Post by Ross Report on Jul 15, 2019 20:59:31 GMT
It's been a busy weekend for the EWA, first with a special one-off edition of Friday Night Fury that helped introduce some new faces to the EWA Universe, and then the first night of our three week Japanese tour kicking off in Osaka! Let's take a look at how it all played out!
Like Pete Dunne before him, Will Ospreay is looking to step out of the shadow of Jack Gallagher's "British Empire" group from last year and reinvent himself in his return to the E-Wrestling Alliance. As such, "The Aerial Assassin" decided to compete twice over this weekend, picking up an impressive win over "Ding Dong #2" that really highlighted the kinds of attributes that he can bring to the ring, and then taking on Roman Reigns 48 hours later on SLAM! Alas, it seems as if the combination of jetlag and a step-up in the competition level meant that Ospreay wasn't able to go 2-nil up (as his fellow Brits might say), but it was a respectable showing nonetheless. Expect big things from this young man! And speaking of big things, let's take nothing away from Roman Reigns' victory either. "The Juggernaut" recently decided to go it alone in the EWA after initially bringing in the entire "Samoan Dynasty" to have his back but his family becoming too much of a distraction, a bold move which clearly paid dividends! A nice ode to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin with the finish of this match as well, although I'd suggest perhaps superstars are better off creating their own legends rather than trying to borrow them from stars of yesteryear. Still, this was an important win for Reigns as he aims for that lofty goal of becoming a Super Brawl Captain in December!
After thinking about it long and hard, I'm not sure if anyone has made a bigger impact over this past weekend than Prince Nana's "Blood Diamond Exchange!" It all began with a dominant display from Kairi Hojo on Fury, dispatching "Lady Mumbai Cat" in short order, while the group's leader and benefactor, Prince Nana, also did the same to Bart Gunn. Things soon cranked up to a whole other level come SLAM! though, where "B.D.E." (not to be confused with the team of Joey Ryan and "Hangman" Page) made their presence felt after Ruby Riott's hard-fought debut win over Japanese legend Cutie Suzuki! Indeed, Suzuki found herself assaulted by Viper of the "Exchange," living up to her namesake by striking from out of nowhere. That then allowed her teammate Nixon Newell to connect with her Shiniest Wizard, before Hojo landed a huge Kabuki Elbow to put an exclamation point on proceedings! However, Ruby Riott soon returned to ringside to chase them off with a steel chair, even getting a shot in on Viper in the process, but that wasn't the end of this bad blood! On the contrary, Prince Nana and his motley crew would interrupt a promo by the "Punk Rock Ragdoll" a little later on, where an exchange of heated words would lead to the announcement that Riott will go one-on-one with Newell on next Sunday's show! That promises to be an enticing contest as SLAM! hits up Chiyoda next Sunday!
Following on from the "bWo" being locked up for many, many years, Santino Marella has seemingly cut all ties with the group and is pretending his brief association with them never existed. One can't help but wonder if perhaps that's for the best, not just for legal reasons, but psychological ones as well.
I know I'm not the only one who was shocked by "Desperado" Joe Gomez and Ken Raper interfering in the "Carl Perkins Guitar On A Pole Match" back at Red, White & Bruised, let alone smashing the guitar to pieces! Say what you will about those actions but the duo seem to have some genuine momentum behind them at the moment, picking up their first win as a team over the pairing of "JC Ice" and "Wolfie D," AKA "PG-13," on Fury. Needless to say however, both "Honky Tonk Man" and Jerry "The King" Lawler have a bone to pick with the ol' "Gunslinger" and his partner, with the pair of them individually searching for Gomez and Raper on this week's SLAM! If only "Honky" and "King" could get on the same page, maybe these two sometime enemies might stand a better chance of getting their respective revenge...
Now that he's been cleared by EWA doctors once again, Brock Lesnar is like a man possessed, desperate to get his hands on Matt Taven by any means necessary! He made it clear during Fury that he was on the hunt for "The Chaotic Idol," a pursuit which brought him to Osaka for SLAM! However, while the elusive Taven continues to avoid "The Beast," Lesnar proved he can play just as dirty as the rest of them, having somehow stolen his rival's passport! One would have to think that puts Matt Taven in quite the predicament, certainly if he ever wants to go back home to the States, as the only way Lesnar will return his passport is if the leader of "The Kingdom" signs a contract for a match at Tokyo SOS in two weeks! Will Taven finally give Lesnar what he wants? Or could he have another trick up his sleeve? I guess we'll find out this coming Sunday!
