Post by Ross Report on Aug 26, 2019 15:25:29 GMT
While this final SLAM! before Summer Stampede may have been somewhat light on in-ring action, there's no doubt that it was an exciting show in terms of how everything came together ahead of next Sunday's big summer blowout! Let's take a look at some of the major happenings, shall we?
Things kicked off in dramatic style with "The Revival" demanding that they be awarded the Tag Team Championships. That may seem a tad presumptuous, but with the EWA Board of Directors stressing that Jay and Mark both needed to be on hand to defend the titles, you can see where they were coming from. Especially since Mark Briscoe has spent the last several weeks on the sidelines due to an attack at the hands of Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder. Well, before they could get a response, the unlikely duo of "MJF" and "Luchasaurus" took the opportunity to declare that they deserved to be handed the gold more than anyone else (or to be more accurate, "The Top 1%er" did most of the talking while the dino-grappler stood nearby, continuing to look miserable with his current lot)! They were soon followed by "The Honky Tonk Man" and my old pal Jerry "The King" Lawler, who similarly had a somewhat unfounded expectation to be named the new champions, only to also get interrupted when "Monster Mafia" showed up to stake a claim of their own! Thankfully, just as tensions between these four teams threatened to spill over, Jay and Mark Briscoe finally emerged to address the situation! And in what can only be described as a modern medical miracle, Mark Briscoe's bad knee was soon revealed to have recovered enough for the Briscoes to challenge "The Revival," "MJF Enterprises," "Honky" and "King," and "Monster Mafia" to a Scramble Ladder Match for the Tag Team Titles next Sunday! That soon led to a wild brawl in and around ringside between all five teams that eventually saw "Dem Boys From Delaware" shove "The Revival" off their ladder and into the sea of humanity below! But, as it would soon turn out, that wasn't all! Indeed, to the surprise of damn near everyone, "The Vaudevillains" would make their first appearance in months to throw their hat into the ring for the Scramble Ladder Match as well, meaning six teams will scrap it out for the right to be the EWA Tag Team Champions! We've been saying for weeks now that the tag team division has never looked more competitive, and boy, does this ever prove it! Expect plenty of carnage when some traditional summer ladder warfare erupts next Sunday!
Moving on, our opening contest of the evening was due to be Ruby Riott's first match back since suffering a knee injury of her own thanks to the "Blood Diamond Exchange," having challenged Lacey Evans to a fight last week. However, this one never officially got underway, with Ruby taking out both members of "The Dominion" before Evans could even make it to the ring! The resulting free-for-all saw Charlotte get in a cheap shot on that bad knee of Ruby's, causing the Referee to eject "The Queen" from ringside, yet it ultimately didn't matter. Indeed, Lacey picked up where her partner left off, giving the official no choice but to call off the match! "The Classy Lady" continued her assault and looked set to "Pillmanize" Ruby's leg, only for the lights to go out for the second time in the night before revealing the "B.D.E." had entered the ring! The trio of Kairi Hojo, Nixon Newell and Viper wiped out Evans before turning their attention towards "The Punk Rock Ragdoll," but Charlotte Flair came rushing back in search of retribution for her partner! Alas, the numbers game meant Flair was soon taken out by a wicked Interceptor spear from "The Dread Pirate of Dark Water," before Hojo and her associates advanced on Ruby Riott once more...when all of a sudden, JoJo also joined the fray! With both the Women's Champion and Riott armed with chairs, the "Blood Diamond Exchange" were quickly sent packing, much to the crowd's delight! Yet even though JoJo and Ruby may have stood tall at the end of this fight, the fate of the Women's Championship still hangs in the balance between the two of them, Kairi Hojo and Charlotte Flair, when this "awesome foursome" clash for the gold at Summer Stampede! And if these last few weeks are anything to go by, that one promises to be a wild and unpredictable affair!
As I've noted before, it's not often you see the champion chasing the challenger rather than vice versa, yet that's precisely the scenario we've seen unfold these last few weeks as "The Reaper" looked to prove his RWB victory over Buh Buh Ray Dudley wasn't a fluke. As such, the National Champion called out the Dudleyville native to demand a rematch, yet Bubbs still refused to bite. "The Reaper" had a back-up plan though, instead offering to face "Show E." later in the evening, where if the big man won, "The Reaper" would agree to leave Buh Buh Ray alone! However, if "The Horde" member was victorious over the plastic lawn flamingo in a seven foot tall meatsuit, then the National Title rematch would become official for Summer Stampede! Before Buh Buh could even consider turning down the challenge, "Show E." accepted the match on his behalf, setting up the contest for later in the show. Much like Ruby Riott versus Lacey Evans though, that match never even had a chance to take place, as "Show E." found himself waylaid in a vicious attack by "The Reaper," who beat the holy hell out of him with a steel chair! When the rest of the "Flamingo Family" looked to come to the rescue though, the man formerly known as Gabriel this time demanded that Buh Buh give him his rematch or else he'd break "E.'s" arm! The former National Champion had no choice but to agree, yet it wasn't enough to save his good friend, with "The Reaper" smashing his arm one final time with the chair before running like a scolded dog! Could "The Reaper" have finally awakened a sleeping giant with his actions? Or will Buh Buh Ray's struggles to muster much enthusiasm for a title shot against the conflicted Brit continue, despite the injuries suffered by "Show E." at "The Reaper's" hands? I guess we'll find out next week!
