Ross Report - 8/28/20

Welcome back to another Ross Report, as we preview this Sunday's ninth annual Summer Stampede! It's safe to say that this show has become a firm fixture on the EWA calendar and tends to be the big summer blowout that sets us up on the road to SuperBrawl, and this year's card looks to be no exception! Let's see what's in store when we head to the Banc of California Stadium this weekend!

We start out with the first of four women's division matches, a sure-fire sign of just how much the ladies of the EWA have been stepping up in recent months! And in this instance, it's Bayley who's laid out the challenge to Kairi Sane! I don't need to tell any long-standing members of the EWA Universe that Bayley has had quite the history here, but it's to the credit of "Everyone's Favorite Hugger" that she's looked to start afresh in recent months. That's meant striking up a friendship with Daizee Haze and teaming together as "Hug 'N' Haze," with the duo currently undefeated in tag competition. Their current win streak even includes a victory over Asuka and Kairi Sane on the final SLAM! before 8 Miles To Graceland, albeit that result coming about due to disqualification as Asuka attempted to blind Daizee with the green mist, only to hit the Referee instead! While "The Haze" has had her focus pulled in other directions since then (something we'll address in due course), Bayley looked to confront Kairi Sane over the actions of her partner, seeking an apology. And yet, the only thing "The Pirate Princess" was seemingly sorry for was that Asuka missed her intended target! Well, that statement certainly kicked the proverbial hornet's nest! And after stewing over those words for seven days, Bayley showed up on last week's SLAM! to throw down the gauntlet for Summer Stampede as she looks to gain a measure of payback for her best friend! Will she get the receipt she's been looking for? Or could Kairi Sane use this as an opportunity to take a step out from Asuka's shadow? I guess we'll find out at Summer Stampede!


As for Bayley's tag team partner, "The Haze" has arguably had somewhat of a topsy-turvy time recently! After riding high following her victory over Momo Watanabe in that wild Last Woman Standing Match at Red, White & Bruised, she built on that success while teaming with her best friend, and even seemed to bury the hatchet with Kelly Klein as well...and yet, a head-on-head collision with Chelsea Green has caused some lasting damage, while it also appears as if someone has set their sights on Daizee, and not in a good way! Not only has this mystery rival been secretly recording her locker room, but they also stole Daizee's prized plush flower as well, with "The Haze" determinedly calling out the culprit on this past Sunday's SLAM! To the shock of most everybody watching, yours truly included, Daffney Unger would answer that call! However, let's be clear here..."The Scream Queen" pointedly took no responsibility for the missing plush toy, though that doesn't mean she's not guilty of taking it! Yet what Daffney did do was attempt to get inside Daizee's head, pointing out how she's been overlooked for title opportunities despite her consistency while also offering to guide Haze to the next level, if only she'll join Daffney's "Coven." Well, for a brief moment, it surprisingly looked as if Daizee was about to accept that offer...yet "The Haze" quickly made clear that wasn't really the case, sparking a brawl in which Unger was able to take Daizee down with The Lobotomy, before warning "The Haze" she'd suffer the consequences of her choice at Summer Stampede. Considering how dangerous Daffney has proven to be over the years, this is the kind of match Daizee Haze can ill afford to take lightly, that's for damn sure. Though judging by how fired up she's been this week, chances are you won't have to worry about that! And what of the plush daisy toy? Was it Daffney who took it? Or could there be someone else targeting "The Haze" as well? There's a whole lot of questions and not a lot of answers right now, but perhaps that'll all change this Sunday!