In Fury's main event this week, we saw relative newcomer Ace Austin do battle with Buff Bagwell! This was a match pitting youth against experience, with Austin barely being a few years into his career while "Buff Daddy" has obviously been around the block a time or two over the last three decades! Not only that, but this was a battle of speed versus power as well! Austin is quicker than the proverbial hiccup, at times moving around the ring faster than my eyes can seemingly keep up! All credit to Bagwell though, as he used a smart "ground and pound" strategy to deny "The Ace of Spades" the opportunity to dictate the pace of the contest. Alas, the Atlantic City native proved too hot to handle on this occasion, avoiding Buff's dreaded Blockbuster to then deliver his own variation on the move, putting his veteran opponent away! It seems as if ever since striking a deal with "Long John Silver's," things haven't quite been clicking for Bagwell in terms of wins and losses, but hat's off to Ace Austin. This bright young superstar still had to work hard to pick up the victory and continue showing the EWA Universe what he's made of!
As the EWA crew ventured across the Pacific to "The Land of the Rising Sun," the action didn't let up either. Indeed, this week's SLAM! would kick off with a banged up-looking Pete Dunne heading to the ring to get a few things off his chest. Honestly, I'm amazed he could even manage that much after the absolute war he and Samoa Joe went through during that insane "Three Stages of Hell Match" back at Red, White & Bruised! The "Bruiserweight" didn't waste much time in setting out his stall either, about to challenge Marty Scurll for a shot at the World Championship...that is, only to be interrupted by "The Horde's" theme music. Rather than spy Scurll himself stepping out onto the stage however, it was the brand new National Champion, "The Reaper" who showed up. That distraction allowed "The Villain" to blindside Dunne from behind with a vicious steel chair assault as the World Heavyweight Champion made it crystal clear that he had no intention of giving his fellow Englishman a title opportunity! Dunne was in a bad way, with my sources backstage suggesting that this attack (on top of the rigors of last Sunday's trip to hell and back) means Dunne likely won't be medically cleared for at least a couple of weeks, if not longer. What a damn shame for our fans in Japan who were looking forward to seeing him in action! Meanwhile, as if this wasn't enough, Scurll and "The Reaper" would later return to the ring to gloat about "The Horde's" dominance, much to the chagrin of the Japanese faithful! While it's hard to argue against that point, it remains to be seen if that dominant streak will continue after Tokyo SOS in a couple of weeks, although as things stand, it's anyone's guess who Marty Scurll or The Reaper will be facing right now!
From one dominant "Horde" display to another, Jack Evans returned to action for the first time in two months to battle Japan's own, Shinsuke Nakamura! This was every bit the strikefest you would have thought it would be, with Evans putting his educated feet to good use throughout while Nakamura likewise used his patented knee strikes to deadly effect. In the end though, it was "The Devil of Lucha Libre" who managed to pick up the victory in decisive manner! This was certainly a small setback as far as Nakamura's mission to re-establish himself, but no doubt he'll bounce back sooner rather than later. And as for Evans, here's hoping this means we'll be seeing him competing on a more regular basis moving forwards!
Talk about a golden opportunity being thrown out, as our brand new Tag Team Champions wasted little time in trying to find their first challengers! As such, Jay and Mark Briscoe have put together an open invitational Japanese Tag Team Battle Royal, where any Japanese tandem can enter themselves for a chance to earn a Tag Team Title shot at Tokyo SOS! Given the strength and depth of talent here in Japan, it'll be interesting to see who throws their names into the hat, be it established teams or perhaps some slightly more makeshift duos!
Poor Buh Buh Ray Dudley. Thanks to "The Reaper," his National Title dream turned into a nightmare at Red, White & Bruised, and poor Bubbs has been somewhat down in the dumps ever since. While his fellow "Flamingo Family" members might be excited to be overseas (and keen to take credit for the EWA's Japanese tour), Buh Buh Ray is about as despondent as I think we've ever seen him, a sight that is a little tough to digest. Here's hoping Johnny, Candice and "Show E." find a way to boost the man from Dudleyville's spirits by the time the tour is over!
We were promised that Jim Cornette would be making his return to the EWA this week, though precious few details were offered in terms of specifics. It didn't take us long to find out though, with ol' "Corny" making sure to send John Cena his "best wishes" in unique Cornette fashion, before then talking up Jushin "Thunder" Liger's open contract at Tokyo SOS and how Jim has found the perfect opponent to put up against the Japanese legend! Let the speculation commence on who that might be because I've honestly got no idea and Cornette isn't returning my calls either!
