Post by Ross Report on Nov 28, 2019 0:05:11 GMT
We've seen a lot of amazing King of the Ring tournaments over the years, but the 2019 edition might just go down as my favorite of all time, capped off with an incredible Pay-Per-View this past Sunday!
Ask any of the 17 previous winners, and I'm sure they'll all agree that becoming EWA King of the Ring is no mean feat. It takes guts, skill, resiliency, determination, and often that little bit of something extra to not only make it to the finals, but wear the prestigious crown. And no doubt about it, our latest King had his work cut out for him over the last several weeks! Yet through all the trials and tribulations, "The Reaper" ascended to the throne, gaining a huge slice of personal retribution after coming so close last year! Of course, to even make it to the finals, the former National Champion first had to find a way past "Filthy" Tom Lawlor, an unenviable task if ever there was one. Coming into this tournament, Lawlor had been undefeated since a loss to Buh Buh Ray Dudley at the start of June, collecting many big scalps along the way. It's fair to say he had a huge wave of momentum behind him, arguably more so than any other semi-finalist, and with a desire to match! Indeed, the former MMA star looked to utilize his grappling skills early on, with the early goings almost resembling the kind of fight you'd expect to see inside the "Octagon" as opposed to the "Squared Circle." Things soon broke down into a more traditional match however, with Lawlor seemingly having his opponent's number, countering every attack and keeping the pressure on. It's a testament to "The Reaper's" toughness that he was able to weather that heavy storm, eventually turning the tide with a wicked backbreaker onto the edge of the apron! Descension soon followed, but it seemed to work against the man formerly known as Gabriel, knocking Lawlor clean out of the ring. By the time he finally got him back inside, the "Singularity" member had recovered enough to fight back, eventually cinching in the Singularity Sleeper! Given Lawlor's success rate with that move, I thought for sure that was it, as did many of the EWA Universe by the sounds of it. And yet, it was Lawlor's determination to force the submission which ultimately worked against him, as he recaptured "Reaper" within the hold after an escape attempt, only to get surprised when the former "Horde" member rolled him onto his shoulders and scored the three count! Much like last year's semi-final war with Fit Finlay, "The Reaper" was pushed to his absolute limit here, being made to work hard for his victory. And while I'm sure Tom Lawlor is kicking himself for letting the win slip through his fingers, he should be damn proud of his showing both in this match and throughout the tournament. I'm sure the MMA veteran will be a welcome addition to any Super Brawl team next month, and that's not even considering the fact that both he and Brady Pierce could well go into the "Grand Daddy of 'Em All" as Tag Team Champions if either one of them have anything to say about it!
Soon enough, it was time to head to the other side of the bracket to find out who would be "The Reaper's" opponent in the final. In one corner was a veteran of the sport looking to capitalize on the biggest opportunity he's ever received, while in the other was a young buck with a chip on his shoulder who believed he deserved the crown more than anybody else. Those antithetical personalities led to one hell of a contest as Tim Storm and "MJF" gave everything they had, especially impressive considering the fact that "The Perfect Storm" was coming into this one still trying to shake off a major case of the flu. Regardless of being ill though, Tim Storm is still a fighter right down to his core. And we saw that in full effect as he frustrated Maxwell Jacob Friedman in the opening minutes of the contest, using his sound fundamentals to get the better of his opponent. "The Salt of the Earth" looked as if he didn't know what had hit him as the action spilled into ringside, yet it wouldn't take long before he turned around in his favor by any means necessary. It goes without saying that "MJF" is not exactly averse to bending the rules almost to breaking point if he can, and that was obvious during this battle! All credit to Tim Storm though, the veteran kept coming back, eventually managing to put "The Top 1%er" down with the Perfect Storm, only to inadvertently wipe out the official in the process! The delayed count gave "MJF" enough time to survive before he desperately looked to use a chain to steal the win, much as he did against "Show E." two weeks ago. On this occasion however, Friedman was caught in the act, leaving the Referee little option but to disqualify the cocky upstart! Alas, just as it looked like Storm was heading to the finals, the middle school history teacher refused to accept the result, wanting to beat "MJF" cleanly and truly earn his spot! It was a commendable notion, I'll give him that much, but one which Storm may well regret in retrospect. Indeed, as the Referee reluctantly restarted the match and then turned to hand Justin Roberts the microphone, "MJF" nailed his opponent with a low blow before putting him down with the South Hamptons Plunge! It was a similar combo that saw him defeat Pete Dunne the week before, and no less effective here, if not exactly popular among the EWA Universe. Still, it got the job done and put "MJF" one step closer to the crown, while you've got to believe that Tim Storm may well have earned a full-time contract with the EWA given his performances over the last month. Sure, he was denied the chance to go all the way, but he still proved there's plenty of fight left in this old dog yet, and with so much left to offer, I can't help but feel it would be a crying shame if he didn't get that opportunity.
