Ross Report - 10/6/19

For the first time ever, the EWA finally rolled into Portland, Maine this past week! And boy, was it a hectic show!

The night got underway with a contrite Harry Smith owning up to his part in the controversial ending to the match between Pete Dunne and Marty Scurll at High Tension. Not that "The British Bulldog" deserves full responsibility of course, considering it was Dunne who brought the World Championship into the match and Scurll who ended up trying to use it against the champion. Still, to the General Manager's credit, he sought to rectify the situation in the most fair way possible. And that meant announcing that in three weeks time at All Hallows' Evil, "The Bruiserweight" will defend the World Title against "The Villain" one more time...and on this occasion, it will take place under Texas Death Match rules! As far as I can tell, this will be the very first time we've seen a match of this type in the E-Wrestling Alliance, where the only rules are to either pin your opponent or make them submit, with them then having a ten count to get back to their feet! Given just how intense their last two encounters have been, I think it's safe to say that this seemingly final battle held under this particular stipulation will eclipse them both! And it's one that Dunne himself sounds eager for, if only to finally rid any doubt about who the better man is! As for what Marty Scurll thinks though, that's something we weren't privy to this past week. Something tells me we'll find out soon enough though, perhaps as early as next week's SLAM! in Manchester, New Hampshire!

Our first match of the evening saw another dominant display from Viktor, making short work of "Raving" Danny Jones in brutal fashion! Still, and with all due respect to Mr Jones, this was somewhat of a step-down in competition for Viktor after his last match against Matt Morgan. If "The Destroyer" wants to really prove himself as a force to be reckoned with (and earn more "green" from the proverbial pay window), he may need to start facing some more "seasoned" competition to increase his chances of being taken seriously.

Make it two weeks in a row that Harper has fallen victim to an assault by Tommaso Ciampa...or maybe three if you want to include the post-match attack after Harper's victory over "The Sicilian Psychopath" on the last episode of SLAM! However you want to cut it, Ciampa has been making a habit of catching "The Goatsman" when he least expects it, and it's all leading to a rematch between the two superstars on next week's show! Will Harper even be in any kind of condition to compete given the damage that "The Psycho Killer" has done to his arm recently? Or will Harper find a way to overcome his injury woes and gain a second victory over Ciampa? I guess we'll find out next Sunday!

You might expect "Pastor" Bobby Roode to be upset after the "Glorious Bs" came up short in their Tag Team Title match against the Briscoes at High Tension, but on the contrary, Roode was in a philosophically upbeat mood. Apparently, that loss was "the lord's will," to test his team and set them on the path to glory. Not everyone agrees with that sentiment obviously, chief among them the "Guerrillas of Destiny." Indeed, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa made their presence felt by returning the favor after Roode interrupted their interview segment at High Tension. It's safe to say the "G.O.D." have no love lost for the "Glorious Bs" after the way they jumped straight to the head of the line for a title opportunity, and I suspect they'll have even less love for them after the beatdown they suffered at the hands of "Pastor" Bobby, "Brother" Baron and "Baby" Bo here! Still, that just gives a whole new reason to be excited about the inevitable match between these two teams on next week's show! With the "Glorious Bs" look to bounce back from disappointment at High Tension and the "Guerrillas of Destiny" seeking to establish themselves as future title contenders, it's a must-win match for both duos!

Speaking of the tag team division, Jay and Mark Briscoe are on the hunt for their next challengers and have settled on an idea to find them. Namely, a four team "Briscoes Barnyard Brawl" tournament featuring "Mustache Mountain" taking on Heath Slater and Trevor Murdoch, as well as "The Model Truth" going up against "The Young Bucks" next Sunday! And then the winners of those matches will face one another one week later to determine just who will face "Dem Boys From Delaware" for the gold at All Hallows' Evil! Sounds like a great idea to me, and one that again shows just how strong the tag scene is right now!

We'd get a sneak peak at the potential finals of that tournament when Slater and Murdoch had their official in-ring debut against "The Model Truth." It made for an interesting battle, with the "Santanic Clown Posse" clearly having their opponents' number in the early goings of the match. However, give credit to Slater and the man formerly known as "Jethro"...once they seized their opening, they quickly showed just how dangerous a team they can be. Unfortunately for us watching at home however, we were denied a clean finish thanks to "The Honky Tonk Man," my old pal Jerry "The King" Lawler, and Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart. The trio of Memphis legends had apparently been avoiding the rest of the "SCP" backstage throughout the night, before deciding to interject themselves in proceedings and getting one over R-Truth and Rick Martel in the process. Their interference led directly to Slater and Murdoch capitalizing on a weakened Truth, scoring a big time win to immediately build some momentum ahead of their match with Nick and Matt Jackson next week! And just like last week, "Honky," "King" and Hart high-tailed it out of there before they could get their comeuppance!

