Post by Ross Report on Sept 2, 2019 22:45:32 GMT
What better way to bring this summer to a close than with one hell of a stampede! That's just what we witnessed this past weekend as the EWA's 8th annual Summer Stampede took place from the unique setting of Suplizio Field in beautiful Grand Junction, delivering a night that will no doubt live long in the memory for everyone who witnessed it!
Kicking off proceedings was a surprise appearance by Tommaso Ciampa, who hadn't been scheduled for this past weekend's Pay-Per-View to the best of my knowledge. That didn't stop "The Psycho Killer" from coming down to ringside to let everyone know that it's just a matter of time before he's competing on events like this and in championship matches to boot, right where the 14 year veteran believes he belongs. Not only that, but Ciampa also made sure to run down Dalton Castle as well, the same man who's debut he ruined on the previous week's SLAM! Well, Castle's ears must have been burning because within seconds of Ciampa making his feelings known, "The Party Peacock" showed up from out of nowhere to exact a little revenge! Ol' "Blackheart" was left down and in some serious pain before he even knew what hit him, as officials quickly arrived on the scene to break up the fight before it got any further out of hand. It's safe to say though that this issue is far from over between these two!
Meanwhile, the action officially got underway with one of the most anticipated matches on the card, as JoJo looked to defend her Women's Championship for the first time! The "bWo Babe" didn't exactly have it easy though, as she found herself up against Ruby Riott, Kairi Hojo and the former champion Charlotte Flair all at once! Riott was at an immediate disadvantage in this one, still trying to shake off her lingering knee injury courtesy of Hojo and having no one in her corner, while everyone else had back-up available at ringside. Still, that didn't stop her from taking out the entire "Blood Diamond Exchange" at one point with a daredevil dive to the outside! That left Charlotte Flair and JoJo resuming hostilities once again, with that incredible Hell In A Cell Match last month seemingly having done little to settle the score between them! Just when it looked like JoJo might have "The Queen" beat once again however, Lacey Evans took out the Referee before he could count three! With no official, "The Dominion" began double teaming JoJo as Prince Nana tried to defy his suspension and get through security to help "The Dread Pirate of Dark Water!" The Women's Champion suddenly found herself in trouble as the "B.D.E." neutralized JoJo while Prince Nana prepared to throw another fireball, just like he did Bradley a couple of weeks ago! Alas, before the Ghanaian Prince could do so, a still blind Bradley entered the ring and caused Nana's plan to go up in flames...quite literally, in fact, as he accidentally caught himself with his own fireball! Bradley then took out Viper, as Nixon Newell decided she'd had enough of the "B.D.E.'s" ways, washing her hands of the group! As things continued to break down, Charlotte Flair managed to apply the Figure Eight to Riott, while at the same time, the Women's Champion took out Kairi Hojo with Get Back, JoJo!, scoring the three count before Flair could force the submission! It's no secret that there's not much to separate Charlotte and JoJo inside the ring, and this was just another example of it! Still, despite Flair's best efforts, and it was a hell of a showing from "The Nature Girl," JoJo's reign continues!
With Brock Lesnar not in a match (at least, not in an official capacity, as we'll discuss later), he was free to watch the show unfold from the comfort of his private locker room. That was, until Brian Kendrick interrupted his evening, seemingly in a bad way and claiming to have been jumped by the "Motor City Machine Guns" backstage. He practically begged "The Beast" for his help against the duo of Sabin and Shelley, although Lesnar didn't exactly seem to be buying it. Understandably so considering "The Man A Plan's" reputation, as we'd see a little later on.
Moving onto our next match of the evening, it was time for the final showdown between Bobby Lashley and Tom Lawlor, as these two MMA veterans went to war inside the confines of a Steel Cage! Ever since "The Dominator" called Lawlor out almost two months ago, it's been a back-and-forth rivalry where Lawlor has seemingly had the edge whenever they've met in matches, whereas Lashley has had the upper hand elsewhere. As many predicted, this was a down-and-dirty type of match with a couple of mean ol' dogs just beating the tar out of one another. It wasn't pretty, but it was entertaining as all get-out! "Filthy" Tom Lawlor even managed to get on the Singularity Sleeper in the early goings, much as he utilized so effectively in their first go around, but Lashley fought his way out of it this time! With the cage itself coming into play as the match progressed, it was clear that neither competitor was holding anything back, not that you'd expect anything less from Lawlor or Lashley! You could argue that the leader of the "Santanic Clown Posse" perhaps spent a little too much time taunting Rhea Ripley at ringside though, who was there to support her man after seemingly taking hers and Tom's relationship to the next level this week. Those taunts backfired however, giving Lawlor the opportunity to get back into the match, eventually going back to the Singularity Sleeper once more! Alas, Lawlor became distracted when Ripley fell ill at ringside, as Papa Shango suddenly appeared, having struck up an alliance with Lashley during the week! It was almost as if the voodoo priest had cast some kind of curse on Rhea and Lawlor both, with Tom also showing signs of weakness...yet "Singularity" ally Ken Shamrock would soon even the odds, taking out Papa Shango and allowing both Tom and Rhea to recover! Lawlor eventually managed to cinch in the Singularity Sleeper one more time, finally causing Lashley to pass out to pick up the huge win and put this rivalry to bed! There's no two ways about, Tom Lawlor is on fire at the moment, picking up his fifth straight victory in succession! I wonder...could some kind of title shot be in the future of the Fall River, Massachusetts native?
