Post by Ross Report on Sept 23, 2019 17:41:03 GMT
With High Tension just a week away and plenty of the card still to be finalized, there was a lot of intrigue heading into this week's SLAM! Luckily for us, it didn't disappoint!
Things kicked off with the big contract signing between Buh Buh Ray Dudley and "MJF." If you'll remember, it was on last week's show that Maxwell Jacob Friedman looked to move on from his stint in the tag division by refocusing on the National Championship. However, Bubbs would only agree to give him a shot at the gold if "The Top 1%er" agreed to let "Show E." wear his trademark Burberry scarf, which the giant seemed enamored by. To you and I, that might not seem like much of a sacrifice to make for a Pay-Per-View title match, but not "MJF!" Indeed, he claimed to have left the scarf at home...or, at least, the one they'd made the deal on, despite it looking a hell of a lot like the one he was wearing this past week! Surprisingly though, it didn't make much difference to the man from Dudleyville, who was happy enough to sign the contract for High Tension regardless! That means we've got ourselves one heck of a match set up for next Sunday, as Buh Buh Ray looks to make his first successful National Title defence! Knowing "MJF" like we do though, perhaps Bubbs and the rest of "The Flamingo Family" might do well to be wary of whatever Friedman has up his sleeve!
For the first time since he started sending those foreboding messages, Bray Wyatt appeared live on SLAM! this week. Oddly, he did so by introducing himself to Jim Cornette and seemingly hinting that ol' Corny's client Matt Morgan owes him something. Could it be that this is who Bray Wyatt has been talking about over the last month? It certainly seems that way judging by the conversation Wyatt would have with Erick Rowan later in the show, a giant of a man who seems to be buying into what "The Eater of Worlds" is selling. In fact, Rowan would send a warning of his own to Matt Morgan, and I can't help but wonder if that played on "The Blueprint's" mind during his battle with Viktor shortly thereafter, in a match that had been made after a backstage confrontation the previous week. It seemed to me that Morgan was definitely distracted by something the longer this one played out, which is not a good position to be in against a competitor as vicious and ruthless as Viktor! We've seen him decimate his opponents over the last several weeks, and while this was still his biggest test to date, Viktor came through it with flying colors! A tough loss for Matt Morgan here, but no doubt Nigel Rabid will be laughing all the way to the pay window after his man kept his undefeated streak alive!
Elsewhere, Kelly Klein met up with Dean Malenko after the controversial ending to her match with Toni Storm last weekend, looking for some answers and making some emotionally-charged accusations while she was at it! After being turned down for one final match against Toni at High Tension, we'd later hear from Storm herself during an interview with Todd Grisham, where the Gold Coast native made it clear she didn't think too highly of Klein or her claims of bias! She even seemed willing to give "The Final Girl" her desired rematch at High Tension, only to quickly backtrack and use Dean Malenko's earlier ruling as an excuse for it not happening. Still, something about this whole situation doesn't sit particularly right with me. Not that I'm accusing my good friend Dean of any impropriety here, but I can't help but feel as if there's only one good way to settle this once and for all, and that's in the middle of the ring. Will we ever get that rubber match between these two talented young women? I guess we'll have to stay tuned to find out!
Following on from their surprise non-title loss last week to the debuting "Glorious B's," the Briscoes appeared live from their Sandy Fork home to issue a challenge to Bo Dallas and Baron Corbin for a title match at next week's Pay-Per-View extravaganza! Well, Bobby Roode and his followers soon made their presence felt on this week's SLAM! by addressing the live crowd from the stage and confirming they would take that opportunity next Sunday. While I'm not entirely sure they're going to win many folks over by claiming their prior win was "the Lord's work," there's no doubt they find themselves with a huge chance to capitalize on the immediate impact they've made since arriving in the EWA! Could Bo Dallas and Baron Corbin be the ones to finally end the impressive reign of "Dem Boys From Delaware?" We'll find out next week!
Chris Hero isn't exactly famous for his "happy-go-lucky" attitude, and ever since he and Nick Aldis lost the Tag Titles and "The Kings of Wrestling" fell apart, things have only got more miserable for "The Knockout Artist." However, Hero is looking to make amends for that by ridding his erstwhile best friend Cesaro of the influence of "UltraMantis Black" so they can get back to teaming up again. As such, Hero challenged "The Great And Devious One" to a match on this week's show, resulting in a hard-hitting battle that saw neither man (nor insect) letting up! However, in one of the more shocking moments we've seen in recent EWA history, just when the former two-time Tag Team Champion put Mantis down with the Hero's Welcome and went for the pin, Cesaro physically broke up the attempt by attacking the man who'd been like a brother to him! If ever you needed any evidence of the hold "UltraMantis Black" has over the Swiss Cyborg, this was ample! Never did I think I'd see Cesaro and Chris Hero at odds against one another, but thanks to "The Angry Insect Evil-Doer," it looks as if nearly 15 years of friendship has come to an end! To say I'm shocked by this development is a major understatement!
"The Honky Tonk Man" and my old pal Jerry "The King" Lawler were understandably in celebratory mood after "Honky's" win over Rick Martel last week. At least, they were until being distracted backstage, which in turn led to the mysterious disappearance of Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart. Eventually, the two Memphis legends would hit the ring to demand Jimmy come out and join them, only for Martel, R-Truth and "Dominatrix" to appear on the stage with their kidnapped manager! Demanding a tag team match at High Tension, "The Model" and "Truth" would release Hart as a gesture of good will once they got what they wanted...but you can be sure that neither "The King" or "Honky Tonk Man" are going to be too happy about this situation when these two teams meet next Sunday!
