Post by Ross Report on Feb 3, 2020 23:22:24 GMT
The entire sporting world was talking about one event and one event alone last night, that of course being the 439th edition of Sunday Night SLAM! And what a show it turned out to be!
We kicked things off with former "bWo" stalwart Kurrgan traversing the backstage area in search of some kind of direction after having lost his way since Al Snow and co were sent to jail last summer. Fortunately for the big man, he'd find some in the unlikely shape of the "Insane Clown Posse," as "Shaggy 2 Dope" and "Violent J" invited Kurrgan to join them next week when they meet up with some old friends. Could it be that Kurrgan has finally found a surrogate family of misfits to replace the "Blue World Order?"
In our first match of the evening, Tom Lawlor was looking to bounce back after falling just short against Braun Strowman in a wild encounter over the Television Championship during last week's main event. Of course, he was in there with a fierce opponent in his own right in Rory Coyle, with the Irishman likewise looking to get back to winning ways after an up-and-down start to life in the EWA. Despite a back-and-forth battle between the two, ultimately it would be the MMA veteran who secured the impressive victory, capturing "The TV Nasty" in the Singularity Sleeper to force the submission! No doubt about it, this was an important rebound win for Lawlor, as he looks to start building up a head of steam and get back into the title hunt!
Proceedings were soon interrupted by an ominous-sounding video package, revealing that Samoa Joe is on his way back to the active roster after many months out injured! "The Samoan Submission Machine" had one of the top rivalries of 2019 with his feud against Pete Dunne, yet following his loss in the award-winning Three Stages of Hell Match at Red, White & Bruised, Joe hasn't managed to gain much traction, both because of mental and physical hurdles standing in his way. If this warning is anything to go by though, I'm sure that's all about to change in short order!
Elsewhere and National Champion Jack Gallagher approached his number one contender Chad Gable, still baring a grudge over the way they seemed at odds while teaming up against Tokyo Vice two weeks ago. After trying to put the past behind them, "The Extraordinary Gentleman" would suggest they each find an opponent of suitable "caliber" for one another in the run-up to their championship match. Only, I'm not sure Gallagher expected Gable to pick someone quite like Mark Bridges when it came to the British grappler's match later in the show. Without meaning to cause any disrespect to Mr Bridges, he's clearly not anywhere near Jack Gallagher's level, but then I suspect that was the point Chad Gable was trying to make, playing a few mind games by suggesting otherwise. Needless to say, the National Champion easily dispatched his opponent in what was essentially a showcase match, before afterwards announcing who "The American Alpha" would face on next week's show. Only, Gallagher wasn't looking to play any games with his choice. On the contrary, he picked Aleister Black, a man we've not seen in an EWA ring for quite some time! Looks to me like Chad Gable might well regret not taking this "friendly" competition as seriously as his opponent at St. Valentine's Day Massacre!
"The Mighty Don't Kneel" have had an incredible run since their debut at SuperBrawl XIX. They've defeated "The Vaudevillains" twice and then knocked off "Mustache Mountain" last week, leading up to an encounter with the makeshift duo of Meng and "Mr Ass" Billy Gunn on last night's show! While the latter tandem might have plenty of tag team experience individually, this was their first time teaming together, whereas Buddy Silva and Shane Haste have been partners for quite some time now. That familiarity may have been the deciding factor here, despite the early dominance by Meng and "Mr Ass," as the Aussies finally managed to put their opponents away to continue their current hot streak. And if they weren't already high on the list of challengers to the EWA Tag Team Titles before, I think it's safe to say they're number one with a bullet now!
SLAM! would soon head to a special interview conducted between Todd Grisham and Sasha Banks, with "The Boss" confirming that she intended to defend her Women's Championship against both Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley at St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Of course, the elephant in the room here is still the lingering severity of the knee injury she suffered at the hands of Charlotte Flair back at SuperBrawl XIX, with initial reports indicating Sasha might be on the sidelines for several months because of it. I've made clear my feelings about Sasha trying to rush back too soon already, and in my mind, there's absolutely no shame in a superstar knowing their limits. In fact, one could even say it's a commendable trait in a business where athletes are often pushed to give it their all, even to their own personal detriment. And yet, it's to Sasha's credit that she's the kind of competitor who refuses to give up in the face of adversity or the expectations of her doubters. Whether or not it's a gamble that pays off though, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Braun Strowman was soon making his third title defense of 2020 as he put the Television Championship on the line against the returning Marty Jannetty! Last week I speculated just how much longer "The Monster Among Men" can keep up this pace, yet not for the first time, I've been made to eat my words as Strowman continued to rise to the task. Let's not sell "The Rocker" short though, who came out of the gate with a fast-paced flurry and continued to bring the fight to Braun as the contest went on. At one point, I almost thought Jannetty had it after delivering his patented Rocker Dropper, but a second attempt soon saw Strowman catch his opponent out of the air and drive him down with a victory-getting powerbomb! Chalk up another win for the big man, as the question still remains just who will end this incredible run he's on?
