Ross Report - 9/10/21

This Sunday marks the tenth annual Summer Stampede, and boy, is it shaping up to be an absolute slobberknocker of a show! There's plenty to look forward to, so let's dive right into a rundown of this action-packed card!

It was just a few weeks ago that Bray Wyatt made his shocking return to the EWA, having been absent for many months due to some extremely serious legal issues. Once those charges were finally dropped, it opened the door for Bray to come back in a major way, decimating poor "Desperado" Joe Gomez and then taking his place in a match which Wyatt impressively won in under a minute. During last week's SLAM!, "The Eater of Worlds" would then issue an open challenge to anyone willing to "sacrifice" themselves to Sister Abigail, effectively putting the entire EWA roster on notice. To everyone's surprise though, Pete Gas would be the man to answer that call! The self-appointed leader of "The Mean Street Posse" has had quite the run in 2021, pinning Bo Dallas during that chaotic match for the (unofficial and unrecognized) 12-Man Tag Team Championships and then defeating Malakai Black as well, albeit under controversial circumstances. There's no doubt that "The Gas Man's" ego has swelled to epic proportions, but can he keep this run going against a supernatural force of nature like Bray Wyatt? Or will he become the latest victim in the name of Wyatt's ghostly thrall? We'll find out one way or another at Summer Stampede!


From the moment he arrived in the EWA, Ricky Starks has had a major chip on his shoulder, one exemplified by his claims that he'd be World Heavyweight Champion right now if only Chris Jericho hadn't involved himself in Ricky's title match with Adam Page last month. As much as "The Gambler" clearly still harbors championship aspirations, his attentions have been temporarily diverted to the returning Chris Sabin instead, who Starks feels has stolen his spotlight since coming back to the EWA after an absence of close to two years. For his part, Sabin has made clear he has no issue whatsoever with the New Orleans native, even trying to smooth things out on this past week's SLAM! by pointing out that he wasn't looking to steal anyone's spot or jump the line for title opportunities, but to instead work with some of the incredible new talent we've added to our ranks during his time away. Alas, rather than be the bigger man and bury the hatchet, Starks would proceed to cheap shot "The Motor City Machine Gun" before laying him out with his signature superkick known as the Jackpot! In fact, it seems as if the only satisfaction Ricky Starks will get from Sabin is by beating him 1-2-3 in the middle of the ring, yet let's not forget that Chris is a former National and Television Champion in his own right and not someone who should ever be taken lightly. Especially in a match that could really propel either one of these hugely gifted individuals back up the card should they pick up the all-important victory.

Speaking of important victories, "Officer" Tyler Breeze picked up the biggest win of his career when he defeated Sammy Guevara back at SLAM! #500, so it's no surprise that Harry Smith would seek to reward that good work with a championship match. Still, the current reigning and defending TV Champion has made it very clear that he doesn't believe "Officer Getdown" is deserving of a shot at the gold, with Pete Dunne opting to run Breeze down during the past couple of SLAM!'s. Then again, one could say "The Bruiserweight" hasn't exactly been the most forthcoming of Television Champions in recent history. After all, the night he won the title was tantamount to daylight robbery when he and the rest of "Black Thought LLC" destroyed Drew McIntyre in a four-on-one assault, and since then, Dunne has made no secret that every challenger who steps up to the plate will only get one single shot at him. Personally, it feels to me as if Dunne is refusing to be a true fighting champion, yet there's no disputing his reputation as one of the most dangerous individuals that the EWA has ever had under contract. At the same time though, Breeze has had plenty of moral support recently from our National Champion, with Kevin Owens seemingly having Tyler's back and even squaring off with Dunne in an impromptu "champion versus champion" match on last week's SLAM! With Owens in his corner this Sunday, could Tyler find the self belief to overcome the champion and claim his first EWA title? Or will Dunne's reign of terror continue? I guess there's only one way to find out!

"The American Wolves" quickly came in and established their title intentions, leading to several clashes with both Dak Draper and J Fowler as well as the "Black Thought LLC" duo of Brian Pillman Jr. and Shingo Takagi. That all led to the exciting triangle ladder match at SLAM! #500 which saw Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards climb to the top of the proverbial mountain to take home the gold! However, rather than enjoy that moment, it seems as if "The Wolves" weren't exactly satisfied with their victory. Indeed, while winning the titles in a ladder match shouldn't diminish their accomplishment in the slightest, the fact they didn't pin or submit the former champions has left Richards and Edwards feeling as if they need to truly earn the right to call themselves champions. That's why they quickly issued the challenge for a rematch between the two teams...one which J Fowler would surprisingly turn down on behalf of himself and his partner, seemingly due to a crisis of confidence. However, that wasn't the answer "The American Wolves" were looking for, causing them to attack Draper & Fowler in the hopes of forcing their hand. It clearly worked too, with the former champions returning to SLAM! this past week after "The Wolves" had won a non-title match, with "The Mile High Magnum" getting rid of "The Piña Colada Song", dressing more professionally, and now making the important decisions for his somewhat unorthodox tag team partner! This all resulted in a more focused, more intense attitude from Draper & Fowler that saw them get the better of "The American Wolves" in a brief brawl, suggesting that they're not messing around when it comes to getting those titles back! At the same time though, one has to assume that this is exactly what "The American Wolves" wanted out of their opponents, as surprising as that may sound. But then, Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards pride themselves on pushing their competition to their absolute limit and I can guarantee they want to prove why they're deserving of the titles by beating Draper & Fowler at their best, making this a really intriguing contest! And with several more teams seemingly waiting in the wings for a shot at the gold, I'm sure all eyes will be on this clash!