Speaking of tag teams, we saw the welcome return of former Champions "The Young Bucks" this week! Nick and Matt Jackson have taken a break from the EWA this year, but they've returned with a view to start afresh, as the "Bullet Club/Elite" are no more, while the "Undisputed Era" have risen from the ashes! "The Bucks" found themselves up against some very familiar competition though as they took on Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa, otherwise known as "The Guerrillas of Destiny!" We last saw these two backing up Jay White, but it seems as if they're striking out on their own now, and looking damn impressive in doing so. Indeed, this was a barnburner of a match as both teams brought the goods, each looking for that all-important victory! In the end though, the "G.O.D." managed to isolate Nick Jackson, allowing Tama Tonga to pick up the duke for his team! No doubt about it, this was an impressive showing by all four superstars and I can't wait to see what they bring to the tag division in the weeks and months to come!
While Charlotte Flair took Lacey Evans to the EMT station in the Bankers Life Fieldhouse to get looked over, Rhea Ripley quickly made her presence felt, showing no fear despite being at a two against one disadvantage. We found out Lacey wasn't cleared to compete for another two weeks, so "The Full Metal Maniac" laid out the challenge for Charlotte to face her instead. However, the former Women's Champion turned Ripley down, instead sticking with her original intention of making the "Singularity" member earn a match against her. As such, Flair will send another one of her "loyal friends" to face Rhea Ripley in two weeks on SLAM!, and if Rhea can prove she's capable of having a "classy match," she'll get her match with "The Queen." It almost seems too obvious for that mystery opponent to be Lacey Evans, but if not "The Classy Lady," I can't help but wonder just who Charlotte Flair has lined up to send against Rhea Ripley?
It seems as if Sasha Banks has sown some seeds of doubt in the head of JoJo after her wild claims that Bradley wasn't a "Mustachioned Megaman", but rather a female competitor by the name of Bayley. Not that I suspect that was "The Boss'" intention, as it felt to me as if Sasha genuinely wanted to reconnect with this Bayley who she used to be good friends with. Still, it's evidently caused the Women's Champion to question the nature of her friendship with Bradley in a big way, which is a distraction the "bWo Babe" could no doubt do without!
Tommaso Ciampa has been one to watch for the past couple of months, putting in some great performances. In recent weeks though, he's had his issues with Dalton Castle which have proven costly, with a distraction from the "Party Peacock" costing Ciampa a match against Bobby Lashley not too long ago. This week, Ciampa found himself taking on the debuting Harper, a beast of a superstar who has been looking for the right opportunity to strike out on his own. Well, this turned into a fantastic battle as both Ciampa and Harper held nothing back against one another, trading bombs and pushing each other to the limit. Indeed, while Harper used his power game and his general disregard for the rules to great effect, it was a very cerebral showing from Ciampa as he focused in on the arm of his opponent. However, Harper managed to rally before finally putting his opponent down for the count to earn the hard-fought win! His celebrations were short-lived though as hitting the Truckstop Lariat seemed to do further damage to his limb, something "The Sicilian Psychopath" took advantage of as he attacked post-match and once again cinched in the bridging Fujiwara! Talk about a sore loser, but then again, you only have to listen to Ciampa to know just how much he believes is riding on this EWA run, especially with his recent marital problems!
Pete Dunne made it clear he wasn't going to sit back and allow Marty Scurll cheat his way to victory in our main event, and to make sure of that, he accompanied "Mustache Mountain" to ringside for their match against "The Horde." This one certainly had a "big fight feel" about it, not least thanks to the high stakes involved. Trent Seven and Tyler Bate took early control, but Scurll and "The Reaper" soon fought their way back into the contest, even trying to utilize whatever means necessary to stay ahead. Dunne stopped "The Villain" from being able to go too far though, all while avoiding getting directly involved in the match. As things inevitably broke down, Scurll seemingly had Tyler in a bad position after applying the Crossface Chickenwing, not realizing that his partner had tagged himself back in. That momentary confusion then allowed Tyler to roll "The Reaper" up while Trent Seven dragged Scurll out into ringside, securing the victory for the two "British Strong Style" members! And with that win came the right for Pete Dunne to choose what kind of rematch he and Marty Scurll will have at High Tension next week, with the "Bruiserweight" having heard enough of Scurll's claims that there was Referee bias in their first go around, therefore deciding to go for a Special Guest Referee Match...with the official being none other than the General Manager of the EWA, Harry Smith! Talk about going straight to the top! There's no higher authority than the "British Bulldog," and you can be damn sure that Smith will call this one right down the middle, hopefully meaning neither Scurll or Dunne will have any excuses once it's all said and done!
With another SLAM! in the can, let's take a look at my picks for this week's top three movers and shakers:
1. Mustache Mountain
2. Guerrillas of Destiny
3. Harper
Tyler Bate and Trent Seven earned top spot by defeating the former World Heavyweight and National Champions, adding to "The Horde's" current woes. In at number two, the "G.O.D." secured a huge win over former Tag Team Champions in "The Young Bucks," instantly announcing themselves to the rest of the tag team division! And my pick for number three goes to Harper, after he impressed during his debut against a tough opponent in Tommaso Ciampa, something that is no mean feat, let me tell you!
Now though, we look ahead to High Tension and what promises to be an interesting line-up. Between the "Glorious B's" challenging for the Briscoes' Tag Team Championships and Buh Buh Ray Dudley defending the National Title against Maxwell Jacob Friedman, it's great to see some new blood getting into the title picture! Still, that doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to the rematch between Pete Dunne and Marty Scurll! Their first World Title encounter was an instant classic, and with Harry Smith wearing the black and white for this second match, things have just got a whole lot more interesting! Join us next Sunday for what promises to be a slobberknocker of a show! Until then,
BOOMER SOONER!
