Post by Ross Report on Apr 6, 2020 21:47:11 GMT
Just when you think you've seen it all, the EWA goes and delivers a show like last night's SLAM! which was filled with non-stop action from start to finish! Case in point, the wild Television Championship match which got the night underway, as Jacob Fatu looked to defend the gold against "Rhino!" As has been the case for the past couple of weeks though, the ring was barely able to contain the sheer venom between these two behemoths, soon spilling into ringside and leaving the Referee with no choice but to call for a DQ when "The Samoan Werewolf" brought a chair into the mix! "The Man Beast" would respond by smashing Fatu in the skull with a TV monitor, as they threatened to tear apart the entire ringside area to destroy one another, but fortunately, security were once again on hand to break things up before it could escalate any further! Still, it's becoming increasingly obvious that these two won't be satisfied until they have a match where they can take the chains off and fight to the finish! Question is, is EWA management willing to take the risk and let them do so?
Things calmed down somewhat in our second contest of the night, as we witnessed the first ever "Kyle Rae Invitational" after "Smiley Kylie" took a page out of her pal Bo Dallas' book. After some initial nerves, Rae more than proved her mettle by making quick work of her opponent, forcing the submission via her patented Sting Rae. No doubt this weill help build her confidence heading towards Civil War in two weeks time!
Last week saw Sammy Guevara try to stake a claim for a shot at the National Title, drawing the ire of Eric Young in the process. Well, "The Spanish God" was at it again on last night's show, reiterating why he is the only deserving challenger...only to get blasted from behind with a steel chair, as Young made his presence felt! Indeed, "The World Class Maniac" effectively threw down the gauntlet to EWA management to step in and make the decision themselves if Jack Gallagher is unwilling to return to the ring and defend the National Title by his own accord, for which I can't say I blame him. Even with everything going on in the world right now, that once prestigious championship deserves to be defended on a regular basis again, but who should get the first shot at the gold, Eric Young or Sammy Guevara?
Last night saw "The Lucavi" duo of Chuck Palumbo and Shannon Moore looking to follow up their debut win over "Tokyo Vice" as they squared off against the young Brits known as "Pretty Deadly." However, I'm sure I wasn't the only one to pick up a little tension in the air between Palumbo and Moore, almost reminiscent of the problems Santino Marella and "The Honky Tonk Man" have been experiencing. Regardless, Palumbo and Moore were able to overcome their issues and pick up another victory, as "The Zodiac's" collective continue to go from strength to strength.
While "La Hiedra" has plenty of talent and pedigree, one could say she's struggled to connect with both the EWA Universe and her would-be mentor Sasha Banks. That seemingly resulted in Banks looking to end the luchadora's trial, only for "La Hiedra" to convince "The Boss" to give her a second chance. Well, between her pre-match promo and the win over "Candyfloss" that followed, I'd say the second generation superstar more than made the most of that opportunity! With her deep, almost spiritual connection to "Mother Nature" and a positive message about saving the planet, it feels like we know more about the masked woman now than we have at any point since she debuted. But will Sasha Banks feel the same way? I guess we'll have to wait and find out!
Some folks have pointed out I was perhaps overly critical of Toni Storm and her work ethic in last week's Ross Report, but it seems I wasn't the only one to have a problem with the Gold Coast native looking to get by with as little effort as possible. In fact, GM Harry Smith made a rare on-camera appearance to discuss that matter with Storm herself, revealing her old contract had come to an end and if she wanted to re-sign with the EWA, some changes would need to be made. Namely that Toni will no longer be allowed to get by on cruise control if she wants to remain a member of the roster, but rather she'll have to start living up to that potential which saw her hyped up by so many late last year, including yours truly. My advice to Ms. Storm would be to take the deal and buck up my ideas, but then, that's not my decision to make. Nonetheless, she finds herself at a critical crossroads in her career right now, and it's up to Toni Storm to figure out which path she wants to take next.
It's been a while since we've seen Jamie Noble in an EWA ring, and an even longer time since we've seen Nidia in action, but that all changed last night! From what I understand, the loved-up couple have run into some "financial difficulties" recently that have required them to seek employment opportunities, and on the basis of their mixed tag match this week, I think it's fair to say that they both still have plenty to offer too! Hopefully this leads to a more permanent deal for the two of them moving forwards, albeit preferably without the gratuitous "P.D.A's!"