For the past couple of weeks, Bray Wyatt has been sending the EWA eerie messages regarding someone he's apparently helped and the toll they've yet to pay for "The Eater of World's" help. It seems as if we're getting closer and closer to finding out the truth behind the matter too, with Wyatt's patience running low. Will some answers be forthcoming on next week's SLAM!?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, since it didn't seem particular in character for either one of them, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley claimed they had nothing to do with the supposed backstage attack on Brian Kendrick earlier in the night. In fact, it seemed as if the "Motor City Machine Guns" had sympathy for Brian more than anything else, only for "The Man With A Plan" to throw it back in their faces! As you'd expect in a two-on-one situation, even with tags preventing both opponents being in the ring at once, Kendrick found himself at a severe disadvantage here. Factor in his supposed "injuries" as well, and this one was tough to watch at times...which would probably explain why Brock Lesnar felt the need to head down to ringside and offer himself up as Kendrick's impromptu tag team partner. With "The Beast" coming to his rescue though, Brian Kendrick would then take that opportunity to suddenly shake off those "injuries" to attack Brock from behind! A Sliced Bread #2 put Lesnar down long enough for Kendrick to then grab a wrench and damn near cave the former three-time World Champion's head in before willingly allowing himself to be pinned by a puzzled Chris Sabin! Indeed, it seems as if Kendrick's "plan" came to full fruition, suckering Lesnar in despite Brock arguably knowing better and then taking "The Beast" out in dramatic fashion, all so he can seemingly convince Lesnar to agree to another match between them! Well, Brian Kendrick may well get what he wants soon enough, but I can't help but be reminded of the phrase, "be careful what you wish for!"
While the pre-match backstage assault on Kendrick would turn out to be a bust, the same couldn't be said for what happened to "The Vaudevillains!" The former Tag Team Champions made the decision to interrupt a fiery interview between "The Guerillas of Destiny" and Todd Grisham, after Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa made it clear they were coming for the entire tag team division. After drawing the ire of the "G.O.D.", English and Gotch soon paid the price, with English being put through a table and Gotch having a lava lamp smashed over his head, rendering both "Vaudevillains" in no fit state to take part in the Scramble Ladder Match later in the show! Talk about a huge statement being made by Tonga and Loa, showing why these two Tongan bad asses are going to be a dangerous addition to the roster going forwards!
Poor old Buh Buh Ray Dudley has had a miserable time since losing the National Title back at Red, White & Bruised, to the point that he didn't even want a rematch against "The Reaper." However, the man formerly known as Gabriel felt he needed to beat Bubbs a second time to dispel any notion of his title victory being a fluke, thus forcing Dudley's hand in the matter by going after "Show E." on last week's SLAM! Well, "The Reaper's" constant pushing ended up backfiring as he awoke a far more aggressive Buh Buh Ray Dudley than we've seen in a long time! You could almost see the confidence coming back to the man from Dudleyville the longer the match went on, shaking off "The Reaper's" early dominance to build up a head of steam, culminating in a huge Buh Buh Cutter! However, the champion looked to escape before his opponent could pin him, drawing Bubbs out after him and then DRIVING him into the ring post! With Dudley stunned, "The Reaper" looked like he was about to finish him off the the Descension, yet incredibly, Buh Buh Ray was able to counter that into a wicked Buh Buh Bomb that secured the three count, the National Championship, and a whole lot of redemption as well! The "Flamingo Family" member may have felt himself unworthy of being champion before, but there's no question he earned that title back last night!
While I was backstage enjoying the show, I happened to bump into "UltraMantis Black" and Cesaro, with "The Great and Devious One" seemingly a fan of the Ross Report. I guess I can't fault his taste! Still, things got interesting when Cesaro found himself face-to-face with his erstwhile tag team partner and best friend, Chris Hero! "The Knockout Artist" hasn't been seen since he and Nick Aldis lost the Tag Titles to the Briscoes, but Hero was clearly confused by Cesaro's current situation as Black's "Broadsword." In fact, his attempts to get "The Swiss Cyborg" to ditch "Mantis" and reform "The Kings of Wrestling" seemed to fall on deaf ears, with Cesaro now completely under the thrall of "The Angry Insect Evil-Doer," much to Hero's consternation. What will this mean for the former Tag Team Champions going forwards, I wonder?
