Ross Report - 7/22/19

Before this current tour, it's been a long time since the EWA was last in Japan (way back in 2010 at our Kessen Pay-Per-View), but it's safe to say we've been making up for that absence with the quality of these first two shows!

This week's SLAM! kicked off with Brock Lesnar heading to the ring to set in motion the contract signing for an eagerly anticipated one-on-one match against the man who's been such a thorn in his side over the past two months, Matt Taven! And to force the matter, "The Beast" had Taven's passport to use as a bargaining chip, as seen on last week's show! Time and time again during this rivalry, it's been "The Chaotic Idol" who's seemingly got one over on the former three-time World Heavyweight Champion, but not this time as Taven had little choice but to enter the ring and give Brock what he wanted. Still, there was more than air of defiance from the leader of "The Kingdom" as he did so, only to find himself jumped by Lesnar as soon as the contract was signed! The brawl quickly turned nasty, as Taven tried for a Kick of the King but got caught in mid-flight and German suplexed right through the table they'd used for the contract signing! I'll be honest, I'm amazed that Lesnar showed enough restraint to leave it at that, but if I was to theorize, perhaps that's because he doesn't want to jeopardize their Tokyo SOS match now that it's finally official! This one has been a long time coming and there's no doubt in my mind that it won't disappoint!

After having apparently taken Daffney out at some point , Becky Lynch returned to action this week against "Lady Mumbai Cat." It was another easy win for "The Queen Slayer," meaning she's won more matches than any other female competitor so far this year. However, it's worth noting that the majority of her opponents haven't exactly been of a very high quality over these last several months, so hopefully with all the exciting new blood in the women's division right now, we'll start seeing Lynch (and Winter too) taking a step up in competition and really challenging herself.

Ken Shamrock will be the first to tell you that he's got some deep-running issues with the legendary Japanese wildman Minoru Suzuki that go back long before his time in the EWA. "The World's Most Dangerous Man" doesn't like losing at the best of times, but this was one loss he's been stewing over for 25 long years, virtually becoming an obsession! Well, Shamrock again laid out the challenge to fight Suzuki only to have it answered by another MMA legend (and one of Suzuki's old friends) in Masakatsu Funaki! The two proceeded to have a knock-down, drag-out fight that was filled with bad blood, eventually resulting in the former World Champion tapping Funaki out to his dreaded Ankle Lock! Talk about a huge statement of intent, and one which finally seemed to draw the attention of Suzuki, who made a brief appearance after the match was over to finally accept Shamrock's challenge for Tokyo SOS. Will "The World's Most Dangerous Man" finally settle the score with his old Pancrase boss and rival? We'll find out next Sunday!

It's been many years since Brian Kendrick has been in an EWA ring, but he looked just as good as ever (if not better) against Will Ospreay last night! It's been a rocky start to his EWA career for "The Aerial Assassin," having easily defeated Ding Dong #2 in his debut and then coming up short against Roman Reigns last week. Alas, his situation didn't improve against Kendrick, as Ospreay looked to take a big risk towards the end of the match only for that attempt to dramatically backfire, giving his opponent the chance to capitalize. Here's hoping the talented young Brit can find his feet, as from what I've seen so far, he's definitely got the ability to be a big time player...it's just a case of putting that total package all together. As for Kendrick, it's great to see the talented graduate of Shawn Michaels' Texas Wrestling Academy back where he belongs. He's spent far too long in the wrestling wilderness, and this is certainly the kind of victory that he can build off to hopefully add even more accolades to his extensive resume.

Poor Buh Buh Ray Dudley continues to be in desperate need of cheering up following his National Title loss at Red, White & Bruised. Even calling himself "The MVP of the EWA" is a roundabout way of Bubbs disparaging himself, seeing as that loss to "The Reaper" a couple of weeks ago guaranteed "The Horde" would hold the top two titles coming into the Japanese tour. At this point, I doubt even a big bowl of bacon rashers would be enough to drag the man from Dudleyville out of his downward spiral, and if that's not a worrying thought, I don't know what is!

Speaking of "The Horde," Marty Scurll, Ember Moon and "The Reaper" would make their way to ringside to pick up where they left off last week and continue gloating over their recent success. With the three of them feeling so good about themselves, "The Villain" effectively challenged the entire country of Japan to send them their best, leading to a cavalcade of "young boys" and up-and-comers descending on the ring to try their luck. Alas, those challengers were quickly swatted aside with relative, only for the lights to suddenly go out. When they came back on, the Budokan erupted at the sight of "The Great Muta" and Masato Tanaka standing in the middle of the ring, with Muta blasting the man formerly known as Gabriel with a face full of green mist, while Tanaka laid Scurll out with a powerbomb! When it looked like Ember Moon might play the difference maker though, that's when Sasha Banks came from out of nowhere to stop her, DDT'ing "The Villainess" right onto the ringside floor! She then joined Muta and Tanaka in the middle of the ring, with "The Boss" revealing she had spent her time in Japan recruiting both "The Great Muta" and the former Triple Crown Champion Masato Tanaka, setting up a blockbuster of a Six Person Tag Match next week at Tokyo SOS! They say anything can happen in the EWA and never has that been more apparent with the making of this incredible match!

