Ross Report - 3/26/21

I know I say it damn near every month, but Sunday's card for MonAnarchy is genuinely one of the most STACKED in EWA history! With ten matches, every championship up for grabs, and a multitude of different match-types to settle various rivalries, I've a feeling we'll be talking about this show for a long time to come! Plus, as if it wasn't big enough already, I've also got a HUGE exclusive announcement to make regarding the MonAnarchy main event which I'll reveal later in the Ross Report! With all that in mind then, how about we dive right in?

We kick things off with a Handicap Match pitting Santino Marella against Ricky Starks and Braun Strowman. It was just last month at Queen of the Ring that we saw a reverse of this situation as "The Gambler" found himself at a two-on-one disadvantage against Marella and Hornswoggle. On that occasion though, Starks threw any attempt at winning the match out the window when he handcuffed Santino to the ring ropes and than sickeningly beat Hornswoggle with a baseball bat! Ever since then, "The Italian Stallion" has been eager to gain some measure of payback for his little pal, but that's proven difficult ever since Paul Heyman gifted Starks the services of Braun Strowman for a full year! I'm sure I don't need to go over the personal history between Strowman and Santino, having once upon a time started off as enemies before being encouraged by Samuel Shaw to join forces, eventually becoming Tag Team Champions together. And it's because of that history that Santino seems confident that Braun won't get in his way or try stopping Marella from placing his hands on Ricky Starks this weekend...though at the same time, it's clear "The Gambler" believes that Strowman will do exactly what he's been paid to do and help him take Santino out! I guess we'll find out for sure where "The Monster Among Men's" true loyalties lie in two day's time!


Kenny Omega was the first superstar to officially declare himself for next month's Civil War match, but almost immediately upon doing so, "The Cleaner" damn near had his head kicked into the 12th row thanks to a Claymore from Drew McIntyre! "The True King of Scotland" arrives in the EWA as a "can't-miss" prospect, and he's quickly looked to make a name for himself at Omega's expense after one hellacious match-up on SLAM! two weeks ago! That battle lacked a decisive winner however, eventually spilling into a wild ringside brawl that saw both men unable to answer the official's ten count! While Omega would bounce back the following week after defeating an old enemy in Erick Rowan of "The Wyatt Family," it seems as "The Best Bout Machine" still has unfinished business with McIntyre! Indeed, Omega called out the Scotsman after his victory last week, laying down the challenge for a No Countout, No Disqualification battle at MonAnarchy to ensure we get a winner one way or the other, and McIntyre was only too happy to accept! No doubt about it, this could be a big "coming out" party for both competitors in 2021, potentially setting the stage for further success down the line! But above all else, if their last encounter was anything to go by, it's guaranteed to be one hell of a fight too!

It's no secret that Adam Page was on somewhat of a losing streak at the start of the year. Despite continuing to perform at the high level we've come to expect from the talented Virginia native, he just couldn't quite find that elusive win. Meanwhile, Santos Escobar was riding high heading into 2021, challenging for the World Title at Resolutions by virtue of winning King of the Ring last November! Yet a loss against Jamie Noble clearly derailed a lot of momentum for the self-styled "Emperor of Lucha Libre," momentum that he would try to rebuild in a match with Adam Page on SLAM! You could say then victory was crucial for both superstars on that night, yet ultimately, "Hangman" Page was the one to get it after a closely fought battle! However, Escobar hasn't taken too kindly to that loss. Not one bit, in fact! And after first trying to needle away at Adam Page by going through his wife, Santos took things up a whole new level when he brutally assaulted "Hangman" on SLAM! two weeks ago, first using a chair and then whipping him like a government mule with a leather strap! Santos Escobar seemed to believe his actions had done enough to earn another crack at the World Championship, but as Adam Page would reveal on last week's show, "Hangman" was far from finished! Indeed, Page would reveal that Harry Smith had given the go-ahead for a good ol' fashioned Strap Match between these two sworn enemies on Sunday before then giving Santos a small taste of what's to come, at least until Konnan helped Escobar run away like a scolded dog! Still, there'll be no running and no hiding at MonAnarchy when these two are connected at the wrist by a 15 foot leather strap, the first time we've seen one of these matches since Terry Funk defeated William Regal at Ready 2 Rumble in 2008! No doubt this'll be just as intense as that battle was as well!