Ember Moon hasn't had many opportunities to show what she's capable of in an EWA ring as of late, but she sure as heck took her chance against Payton Banks this week! While Banks once had a bit of success back in the day under the name "Rain," it seemed as if she wasn't fully prepared for what "The Horde" member had to offer. Indeed, "The Villainess" was downright cold-blooded in the way she made an example of her opponent, potentially sending a big message to Sasha Banks in the process! Speaking of whom, "The Boss" was notable by her absence from SLAM! this week, although you can be damn sure that's because of how seriously she's taking her preparations for this final battle with Ember Moon!
Elsewhere, Brian Kendrick clearly wasn't in the best of moods after Brock Lesnar turned down his demand for a third match between the two of them. Bumping into the newly reformed "Motor City Machine Guns" managed to briefly draw his attention elsewhere, leading to a somewhat terse exchange between Kendrick and Alex Shelley in particular. In the end, it looked as if "The Man With A Plan" had inadvertently booked himself in a handicap match at Summer Stampede...and after crossing paths with Brock Lesnar later on in the show, "The Beast" didn't have much sympathy for Kendrick's situation either! While I respect his tenacity and his fearlessness, Kendrick keep biting off more than he can perhaps chew lately, and one has to wonder how successful he'll be against the talented duo of Sabin and Shelley!
Say what you want about the strange hold "UltraMantis Black" has over Cesaro as of late, but there's no question that the "Swiss Cyborg" has got his groove back. Or should that be the "Broadsword" now? Either way, Cesaro threw out an open challenge this week and I think we were all pleasantly surprised to see it answered by Roderick Strong! "The Messiah of the Backbreaker" has flirted with the EWA a few times over the years only for the two to seemingly end up like ships passing in the night, but here's hoping that's all changed now! Especially if the strength of this barnburner of a match is anything to go by! I tell you, Strong sure lived up to his moniker here, utilizing a wide array of backbreakers to wear his opponent down. But like I said before, Cesaro seems to have tapped into new reserves of confidence under the guidance of "UltraMantis Black," meaning even when it looked as if he was about to succumb to Strong's attacks, Cesaro managed to surprise him with a sunset flip to score yet another victory! That makes it four wins in four weeks for the former Tag Team Champion, who seems to be on one hell of a roll right now!
It looks as if the merchandizing issues between "Monster Mafia" and "Mustache Mountain" have yet to be resolved, but perhaps more importantly than that, Tyler Bate and Trent Seven were able to talk Pete Dunne down from doing something he might later regret. Indeed, "The Bruiserweight" was eager to get his hands on Marty Scurll in the worst way possible after "The Villain" laid him out in dramatic fashion last Sunday, but fearing some kind of a trap, his fellow "British Strong Style" members managed to convince Dunne to focus all his energy on Summer Stampede instead. Little did they realize, however, Marty Scurll had one more trick up his sleeve before next week's Pay-Per-View event. More on that in a bit...
It was announced this week that Abe "Knuckleball" Schwartz was coming to SLAM!, with the dual sport superstar making his debut via an interview with the lovely Renee Young. Abe didn't exactly endear himself to the EWA Universe however, instead focusing on Buff Bagwell, the man he blames for apparently ruining his perfect game! Schwartz would challenge "Buff Daddy" to a showdown at Summer Stampede...not a match or even a fight, I stress to add, but a "duel." Indeed, the ol' "Knuckleball" intends to gain a measure of revenge by striking Bagwell out when we hit up Suplizio Field next Sunday! But the question is, will it be a swing and miss for Buff...or will Judy Bagwell's baby boy hit a home run? There's only one way to find out!
Man, I thought Tommaso Ciampa looked impressive in his win over Bart Gunn on last week's show, but the way he made short work of Glacier this week was even more eye-catching! To take out such a dangerous opponent so quickly just goes to show that this is one ruthless superstar who has no intentions of playing nice! And yet, when Ciampa looked to head to the back after his victory, he found his exit crossover with the arrival of the newly signed Dalton Castle and his "Boys." This slight would apparently be enough for "The Psycho Killer" to come back and interrupt Castle's re-introduction to the EWA Universe, wiping out the "Party Peacock" and then doing the same to "The Boys" in devastating fashion! Could it be we're seeing the first signs of a new rivalry starting to develop here? I'll say this much...it seems unlikely that Castle is going to take such an affront lying down, that's for sure!