From two former "Kings of Wrestling" to another, we had ourselves a huge shock when Matt Morgan faced off against Brian Pillman Jr! Morgan had thrown out the open contract for anyone who wanted to step up to the plate, and clearly the second generation superstar saw this as a big chance to end his current losing streak! That resulted in a highly entertaining back-and-forth battle between this "David and Goliath" pairing, with Pillman using his speed and striking skills to wear "The Blueprint" down in the early goings! However, Morgan was able to use his superior size and strength to get back into the contest, finally delivering a Carbon Footprint that knocked his opponent clean out of the ring! That's when the unthinkable happened though, with Pillman Jr being dragged under the squared circle by some unseen force. As Matt Morgan came out to investigate, none other than Samoa Joe appeared on the opposite side of the ring, making his first appearance since Three Stages of Hell back at Red, White & Bruised! Taking full advantage of the "open contract" stipulation, Joe inserted himself into the match and quickly got the better of Matt Morgan, choking the big man out! He then rolled "The DNA of EWA" back inside the ring just as Pillman was trying to re-enter it as well, taking the youngster out with a nasty Muscle Buster right on top of Morgan before pinning both men and stealing the victory in the process! I honestly don't know what to make of this one...on the one hand, I'm excited to see "The Samoan Submission Machine" back in action, but this isn't the way I'd hoped his return would come about! And what of Matt Morgan and Brian Pillman Jr? These two superstars were well on their way to having a classic encounter but got thoroughly screwed over by Samoa Joe instead. Something tells me there's going to be some serious repercussions to this one, folks...
After the craziness of that last match, things took an even more bizarre turn as Abe "Knuckleball" Schwartz looked to make good on his promise to strike out Buff Bagwell! The two of them took to the field to play some ball, with "Buff Daddy" swinging and missing his first two attempts before hitting an absolutely stunning home run on the third, causing ol' "Knuckleball" to bawl his eyes out, humiliated once again! Better luck next time, Abe!
I'm not going to even try and cover all the action that took place during that wild multi-team Ladder Match. Needless to say, it was wall-to-wall insanity from start to finish, with all five teams (since "The Vaudevillains" couldn't take their place due to being taken out earlier in the night) delivering incredible performances! Every team had their time to shine, and a few moments they probably wish they could forget too! There was even a bit of underhanded tactics at play too, with my old pal Jerry "The King" Lawler at one point trying to use a scissor lift to steal the titles, as well as a fishing pole to try and pull them closer, only to eventually get stuck up there when MJF tossed away the lift's keys! More importantly though, after what they did to Mark several weeks ago, the Briscoes got their revenge and then some on "The Revival!" The defending champions chased their foes into the parking lot and then, in one of the most shocking moments of the year, used a special Dasani-sponsored Monster Truck to run over Dawson and Wilder while they were in their own car! You often hear these types of matches being likened to car wrecks, but never has it been so literal! It's fair to say, I don't think we'll be seeing "The Revival" again any time soon, that's for sure! Almost as shocking as that though was "MJF" having a free run to the titles only to spy his tag team partner/indentured servant being choked out by "The Honky Tonk Man." I would have bet all the BBQ sauce in the world that Friedman was going to ignore "Luchasaurus'" predicament to claim the gold, but instead, he came to the dino-grappler's rescue. However, that then left Mark Briscoe unchallenged to ascend the ladder and make sure the gold goes back to Delaware with him and his brother! Man, we've seen some crazy multi-team ladder matches over the years, but this one right here is going to take some topping! In the end though, the Briscoes continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the tag division!
While it was easy to get caught up in the night's action, there was some big news coming out of the Pay-Per-View as it was revealed that Kelly Klein will be going one-on-one with the undefeated Toni Storm next Sunday on SLAM! Any time we see Toni Storm in action is a treat, but something tells me that this is going to be a step-up in competition for the Gold Coast native compared to some of her recent opponents. Still, given her undeniable talent and charisma, I'm sure Storm will be up for the challenge!
