see when confirming it'll be him and Ilja Dragunov at Red, White & Bruised! And last but by no means least, Ace Austin turned a lot of heads this week during his in-ring debut, completely overwhelming Matt Riddle on the way to his first victory! Keep an eye on this youngster, folks, as I believe we'll be seeing a lot more of him in the weeks and months to come!
The action continues to come thick and fast the closer we get to Red, White & Bruised, and now there's just one last stop to make on the road to the hottest show of the summer! Coming at you live from the Verizon Arena in Little Rock, SLAM! returns next Sunday with Pete Dunne taking on Nick Aldis in the final match of the "Pick Your Poison" Series! On top of that, we'll also see the in-ring debut of Orange Cassidy, when he takes on Pete Gas! And there's sure to be plenty of other developments too, as the final card for Red, White & Bruised is finalized! Until then,
BOOMER SOONER!