I can't say I feel too much sympathy for Maxwell Jacob Friedman after the way he's bullied and cajoled various EWA superstars and employees over the last several months. Still, to my great surprise, it seems that "MJF" does have something he loves more than his own reflection...that trademark Burberry scarf! The last time we saw it though was when "Show E." walked off with the neck-warmer at High Tension, and "The Top 1%er" wasted little time in demanding the scarf's return last night. Instead of receiving it however, he was told by Buh Buh Ray Dudley that "Show E." had stayed at home this week, meaning "MJF" would have to go another seven days at least before he could reclaim his property. To Friedman's credit though, he's taken a pro-active approach to do so, challenging "Show E." to a match on our next SLAM! Given the size and strength differential, I suspect "MJF" might soon end up regreting making that decision. But then again, knowing the way "The Salt of the Earth" works, I wouldn't be surprised if he had some kind of ace up his sleeve against his giant of an opponent. I guess we'll have to wait and see how that all plays out.

Props to Sasha Banks, who held her hands up and admitted that JoJo was the better woman last Sunday at High Tension. However, in terms of her mission to expose Bradley as her former best friend Bayley, it seems as if "The Boss" isn't willing to let this issue die just yet. In fact, Sasha laid out the challenge to meet Bradley in a one-on-one match next Sunday, where she hopes to figure out the truth of the situation herself. And when you think about it, what better way to settle the matter one way or the other but in the ring?

It's been over a month since Brian Kendrick last competed after the suspension he earned thanks to the vicious ambush on Brock Lesnar back at Summer Stampede. He didn't exactly have an easy ride in his return either, taking on the dangerous and deadly "Crazzy Steve" in his EWA debut. With the mysterious Su Yung in his corner, Steve proved to be an explosively unpredictable opponent, catching Kendrick by surprise on several occasions throughout this contest and even coming close to a major upset. However, "The Man With A Plan" used every bit of his skill and experience to turn things around, finally stringing together some heavy hits to at last put "Crazzy Steve" down for the count. It was an impressive debut for the newcomer, but right now, Kendrick seems to be building a wave of momentum as we edge ever nearer to next month's King of the Ring tournament!

While I'm not really in a position to comment on the effectiveness of "The Simon System," I would suggest there are other ways of advertizing its benefits rather than publicly humiliating a member of the EWA Universe. Saying so might get me in trouble with some of the higher-ups considering how Simon Dean is one of our newest sponsors, but that's just my opinion. Still, don't let that sour you on the product, which I'm sure lives up to all the hype if you're looking to drop a few pounds. Don't believe me? Visit TheSimonSystem.com for more details!

Two weeks ago, Rhea Ripley laid out the challenge to Charlotte Flair, only for "The Queen" to refuse to give her a match, instead offering up a mystery opponent that Ripley would have to defeat in order to earn her shot at the former Women's Champion. Well, that mystery was solved last night! At first, it looked as if Charlotte herself was going to step up to the plate, before then bringing out her "Dominion" partner Lacey Evans to seemingly take care of business. However, Rhea's opponent would instead turn out to be none other than Toni Storm, the so-called savior of the women's division! The Gold Coast native has had her much-publicized problems with Kelly Klein recently, but she was looking to move on from that as Storm took on "The Full Metal Maniac." However, it turns out that Kelly Klein is far from ready to move on herself, resulting in "The Final Girl" trying to come out and confront her rival, only to be held back by EWA officials (most notably of all, Dean Malenko). With the chaos on the ramp drawing the attention of the Referee, Storm set up her opponent for Storm Zero, only to see Rhea Ripley escape and score the Riptide instead, seemingly having her opponent beat. However, with no Referee to count, "The Dominion" bumrushed Ripley and took her out with The Culling, leaving Rhea as easy pickings for a Toni Storm victory. That might mean the "Singularity" member won't be getting her much-desired match against Charlotte Flair anytime soon, but if you think for one second that this spells the end of their dispute, I'd suggest you think again! Trust me, folks...Rhea Ripley won't give up until she's got "The Nature Girl" one-on-one in the middle of the ring, you can be sure of that!

With another SLAM! in the books then, let's take a look at my picks for this week's top three movers and shakers:

1. Brian Kendrick
2. Toni Storm
3. Heath Slater/Trevor Murdoch

"The Man With A Plan" earns top spot this week with a hard-fought win over "Crazzy Steve" that brings him back to winning ways. In at number two, she may not have done it alone, but Toni Storm still put a stop to Rhea Ripley's quest to earn a match with Charlotte Flair, if only for the time being. And coming in at number three, I was thoroughly impressed by what we saw from Slater and Murdoch this week. Granted, it was another match marred by outside interference, but regardless, one which has no doubt given this new duo a lot of momentum heading into the start of the Tag Titles number one contenders tournament this week!

And speaking of next week, it looks like we've got ourselves a slobberknocker of a show to look forward to! There's some developing rivalries coming to the boil as "MJF" battles "Show E.", Tommaso Ciampa gets his rematch against Harper, and the "Guerrillas of Destiny" look to gain some revenge against the "Glorious Bs." On top of that, we have our first round matches in the "Briscoes Barnyard Brawl" to determine new number one contenders to the Tag Titles, and who can forget what promises to be an epic showdown between Sasha Banks and Bradley? In short then, next week promises to be one show you can't afford to miss, so I'm sure we'll see you then! Until next time,

BOOMER SOONER!