Elsewhere in the women's division, and it's fair to say that things have been escalating between Alicia Fox and Sasha Banks for the past two months! It all began when the two of them agreed to team up to take on "Hug 'N' Haze," although things got off to an unorthodox start as the seemingly unstable "Foxy One" made Sasha sign an unofficial tag contract, looking to create a foundation of trust between them. Well, that trust quickly eroded when they lost the match and Alicia blamed Sasha for getting pinned! Feeling betrayed and perhaps even a little jealous of Sasha's enduring popularity, "The Captain" would then get her sister, Christina Crawford, to issue a challenge to Banks' protégé "La Hiedra" on her behalf. With "The Boss" watching the match unfold from the commentary table, they had one hell of a back-and-forth battle, with "La Hiedra" seemingly about to finish Alicia off with a Swanton Bomb, only for Crawford to climb onto the apron! Sasha Banks quickly dealt with Christina before she could physically get involved, but all of that gave "Foxy" the time to counter the Swanton Bomb attempt by getting her knees up before scoring the pin! Well, the following week, Sasha would get a shot at revenge as she faced off with Christina Crawford, who was volunteered for the match by her own sister (now confined to a wheelchair due to unspecified injuries), despite Christina having extremely limited in-ring experience! It was a solid effort from the rookie, but ultimately, Crawford was no match for the former Women's Champion, leaving her with little choice but to tap out to the Banks Statement, much to her sister's consternation! This then led to 8 Miles To Graceland, where a still frustrated Alicia called on Sasha to meet her in the parking lot to settle this once and for all, only to have security break things up before they could start! Obviously that did little to sate either superstar, with Alicia having enough and demanding a joint press conference with Sasha to prove who the real hero is between the two of them. If anything though, all that press conference achieved was to stoke the fires of their animosity that much more! Indeed, sick of Alicia's "swagger-jacking," Sasha handed her a contract for a match at Summer Stampede, putting "The Captain" on the spot and leaving her with little option but to sign on the dotted line to make this eagerly anticipated showdown official! And after being part of a special roundtable discussion with Sasha, "La Hiedra," Byron Saxton and the legendary Jimmy Golden this week, I can tell you first-hand that this is one going to be one fight you definitely don't want to miss!


When "MJF" took on Judy Bagwell as his manager, I don't think any of us quite expected the way things were going to play out. And yet, "Rude Jude" has become the focal point in a tug-of-war between Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Buff Bagwell that has been going on for the past couple of months! "Buff Daddy" has been working to prise his momma away from "The Dynasty" by any means necessary, leading to Judy herself suggesting a match between her son and her client to settle the score. Buff then upped the ante though as he declared if he could beat "MJF," Judy would no longer have to manage Friedman and receive a hell of a severance package for her troubles...but if the former World Champion beat Bagwell, then he'd leave the two of them alone forever! Well, that match saw a shocking conclusion as Mandy Rose, jealous of having to share Max's attention with Judy, entered the ring and low blowed "Buff The Stuff" right in front of the Referee, forcing the disqualification! Alas, things were far from settled though as Judy Bagwell spoke to Dean Malenko and Tully Blanchard about getting the stipulation for that match thrown out due to the controversial circumstances, yet with Friedman realizing he'd still have Buff to deal with, he demanded a rematch on the following week's SLAM! so he could beat Bagwell and make sure he never has to put up with him again! With "MJF" all fired up, he dominated that second go around before calling Judy into the ring, looking to make her choose between managing a former World Champion or her son, seemingly just to prove a point! Not wanting to see Buff hurt anymore, Judy grudgingly did as she was asked, slapping MJF across the face to force another DQ finish...yet that did little to satisfy Buff Bagwell! After two contentious decisions in a row, he would then challenge "MJF" to one final match to put an end to this clash over Mrs Bagwell's future...only this time, both Judy and Mandy Rose would be high up on a forklift while the men fought it out, hopefully meaning we get ourselves a definitive winner without any more outside interference! Will Judy end up still in "MJF's" employ? Or will Buff free his mom so he can keep her all to himself again? Something tells me all will be revealed come Summer Stampede!