From a Strap Match we now turn our attention towards a Dog Collar Match, with the main difference here being that the dog collar is worn around the neck and connected via a steel chain! Virtually from the moment she joined the EWA ranks in early January, AJ Lee has proven a major thorn in the side of Shotzi Blackheart! Why "The Black Widow" has targeted Shotzi has remained largely a mystery (outside of the latter's friendship with Daizee Haze and the former's unique relationship with Bayley), but that's not stopped AJ from trying to make "The Ballsy Badass" as miserable as possible! For her part though, the tank-driving troublemaker has kept her head held high no matter how trying the circumstances! Honestly, that's been one of Shotzi's most admirable qualities since her debut, whether teaming with Bayley and Daizee to take out "The Coven," or her battles with "The Boujee Brand," or after the disappointment of last month's Queen of the Ring. Shotzi Blackheart can take the hits and keep on coming, which is no doubt why she's caused AJ so much frustration! And after Shotzi scored the pinfall for Team Daizee in that barnburner of an eight-woman tag team match on SLAM! two weeks ago, that opened the door for her to choose what kind of match would draw this heated rivalry to a dramatic conclusion at MonAnarchy! Well, Shotzi spun the wheel and made the deal, landing on the aforementioned Dog Collar stipulation, and I honestly can't think of anything more apropos! After all, at one point, AJ Lee even placed a "cone of shame" over Shotzi's head, treating her like a bad pet in an effort to humiliate "The Ballsy Badass," but not Shotzi has her chance for revenge! For all you stat fans out there, this'll be the first EWA Dog Collar Match since WALTER and Necro Butcher beat the tar out of one another back at Spring Scramble 2019, but with the hatred between these two women at an all-time high, I've no doubt this'll be just as hard-hitting and brutal to watch!

At this point, it's hard to remember a time when Bayley and Daizee Haze were ever friends. And yet, that's precisely what they were, known to the EWA Universe as "Hug 'N' Haze" last summer and seemingly happy and supportive of one another. That all changed however when Bayley felt like Daizee had started hogging the spotlight, allegedly causing fans and management alike to forget about "The Hugger." As a result, Bayley set about creating her own opportunity by goading Sasha Banks into a title match and then shocking everybody by walking away with the gold! Bayley's lust for fame and fortune saw her turn her back on "The Haze" and everyone else, a fact which Daizee had a hard time coping with or even accepting for so long. After Sasha Banks recaptured the Women's Title at SuperBrawl XX by pinning Daizee, Bayley blamed her former friend for her no longer being the champion, vowing to return the favor by taking something precious from Haze. No one could have imagined quite what depths she'd sink to though, heading to Daizee's home and then burying alive her racoon pal Rocket right in her own frontyard! It was an act which will no doubt live on in EWA infamy for years and years to come, with that betrayal and loss understandably coming close to breaking Daizee mentally. However, thanks in large part to the support of friends like Shotzi Blackheart and Sara Del Rey, Daizee was able to re-emerge from that tragedy more determined than ever before to make Bayley pay for her sins! Her first attempt didn't go quite the way either one of them planned though, ending in a double pin that denied both superstars from advancing during this year's Queen of the Ring tournament, yet things would come to a head when Harry Smith announced an eight-woman tag match pitting a team of Bayley's allies against a team of Daizee's friends, with the winners getting to choose the stipulations for this final battle at MonAnarchy! Well, as mentioned already, Team Daizee took the win that night, and last week on SLAM!, we heard "The Haze's" decision. After Bayley buried Rocket alive, Daizee will have the opportunity to return the favor this weekend as these two do battle in only the fourth Buried Alive Match in EWA history! And perhaps, when it's all said and done, the most intense one as well!


