Post by Ross Report on Jan 27, 2020 22:58:58 GMT
It's time for another Ross Report, as yours truly recaps last night's exciting edition of Sunday Night SLAM!
We kicked things off with King Gabriel making his way down to ringside, much to the chagrin of the Wichita fans! It seems as if Gabriel has lost what little respect he had for Harper, running the World Heavyweight Champion down and accusing "The Goatsman" of spending more time hiding backstage than in the ring. That would bring Harper (and his stuffed goat Larry) out to the squared circle, questioning what exactly Gabriel wanted from him. "The Archangel" certainly shocked me with his response, demanding a match against Harper on the next edition of SLAM! It looked like Harper was willing to accept the challenge, only for Larry to "talk" him out of it, reminding the World Champion about the lingering arm issues he's been dealing with going back to his rivalry with Tommaso Ciampa late last year. With the challenge refused, Gabriel instead threw it open to anyone on the roster! Who will step up to the plate? I guess we'll find out soon enough!
In the meantime, it was soon time for our opening contest of the evening as Kay Lee Ray looked to get a first win under her belt. And she was looking to do so against the legendary manager of the Vegas Connection, Tammy Lynn Sytch! Sytch might not be famous for her in-ring accumen, but when you've managed as many champions over the years as Tammy has, you're bound to pick up a thing or two along the way! Indeed, while Kay Lee Ray didn't seem to take her opponent very seriously, Tammy proved herself to be far more of a test than "The Hardcore Daredevil" imagined! A missed swanton bomb by "KLR" damaged her back, which later affected her ability to deliver that patented Gory Bomb, in turn allowing Tammy Sytch to score what has to be considered a huge upset by rolling the Scotswoman up! Not a good night for Kay Lee Ray, but much like Scott Stanford and Don West speculated after the match, one has to wonder if this might be the start of surprise in-ring run for the woman formerly known as Sunny!
Elsewhere, "The Honky Tonk Man" and my old pal Jerry "The King" Lawler are still doing their level best to get rid of Santino Marella, so that "The King" might reclaim his half of the Tag Team Titles. This week saw the pair of them try to distract "The Italian Stallion" while Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart attempted to pull the ol' Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan routine. Alas, Jimmy Hart failed to spot the banana peel that Santino had dropped on the floor in a serendipitous moment, slipping up before he could whack Santino's knee with a police baton! As such, it looks as if Santino has survived for now (oblivious as he is to the schemes of his so-called partner), but with the Memphis legends more determined than ever to take Marella out, I can't help but fear for his future safety!
Speaking of tag teams, what a battle between "Mustache Mountain" and "The Mighty Don't Kneel!" This was a match that both tandems needed to win, with the Brits looking to get back into the mix while the Aussies sought to cement their place as the fastest rising team in the EWA! After "TMDK" took the early advantage by isolating Tyler Bate, a hot tag to Trent Seven would soon turn the match on its head! However, Shane Haste and Buddy Silva have proven their pedigree after back-to-back wins over "The Vaudevillains" in the last month, fighting their way back into the contest, with Buddy Silva even surviving a Tyler Driver '97 at one point! "The Mighty Don't Kneel" would then regroup to take out Tyler before utilizing a bicyle knee/superkick combo to stun Trent Seven long enough to finish "The Don" off with Death By Wolf Creek! There's no doubt about it, folks...this is a huge feather in the cap for Silva and Haste, who seem to have put themselves in prime position for a future shot at the EWA Tag Team Championships!
In our main event, Braun Strowman made his second defense of the EWA Television Title after his hard-fought win over Jon Moxley last week. This time around, "The Monster Among Men" found himself up against "Filthy" Tom Lawlor, with the MMA veteran looking to capture his first EWA gold! This battle quickly descended into a slugfest early on with both men showing off their deadly striking ability. It's worth noting that Lawlor more than held his own in these exchanges, not only dishing out some brutal shots but also absorbing everything that Strowman had to offer as well. Things eventually spilled out into ringside, where Lawlor found a strong foothold as he rammed Braun into the steel steps and finally put the big man on the proverbial ropes! A tornado DDT nearly put Strowman away, yet the TV Champion showed off that scary resilience once again, surviving a flurry of hard-hitting offense from the former UFC star before catching an attempted flying shoulder block and then capitalizing with the Running Powerslam to walk out with the win! This was arguably an even more stern test than last week's match with Moxley, yet Strowman's iron grip on the Television Championship remains secure for the time being! Still, if he insists on defending the gold each and every week like this, one has to wonder just how long even a "Monster Among Men" can keep up this pace!
The night wasn't quite done yet though, as "MJF" and "The Dynasty" headed to the ring so Friedman could vent his frustrations over the result of last week's tag team main event. Before he could spend too much time lambasting Hammerstone and Holliday for their failings though, Marty Scurll would emerge on the stage to interrupt proceedings, making it crystal clear that if "MJF" wanted to resolve their issues, he needed to step in the ring with "The Villain" as soon as possible. To the surprise of no one though, "The Salt of the Earth" showed little interest in that prospect, only for Richard Holliday to speak up on Max's behalf, offering himself as a prospective opponent for Scurll. Marty was sticking to his guns though, so Holliday suggested Alexander Hammerstone instead...yet still the former two-time World Champion refused to face anyone except for "The Top 1%er," leading to Holliday to volunteer Maxwell Jacob Friedman, something that "MJF" clearly wasn't expecting! That means we've got ourselves a blockbuster of a match coming up on next week's SLAM! as the winner of SuperBrawl Free-For-All goes one-on-one with Marty Scurll! And I for one can't wait to see how that battle unfolds!
With that all said and done then, let's take a look at my picks for this week's top three movers and shakers:
1. "The Mighty Don't Kneel"
2. Tammy Lynn Sytch
3. Braun Strowman
I'm giving the "Thunder From Down Under" top spot this week after they had to dig deep to overcome game opposition in "Mustache Mountain." Tammy Lynn Sytch just about pips Braun Strowman to the second spot after winning her first wrestling match in years against the talented Kay Lee Ray. And "The Monster Among Men" comes in at number three after making another successful defense of the Television Title, with Tom Lawlor making damn sure he had to work for it!
Still, with another two SLAM!'s to go before St. Valentine's Day Massacre, there's plenty of opportunities for anyone who wants it to step up and throw their names into the mix! Now more than ever, the landscape of the E-Wrestling Alliance is wide open for some hungry superstars to take advantage of, but the big question is, just who is willing to rise to the challenge? I guess we'll find out in due time! Until next week,
BOOMER SOONER!
