Ross Report - 5/28/22

It's been a hectic month in the EWA since Civil War, filled with vicious assaults, mind games, and some good ol' fashioned slobberknockers! And it's all been leading to tomorrow night's Pay-Per-View extravaganza, Mayan Mayhem! Let's take a look at the card, shall we?


Alexa Bliss hasn't exactly endeared herself to the EWA Universe since her debut, with her "holier-than-thou" attitude rubbing a lot of people the wrong way. Not only has she treated our great fans like dirt on the bottom of her boots, but that inherent arrogance has also carried over into the way she treats her fellow superstars as well, including the returning "Smiley" Kylie Rae! It should be cause for celebration to have someone as peppy and fan-friendly as Kylie back in the fold, but from the moment the Chicago, Illinois native showed up in support of her friend Marko Stunt, "The Goddess" has seemingly taken exception to her being here. This initially led to a backstage confrontation on SLAM! where Kylie Rae tried to be the bigger woman and walk away, only to have Bliss continue to trash talk her on the following episode of EWA USA, before jumping "The Smiley One" after Marko had defeated Pete Gas to earn a brand new contract! Alexa clearly felt pretty pleased with herself as she came to the ring to gloat on last week's SLAM!, only for Kylie to claim a small measure of payback when she hopped the guardrail to give Bliss a taste of her own medicine! Thankfully, our over-worked and underpaid security team were on hand to break that fight up, but not before Kylie laid out the challenge for Mayan Mayhem where these two ladies look to settle the score once and for all! Still, you've got to wonder if Kylie's ring rust might play a factor here after not competing in an EWA ring since May 2020, whereas Alexa Bliss has been one of the most active competitors in the women's division since her arrival last October. I guess you'll just have to order the show to find out how this one shakes out!


Roman Reigns has wasted little time in making an impact in the EWA so far. Whether by racking up win after win or by scoring the most eliminations during the men's Civil War Match, "The Big Dog" hasn't taken any prisoners! That includes former World Heavyweight Champion Pete Dunne, who Reigns mysteriously decided to lay out after Dunne scored a big win on SLAM! three weeks ago, before Roman demanded we all "acknowledge" him! Needless to say, someone as hot-headed as "The Bruiserweight" didn't take too kindly to that, showing up on the following week's EWA USA to pressure Roman into facing him like a man. Instead, it turned out Reigns wasn't even in the E-Arena that week, taunting Dunne from afar to get further under his skin while also promising to show up on last week's SLAM! instead. "The Career Killer" was ready and waiting, armed with his trademark sledgehammer to finally give as good as he'd got...only for Harry Smith to show up, striking a deal with Dunne to not cause any trouble in exchange for a match with Reigns at Mayan Mayhem. Well, Dunne seemingly agreed to those terms, but what we didn't count on was Reigns himself once again playing his mind games, essentially calling Dunne a coward for backing down. It didn't take long for "The Bruiserweight" to lose his cool and go barging into Roman's locker room to take him out...or at least, that was the plan, anyway. It would soon turn out though that Reigns had manipulated Pete Dunne into attacking a member of our production crew who shared a passing resemblance with "The Big Dog", leaving EWA officials with little choice but to issue a heavy fine and remove him from the match at tomorrow's Pay-Per-View, with the threat of a lengthy suspension hanging over "The Career Killer." However, it seems common sense has prevailed to a certain extent. Yes, Dunne was the one responsible for attacking an innocent man, but only after Roman Reigns had orchestrated those events in the first place. And as a result, Dunne had to hand in his sledgehammer and vow never to use it again in order to finally get the match he wanted, as revealed on this morning's EWA USA! No doubt about it though, even with or without a sledgehammer, this one is going to be an intense battle between two bitter rivals, and I can't wait to see how it all plays out!


Rhea Ripley etched her name in the history books when she became only the fourth ever winner of the women's Civil War Match last month! And what a memorable victory it was, as Ripley battled it out with both Charlotte Flair and Tessa Blanchard on the apron for several tense moments, before "The Nightmare" managed to knock both her opponents down to the floor while crashing on top of them! Flair felt understandably aggrieved by that conclusion however, quickly making her feelings known by interrupting Rhea Ripley as the "Team Taz" member came out on SLAM! to celebrate. After some heated back-and-forth between them, things inevitably turned violent as Rhea Ripley sent "The Opportunity" running from the ring like a scalded dog, only for Renee Young to catch up with Charlotte backstage, who angrily threw out the challenge for a match at Mayan Mayhem...before then goading Ripley to put her Civil War "Anytime, Anyplace" title shot on the line! Well, the Adelaide native has never been one to back down from a fight, which is how she's racked up such an impressive string of wins over the past five months, agreeing to the match only to get jumped from behind by Flair immediately after! With tensions reaching fever pitch, we saw a contract signing on last week's SLAM! to make things 100% official, overseen by our esteemed GM Harry Smith. Unfortunately though, as often seems to be the case in these situations, things quickly took a turn for the worse as Ripley and Flair went to war with one another yet again! Thankfully these two hellcats were dragged apart from one another to save something for Mayan Mayhem, but there's no question just how badly they want to tear one another to pieces! And with the winner emerging with a guaranteed shot at the Women's Championship which they can cash in at any time or place of their choosing, it's fair to say that they're fighting over some high stakes!