Since winning the TV Title at SuperBrawl XX, no one can deny that Diamond Dallas Page has been a fighting champion! He's defended against the likes of "One-Eye" Lorcan and Adam Page, but at the same time, there's been somewhat of an attitude change in "The Master of the Diamond Cutter" that's been difficult to ignore. Page has always been cocksure of himself, but that's really cranked up several notches as his success seems to have gone to his head! Enter, then, Darby Allin and Elias Samson! Allin is a blue collar underdog if ever there was one, scratching and clawing for everything that comes his way because life has never handed him a damn thing. Elias, on the other hand, returned to the EWA off the back of a Top 40 album that made him a household name, eager to convert that into wrestling success as well! It's a sad indictment of where "DDP's" priorities are at then that rather than accept the challenge of Darby Allin, someone who'd twice defeated Brian Cage by that point and more than earned an opportunity at the gold, the TV Champion would instead take money from Samson's entourage to defend against "The Drifter" himself, despite Elias being yet to make his in-ring debut! On that night though, Page cheated his way to victory by blinding Elias with his own pick, yet Darby was still waiting in the wings, eager to become champion and break the 193 day record of longest reign set by Alex Shelley back in late 2007/early 2008. He'd even bolster his credentials by defeating Samson in an official number one contenders contest to earn that right, leading to a competitive match with Diamond Dallas Page on last week's SLAM! However, before a winner could be decided, "The Drifter" and his entourage decided to crash the party, leaving the official with little choice but to throw the match out! Now, though, we find ourselves with a triple threat match at MonAnarchy to settle this issue once and for all! Will Elias score another gold record? Can Darby achieve his dream? Or could DDP continue to roll back the clock and add a fifth successful title defense to his résumé? I guess we'll find out this weekend!

There's something slightly unnerving about the number of pies Paul Heyman seems to have his fingers in as of late. After being revealed as Kazuchika Okada's mystery benefactor, Heyman has since overseen the addition of both Pete Dunne and Sammy Guevara to the ranks of "Black Thought LLC," while also seemingly courting Bayley for a role within the group, as well as making deals with the likes of Ricky Starks. As successful as "The House of H" were under Heyman's guidance several years ago, this more business-like approach has clearly been paying dividends already as Okada and Dunne dethroned Al Snow and Kevin Owens to become Tag Team Champions last month. It seems "Black Thought LLC" want to defend the gold against only worthy opponents though, throwing down the gauntlet for any two teams to fight it out for the right to challenge them. This led to Ross and Marshall Von Erich stepping up to the plate, one of the most bonafide teams in all the EWA, but they'd be joined by Vampiro and Evan Bourne, two men who had no loyalty to one another or experience teaming together, but who simply wanted an opportunity. In fact, if you go back ten years, Vampiro once beat Evan Bourne to become Iron Man Champion, and it seems as if there's still no love lost between them after all this time, with the two of them struggling to show cohesion as a team in their number one contenders battle. Yet, thanks to the unwanted assist by "The Honky Tonk Man" and my old pal Jerry "The King" Lawler, this makeshift duo have been handed the opportunity they'd been looking for! It's to their credit that Bourne and Vampiro would take a match against another established duo in "The Mighty Don't Kneel" on last week's SLAM!, actively looking to get in more reps ahead of the championship match. It seems like it paid off too, with the two of them showing signs of being on the same page more than they did in their first encounter. However, will they be able to build on that momentum once again at MonAnarchy against two of the best in the world like Dunne and Okada? Or could those old tensions bubble over once again? I wouldn't like to hazard a guess either way, but I'm sure it'll make for a classic match however it goes down!


