Post by Ross Report on Dec 17, 2019 10:26:02 GMT
With Super Brawl right around the corner, I'll try to keep this week's Ross Report "short and sweet" as the last thing anyone wants is to hear an old man rambling on and on! But before we get to the 19th annual "Showcase of the Immortals," there was the little matter of our final Sunday Night SLAM! of the year to deal with first!
The night got underway with the much-hyped debut of Chad Gable, who looked extremely impressive in his victory over Dusty Wolfe. This former Olympic athlete is one of the most naturally gifted wrestlers I think I've ever seen, reminding me of a young Danny Hodge in his prime! And Gable will have the opportunity to make a big splash to close out the year with the recent announcement that he'll be facing "PCO" at Super Brawl XIX!
Speaking of whom, "The French Canadian Frankenstein" was in action a little later in the show when he took on "Crazzy Steve." Since realigning himself with Shelly De La Muerte and returning to the EWA in recent months, "PCO" has looked like a force to be reckoned with, smashing his way through some high level competition. As such, "Crazzy Steve" was very much in the fight of his life this week, yet the mute clown proved to be more than up to the task! Indeed, I strongly feel that this was Steve's best showing to date here, as not only did he show some real resiliency to keep battling through "PCO's" onslaught, but he even managed to catch "The Undead King" with some huge moves that damn near won him the match! In fact, this ended up turning into much more of a war than I think many would have expected, and in the end, you could argue that "Crazzy Steve" was the architect of his own doom when he attempted a frog splash through a table he'd set up, only for "PCO" to move at the last possible second. That allowed the former World Champion to roll his opponent back inside the ring before finishing him off with a brutal chokeslam, yet "PCO's" night wasn't quite done there, as he soon found himself assaulted by Brock Lesnar! It's no secret that these two behemoths have plenty of bad blood that stems all the way back to the start of the year, culminating in Lesnar taking a fireball to the face one month ago, but it certainly didn't seem to get resolved here, with security pulling them apart before they could destroy one another! While Lesnar has the Free-For-All Match to look forward to at Super Brawl and "PCO" has his singles encounter with Chad Gable, there's little doubt in my mind that it's only a matter of time before we see these two titans clash once again!
Elsewhere, and in our first of two title matches on the show, "The Honky Tonk Man" and my old pal Jerry "The King" Lawler defended their Tag Team Titles against two teams in the shape of Brady Pierce and Tom Lawlor, as well as Jon Moxley and Tommaso Ciampa. The Champs inadvertently brought this one about when their attempts at skulduggery blew up in their faces last week, and as such, they've been looking to get Harry Smith impeached to try and overturn the decision. Alas, that didn't work out so well for them, meaning the match went ahead with the odds firmly against the Memphis legends! At the same time, this was a huge opportunity for the other two teams, with both tandems still in the process of finding their rhythm after only recently coming together. Still, you wouldn't know it to look at some of the excellent offence on display and the cohesion shown by both Lawlor/Pierce and Moxley/Ciampa. With this many superstars in the ring at once, it was almost inevitable that things would eventually break down, giving us our biggest Super Brawl preview of the night as all six competitors began brawling wildly! And it was during that melee that the crafty veterans proved most dangerous, taking advantage of the confusion with "Honky Tonk Man" laying out Ciampa with a Shake, Rattle and Roll, while Jimmy Hart hooked himself on Jon Moxley's leg to stop him from being able to break up the three count! A big win for the champions here, but if they thought this was tough going, it pales in comparison to what lies ahead at Super Brawl! Indeed, there's every possibility that one, if not both, of the Tag Team Titles could change hands within the Free-For-All Match...yet if this week's show proved anything, it's that you shouldn't count out "Honky" and "The King!"
Switching gears from one set of champions to another, Buh Buh Ray Dudley has been fretting ever since picking Brian Pillman Jr. during the Super Brawl draft without giving the decision too much thought, fearful that the young gun might be coming for his National Title. That would explain why "The Flamingo Family" member decided to leave Brian Jr. a whole host of gifts, in the hope that it might help convince the second generation superstar to assist Dudley in retaining the gold at Super Brawl XIX rather than trying to win it from Bubbs! Whether it was enough to convince him remains to be seen, but it certainly seems as if Pillman was impressed with his cake regardless!