While the Summer Stampede card was absolutely jam-packed with amazing matches, the battle between Ember Moon and Sasha Banks was arguably one of the most eagerly anticipated of all! These two talented women have been at one another's throats for a long time now, with plenty of bad blood between them, and it finally came to a head in dramatic fashion! This one was sure-fire barnburner from start to finish, with Ember quickly targetting the back and looking to wear Sasha down the longer the match went on. However, "The Boss" doesn't know the meaning of the word quit, continually fighting back and pushing Moon to her absolute limits! I tell you, folks, this was an all-out war of attrition as both superstars gave everything they had to put the other away. In the end though, just when Sasha Banks looked done for, she managed to lock in the Bank Statement and force the submission, despite "The Villainess'" desperate attempts to hold on and fight out of it! Still, this was the kind of contest where I think it's fair to say both competitors are coming out of it with new-found respect from the EWA Universe. Even in defeat, Ember Moon's performance here was nothing short of breath-taking, showing just how valuable she is to the women's division! And as for Sasha Banks? Well, I'd suggest there's a good chance "The Boss" has worked her way into a future Women's Championship match if this is anything to go by! And I'll be honest, the idea of seeing JoJo and Sasha Banks battle it out for the top prize in the women's division gives me goosebumps! What a fitting end to a rivalry that will undoubtedly be remembered for a long time to come!
Say what you will about Marty Scurll's run this year, but he's managed to consistently get the job done each and every time he's been asked to do so! Indeed, on top of winning Civil War and capturing the World Championship, "The Villain" hadn't been pinned or submitted in all of 2019 heading into this one! Meanwhile, Pete Dunne has had a hell of year himself, likewise not being pinned or submitted and coming off the back of that "feud of the year" contender with Samoa Joe! On paper, that meant we were in for one hell of a main event, but in practice? It was even better than expectations! Scurll once again bent the rules to his advantage in every way imagineable, leaving "The Bruiserweight" to spent large portions fighting from underneath, a position he's not entirely used to. Still, Dunne's dogged resilience is one of those attributes which has set him apart from everyone else, refusing to stay down no matter what Scurll dished out! Despite the intense nature of their rivalry, there was also a real technical aspect to the match too, with both superstars utilizing plenty of submission holds to wear one another down. The leader of "The Horde" made several attempts to apply his patented Crossface Chickenwing throughout the match, yet once he finally did so, Dunne managed to bite at those same fingers he broke last month to force Scurll to let go! He then seemingly took Scurll out with the Bitter End, only for Marty to get his foot on the ropes, before Scurll rallied with a Cradle DDT for a close two count of his own! Running out of ideas, Scurll then tried to intentionally get himself disqualified by hitting the "British Strong Style" member with the World Championship, only to get his head damn near taken off with a wicked lariat, as Dunne pulled him into position and spiked Scurll with the Better End, a Tombstone variation of his trademark move, to finally secure the impossible victory! What a match, what a main event, and what a way to cap off an amazing night in Grand Junction! Marty Scurll's reign may be over, but he's got nothing to be ashamed of after giving it his absolute all! He gave Dunne no choice but to reach a whole new level, and at the end of the day, "The Bruiserweight" rose to the task to make history! This young man from Birmingham was desperate to step out of the shadow of his old "British Empire" teammate Jack Gallagher, and there's no question he's now achieved just that! Still, as I'm sure Dunne is well aware himself, there's no rest for the wicked! Indeed, this is where the hard work begins!
What do you say, folks? How about we get to my top three movers and shakers?
1. Pete Dunne
2. Buh Buh Ray Dudley
3. The Briscoes
It seems like a no-brainer, but Pete Dunne's victory over Marty Scurll and capturing of the World Heavyweight Title is more than enough to put him in the top spot this week, turning the entire power dynamic of the EWA on its head! Coming in at number two, Buh Buh Ray Dudley proved his doubters (and himself) wrong by showing he did deserve the National Championship all along, retaking the title from "The Reaper!" And last but by no means least, Jay and Mark Briscoe had to overcome four game teams in that craziest ladder match I've ever witnessed to retain their Tag Team Championships! And after taking on the world and surviving, one has to wonder what's next for "Dem Boys From Delaware?"
Well, what more is there to be said? Summer Stampede clearly didn't disappoint, unless you're a member of "The Horde" it seems, who's dominance over the EWA landscape seems to have come to an end. Still, history dictates that we shouldn't go counting them out just yet! After all, everyone knows how dangerous animals are when backed into a corner! In the meantime though, it's a whole new era in the E-Wrestling Alliance, with Pete Dunne starting his reign as World Champion and new faces like Sasha Banks and Tom Lawlor establishing themselves in a major way, while we've also got plenty of interesting developments to look forward to between the likes of Brian Kendrick and Brock Lesnar, as well as Tommaso Ciampa and Dalton Castle! And when you factor in JoJo staying on top of the women's division and the shocking return of Samoa Joe as well, it feels like anything can happen as we edge ever nearer to Super Brawl season! I know, I know...it's still three months out and a lot can happen between now and then...but there's no question that we're entering that time of year where every member of the roster steps up their game, and I can't wait to see how it all unfolds! Until next time,
BOOMER SOONER!