Ever since defeating Jeremy Wyatt for the Television Championship at 8 Miles To Graceland, "One-Eye" Lorcan has proven himself to be a fighting champion! He came out on the very next SLAM!, offering an open challenge to anyone in the back willing to take him on, one that was quickly answered by "La Hiedra!" In rare EWA intergender action, Lorcan and the luchadora had one hell of a tussle over that coveted championship, with "The 21st Century Pirate" eventually managing to put "La Hiedra" down with The Timber Shiverer, though not without being pushed to the limit first! No sooner had the Referee raised his arm though than Ellen DeGeneres showed up, seemingly eager for a shot of her own! However, given that Ellen is a daytime TV talkshow host rather than a contracted wrestler, she instead volunteered Chuck Taylor of "Best Friends" to be the next challenger! Alas, before "Sexy Chuckie T" could compete in that match, he was shockingly assaulted by "Suicide" backstage, with the masked man once again acting wildly out-of-character as he has been over this entire past month! With Chuck's knee badly injured, no one would have blamed him for turning down the match, yet Taylor went out there anyway and gave it his best shot regardless, even almost surprising "One-Eye" Lorcan with a schoolboy counter to his patented shining wizard! In the end though, The Anchor-Lock proved too much for Chuck to handle, handing Lorcan yet another victory! Just as with the previous week however, his celebrations would soon be cut short as "The Shining Colons" made an appearance to challenge the Television Champion to a handicap match at Summer Stampede! And all credit to "One-Eye" Lorcan, the swashbuckling superstar wasn't backing down either, eager to keep this momentum going! Still, the odds clearly aren't in the champion's favor in a situation such as this, meaning unless Lorcan can tap into a new aggressive side, his reign could well be in jeopardy heading into Sunday's Pay-Per-View extravaganza!

By hook or by crook, Aliyah has managed to remain Women's Champion for the past four months, ever since capturing the gold in the second-ever women's Civil War match! Be it getting deliberately counted out against Toni Storm in their first title match or having her "super agent to the stars" Robert Stone get the decision overturned in their rematch, Aliyah has proven she'll do whatever it takes to keep the gold around her waist! That's also included bringing in a couple of her own personal bodyguards too! Obviously, Kavita Devi played that role for a while before "The Boujee Bratz" unceremoniously kicked her to the curb, but at 8 Miles To Graceland, the Women's Champion turned her sights to the deadly "Empress of Tomorrow" instead! Well, Asuka would come down to ringside for Aliyah's title match with Kris Statlander, where her mere presence affected "The Million Dollar Alien" long enough for Aliyah to capitalize! It seemed then that Asuka had accepted the position with "The Boujee Brand"...yet Aliyah wasn't quite as sold on Asuka's partner, Kairi Sane, leading to an impromptu match on SLAM! to test her skills. Thanks in large part to Robert Stone, "The Boujee Bratz" would emerge victorious before then demanding that Asuka prove her loyalty by taking out the proverbial trash. However, rather than attack Kairi, "The Empress of Tomorrow" would instead spray that deadly green mist directly into Robert Stone's eyes, before posing with the fallen Women's Championship! Her true intentions revealed, the two sides would have one final confrontation on last week's SLAM!, with Aliyah demanding an apology (and the return of the money "The Boujee Brand" had paid Asuka in her role as bodyguard), but this time around, Asuka looked to blind Aliyah with the green mist! Fortunately for the Women's Champion, she ducked the attempt...yet Robert Stone wasn't quite so lucky, taking a face-full of that corrosive substance for the second time in as many weeks! And you know what that means, folks...there's only one thing for it, as Asuka will now challenge Aliyah for the Women's Championship at Summer Stampede! This one has slobberknocker written all over it, as Aliyah faces arguably her toughest test to date...but will the resilient champion find another way to survive with the gold around her waist?