"Killer Kross" and "Big E" have both had mixed starts to their EWA careers, meaning their encounter this week was of critical importance for both superstars. And boy, what a slobberknocker it was, with neither one of these two hosses holding anything back! I'm a big fan of "Big E" and the way he's connected with the EWA Universe over the last month, quickly becoming a solid role model for the younger members of our audience. Yet, for as fun and entertaining as he is, you could argue that he lacks Kross' "killer instinct" (if you'll pardon the pun), with "The Devil of Sin City" utilizing his ruthless streak at multiple junctures in this match. Despite "E's" intestinal fortitude and ability to keep fighting in the face of adversity, "Killer Kross" managed to avoid the Big Ending to string together a devastating Alabama Slam and Doomsday Saito, before finally clamping on his dreaded Kross Jacket! To "Big E's" credit, he refused to tap out, but he was unable to save himself from passing out instead, meaning "Killer Kross" returns to winning ways once again! Still, going by this and other recent showings, I'd suggest both these competitors may well have a big role to play in the Men's Civil War Match in just under two weeks time!
Given her interview with Todd Grisham, I'm sure you'll agree that winning last week's main event triple threat contest certainly doesn't seem to have damaged Aliyah's confidence. "The Boujee Bratz" has carried herself with an air of superiority ever since arriving on the scene, and that looks to be carrying over into her expectations for Civil War as well! Two more women who no doubt have an eye on walking out of my homestate of Oklahoma with the Women's Championship wrapped around their waist are Io Shirai and Kellyanne! These two were part of that explosive backstage battle between "Tokyo Vice" and "The Mighty Don't Kneel" on last week's show, with the Japanese crew coming out on top of that one. This would be their first in-ring encounter though, with both Shirai and Kellyanne delivering a classic bout that highlighted how much potential they both have. Alas, for as great a match as they had, it was almost inevitable that this was going to break down with both their respective groups at ringside. Indeed, with a brawl between Haste/Silva and "Desperado"/Shibata providing a distraction, Io Shirai was able to score a dubious pinfall over her Australian opponent thanks to the assist by Hana Kimura at ringside, not that it looked as if Shirai much appreciated the help! Still, "Tokyo Vice" seem to have put "The Mighty Don't Kneel" on the backfoot in these early stages of their rivalry, very much putting the onus on "TMDK" to find a way to reverse their fortunes before it's too late!
Following "The Shining Colons" win over "Best Friends" at Insurgency, Primo and Epico managed to talk their way into a title opportunity on this week's show. As I've said time and time again, "The Honky Tonk Man" and Santino Marella feel like arguably the most vulnerable champions in the EWA right now due to their inability to put their personality clash to one side and get on the same page. That was really evident here as "The Colons" controlled much of this battle by utilizing their teamwork, forcing "Honky" and "The Italian Stallion" to try and work together to cut that off. The crucial point in the match came when the fight took both teams out into ringside, where Primo and Epico seemed to be riding a wave of momentum to the titles...only to get distracted by "Orange Cassidy" coming out to discuss time-share options! As a result, the cousins from Puerto Rico inadvertently found themselves counted out as they tried to make their first sale, which was clearly not the way Santino would have wanted to win the match even if "Mr. Shake, Rattle And Roll" seemed eager to retain the titles however possible. And worst of all for "The Colons," Chuck Taylor and "Trent?" would then arrive on the scene to drag "OC" away before they could seal the deal, meaning they essentially forfeited the match for nothing! As I've said before, I don't think these issues are quite resolved between "Best Friends" and "The Shining Colons" quite yet, but we'll see how that situation develops. And as for the Tag Team Champions? Well, they continue to ride their luck and find new ways to survive with the gold, but luck doesn't last forever!
As I'm sure you'll all remember, Braun Strowman won the right to be the final man to enter this year's Civil War Match during the epic Free-For-All at SuperBrawl XIX. Bo Dallas was clearly aware of that fact too, approaching "The Monster Among Men" last night to try and convince Strowman to swap spots with him. Braun's no fool however, instead informing "The Inspirational One" that if he wanted to be the last entrant at Civil War, he'd need to pay $20,000 for the privilege! Dallas couldn't really justify paying Strowman personally however, instead trying to convince him to donate the money to a charity of Braun's choosing...only, I can't say I've ever heard of the charity "Care And Share Help" (AKA "C.A.S.H.") before! Still, Braun got his money and Bo Dallas has taken his spot, all of which could potentially have a big impact on the Men's Civil War Match in two weeks!