On Friday Night Fury, Charlotte Flair promised she had a huge announcement to make on SLAM!, and boy, did she ever deliver! For once, there wasn't any bait-and-switch or sneak attack as the Women's Champion called out JoJo, who wasn't exactly in a good place anyway after her "bWo" brothers were locked up last week. Still, after demanding thanks for inspiring JoJo to return to the ring and chase her title aspirations, as well as an apology for Bradley's part to play in the lack of decisive result at Red, White & Bruised, "The Queen" laid down the challenge for a historic battle! That's right, folks...in two weeks time, we'll witness the first ever women's Hell In A Cell Match as Charlotte puts her championship up for grabs against her most bitter rival in a career-shortening environment! And let's give Flair some credit here for being the one to suggest the match in the first place, especially since she's not been averse to taking shortcuts and avoiding competition since winning the gold. There will be no where to run and no where to hide inside the Cell though, and no way for either Bradley or Lacey Evans to get involved either, as champion and challenger finally settle just who is the better woman! I can't wait to see this one unfold, and judging by the social media response, neither can the EWA Universe!
Despite "Luchasaurus" picking up the duke in that wild triple threat match to kick off Red, White & Bruised, it seems as if the "Jurassic Grappler's" issues with Maxwell Jacob Friedman aren't over yet! On the contrary, "MJF" made it crystal clear on Fury that since he was neither pinned or submitted by "Luchasaurus," that means he didn't lose the match, at least as far as he was concerned! Furthermore, "The Salt Of The Earth" has discovered that Austin Matelson's self-run Eagle Nest Orphanage is in financial straits, making veiled threats towards its future! That understandably got under the skin of the "Cretacious Clubber," who searched up and down the Osaka-jō Hall to get his hands on "MJF"...only for "The Top 1%er" to stop him with a contract that states Friedman will cut a check each month to keep Eagle Nest just about up-and-running, but only if "Luchasaurus" agrees to work for him in what would no doubt be a humiliating role! Right when it looked as if the masked man was actually considering this though, we were introduced to "Jungle Boy!" Originally a member of the EWA's production crew, "Jungle Boy" has struck up a friendship with "Luchasaurus" in recent weeks, and with his background in wrestling, he decided to stick up for his pal here by challenging "MJF" to a match next week! But that's not all...if "Jungle Boy" can defeat Friedman, then "MJF" will have to pay off all of Eagle Nest's debts and leave "Luchasaurus" a free man! Talk about upping the stakes, especially since "Jungle Boy" is a relatively unknown commodity going up against one of the most hotly-tipped young superstars in the business right now! Could it be that "Luchasaurus" and "Jungle Boy" have bitten off more than they can chew? We'll find out on the next SLAM!
We've not seen Ken Shamrock in an EWA ring since the shocking conclusion to Spring Scramble two months ago, but you wouldn't know it to look at him in action against Katsuya Kitamura! "The World's Most Dangerous Man" has clearly been training hard and refocusing his goals, which is commendable considering he'd lost virtually everything he held dear to him last time we saw him! However, with all due respect to the Japanese superstar, it's not Kitamura that Shamrock wants to face...it's Minoru Suzuki, who just so happened to be a guest on SLAM!, sitting front row for the majority of the night! These two have a history that dates back 25 years and none of it particularly pleasant, as the former World Champion laid out a challenge for Suzuki to meet him in the ring next week on SLAM! The question is though, will the veteran grappler step up to the plate?
Talk about an unusual introduction to Ryuji Ito! Then again, he's an unusual kind of guy, as the strait-jacketed madman ran roughshod over ringside until finally being brought to a halt by former "Author of Pain," Officer Rezar! The big Dutch brute seems to be Ito's keeper of sorts, forcibly escorting his charge to the back, which is presumably where he'll be staying until it's time for him to make his in-ring debut as part of the Briscoes Battle Royal next week. And if Ryuji Ito is as crazy in the ring as he is out of it, I wouldn't like to be any of the other teams in that match!