Between the "impeachment trial" and his moderator role here, it's been a busy week for Booker T! The former two-time EWA World Champion was on hand to preside over a contract signing between Sasha Banks and Rhea Ripley for a Women's Championship match at Super Brawl XIX, after Ripley accepted "The Boss'" open challenge last week. These two women might have struck up a friendship over the course of this year, but that doesn't mean they weren't willing to fight it out for the richest prize in women's wrestling. And yet, before Rhea could put down her "Jane Hancock" to make it official, Winter and Becky Lynch would interrupt proceedings via the EWA-Tron! After some taunts from "The White Walker" encouraged Banks and Ripley to start heading up the ramp to confront them, it was quickly revealed that the video was nothing more than a recording, allowing the real Becky Lynch to sneak out from under the ring and sign the incomplete contract, thereby taking Rhea Ripley's spot! Talk about a wild state of affairs, as "The Queenslayer" sneaks in through the back door to secure the biggest opportunity of her career, all while leaving Ripley out in the cold! I'm sure the "Full Metal Maniac" won't take too kindly to this development, but there's not a lot she can do about it for the time being, as Banks versus Lynch is official for Super Brawl!
In our main event of the evening, Marty Scurll put the World Championship on the line against his hand-picked opponent, Tim Storm! Having felt Storm was harshly done by during the King of the Ring tournament, this opportunity was a show of respect from "The Villain" here. Yet from Storm's point of view, he knew this was the moment his entire career had been building up to rather than the champion throwing him a bone. And that meant that as soon as the bell rang, these two went out there and put it all on the line for the chance to walk into Super Brawl XIX as the reigning and defending EWA World Heavyweight Champion! If you weren't already a believer in "The Perfect Storm" coming into this battle, I dare say you were afterwards! The 54 year old middle school history teacher fought like this might be his one and only singles match for the World Title, leaving Scurll on the ropes in the early goings! And yet, no one has had a better year in 2019 than "The Villain," consistently finding new ways to overcome tough opposition. And while Storm was fighting to achieve his long-held dream, Scurll was fighting to avoid the embarrassment of joining the likes of JBL, Paulton Burchill and Cody Rhodes as champions who lost their title right before the biggest show of the year! This was turning into quite the slobberknocker down the stretch, with amazing counter wrestling and hard-hitting action...yet right as Storm took the champion down with a ripcord lariat, who should start wandering down the ramp but "MJF!" It was two weeks ago that "The Salt of the Earth" made it known it should have been him getting this title opportunity, and it seemed as if he was eager to repeat those claims during the match itself! As the Ref tried to deal with Friedman, "MJF" tossed Scurll the chain he's put to such devastating effect over the last couple of months, where I think everyone expected "The Villain" to put it to good use. However, it's a testament to the new Marty Scurll we've seen since recapturing the World Championship that rather than use the weapon to steal the win, he tossed the chain back out to "MJF" and then looked to roll Storm up instead! When Tim kicked out though, his momentum sent him right towards the edge of the ring where it would be "The Top 1%er" who struck him with a chain-wrapped fist instead, knocking the challenger out cold and allowing Scurll to pick up the victory! I'm absolutely certain that Marty had no idea what just happened, simply looking to take advantage of a downed opponent and retain his title, but I dare say that Tim Storm has every right to feel aggrieved! This was the chance of a lifetime and "MJF" stole it right out from under him! But at least he won't have to wait long to gain a measure of retribution, as Storm not only gets another shot at the World Title (and every other championship, for that matter) in the Free-For-All Match at Super Brawl XIX...but he'll potentially get his hands on "MJF" as well!
So much for keeping this short, eh, folks? Well, let's move on to this week's top three movers and shakers:
1. Marty Scurll
2. "The Honky Tonk Man"/Jerry Lawler
3. "PCO"
"The Villain" takes the top spot this week, successfully defending his title against Tim Storm in an instant classic that was only marred by "MJF's" involvement towards the end. However, he faces his toughest test to date at Super Brawl, with history not exactly being in the World Champion's favor over the previous 18 years! Likewise, only three other teams have successfully defended the Tag Titles at Super Brawl before, but at least "The Honky Tonk Man" and Jerry "The King" Lawler are heading into the match still the champs following on from their huge Triple Threat victory. And last but not least, "PCO's" wave of destruction swept up Crazzy Steve this week, as "The French Canadian Frankenstein" continues to get back on track! Still, with Brock Lesnar gunning for him, that may be easier said than done!
And there we have it! The final SLAM! of 2019 is in the books, meaning all eyes now turn towards Super Brawl XIX itself! On Sunday December 29th, 20 superstars will be vying for the World, National and Tag Team Titles in the first ever Super Brawl Free-For-All Match! Will alliances hold up? Will enemies go to war? Will new champions be crowned? There are so many different permutations we could see coming out of this one, it's almost impossible to predict! And with an added undercard that will see Sasha Banks defending the Women's Title against Becky Lynch, a tag team showcase between "The Vaudevillains" and "The Mighty Don't Kneel," as well as a David vs Goliath contest when Chad Gable takes on "PCO," Super Brawl promises to be an end of year spectacular you can't afford to miss! Happy holidays, folks! Until next time,
BOOMER SOONER!
