Post by Ross Report on Sept 11, 2018 21:15:56 GMT
This week's SLAM! kicked off with the big reveal as to who would partner Jack Swagger in the previously announced Sin City Survival Elimination Tag Match that'll take place in just a few short weeks. We already knew that Chris Sabin and Brock Lesnar would be on one side of the ring, but it wouldn't take long for September's guest GM Val Venis to announce that "The All-American American" would be joined by Matt Morgan and Trevor Mann on the other! With partners of that caliber, it's no wonder that ol' Zebekiah looked like the cat that got the cream after hearing that.
Is it just me or does there seem to be an epidemic of bad legs going around in the EWA lately with the likes of Chris Sabin, Big Show and Ken Shamrock all suffering injuries to their lower limbs in recent weeks? You can add Finlay to that list as well, with "The Fighting Irishman" coming into his match against Big Show with a bad wheel that threatened to derail his momentum. Still, that didn't stop Finlay from giving it his all against "The World's Largest Athlete" in a big time back-and-forth contest that really tested both superstars to their limit. It even looked as if Finlay might pull off what could well be considered the upset win, yet Big Show utilized that devastating WMD to pick up his second victory in successive weeks since returning to action. The former National Champion is on a roll right now, no doubt about it! As for Finlay though, I'm sure his son is proud of him no matter what the result, and this will surely only be a small bump in the road of this amazing comeback story.
After luring John Cena and "The Midnight Rider" into a vicious trap last week, Braun Strowman and Santino Marella may have been lulled into a false sense of security. Alas, as it would soon transpire, that was a mistake on their part as John Cena used a forklift to temporarily restrain "The Monster Among Men" within his own locker room. In the meanwhile, he and "The Rider" would then corner Santino Marella with promises of making amends, only to strap him down and forcefeed the "Italian Stallion" all the individual ingredients of pizza for good measure! I can't say I've ever seen anything quite like that before, but in terms of gaining a measure of revenge against their heated rivals, it's hard to argue with the results. The question remains though, how will Strowman and Marella respond next week as hostilities between these two teams continue to escalate?
The first match after losing a championship is often the hardest a superstar can wrestle, having to somehow discover that old groove again. I'm happy to report that Tessa Blanchard passed that test with flying colors this week, making short work of Isla Dawn as she looks to get right back into contention for the Women's Championship. Unfortunately for "The Queen of the Carolinas" though, it seems there's no shortage of other women looking to achieve the exact same goal right now!
Gabriel hasn't done much to endear himself to the EWA Universe in recent weeks, but you've got to give the talented Brit a lot of credit. He seemingly intends to compete every week between now and King of the Ring to prove why he deserves that crown, starting off with a tough match against a spritely Tyler Breeze. "Prince Pretty" may have been making his debut last night, but he came with his working (Ugg) boots on, nearly putting his opponent down for the count on several occasions. However, Tyler's efforts to steal the win ended up backfiring, as "The Solitary Reaper" used the very same turnbuckle Breeze had exposed to knock his opponent goofy and put him away with the Fall From Grace. Tyler may have been on the losing end here, but there's no doubt he turned a lot of heads with his performance, much as his cohort Alexa Bliss did the week prior.
As for Gabriel though, the celebrations were quickly cut short as hell broke loose! First of all, Dolph Ziggler jumped Kenny Omega (who had watched the previous match unfold there at ringside), before Gabriel pulled "The Show-Off" away from his attack. However, that then resulted in the two of them going at it as well, until Omega got involved and tried to use a chair against Dolph. Gabriel stole the weapon away before he could do so though, using it on Omega before then attempting to bash Ziggler's brains in as well, only to walk right into a superkick that smashed the chair back into Gabriel's mush instead! After more brawling between all three men, who should make an appearance for the first time in several weeks but Lio Rush. It seems "The 23-Year Old Piece of Gold" hasn't forgotten about Gabriel or his taunts, putting him down with some patented high flying offence, while Ziggler likewise got the better of Kenny Omega as well! Seems to me like the perfect set-up for one hell of a tag team match down the road, don't you think?
Once upon a time, Al Snow walked away from the EWA by his own accord, right before a mysterious new superstar appeared by the name of Chico Wonderhausen, someone that looked an awful lot like "The Snowman" wearing a Richard Nixon mask. However, it would eventually be revealed to be none other than D'Lo Brown beneath that latex rubber, a fact I bring up if only because that "old man" who confronted Val Venis backstage last night likewise had me fooled just as Chico Wonderhausen did all those years ago. Regardless, it seems as if "The Working Class Hero" has caved in and given the bWo their jobs back for the fourth time in four months, but considering how history has a way of repeating itself, we'll have to wait and see just how long this latest stint actually lasts.
I was extremely excited to see the return to in-ring competition of Awesome Kong in her first match on SLAM! in over four years. The former three-time Women's Champion was a stalwart of the division for a long time before seemingly moving onto pastures new, but it looks as if she's just as deadly as ever going by her impressive victory over Naomi. Make no mistake about it, business has just picked up in the women's division, folks!
Speaking of, this week's SLAM! also saw the debut of none other than Charlotte Flair. I'm sure I don't have to explain Charlotte's pedigree to anyone, what with being the daughter of arguably the greatest to ever lace a pair of boots and a damn fine athlete in her own right. And it seems Charlotte isn't here just to make up the numbers either, setting her stall out and putting the entire women's roster on notice. I've got to say, it's fantastic to have these new stars coming in and old stars returning to give the women's division the boost it's long deserved. I hope Dominatrix is up to the challenge too, because the target on her back only seems to be getting bigger and bigger.