Jim Cornette was on hand to introduce his client ahead of the contract signing for Summer Stampede, after Brian Pillman Jr accepted the open invite last week! The second generation superstar would soon arrive on the scene to sign his end of the deal, albeit not without taking exception to Morgan questioning whether his success is linked to the Pillman name or from what Brian Jr can do in the ring. The son of the "Loose Cannon" answered that emphatically with a superkick which caught Matt Morgan off guard, but rather than lose his cool as he may have done in days gone by, "The Blueprint" seemed impressed by Pillman's moxie. Indeed, it'll be a nice change of pace to see a purely athletic contest at Summer Stampede that isn't fueled by months of vitriol and bad blood. This one is just a good ol' fashioned David versus Goliath battle between two hungry superstars, eager to show what they're made of! I can't wait!
It's fair to say that Kelly Klein had some choice words for Toni Storm during the course of last week, having felt pushed to one side by the arrival of the Gold Coast native. One could argue the fact that it's taken this long for her to get a second EWA match might lend that theory some credence too, but give Kelly the respect she deserves...once that opportunity arrived, she took it in a big way, making mincemeat out of Jessie Belle Smothers (no relation to Tracy...at least, as far as I'm aware). Here's hoping we see more of "KK" in the coming weeks and months!
Another week and another ominous message from Bray Wyatt, who by all accounts believes himself to be some kind of "god." While I can't confirm the veracity of such claim, there's no disputing that Wyatt's presence is casting a dark shadow over the EWA right now. And to make matters even more creepy, "The Eater of Worlds" has already seemingly helped transform some unknown individual and now expects payment in full. As to who he's talking about or what form that payment takes, I don't know...but either way, something tells me we probably won't have to wait too long to find out!
While Tom Lawlor and Bobby Lashley prepare to meet inside a steel cage next Sunday, their two closest associates did battle in this past week's main event as Rhea Ripley took on "Dominatrix!" On commentary recently, Don West questioned the quality of opponents "The Full Metal Maniac" had thus far competed against, but there's no doubt that "Dominatrix" is a competitor with plenty of accolades to her name! It was only last year that she held the Women's Championship after defeating the double-tough Tessa Blanchard for the gold, and "The Mistress of Pain" looked to get right back to winning ways here after a lengthy absence from in-ring competition! One could argue that time away worked against her though, with the mysterious "Santanic Clown Posse" member seeming to suffer from a bit of ring rust while Rhea Ripley has been building up a head of steam lately. In spite of "Dominatrix's" best efforts, Ripley was finally able to put her opponent away with the Zero Slam to continue her run of good form! And in so doing, she just laid down a huge marker ahead of the war between the male contingent of "Singularity" and the "SCP" next Sunday as well! Will Tom Lawlor capitalze on that momentum? Or will Lashley finally gain his revenge?
I was as shocked as anybody to see Marty Scurll emerge with his arm in a cast, having heard no suggestion that the World Champion was injured after his incredible battle with Darby Allin last week. However, "The Villain" was adamant that he was in bad enough condition to require someone taking his place for the scheduled match against Pete Dunne next week...something which then brought out "The Bruiserweight," none too pleased to see Scurll trying to worm his way out of defending the title! It's safe to say that Dunne wasn't about to let the opportunity slip away though, even turning down Scurll's request to postpone the match instead. Before the situation could get rectified however, the EWA-Tron would suddenly reveal that both Trent Seven and Tyler Bate had been laid out backstage by some mystery assailants, with that distraction allowing "The Villain" to reveal he wasn't injured after all! Instead, that cast had in fact been a dummy arm which he then used to viciously assault Dunne with, leaving his number one contender lying while Scurll stood tall with the World Championship! Just when you think you've seen it all, the leader of "The Horde" goes and pulls another trick out of his bag to get one over on his enemies! I swear, I don't think we've ever seen a superstar quite so devious as Marty Scurll, and that may well make him the favorite heading into this much anticipated title showdown. While "The Bruiserweight" might be as tough as they come, is he going to be ready for whatever Scurll throws at him? I guess we'll find out one way or the other when these two British studs clash at Summer Stampede!
With all that in mind then, here's my picks for this week's top three movers and shakers:
1. Cesaro
2. Rhea Ripley
3. Marty Scurll
The "Broadsword" takes top spot, having built up an impressive undefeated streak over August that deserves to be recognized. Not even the mighty backbreakers of Roderick Strong could slow this new confident Cesaro down for long! Coming in at number two, Rhea Ripley put in a hell of a showing during her victory over "Dominatrix," giving "Singularity" even more momentum heading into that cage match between Lawlor and Lashley next week! And last but by no means least, Marty Scurll takes the third spot after using some underhanded tricks to get one over on Pete Dunne once again, putting himself in a strong position before their World Title encounter.
With eight eagerly-awaited matches on the card, Summer Stampede already looks like it'll be a night to remember! From all the chaos in the tag team division, to the fourway battle for the Women's Title, to grudge matches and rematches and first time ever matches, you can bet your bottom dollar that it's going be a slobberknocker of a show! And as if all that wasn't enough of a selling point for you, this year's big summer blowout will be coming live from the home of the Grand Junction Rockies as well, giving us a truly unique setting unlike any other! Take me out to the ball game, folks! Until next time,
BOOMER SOONER!
