Post by Ross Report on Aug 20, 2018 20:31:30 GMT
This week's show got off to an exciting start with the Young Bucks heading to the ring, looking for some competition as they try and get back into the groove. However, they would soon be interrupted by Aiden English and Simon Gotch, with "The Vaudevillains" apparently having some unfinished business with Nick and Matt Jackson after the two teams crossed paths on the previous SLAM! It was a dastardly assault by the two throwbacks, first beating down "The Elite" with chairs before then putting them through a pair of tables. Thankfully, Adam Cole showed up before any further damage could be inflicted, but this wouldn't be the last time these two teams tangled before the night was over.
It's a testament to Chris Sabin's character that even after the damage done at the hands of Jack Swagger's ankle lock the week before, he was still willing to show up to last night's SLAM! and take on "The All-American American." Of course, our "esteemed" GM still had to rub it in his face that Sabin was destined to lose, but as we'd find out later in the show, nothing is written in stone.
After defeating Finn Bálor in a highly praised match, Dolph Ziggler would then fall short against Bobby Lashley last week in a performance that I was perhaps overly critical of. Whether or not that motivated Dolph as he took on Kenny Omega, I can't say for sure. Still, while there was still evidence of that unnecessary showboating, Ziggler did seem to be more fired up than ever as he took the fight straight to his talented opponent. "The Cleaner" tried to give as good as he could take, but in the end, the one-two combination of a superkick and a Zig-Zag proved enough to put Omega down for the count. At the same time, it's another impressive scalp for Ziggler to pick up, and if he can get a win streak going, who knows where it might take him?
The rivalry between "The Kings of Wrestling" and OVE continues to hot up, as Chris Hero made it clear that he wasn't satisfied with Cesaro's win over Jake Crist the week prior. Rather, he wanted to get his hands on Dave Crist to show that he also had the Tag Team Champion's number as well. It seems that maybe OVE's ears were burning at the mention of an unsanctioned fight, with Sami Callihan later challenging "The Kings" to come and find them a little later in the show. To the surprise of no one, that would then result in a wild backstage brawl between the two teams ahead of their title match at Summer Stampede. Just as things were starting to get out of hand though, Zeb Colter showed up with a whole lot of security to break it up, trying to make sure the championship match would still take place next Sunday. However, being the benevolent GM that he is, Colter also took the opportunity to allow OVE to choose the stipulation of that match, only for Sami Callihan to state that they can beat "The Kings of Wrestling" in any kind of match, deferring the decision to their opponents. Well, to the shock of many, including yours truly, Hero and Cesaro declared that they wanted it to be just a regular match. In other words, the Crist brothers won't be able to utilize the kind of ultra-violence they've become famous for and Sami Callihan will have to be extremely careful if he has any designs on interfering in that match, as the challengers seek to prove that they're the better wrestlers. Will this gamble pay off for "The Kings?" Only time will tell.
Following on from his somewhat condescending "advice-giving" to Lio Rush last Sunday, Gabriel was in action this week against a fellow Brit in Chuck Mambo. "The Solitary Reaper" made short work of his opponent before taking a mic and sending a message to Rush, who wasn't on hand for last night's show. This issue between these two incredible young superstars has been brewing for several weeks now, ever since Gabriel defeated "The 23-Year Old Piece of Gold" in his debut match, and I'd suggest it's far from over just yet.
Brock Lesnar has been looking for competition ever since winning the World Championship at Civil War, but he's not exactly wrong in questioning just what Jack Swagger has done to earn a title opportunity, other than being Zeb Colter's protégé of course. Conspicuous once again by their absence were Sable and Amy Weber, as Brock continues to go it alone these days. And it seems as if in so doing, we might even be seeing a bit of a change in attitude for the World Champion. More on that later.
Trevor Mann may have lost to Ken Shamrock the week before, but it was The Spoken who managed to stand tall at the end of that night. The former "Ricochet" seemingly came to the ring to gloat about that fact on this week's show, only to quickly find himself interrupted by "The World's Most Dangerous Man." It was here that Mann proposed an impromptu match, pitting Shamrock against his follower/friend, Chuck Taylor, with the winner getting to decide the stipulation when Shamrock and Mann do battle once again at Summer Stampede. Despite "Chuckie T's" best efforts, it looked as if Shamrock was well on his way to continuing his undefeated streak, yet Trevor Mann had other ideas, sliding into the ring and attacking the MMA veteran from behind with a steel chair, right as he had the ankle lock cinched in! For the second week running, Mann left Shamrock lying in a heap, but then took things to a whole other level as he placed the chair around Shamrock's ankle while Taylor headed to the corner and came off with a vicious stomp. I can't say I've ever heard Shamrock cry out like that before, a testament to how badly he must be hurt. And yet, despite seemingly being in no condition to compete next Sunday, Shamrock still had enough left in the tank to pick his stipulation, choosing a submissions match. Having spoken to some of the EWA's resident medical personnel, I have to question Shamrock's judgment here. He was extremely lucky not to suffer a broken leg at the hands of The Spoken, but "The World's Most Dangerous Man" may well be pushing his luck by going ahead with this match. And against an opponent as ruthless as Trevor Mann, I can't help but fear the worst heading into Summer Stampede. Hopefully I'm proved wrong.
Some might call "The Midnight Rider's" outlook on professional wrestling "out-dated," given his distaste for going over the top rope or any of the exciting aerial offence we see these days. However, it seems that "The Rider" is willing to put those beliefs to one side as he and Cena continue to try their hand at teaming together, especially as they gun for the devious duo of Braun Strowman and Santino Marella.