From a moment of pure joy, proceedings were soon brought down to earth somewhat with the return to action of "The Great Khali." The Punjabi giant found himself up against a returning Scott Steiner, who had no time whatsoever for Khali's flatulent antics. Despite a brief flurry from Khali towards the end of the match, this one was all Steiner, with "The Big Bad Booty Daddy" showing he's not missed a step during his time away! With his strength and experience, Scott Steiner could well be a force to be reckoned with over the coming weeks and months!

Both "The Honky Tonk Man" and Jerry "The King" Lawler have had a bone to pick with Joe Gomez and Ken Raper since Red, White & Bruised, but little did they realize that neither "The Desperado" or his best frenemy were actually on the Japanese tour! That meant the pair of them had come all the way to "The Land of the Rising Sun" for nothing...or so it seemed initially. After this week's SLAM! though, I'd say some good has come of their mistake, with Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart convincing the two rivals to come together for the common goal of retribution against the dynamic duo who interrupted their Carl Perkins Guitar On A Pole Match a couple of weeks ago (and destroyed said guitar). Given the vitriol we've witnessed between both "Honky" and "King" over the past several months, it's anyone's guess just how long this alliance of convenience lasts, but at least we now know that they'll be together long enough to face Gomez and Raper on the next edition of SLAM! in just under two weeks!

There was a whole lot riding on the match between Maxwell Jacob Friedman and "Jungle Boy" this past week. Should "Jungle Boy" defeat "The Top 1%er," "MJF" had agreed to pay off all of the Eagle Nest Orphanage's debts in one giant lump sum, saving it from the proverbial wolves at the door...but should he lose, the Orphanage's fate would continue to hang in the balance! Of course, the issue here was that while Maxwell Jacob Friedman has established himself as a dangerous EWA superstar already, this was "Jungle Boy's" first stab at the big leagues, having some wrestling experience but nothing that compares to a match with stakes as high as this one! As such, the jungle dweller found himself on the backfoot for much of the contest, finally managing to turn things around to provide a glimmer of hope for those poor orphans...yet "MJF" used his wiles to bring that momentum to a screeching halt, before hitting a series of devastating piledrivers and a Rude Awakening as well, seemingly trying to break "Jungle Boy's" neck rather than win the match! In the end, "Luchasaurus" had no choice but to throw in the towel for his little buddy, saving his career from an abrupt ending before it had barely begun! But that wasn't all, as Friedman declared afterwards that next week at Tokyo SOS, it would be him versus "Luchasaurus," where the dino-grappler will lie down and allow himself to be pinned before signing the contract that confirms he'll now work for "The Salt of the Earth" or else the Orphanage is done for! Will "Luchasaurus" swallow his pride for the sake of those kids? Is there a way to avoid becoming "MJF's" dogsbody? Or will "Luchasaurus" look to gain a measure of revenge everything Friedman did "Jungle Boy" this week, including delivering a heinous DDT right on the steel stage after the match was announced? I guess there's only way to find out!

Ruby Riott made her debut last week with an impressive win over Japanese legend Cutie Suzuki, yet after the match was done, Suzuki found herself the victim of a gang attack by Prince Nana's "Blood Diamond Exchange." Riott would return to the ring to fend off the trio of Kairi Hojo, Viper and Nixon Newell, which in turn led to a match between the "Punk Rock Ragdoll" and "The Girl With The Shiniest Wizard" on this week's show! These two have plenty of history together outside the EWA, at one point being close friends, lending a whole different dynamic to the match. It was a closely fought contest too, at least until Prince Nana looked to get involved by sliding a chair into the ring for Newell to use. Alas, the young lady from the Welsh valleys refused to do so, still having some shred of honor as she sought to put Riott away the right way! That inadvertently allowed Ruby to connect with the Riot Kick however and almost win the match, had it not been for Nana dragging the official out just as he was counting the three! Still, at least Nana paid the price for his transgressions thanks to a Ruby Riott suicide dive! With Nana down and Ruby looking to finish her opponent off, that's when the other members of the "B.D.E." showed up, forcing Riott to grab the chair and swing for the fences to protect herself, earning a disqualification from the Referee when she refused to relinquish her weapon. With Ruby standing tall this week, Prince Nana gathered his forces and demanded another match on next Sunday's Pay-Per-View, this one pitting Riott against "The Dread Pirate of Dark Water," Kairi Hojo! Here's hoping EWA officials will takes measures to curb any attempted interference from Nana and the rest of the "Blood Diamond Exchange" so these two talented women can settle this between themselves!