After dominating the early months of 2022, "The Decree" took their first stumble at Civil War with a disappointing showing that saw Drew McIntyre the first man eliminated from the men's match! Clearly "The True King of Scotland" was all-too aware of this himself, trying to rally his troops as they looked to bounce back. That team meeting was soon interrupted by the ubiquitous "British Bulldog", looking to speak to Drew about his next challenger, only to be told that McIntyre had a worthy opponent lined up for the following SLAM! As it would turn out though, that opponent was none other than "The Decree's" own whipping boy, Clark Connors! It looked as if the con was on, with Drew seemingly expecting Clark to lay down for him, only to have "The Wild Rhino" give the big Scotsman one hell of a fight! Credit where it's due, Connors tried to make the most of this opportunity even though it might cost him his place in the group, yet in the end, McIntyre was able to score the victory and stand tall. That is, until Harry Smith arrived to introduce him to his next challenger...or challengers, to be more specific! Indeed, now Drew faces the unenviable task of putting the gold on the line in a fourway Scramble Match against "The Glorious One" Robert Roode, as well as two men who've been at each other's throats for the past couple of months, Kenny Omega and Hook! Funnily enough, all three had had an in-ring confrontation with one another on the previous SLAM!, where "The Cleaner" took exception to Taz claiming Hook would soon hold gold, only for Roode himself to crash the scene and introduce himself to the two arch rivals! Just when it looked like their exchange might soon turn physical, Smith once again made his presence felt, calling for calm and promising an opportunity for all three men if they show a little patience. Well, that patience has certainly been rewarded, giving the three challengers a chance to walk out with the National Title in Mexico City! And given that the odds have been stacked so far against Drew McIntyre, you've got to believe that one way or the other, we'll surely be seeing a new champion crowned tomorrow night!


And so we come to our main event! It took Al Snow 14 attempts, but at long last, the EWA veteran finally took home the prize in the men's Civil War Match! However, some might say it was a bit of a poisoned chalice considering Mil Muertes decimated Santino Marella inside a Steel Cage that same night to capture the World Heavyweight Title! Indeed, as if Muertes running through Santino wasn't enough, he'd then defend the championship against an EWA legend in Booker T a couple of weeks later, who'd tried coming to Marella's aid after the conclusion of the Cage Match at Civil War. Still, it's to "The Snowman's" credit that rather than waiting until someone less intimidating held the biggest prize in the game, Al quickly announced that he would cash in his title opportunity at Mayan Mayhem! Alas, that announcement was soon cut short by the return of his former partner Kevin Owens, the very same man Al eliminated to win Civil War and not to mention the same one who he viciously attacked last October to put "Mr. Wrestling" on the shelf and force him to give up the National Title! Indeed, it's safe to say that Owens has more than a few bones to pick with the former "bWo" leader, especially when Al turned down his challenge for a match! That would go a long way in explaining why Owens would then vow to keep the pressure on Al by any means necessary until he got what he wanted, resulting in him twice attacking "The Snowman" on last week's SLAM! as he tried to make the match with Muertes official. Security succeeded in dragging him off the first time, but the second saw "The Man of 1,000 Deaths" angrily react to the interruption, leading to another wild brawl! As security finally tried to restore order, Harry Smith made yet ANOTHER appearance, laying down the law by announcing the Mayan Mayhem main event would now have a Special Guest Enforcer to make sure the match went down without issuing, bringing out the former champion Santino Marella! Well, folks, it seems we've got ourselves a real barnburner of a situation here, one that's combustible as a matchbook in a firework factory! Mil Muertes is as formidable a champion as we've seen in quite some time, while Al Snow is eager to finally win the big one...but with Kevin Owens on the prowl and Santino Marella tasked to keep order, who in the hell knows how this one is going to turn out! I guess you'll just have to watch the show to find out!

So there we have it! Five big matches with plenty of ramifications as we head into a busy summer! Will we see new champions crowned? Will these rivalries be settled? Or could there be some more surprises in store? One thing I know for certain is, you're not going to want to miss a single second of the action, in our first ever Pay-Per-View from Mexico City! But while we wait on tomorrow's show, why not take the opportunity to check out the award-winning EWA Network! This month saw 15 new additions to the archives from the last quarter of 2008, covering Terry Funk's reign as Triple Crown Champion and the birth of "The Age of The Fall", as well as major shows like King of the Ring and SuperBrawl VIII! In the meantime though, that's all I've got time for on this month's Ross Report, but make sure you join me again next time as we prepare for the EWA's 19th annual Red, White & Bruised! Until then,

BOOMER SOONER!