Speaking of tag team competition, we had a real slobberknocker this week as "The Authors of Pain" took on "The Vaudevillains." On the surface of things, neither one of these teams were what you might describe as "fan favorites," yet it seemed as if the "AoP" had the lion's share of support as the match progressed. Akam and Rezar are a couple of bruisers whose only goal is to maul whatever is in their path, but credit where it's due, Aiden English and Simon Gotch didn't let their opponents size and strength advantage deter them. In fact, once "The Vaudevillains" started to string some moves together, they quickly took control of the match, only for Rezar to get the crucial tag at just the right time. It looked for certain as if "The Authors" were about to write the "Last Chapter" on their opponents, yet English and Gotch used some questionable means to ensure that wasn't the case, picking up a big time victory in their in-ring debut.
As Tessa Blanchard gears up for her first defence of the EWA Women's Championship, she tried to send a warning to Dominatrix of what to expect at Summer Stampede. However, it ended up being "The Masked Mistress of the Santanic Clown Posse" whose message resonated the loudest, as she nailed Blanchard from behind during her interview with Renee Young and let her know the gold was coming back to the SCP compound this coming Sunday. It almost feels as if momentum is on Dominatrix's side here, but can the third generation "diamond" find a way to stop it?
After introducing himself last week, we officially got to see Finlay in in-ring competition this week, making short work of his opponent. If anyone was expecting to see "The Fighting Irishman's" age work against him here, they were sorely mistaken. In fact, Finlay looked just as crisp as ever, while also taking a moment post-match to let the EWA Universe know that he was coming for the World Championship. That's a lofty goal, no doubt about it, but with his son driving him on, can Finlay defy the odds and ascend the top of the mountain? I suspect we'll have to see how he fares against some more seasoned competition in the coming weeks before making any snap judgments on that front, but I'm rooting for him all the way.
After getting on the same page earlier in the show, Cena and "The Midnight Rider" decided to pay a visit to Zeb Colter, seeking a TLC Match against Braun Strowman and Santino Marella after the table, ladder and chair-filled assault from the week before. Alas, before our "esteemed" GM could sign off on that match, the Young Bucks arrived to demand a TLC Match of their own against "The Vaudevillains," based on the attack they suffered at the start of SLAM! That would then lead to Zebediah taking both teams out to the ring and calling out their respective enemies as well, where the General Manager for August would announce that he was putting all four tandems in one gigantic TLC Match at Summer Stampede, with the winners earning themselves a shot at the Tag Team Titles! Of course, this being the EWA, it didn't take very long before things exploded right then and there, with all eight men going at it like there was no tomorrow. The end result eventually saw Simon Gotch put through a table at the hands of John Cena and "The Midnight Rider," but who knows what will happen next Sunday. Summer Stampede has seen its fair share of ladder and TLC matches over the years, and if those are anything to go by, I'd wager we're gonna be in store for a real barnburner!
In our main event for the evening, Chris Sabin went one-on-one with Jack Swagger, in the "All-American American's" first match in the EWA in over two years. "The Motor City Machine Gun" obviously wasn't coming into this anywhere near 100% after Swagger's attack the week prior, but you've got to admire the heart and determination Sabin showed. Swagger was almost relentless in his focus on that banged up ankle of Sabin's, but the kid kept on fighting, refusing to give up. That eventually led to the Referee feeling he had no choice but to stop the match for Sabin's own well-being, yet Swagger lost it, refusing to break the hold and finally forcing the official to reverse his decision, awarding Sabin the win via disqualification. That was only a small comfort to the number one contender to the National Title though, suffering some major damage as he prepares to take on Matt Morgan next weekend, with "Bad Attitude" clearly enjoying what he saw from the announce table. It even seemed like he had a mind to add an exclamation point of his own, yet shockingly, Brock Lesnar would come charging down to the ring. If there's a more intimidating sight than that, I don't want to see it, as "The Beast" took Swagger out with a German suplex before scaring Morgan off and then shockingly helping Sabin back to his feet. This is a new side to Brock Lesnar, one we've never really seen in all his years with the EWA, but I've got to say that it comes as a pleasant surprise. Indeed, the EWA Universe seemed to agree with me as well, even offering Lesnar cheers as SLAM! went off the air. Could it be that Lesnar is on his way to becoming a "fan favorite?" Stranger things have happened.
Whatever the situation is there, let's take a look at my picks for this week's top three movers and shakers.
1. Jack Swagger
2. TLC Participants
3. Dolph Ziggler
I've given Swagger the top spot this week after methodically working over Chris Sabin during their main event encounter, and only losing after the Referee reversed his original decision. Coming in at number two, I freely admit to this being somewhat of a cheat, but I've gone with all four teams involved in the TLC Match next Sunday thanks to that exciting brawl after the match was announced. And last but by no means least, Dolph Ziggler picked up a big time win over Kenny Omega which could provide the springboard he needs to start moving up the card. That is, if he can keep this momentum going.
As always, feel free to share your own top three movers and shakers with me over on our Twitter page. Likewise, if you've got any questions for JR's Mailbag, you can submit them via Twitter or by contacting me directly right here on EWA.com. You've got just under two weeks to get those questions in before Mailbag #2, and I'll do my best to provide some answers!
In the meanwhile though, the countdown to Summer Stampede has officially begun! And I've got to say, the card this year looks absolutely stacked from top to bottom! There's four highly anticipated title matches to look forwards to, as well as a whole lot more! And it all comes at you live this Sunday, only on the EWA Network! Don't you dare miss out! Until next time,
BOOMER SOONER!