As for the finals itself, well, what can you say? The anticipation was at an all-time high for this first ever meeting between "MJF" and "The Reaper" to determine who'd add their name to the EWA history books, and it absolutely lived up to the billing! Honestly, it's a wonder that either one of them had anything left in the tank given how arduous this year's 16 man tournament has been, yet neither superstar let that fatigue slow them down! In fact, "Reaper" was wide awake enough to notice "MJF's" attempts to hide that steel chain down his trunks once again, with Friedman getting the jump on his opponent before the Referee could intervene. That distraction allowed "The Salt of the Earth" to quickly cinch in his Friedman Armbar Special, nearly bringing things to a premature conclusion if not for "Reaper" grabbing the bottom rope! However, things didn't get any easier as "MJF" continued to press his early dominance, leaving his opponent with a huge mountain to climb. Fortunately for the former National Champion though, "MJF" inadvertently gave him a helping hand as his frustrations over not putting "Reaper" away led to a heated argument with the official. That opened the door ever so slightly, but even that small crack was enough for the man formerly known as Gabriel to kick it wide open as he started fighting back with all his worth! Given the 12 months "The Reaper" has had since last year's King of the Ring disappointment, you could tell just how much it meant to him not to allow history to repeat itself. Even with his body on the verge of breaking after all the punishment it had taken over the course of the night, "The Reaper" wouldn't give up, eventually scoring the Fall From Grace and the closest of two counts you're ever likely to see! If it hadn't been for the earlier damage done to the arm, this one surely would have been over then and there, yet "Reaper" continued to press the advantage, switching things up by trying for an STF! Just when it looked like Maxwell Jacob Friedman might tap though, he instead "accidentally" thumbed the Referee right in the eye courtesy of a flailing hand! With the Ref temporarily blinded, "The Top 1%er" looked to use that chain to deadly effect once more, only to have "The Reaper" stop him! However, no sooner had the former "Horde" member done so before he soon found himself trapped in the Friedman Armbar Special for a second time! Unfortunately for Max though, it was a case of turnabout being fair play as "The Reaper" managed to pick up the dropped chain and give "MJF" a taste of his own medicine! With the crowd going wild, he then followed up with another Fall From Grace and this time managed to bridge the pin long enough to finally put his opponent away! For a competitor who's had plenty of stops and starts to his EWA career, this felt like the moment where it all finally clicked into place for "The Reaper," finally proving without any shadow of a doubt that he has what it takes to be a major player! Not to mention, it sets up the mouth-watering possibility of a potential World Championship match against his former mentor Marty Scurll, depending on what happens at Super Brawl next month! However, "The Reaper" didn't exactly get much of a chance to revel in his success as a bitter "MJF" viciously assaulted the talented Brit post-match! This was the epitome of a bad loser throwing a temper tantrum, as "The Salt of the Earth" went back to the armbar, trying to wrench "Reaper's" limb right out of the socket by the looks of it, before smashing him over the head with the scepter and daring to sit on the throne while our new King of the Ring was looked over by medical staff. I hope "MJF" is proud of himself, because I doubt anyone else is! If anything, I wouldn't be surprised if his post-match actions lead to some form of punishment from EWA officials, and most likely "The Reaper" coming after him in search of revenge too!
Elsewhere, the "Glorious Bs" continue to do little to endear themselves to the EWA Universe, as they rolled into Greensboro looking to hold a special service. Their attempts to save us all from "eternal damnation" didn't really pan out though, with Shawn Spears thankfully interrupting Roode's prayer. And no, that's not a knock on anyone's right to practice their chosen religion, but more so a case of being sick to the back teeth of being talked down to by Roode and his crew. Needless to say, "The Perfect Ten" had plenty of pent-up aggression he was looking to vent in the "Glorious Bs" direction, taking out Bo Dallas, Baron Corbin and Bobby Roode all at once (with a little help from his wife Peyton), before demanding a one-on-one match with the "Glorious One" on next week's SLAM! Roode quickly accepted the challenge, meaning we've got ourselves one hell of a barnburner to look forward to this coming Sunday, as this rivalry continues to heat up!
Poor old JoJo looks as if her world has been turned upside down after Sasha Banks' revelations about Bradley/Bayley on last week's SLAM! She was virtually catatonic as Buh Buh Ray Dudley tried to cheer the former Women's Champion up in the backstage area of the Greensboro Coliseum. However, not even the offer of playing some skeeball was enough to rouse JoJo from her fugue state, leading to Bubbs suggesting they throw out an open challenge for any mixed tag team that wants to face them on next week's show! Well, "The Boss" would take that challenge somewhat personally, seeking out none other than Brian Pillman Jr. before haranguing him into being her partner. To be fair, this is one of the rare occasions recently where the Women's Champion was actually speaking the truth and not just her warped perception of it, encouraging Pillman to step out of the shadow of his father and start creating a legacy that might eclipse "Flyin' Brian." That sets up an intriguing contest, with Brian Jr. clearly having something to prove, while it remains to be seen whether JoJo is even in any fit state to wrestle after the head trip she's currently attempting to work through. All I know for sure is, I can't wait to see how it all shakes out!