After defeating Sammy Guevara for the National Title at Red, White & Bruised, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan has spent the last two months revealing his true colors to the EWA Universe, and spoiler alert, I'm not sure they're quite as red, white and blue as we once thought! Heck, if anything, it's become more and more obvious that the veteran is crazier than a pet coon! Indeed, for someone who claims to be a shining example of integrity, Duggan didn't exactly cover himself in glory when he bashed Kenny Omega over the skull with a 2x4 to help retain the National Championship at 8 Miles To Graceland! Perhaps then that's why Keith Lee stepped up to the plate to challenge him to a title match at Summer Stampede! After all, "The Limitless One" was not just coming off the back of an impressive victory over Karrion Kross, but he was also as sick to the back teeth as the rest of us over "Hacksaw's" crazed ramblings! And yet, the veteran from Glens Falls, New York would make Keith Lee a counter offer...he could either sign on the dotted line for a match which "Hacksaw" claims he has no chance of winning, or he could put those title aspirations aside to support Duggan's vision of a "new" United States! And as Duggan showed up to SLAM! in DC to sign his new "declaration of independence" from the broken down America he sees all around him, Keith Lee would interrupt proceedings to give his answer! It's to the surprise of no one though that Lee refused to become Duggan's loyal "soldier," instead signing on for the match at Summer Stampede...only to get assaulted with the 2x4 again and again, before "Hacksaw" promised to burn America down to the ground and create a brand new nation in its place, one which he'll represent as champion! Well, those seem like some lofty (some might even say "delusional") goals as far as "Hacksaw" is concerned, but one thing you can bank on is the fact that Keith Lee will be even more motivated than ever to get a measure of payback after the beating he suffered last Sunday! And what better way to do so than by capturing the National Title and giving the good ol' US of A a champion it can be proud of once again!

Main event time, and let's call a spade a spade here, folks..."The Honky Tonk Man" shocked the world when he ended "The Redneck Messiah's" World Heavyweight Championship reign after just 28 days! It's not that "Honky" isn't talented in his own right, but after all the trials and tribulations Noble went through just to earn the gold, I don't think anyone saw that result coming! Still, it wasn't without controversy either, what with both Jimmy Hart and my old pal Jerry "The King" Lawler getting involved at various points, eventually culminating with "Honky" swinging another guitar at Noble's skull but instead striking his own tag team partner! In all the confusion that followed, Noble then tried rolling "Mr. Shake, Rattle And Roll" up, only to have "Honky" reverse it and grab a handful of tights, stealing the win and the title! While that victory understandably left "The Honky Tonk Man" on cloud nine, it seems as if "The King" wasn't too happy with getting his bell rung by his partner, even if it was an accident! In fact, tensions seemed to grow between the two of them all throughout this last month, at least on Lawler's part, as "Honky" continued to brag and boast while "The King" was shunted off to one side. Meanwhile, Noble was eager to challenge "Honky" to rematch, yet the EWA's crack medical team wouldn't clear him until Summer Stampede due to the repeated guitar shots suffered in the run-up to their last encounter. Alas, "Mr. Shake, Rattle And Roll" seemingly had little interest in giving Noble a shot to win back the gold, claiming he'd sooner give "The King" a title opportunity than Noble! Well, "The Redneck Messiah" pounced on that to stir the pot between the two Memphis legends! As a result, Lawler finally voiced his frustrations to "Honky," creating a chaotic situation where "Honky" was backed into a corner to give both men what they wanted by making a triple threat World Championship match at Summer Stampede! But if "Honky" was counting on "The King" to be on his side, he'd better think again! After all, with the match made official, Noble would surprise "The Honky Tonk Man" with a kick to the gut before putting him down with the Tiger Driver, all while "The King" shockingly stood by and let Noble have his way! That suggests to me that Lawler is done playing second fiddle to his former Tag Team Championship partner, and honestly, I can't say I blame him! But with things blowing up between these two Memphis legends, you can't underestimate the opening that provides for Jamie Noble to take advantage of as well! And as we've seen on multiple occasions this year, Noble is more than capable of getting the job done when the chips are down! Talk about an unpredictable predicament, with the World Heavyweight Title firmly in the middle of it all!

Well, there you have it, folks. This year's Summer Stampede has all the makings of another instant classic, with plenty of championship action, grudge matches galore, and we're also expecting an announcement regarding "The Dogs of War's" next Tag Team Title challengers as well! Truly, you won't find action like this anywhere else but the EWA, so if you've not already done so, make sure you sign up to the EWA Network today to ensure you don't miss a single second of Summer Stampede this Sunday! Until next time,

BOOMER SOONER!