"The Honky Tonk Man" and my old pal Jerry "The King" Lawler have been trying to get rid of Santino for weeks now, and after Gabriel threw out an open challenge during last week's broadcast, they saw an opportunity to get someone else to do their dirty work for them! Of course, that didn't mean they couldn't humiliate Santino along the way though, after feeding him false information on his opponent that only served to make Marella look ridiculous. As for "The Archangel" himself, he'd originally wanted to face Harper this week, but the EWA World Heavyweight Champion backed down from the challenge as he continues to recuperate from an arm injury. As such, Gabriel looked to make an example out of his opponent here, only he ended up going too far with his efforts. Indeed, after dominating the match and then finally putting Santino away for the three count, Gabriel would continue the assault after the bell, defying the Referee's orders to stop! In the end, the official had no choice but to reverse the decision, awarding Santino the win via DQ! Just when it looked like Gabriel might dismantle "The Italian Stallion" with a steel chair much as he did to Pete Dunne back in December, Harper finally had enough and stepped in the ring. "The Goatsman" has been accused in some corners of not living up to the World Championship, being too content to take it easy and stay backstage...well, on this occasion, he most certainly stepped up to the plate, avoiding a chairshot from Gabriel before sending the 2019 King of the Ring scurrying away with a big boot! Seems to me that Gabriel might be careful what he wished for after trying to urge Harper to come out of his shell, because now he could well find himself in for the fight of his life at St. Valentine's Day Massacre!
Meanwhile, Cody and Scott Hall stopped Marty Scurll to let him know they had his back should "The Dynasty" seek to get involved with the main event pitting "The Villain" against "MJF!" As it would turn out, the Halls' services would be required as well, but we'll get to that in a moment! As for the match itself, Scurll and Friedman were putting on an absolute clinic, with Marty looking to gain a measure of revenge against the man who arguably cost him the World Championship back in the Free-For-All Match at SuperBrawl XIX. Indeed, Scurll seemed to have his opponent's number right from the off, barely giving "The Salt of the Earth" a chance to get going! However, "MJF" did indeed work his way back into the fight, surviving a Cradle DDT and then avoiding the Crossface Chickenwing, yet an attempted Swanton Bomb found nobody home, finally allowing Scurll to lock in his trademark submission! That's when "The Dynasty" came rushing to the rescue, closely followed by the two generations of Halls, leading to a brawl at ringside that inadvertently distracted the official's attention! After Scurll tried to get the Referee to refocus on the match though, "MJF" would surprise him with an eye poke followed by a roll-up complete with a handful of tights to steal the win! Talk about an unsatisfying conclusion, not just for the EWA Universe, but for Marty Scurll's quest for vengeance against Maxwell Jacob Friedman as well! Still, something tells me that this issue isn't over quite yet! And if I were a betting man, I'd suggest we're likely to see a rematch of some kind down the line!
With all that said and done, it's that time again for JR's top three movers and shakers of the week:
1. Braun Strowman
2. "MJF"
3. Tom Lawlor
Strowman makes it three wins out of three this year, and three successful title defenses at the same time! Pretty impressive going from "The Monster Among Men!" Loathe as I am to give credit to someone who committed daylight robbery in our main event, I've given "MJF" the nod for second place after using every trick in the book to overcome a highly-motivated Marty Scurll! And bringing up the rear in third spot, I've gone for Tom Lawlor, who picked up a crucial rebound win after last week's closely fought TV Title match that I'm sure will see him start moving back in the right direction again!
All in all then, another eventful show with lots of ins-and-outs to keep the EWA Universe on the edge of their seats! And with just one more SLAM! before St. Valentine's Day Massacre remaining, it'll be interesting to see just how the rest of the card for our first Pay-Per-View of the year shakes out! We already have a blockbuster of a World Title main event and a highly anticipated National Title match set, while the triple threat for the Women's Championship has now also been made official! I guess you'll just have to tune in to next week's show live from Cincinnati to find out what else gets added to the line-up! Until then,
BOOMER SOONER!