I say this without a hint of hyperbole, but last month's Queen of the Ring tournament was right up there as one of the best tournaments in EWA history. Every single woman involved rose to the occasion and left it all in the ring, leading to an epic finale that saw Aliyah defeat Sasha Banks to walk out with the crown! Not only that, but "The Boujee Bratz's" victory also earned herself a measure of payback from the previous week's SLAM!, where Banks had successfully defended her Women's Championship against Aliyah, albeit after taking advantage of a distraction when "ODB" jumped Deonna Purrazzo backstage! (An assault, it's worth mentioning, that saw "The Boujee Brand" wield their money and influence to make sure "ODB" was arrested, where EWA human resources are currently working on her release!) Well, after two classic matches and a win a piece, what better time or place to have a rubber match than this Sunday in Kansas City, Missouri! One can make a strong argument that these are the two biggest names not just in the women's division but the entire EWA right now, meaning that while neither one might be what you'd call "fan favorites" among the EWA Universe, there's still a whole lot of interest in seeing them compete! Not least of all because of the Women's Title being up for grabs as well! Sasha has treated her championship with nothing but disrespect since SuperBrawl XX, dragging it around and tossing it about like trash, but one could say Aliyah metaphorically treated it much the same way during her reign last year, often utilizing underhanded tactics or daddy's money to keep hold of it by hook or crook rather than off the back of her own abilities. Yet, regardless of their penchant for taking the low road, few will argue that both Aliyah and Sasha Banks are incredible in-ring performers that aren't to be underestimated! And let's not forget, with this being the first singles Ladder Match we've seen in five years, you can no doubt expect the action to be off the chain as well, especially when those unforgiving ladders come into play! Still, here's hoping this classic battle is settled the ol' fashioned way and not by either one of their entourages though. It'd be a damn shame if whoever walks out of MonAnarchy the Women's Champion didn't earn that accolade by their own talents, but with the "Boujee Brand" and Jimmy Golden never far away, that remains to be seen!

Matt Taven has made no bones whatsoever about wanting to make an immediate splash since returning to the EWA, and last month at Queen of the Ring he had his shot at doing so! However, after being forced to defeat "Pineapple Pete" to earn an opportunity at the National Championship later that same night, it wasn't to be for "The Trend" thanks to "Soul Train Jones" (formerly known as Virgil but now known as "Soul Train Jones" for legal reasons) sticking his nose in where it didn't belong! Since then, Chris Jericho hasn't exactly been in the "giving" mood, refusing to offer Taven a second chance despite the controversy surrounding their first encounter. It almost seems as if the egotistical veteran is running scared of Taven, though no doubt "Le Champion" himself would disagree with that assessment! Either way, Harry Smith clearly felt like the Boston native deserved a chance to do it all over again, putting him in a match where victory would earn Taven one last shot at the gold! To appease the National Champion though, Jericho was granted the chance to pick who Taven's opponent would be...or, should I say, opponents, as that's what it ended up being on last week's SLAM! That's right, Jericho looked to stack the deck against Taven in order to protect his title, making it a three-on-one handicap match involving "Soul Train Jones," "Pineapple Pete," and perhaps most surprisingly of all, the returning Kevin Owens! We hadn't seen "KO" since that tough title loss last month, but he soon found himself dragged into this situation pretty much against his own will. Perhaps Jericho should have done some better research though as Kevin Owens has made it crystal clear that he'll always stick up for what's right, and clearly this sham of a match didn't fall into that category! As such, Owens laid out both Pete and Jones, opening the door for Taven to nail the pair of them with a double frog splash and pick up the three count! Chris Jericho could hardly contain his shock or his anger as Kevin Owens gave him a little taste of his own medicine, and now "Le Champion" finds himself having to defend the gold against Taven all over again! Only this time, "The Trend" comes into the contest fresh without having to wrestle another match just prior! Now that the playing field has been levelled, will Taven get the job done? Or will Chris Jericho use all his experience to somehow sneak out of MonAnarchy with the gold still within his possession? We'll get our answers soon enough, but one way or the other, I wouldn't be surprised if Kevin Owens keeps a close eye on this result, whatever it may be.