There's no doubt about it, Jade Cargill's meteoric rise to become Women's Champion has been one of the major talking points in the EWA over this past few months. She wasted little time at all in living up to the hype, proving she's more than just a phenomenal athlete with a million dollar body, but has the talent to back it all up as well. When Jade defeated Ember Moon for the gold at SLAM! #500, I think we all wondered who would be the first to step up to "The Total Package" for the top prize in the women's division, but surprisingly, it was Cargill herself who threw out the first challenge, calling out former three-time Women's Champion Sasha Banks. That speaks to the kind of competitor Jade is, not shying away from the tough fights or lacking in any confidence, but let's take a moment to talk about the former "Boss" here. Everyone knows Sasha's credentials, having arguably become THE face of the women's division since the title was reinstated in mid-2017. And yet, Sasha has spent much of 2021 trying to reinvent herself, moving away from the championship scene in search of the "perfect match." It's a move which has obviously caused some tensions between Banks and her manager Jimmy Golden, who doesn't see the worth of being an "artist" when it's being a "champion" that'll bring in the big bucks. Still, I think it's to Sasha's credit that she's chosen to walk her own path...at least until Jade Cargill dragged her back into the Women's Title picture whether she liked it or not, wanting to take out a major name and kick her reign off with a bang. However, as Banks has stated this past week, she's no longer "The Boss" anymore and hasn't been for quite some time, but that's not to say Sasha is less than she was...rather, she's been evolving in her search for that one perfect match, bringing about a potential "X-Factor" that I'm not sure Cargill has taken into consideration. And then when you take into account it's not just the title Sasha is fighting for but her manager as well, the stakes have never been higher for the young Boston native. After all, Jimmy Golden has promised to walk away from Banks and the EWA if she's unable to defeat Jade Cargill this Sunday, which could have a devastating knock-on effect for the self-styled "Artist". Not that Jade Cargill will care about all that personal drama, I'm sure, and perhaps rightly so. To "The Total Package", the only thing that matters is victory at any cost and walking out of the Staples Center STILL the Women's Champion, even if that means robbing Sasha Banks of her mentor to do so!

You've really got to feel for "Hangman" Adam Page. His title victory back at Red, White & Bruised was one of the feel-good moments of the year, with the EWA Universe fully behind him and eager to see the popular former schoolteacher carve his name into the history books! Yet, through no fault of his own, Page was robbed of the championship back at SLAM! #500 when a mysterious masked individual took him out during the climatic moments of his second title defense after having also seemingly assaulted Jamie Noble earlier in the night. Of course, Chris Jericho has vehemently denied any involvement in any of this, having gone on record to say he didn't need or want anybody's help to capture his record-breaking sixth World Championship, but at the same time, this is "Le Champion" we're talking about here. A man who conned and connived his way into a five month National Championship reign where he did everything within his power to avoid genuine competition or stacked the deck against his opponents if need be. Let's face it...if anyone was going to try and weasel their way to the biggest prize in professional wrestling and then play the innocent, it's the veteran from Winnipeg. And the fact that he's trying to turn the tables by claiming it was all a ploy by "Hangman" Page himself, intended to eliminate Jericho from the match and deny him his history-making moment, just doesn't ring even remotely true either. I know the kind of man Adam Page is and I know he would never do something that so lacking in honor and integrity like getting someone else to fight his battles for him. Obviously I can't say the same for the self-styled "Demo God" however, even after the events of this Sunday's SLAM! that seemingly saw that same masked man lay Jericho out in the middle of the ring...albeit when the lights in the arena were out, conveniently denying us a clear view of the supposed attack. Normally I try to be as unbiased as possible here in the Ross Report, but I'm not buying into that BS for one solitary second and I strongly suggest you folks don't either. There's certainly something fishy going on around here, that's for damn sure. Still, putting all that speculation to one side, at least we can be thankful that Harry Smith stepped in to make this rematch official for Summer Stampede, meaning Page has his chance to take back the title he should never have lost in the first place. We know "Hangman" is tougher than a $2 steak, and you can bet he's going to have eyes in the back of his head after the shenanigans of their first encounter too...but at the same time, I just don't trust Jericho, not one iota. I'd bet a whole crate of my finest BBQ sauce that he's got something underhanded up his sleeve to help him retain the championship, but what that might be, I honestly have no idea. All I know is, this match promises to be an absolute barnburner, one you cannot afford to miss! And thankfully, you won't have to either as it's live on Pay-Per-View in just two night's time!

Well, with six exciting matches to look forward to and four championships up for grabs, there's no doubt that the tenth annual Summer Stampede is going to be one for the ages! And aside from ordering the Pay-Per-View, you can also check it all out on the world famous EWA Network, along with every EWA event from the past ten years! Speaking of the Network, we'll also be dropping this month's batch of the latest 2011 additions, covering the tumultuous final months of Steve Corino's reign as General Manager where he was not only tasked by Shane McMahon to find a buyer for the EWA, but also had to deal with stalkers targeting him and his family! You too can relive those shocking moments come Monday, when 13 shows between Road To Civil War and the 2011 Red, White & Bruised become available! But before all that, don't forget to tune in to Summer Stampede, a night which could very well shake the foundations of the EWA to its core! Until next time,

BOOMER SOONER!