Moving on, and we soon came to our first of two title matches of the evening as Heath Slater and Trevor Murdoch defended the Tag Team Championships in a chaotic fatal fourway match! Somebody call Dominic Toretto, because this was fast and furious from the off! You couldn't take your eyes off the action for a second, as all four teams vied for the coveted prize! It looked as if "The Model of Truth" had it all wrapped up when a devastating double team maneuver put Heath Slater down, only to have "Honky Tonk Man" break up the pin attempt! It wouldn't take long though before Trevor Murdoch sent both "Guerrillas of Destiny" crashing to the floor, only to then get wiped out with "Honky's" patented neckbreaker! Quick as a flash, my old pal Jerry "The King" Lawler sent Rick Martel packing as well, clearing the ring of their opposition! With R-Truth taken out by a double clothesline from the Memphis legends, "Honky" and "The King" then turned their attention towards Heath Slater, where a trademark Lawler piledriver saw new champions crowned! They say age is just a number, and boy is this a good example of that! I doubt there's too many folks who would've considered that Jerry Lawler and "The Honky Tonk Man" might be the defending Tag Team Champions heading into Super Brawl, but we're staring down the barrel at that possibility right now! However, I refer to it as just a "possibility" as Tommaso Ciampa soon crashed the party, seemingly looking to bounce back from his King of the Ring disappointment by gunning for the Tag Titles! But he obviously can't do that alone, which is why "The Sicilian Psychopath" has drafted in none other than Jon Moxley to team up with! Talk about putting the cat among the pigeons! And with new duos like Ciampa and Moxley as well as Pierce and Lawlor all stating their intentions towards the gold, it seems as if "Honky Tonk Man" and Jerry "The King" Lawler might have bitten off more than they can chew by becoming champions!
In our main event of the evening, Marty Scurll put the World Championship on the line against last year's King of the Ring winner and a former World Champion in his own right, "PCO!" Many pundits and fans alike have commented that this feels almost like a different "French Canadian Frankenstein" to the one we last saw earlier this year, with Shelly De La Muerte having re-established her control over the beast and turned him into even more of a monster to be feared! It was clear from the outset that "The Undead King" had no interest in playing this contest to Scurll's strengths, waylaying his opponent in the opening exchanges thanks to his superior size, strength and intensity! Of course, "The Villain" is the kind of superstar who doesn't just rely on "Plan A," as he tried to work his way back into the match via various different means. That's easier than done though when you're up against an opponent who seems virtually impervious to pain, shrugging off much of Scurll's best offense like it was nothing! Marty was soon busted wide open to add to his woes, meaning he had to contend with both blood loss and his vision being obscured. However, he kept battling back, even putting "Pierre Carl Oulette" down a couple of times but not anywhere near long enough to score a three count. After a failed attempt to put the monster to sleep with a cobra clutch, "PCO" damn near broke Scurll in half with a brutal gutwrench suplex, seemingly setting up for the big finish! Still, Marty fought on, spiking "The Undead King" with a tornado DDT and going to his trademark Crossface Chickenwing, before eventually delivering an Angle Slam when "PCO" tried to counter out of it! It genuinely seemed as if nothing could keep "PCO" down though, as the challenger ripped off a turnbuckle pad with the intention of smashing Scurll face-first into it. Alas, that attempt backfired as Marty instead sent "PCO" into the exposed steel not once but twice, with a superkick to the back of the head thrown in for good measure as well! At last, the monster was finally stunned long enough for the World Champion to hook him up and drop him with a straitjacket DDT to retain his title, but after this war, "PCO" might just have taken a piece of Marty's soul as recompense! Nonetheless, that seemingly guarantees that "The Villain" will be heading into Super Brawl as the defending World Champion, a position which some might say is a poison chalice considering just how few champions have successfully defended the biggest prize in the game in that match! Still, if there's one thing I've learned with Marty Scurll over the course of 2019, it's to expect the unexpected! The odds might not be in his favor, but it's when his back is against the wall that Scurll is at his most dangerous!
Time now for my picks for this week's top three movers and shakers:
1. "The Reaper"
2. "MJF"
3. Marty Scurll
Let's face it, there was only one possible choice for the top spot, and it goes to our deserving King of the Ring winner. "The Reaper's" redemption would have had all the hallmarks of a Hollywood blockbuster, if not for the ruined ending at the hands of "MJF." Speaking of whom, much as I might detest his cheating ways throughout this tournament, there's no doubt Maxwell Jacob Friedman has elevated his stock in a major way even after ultimately coming up short. It's just a shame he couldn't accept his loss in the finals like a man! And last but by no means least, Marty Scurll successfully defended the World Championship for the first time in his second reign by slaying an absolute monster in "PCO." And with that kind of momentum behind him, it could be just the boost he needs heading into Super Brawl Season!
And that's exactly where we're at, folks! It's hard to believe that it's that time of year already, but with December just a few days away, the clock is ticking as we inch ever closer to the "Showcase of the Immortals!" What will that mean over the coming weeks? Well, if you think it's been a wild ride so far in 2019, you'd better strap yourselves in as it's about to get a whole lot bumpier! Who will be our Super Brawl Captains? Will we see any surprise title changes before the big event? Could there be some shock returns in store as the teams are announced? At this stage of the game, it's anyone's guess...but I'm sure you'll join me next Sunday in the world famous E-Arena as we look to find out! Until next time,
BOOMER SOONER!