And now we come to our main event, arguably one of the most highly anticipated World Championship matches we've seen in years! Jeremy Wyatt's meteoric rise has been well-documented, not least of all right here in last month's Ross Report, but it's important to remember that Jamie Noble has likewise had one hell of a year as well! It was only a few weeks after his debut that he won Civil War before quickly going on to claim the biggest prize in the game for the first time, and even though that incredible moment was short-lived (something we'll circle back to in a moment), the fact that Noble was able to bounce back from that disappointment and recapture the gold at SuperBrawl XX is a testament to the West Virginia native's fortitude. "The Redneck Messiah" has more than proven his credentials over the last 12 months, especially in the way he overcame such a strong challenger like Santos Escobar back at Resolutions. However, Jeremy Wyatt has wasted no time in playing his trademark mind games in preparation for the opportunity he earned at SuperBrawl, hurting Noble by taking out his cousin Nunzio, including dropping the "Full-Blooded Italian" on his head three times in a row with the Monarch Buster during a match on SLAM! He even convinced Noble and the entire EWA Universe that he'd kicked his manager, Michael Strider, to the curb, only to have "The Devil Himself" show up to assist in attacking Noble, joining forces to put him through a table with a double powerbomb! While Noble would gain a measure of revenge by attacking Strider after the show with a tire iron, that too played into the manipulative "Monarch's" hands as he used Noble's assault to cajole Harry Smith into accepting a couple of requests. The first, that Wyatt would get to pick the stipulation for this blockbuster of a match...and the second, that if Noble touched him before MonAnarchy, Smith would strip "The Peckerwood Jesus" of the title and award it to Wyatt! Well, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, the SuperBrawl XX winning Captain tried to goad Noble into snapping so he could take the World Championship the easy way, smashing up Noble's beloved 2007 Chevy Silverado with a baseball bat right in front of him! How Noble managed to hold himself back after what Wyatt did to poor "Lucy," I'll never know, but as things stand right now, the match is most definitely still on this Sunday! But, what match will it be?

Well, Jeremy Wyatt has teased revealing that information all week long, and thanks to a confidential source, I can make the exclusive announcement for him right here in the Ross Report! In fact, it's a match we've only ever seen once before in an EWA ring, all the way back at Living Dangerously 2011 when Douglas Williams defended the National Title against Jerry Lynn (available RIGHT HERE on the EWA Network)! So, without any further adieu, the match-type that "The Monarch" has chosen for this weekend's eagerly-awaited title clash is none other than...a PURE RULES MATCH! That's right! Once a staple of Shane Douglas' Ring of Honor promotion back in 2007 with an entire division built around it, Pure Rules can be broken down in the following ways:

1. Each wrestler is allowed three rope breaks. Once used up, the ropes can no longer break up pins or submissions.

2. Closed fist punches are illegal and will be penalized by the loss of a rope break. If they're already out of rope breaks, then it will result in a disqualification.

3. The Referee will give a 20 count as opposed to the traditional 10 count any time the competitors are out of the ring.

4. Unlike regular matches, titles CAN change hands on a countout or a disqualification.

In other words then, it sounds like another stroke of genius as far as Jeremy Wyatt is concerned! He knows how much he's goaded Jamie Noble, how pissed off "The Redneck Messiah" is with him, and now he's putting Noble in a situation where if he can't keep that anger in check, it could very well cost him the championship! And that brings me back to another factor which I briefly hinted at...that this is all taking place in Jeremy Wyatt's backyard of Kansas City, Missouri! Despite Wyatt being hugely unpopular among the vast majority of the EWA Universe, that homefield advantage must also be playing on Noble's mind, especially after similar circumstances last year saw him lose his first World Title defense against "The Honky Tonk Man" in his hometown of Memphis! It's sure to create a unique atmosphere inside of the cauldron of the T-Mobile Center, one that many feel has a strong chance of seeing Wyatt cap off an incredible year with his third singles championship and the biggest prize in professional wrestling to boot! Will his chosen stipulation be Noble's undoing? Can the World Champion stop history from repeating itself? Or will he get caught up in the trap that Jeremy Wyatt has expertly laid out for him? Honestly, I can't wait to find out, and I'm sure all of you reading this can't wait either! And in just two days time, we'll finally get our answers!

Well, I said it right at the start, but this month's Pay-Per-View truly is shaping up to be one of the greatest EWA events EVER, one that promises to shake up the landscape for months to come! With every championship on the line and a whole lot of rivalries coming to a head in damn near ever kind of slobberknocker you can imagine, there's a little something for everyone! Rest assured, folks, there's gonna be a whole lot of anarchy in Kansas City on Sunday night, so make sure you don't miss a single second of the action! Until next time, this is good ol' JR saying

BOOMER SOONER!