Boy, do I feel for Samoa Joe. He's wanted to get his hands on Nick Aldis for weeks now, but has instead been the victim of numerous sneak attacks and attempted assaults. And even in a situation like we witnessed last night where it was supposed to be a one-on-one contest against "The Standard's" Scott Steiner, Joe still had to put up with the repeated interference of Aldis and co. However, I don't think anything could have prepared me for the shocking sight we witnessed after "The Samoan Submission Machine" was jumped by Aldis just when he was about to defeat Steiner! Indeed, it seemed like Joe was about to suffer yet another vicious beatdown at the hands of "The Standard"...when all of a sudden, the lights went out before revealing the surprise return of his old enemy Pete Dunne! Only, "The Bruiserweight" wasn't there to help take Joe out, but rather to help him fight off Aldis and his goon squad! Never did I imagine a day where Pete Dunne would come to the rescue of "The Destroyer," not after everything they put one another through during their intense rivalry last year, but that's exactly what happened last night! Even Samoa Joe himself looked like he couldn't get his head around this stunning development as he and Dunne squared off after successfully clearing the ring, only to see the former World Champion back off without offering any answers! No doubt about it, things have taken a truly strange turn this week! Hell, it feels like we're living in "Bizarro World" right now! But as odd as this situation is, Joe all of a sudden looks like he's got an ally in the war against "The Standard," meaning this could well be the point where the tide starts to turn in his favor...that is, if he and Dunne can co-exist long enough for "The Samoan Submission Machine" to finally get his revenge on Aldis!
And then we come to our main event, which was supposed to be "MJF" defending the World Championship against journeyman wrestler George South, someone "The Salt of the Earth" had already defeated last month. Clearly this was all a ploy by Friedman to get his first title defense out of the way against an opponent he thought would be easy pickings...but as it so happened, George South picked up a minor injury while training for the match, forcing him to pull out. Thankfully though, EWA management found a more-than-suitable replacement in the shape of the former champion, Harper! It goes without saying that "The Goatsman" had unfinished business with "MJF" after their match at Insurgency two weeks ago, with Harper coming in like the proverbial "house on fire" as he took the fight straight to his opponent! As it would turn out though, "The Dynasty" would play a big part in this one just like in their last encounter, with a distraction allowing "MJF" to seize control after initially threatening to walk out on the match at the first available opportunity. However, with Harper now right where he wanted him, "MJF" decided to stick it out and pick up where he left off by going after the bad arm/shoulder to force the submission. Harper seemed determined not to give "MJF" the satisfaction of quitting to the Friedman Armbar Special for a third time though, battling back and coming as close as you can come to a three count after hitting the Truckstop lariat, only to have Alexander Hammerstone put "MJF's" foot on the bottom rope at the last second! "The Goatsman" would then take out both Hammerstone and Holliday with a death-defying suicide dive which threatened to aggravate his injury, only for Harper to fight back through the pain and look for another Truckstop...yet "The Top 1%er" would attempt to pull the Referee into harm's way, causing Harper to pull up short! In the resulting confusion, "MJF" would shove the Ref aside and low blow Harper behind the official's back before rolling up his opponent to steal the win and retain the title! This flagrant rulebreaking has been a recurring theme in "MJF" matches since the moment he arrived on the EWA scene, but whether you disagree with it or not, there's no question it's been highly effective during his ascension over the last year. Indeed, "MJF" remains perched at the top of the mountain, and as things stand, it's hard to guess who--if anyone--can possibly topple him off!
It's time once again for my picks for this week's top three movers and shakers:
1. "MJF"
2. Pete Dunne
3. "Killer Kross"
Much as I'm loathe to admit it, any time you can defeat a well-travelled and highly-skilled competitor like Harper, even under controversial circumstances such as these, that can't be ignored. And when you're able to successfully defend the biggest prize in the game against them as well? That just seals the deal! In the number two spot, he might not have competed in a match, but I think it's safe to say that "The Bruiserweight" provided one of the biggest shocks of the night as he not only returned from suspension for the first time since early January but also came to the rescue of his most-heated rival, saving Samoa Joe from getting taken out by "The Standard!" I've no idea what comes next between these two or Aldis' group, but consider this ol' Okey on the edge of his seat waiting to find out! And last but by no means least, I've stumped for "Killer Kross" in third spot after he had to be at his ruthless best to put away "Big E" in their barnburner of a match, bouncing back from a tough loss to Eric Young in the process!
Looking back at it now, this may well have been one of the busiest shows of the year in terms of the sheer number of matches and amazing moments we witnessed! But you can bet your bottom dollar that things are going to get even crazier as we head into one of the EWA's favorite cities to visit, San Antonio, next Sunday! And considering this will be our final stop on the road to Civil War, there's no doubt we'll be seeing plenty of superstars looking to score whatever last minute momentum they can build ahead of one of the most important nights of the year! Until next time,
BOOMER SOONER!