Speaking of "big" things, we had what my friend Scott Stanford correctly described as a good ol' fashioned "hoss fight" between Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns last night that was highly enjoyable. "The Celtic Colossus" was obviously coming into this one with something to prove after falling short against Finlay in his debut, while this was Roman Reigns' chance to make a first impression on the EWA Universe. In the end though, "The Sinister Scotsman" was simply too much to handle, damn near taking Roman's head off with a Claymore and picking up the duke in the process. I'm eager to see where the talented McIntyre goes from here, that's for sure.
It's good to see "The Kings of Wrestling" finally able to walk out with the championships they earned back at Summer Stampede two weeks ago, just as it's great to see the fans getting behind this incredibly talented duo. However, their celebrations were seemingly interrupted by OVE, only for that to turn out to be mind games on the part of "The Vaudevillains," who are apparently way too classy to jump Hero and Cesaro like their former Ohio-based opponents maybe would have. That, of course, doesn't mean that they aren't planning to defeat "The Kings" at Sin City Survival and cut short their reign, but as we've seen recently, doing so may well be easier said than done. Still, one can't discount "The Vaudevillains" either after their recent TLC victory to earn number one contenders status. It just remains to be seen how gentlemanly they'll be when the titles are on the line!
For the first time since capturing the National Championship, Chris Sabin was in action this week, picking up a convincing victory over "Desperado" Joe Gomez after Val Venis allowed the match to go ahead earlier in the night despite concerns over Sabin's health. However, "Detroit's Finest" would get little chance to celebrate as Jack Swagger attacked him yet again, slapping on that dreaded ankle lock submission! He would soon be joined by not just Matt Morgan and Trevor Mann, but their respective entourages as well, with things looking extremely bad for the National Champion. Before any lasting damage could be done, Brock Lesnar thankfully made an appearance, causing a distraction enough for Sabin to escape a fate worse than death. It was then though that we'd finally discover just who would partner Lesnar and Sabin in the Sin City Survival Elimination Match, as Val Venis brought out "The World's Most Dangerous Man," Ken Shamrock! It seems his recovery over the past couple of weeks has gone pretty darn well, as Shamrock joined his new partners in taking the fight straight to Swagger, Morgan and Mann, sending them all packing from the ring! Could this be a sign of things to come at Sin City Survival? We won't have long to find out!
The man formerly known as Nicholas Magnus has adopted his real name and returned to the EWA, having seemingly signed a contract while Zeb Colter was in charge over August. And what a detailed contract it is, with all kinds of conditions and stipulations that will help determine whether or not "The National Treasure" Nick Aldis will be gracing us with an in-ring performance on any given night. I can certainly understand Val Venis' frustration over the situation, as no superstar should have the power to hold the EWA over the barrel like that, yet it seems there's not a whole lot he can do about it for the time being.
For the second week running, SLAM!'s broadcast was interrupted by a mysterious video from some masked dissidents, apparently unhappy with the state of the EWA. There's still no clue as to who is behind this campaign or what exactly they mean by "eradicating the disease" within the company, but it all sounds somewhat ominous to me.
Considering how "dominant" Dominatrix has been lately (if you'll excuse the pun), you've got to give "Blue Pantaloons" some major props for finding a way to put the Women's Champion down after the likes of Carmella and Tessa Blanchard have been unable to do the same. And what a slobberknocker the two had in our main event this week, beating the ever-loving tar out of one another for nearly 15 minutes straight. Victory here seems to have put "Blue Pantaloons" in pole position for a shot at the Women's Championship, with my sources telling me we could even expect to see that go down at Sin City Survival. It just goes to show as well, while "Blue Pantaloons" might come across goofier than a pet coon, she's more than capable of getting it done in that ring. I'm sure Dominatrix won't be taking her lightly when these two meet again with the title on the line.
Brock Lesnar and Val Venis have some history, and none of it good, but I believe our guest General Manager for the month is genuine when he says he doesn't hold a grudge against "The Beast" and won't play favorites, much like Zeb Colter did last month. Whether or not Lesnar believes him is another question altogether though, but for the time being, it seems Brock is putting his trust in Val, giving us an intriguing plot thread to tug on as the countdown to Sin City Survival continues.
Well, with all that in mind then, let's try and figure out this week's top three movers and shakers:
1. Blue Pantaloons
2. Ken Shamrock
3. Awesome Kong
It's a testament to the run Dominatrix has been on in recent months that any kind of win over the "Masked Mistress of the SCP" is a pretty big deal, so kudos to Blue Pantaloons on that front. In at number two, I don't think anyone expected to see Ken Shamrock back so soon after Summer Stampede, but he made a big impact right away by becoming Chris Sabin and Brock Lesnar's third man at Sin City Survival. And last but by no means least, Awesome Kong's eagerly anticipated return to the ring showed the entire world just what she's still capable of, as the former champion seemingly looks to re-establish herself once again.
As always, don't hesitate to share your own top three movers and shakers via our Twitter page. Likewise, get in touch on Twitter or by contacting me right here on EWA.com if you've got any questions for this Friday's edition of JR's Mailbag!
In the meantime, things are certainly hotting up as we head towards our next Pay Per View extravaganza. We already know the big blockbuster main event, as well as the highly anticipated Tag Team Championship match between "The Kings of Wrestling" and "The Vaudevillains," but what other matches will find their way onto the card? No doubt we'll get some answers over the next couple of weeks! Until then,
BOOMER SOONER!