It would appear that something has broken within "The Great Khali" since Hulk Hogan defeated him in an impromptu match at Red, White & Bruised. The "Punjabi Redwood" is spouting all sorts of Hogan-isms while in a near catatonic state, something that couldn't have come at a worse time as Tony Hawk (who I'm reliably informed is some kind of pro skater) tries to hook "Khali" up with a video game commercial. I'll be honest, folks...none of this is exactly my forte so hopefully the results will speak for themselves going forward so I don't have to!
Tom Lawlor slayed the dragon at Red, White & Bruised by making Ilja Dragunov pass out to his Singularity Clutch, but there's no rest for the wicked! Indeed, "Filthy" Tom Lawlor was called out this week by Bobby Lashley on the EWA's website and the MMA veteran made no hesitation whatsoever in accepting the challenge on SLAM!, setting up an interesting contest for next week's show! Lashley is still easing his way back into competition following his shocking return during last month's "Pick Your Poison Series," while Lawlor has a lot of momentum behind him right now, making this a match you cannot afford to miss!
Our in-ring main event on SLAM! turned out to be a true-blue slobberknocker, as we witnessed the debuts of both Kelly Klein and Aliyah! These two women couldn't be cut from any more different cloths, with Aliyah being used to the finer things in life while Klein is a good ol' fashioned country girl who's used to earning everything that comes her way! With such distinct personalities at odds, this made for a back-and-forth battle that saw "The Bougie Barbie Doll" control the early goings using some sneaky skills, only for "The Final Girl" to fight back using her awe-inspiring power game! It seemed to be a damn good game plan too, with the damage done to Aliyah's back stopping her from utilizing her patented Bag And Bougie move, yet even that wasn't enough to stop the Canadian superstar from surprising Klein with a jack knife pin while using the ropes for added leverage to secure the victory! The Referee should arguably have been better positioned to spot that blatant cheating, but what's done is done and Aliyah gets one over on her opponent! Still, I'm sure I'm not alone in hoping we see these two go at it again somewhere down the line!
Speaking of big time rivalries in the women's division, let's talk Ember Moon following in her man's footsteps, practically walking the exact same path in fact! Indeed, things began with Sasha Banks' in-ring debut on Fury where she picked up a big win over Alicia Fox (despite Fox's attempt at mind games) and put the entire women's division on notice, with "The Villainess" named as her number one target! However, when "The Boss" thought she'd finally found her arch rival on SLAM!, she was confused to find what she thought was Fox, once again decked out in the same Ember Moon outfit she'd worn on Fury! Only, that turned out to be a double bluff when Moon revealed it was her all along, allowing her to get a cheapshot in on Banks! Say what you will about those underhanded tactics, but it was a move so good, I could watch it twice! While the fight was quickly broken up by EWA security, it seems clear that these two can't be held apart forever! And just when you thought things can't get any crazier, that's when EWA legend Ayako Hamada made a shocking appearance! We've not seen the former Vixen's Champion in years, and clearly Sasha Banks wasn't expecting to see her last night either! Regardless, "The Tokyo Rose" explained that while her in-ring days are long gone, she was still willing to be an ally to "The Boss" in her time of need during this Japanese tour. We'll have to wait and see how exactly that pans out over the next couple of weeks, but there's surely few better mentors to have than one of the greatest champions, male or female, in EWA history!
With all of that action dissected, let's take a look at my picks for this week's top three movers and shakers:
1. Blood Diamond Exchange
2. Charlotte Flair
3. Aliyah
For the first time ever in the Ross Report, all three spots are held by female competitors! First up, a tip of the ol' hat to Prince Nana and the trio of Kairi Hojo, Nixon Newell and Viper for introducing themselves in a big way, and immediately drawing the ire of Ruby Riott too! In second place, despite not competing, Charlotte Flair shook the women's division to its core by challenging JoJo to the first ever women's Hell In A Cell Match at Tokyo SOS! And last but not least, while I almost went for Sasha Banks, Ember Moon, Ruby Riott and Kelly Klein, it seemed as if Aliyah's (somewhat controversial) victory in the main event of SLAM! just about pipped them all at the post!
Looking ahead to next week, it seems as if we can expect another barnburner of a broadcast! From Tom Lawlor against Bobby Lashley, to "Jungle Boy" taking on "MJF" for the future of Eagle Nest Orphanage, to Ruby Riott battling Nixon Newell, and a HUGE Japanese Open Invitational Battle Royal to crown new number one contenders to the Briscoes Tag Team Titles, there's something for everyone! From everyone here in the EWA, we'll see you this coming Sunday in Chiyoda!
BOOMER SOONER!