When Bobby Lashley called out "Filthy" Tom Lawlor for a fight last week, I was expecting an absolute war between two men well-versed in multiple forms of combat. It looked as if that was exactly what we were going to get, as "The Dominator" speared his opponent right out of the gates, only to be stunned by Lawlor surviving the move that has put away so many other superstars! When Lashley quickly tried going to the well a second time though, he ran right into a devastating Death Valley driver from the MMA veteran before getting choked out with the Singularity Sleeper, much as we saw Lawlor do to Ilja Dragunov back at Red, White & Bruised! Incredibly, it took all of 1 minute 46 seconds for Lawlor to impose himself on the former National Champion, proving without any shadow of a doubt that "Filthy" is the real deal! The wave of momentum behind Tom Lawlor and "Singularity" continues to grow, and in my humble opinion, it's surely only a matter of time before he finds himself "reaping" the rewards, shall we say...

As JoJo prepares for next Sunday's Hell In A Cell battle with Charlotte Flair, Lacey Evans decided to play a prank by blocking her locker room door with chicken wire. Things took a decidedly more sinister turn though when the Women's Champion herself appeared from her hiding place, spearing JoJo right against the wire to give her nemesis a taste of what to expect at Tokyo SOS! Thankfully, Bradley was able to come to the rescue, taking out Evans and then tearing open the fence with his manly strength, saving JoJo from any further punishment! However, that's just a temporary reprieve for the number one contender, who must dig deep and find the strength of mind and body to prepare herself for the biggest match of her career. There's no question whatsoever that Charlotte Flair believes JoJo incapable of winning a match like Hell In A Cell, but JoJo has proven herself to be tougher than she might look on multiple occasions, and with a prize like the Women's Title up for grabs, I dare say she'll prove something to Flair as well!

After the Briscoes threw out the open challenge last week, we found five teams answering the call! There was Taka Michinoku and Sho Funaki of "Kaientai," "The Golden Lovers" of Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi, and three random tandems in the shape of former National Champion YAMATO and former TV Champion TARU, wild newcomer Ryuji Ito and Toru Yano, as well as the mysterious masked duo of "El Samurai" and Kendo Nagasaki. Things got off to a crazy start as the unpredictable Ito ended up attacking his own partner and launching him out of the ring, eliminating them both from the battle royal. Ito refused to leave the squared circle however, soon dumping "El Samurai" over the top rope as well, before kicking at a Referee and finally being dragged away by security! Soon enough, the unlikely duo of YAMATO and TARU worked together to eliminate "The Golden Lovers" after sending Kenny Omega packing, meaning we were down to YAMATO/TARU against "Kaientai" to decide who would receive the Tag Title shot next Sunday! It looked as if Taka and Funaki may have had the match won, yet after taking their eyes off the ball, YAMATO and TARU re-entered the ring before taking the pair of them out to seemingly win the match! Of all the teams I thought we might see win this one, I can't say I considered a makeshift duo like these two former EWA champions from almost a decade ago...yet their celebrations were soon cut short when the debuting tandem of "The Revival" jumped YAMATO and TARU from behind, sending them both out of the ring and trying to claim the victory for themselves, despite clearly not being a Japanese tag team and therefore ineligible. Then it was Dawson and Wilder's turn to celebrate along with their manager "Sunny" (who, of course, led "The Vegas Connection" to huge success over the years), but Jay and Mark Briscoe soon showed up as well, leading to a three way brawl as SLAM! went off the air. What does this mean for Tokyo SOS? Well, I've been trying to find out from EWA management but we're yet to get an official word. Technically, YAMATO and TARU have won the match and the right to face the champions...but "The Revival" are declaring themselves the victors, leaving us with a bit of a conundrum heading into next Sunday! Hopefully this situation gets resolved as soon as possible!

In the meanwhile, it's time for my top three movers and shakers of the week, so let's get right to it:

1. Masato Tanaka/"Great Muta"/Sasha Banks
2. "MJF"
3. "The Revival"

Top spot is shared by the returning Japanese legends Masato Tanaka and "Great Muta," along with a legend-in-the-making in terms of Sasha Banks! It's not often that "The Horde" are left embarrassed and reeling, but that was certainly the case this week, setting up a huge Six Person Tag at Tokyo SOS! Coming in at number two, I may not like his actions in the slightest, but there's no disputing that Maxwell Jacob Friedman scored a huge victory, not just defeating "Jungle Boy" in brutal fashion but by putting "Luchasaurus" in a seemingly unwinnable situation heading into next Sunday's Pay-Per-View. And last but not least, they may not have technically won the Open Invitational Battle Royal, but they sure as hell made their presence felt by dumping the winners and making it look as if they had! And the fact that all this came mere hours after signing their EWA contracts shows that Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder don't intend to wait around for their opportunities...they're going to take them, which is enough to give them the third spot!

All in all then, another fantastic show that has packed in a whole lot of punch considering the short turnaround between Red, White & Bruised and Tokyo SOS! Next Sunday's special Japanese themed Pay-Per-View is full of amazing once-in-a-lifetime matches that I (and I'm sure most of the EWA Universe) never thought we'd get to see! And yet, here we are, less than a week away from Tokyo SOS and a guaranteed slobberknocker of an event! I ask you, folks, what more can you ask for? Until next time,

BOOMER SOONER!