Post by Ross Report on Nov 14, 2018 13:06:22 GMT
The 17th annual King of the Ring came to a conclusion last night, and what a show it was! Things got off to a wild start when "The Kings of Wrestling" were interviewed by Renee Young, bemoaning their apparent lack of competition. Little did the champs realize they'd soon be interrupted by their last challengers, Santino Marella and Braun Strowman, who were surprisingly just looking to offer their respect rather than continue the fight. However, in a shocking turn of events, it was Chris Hero and Cesaro who jumped Strowman and Marella after all was said and done! It almost seems like success has gone to "The Kings'" heads, bringing back that old cocky attitude we saw out of them when they first reformed in the summer, as they isolated Strowman and decimated Marella. One has to question how "The Monster Among Men" and "The Italian Stallion" will react to this brutal assault, especially after they'd swallowed their pride to offer congratulations to the Tag Team Champions in the first place. My best guess? Not too kindly!
One of the big questions coming into the Pay-Per-View was who would partner up with Marty Jannetty as he took on Skinner and Jethro? For the longest time during that match, it looked like the answer was (improbably) a large bag of Skittles. That meant "Party Marty" had to essentially go it along against "The Trappers," putting up a valiant fight but seemingly only delaying the inevitable. That is, until none other than Shawn Michaels ran down to ringside, providing the timely assist to help score Marty the victory! Could it really be? Could "The Rockers" have reformed after all these years? Color me intrigued to fight out, but it was damn good to see Shawn and Marty together again after all these years!
For the second week running, the broadcast was interrupted by a mysterious video that featured snippets of movie clips that seem to have a broader message. What that message might be though, I wouldn't like to speculate. It does almost seem as if it's leading to something on next week's SLAM! Hopefully we'll get some answers there.
After last week's wicked beatdown at the hands of Jack Swagger, Chris Sabin had one hell of a target on his ankle for their National Championship encounter. Needless to say, the "All-American American" targeted that ankle exactly as you'd expect him to, utilizing his full arsenal to try and force Sabin to say those two magic words, "I quit." "Detroit's Finest" was in a world of trouble here, yet we've seen how strong his will can be many times over the course of this year, and this match was no different. While no one would have faulted the National Champion from quitting, Sabin managed to fight back, freeing himself from the ankle lock with a nasty looking enziguri that rocked Swagger, allowing Sabin to apply a modified STF from out of nowhere! Prior to the match, Swagger had made it clear that if he Sabin forced him to say "I quit," it wouldn't be to quit the match, but the EWA as a whole. As such, it was obvious that no matter how much pain the former Tag Team Champion was in or how much damage Sabin was doing, Swagger was never going to give up. What he probably didn't count on though was Zeb Colter throwing in the towel, thus seemingly costing Swagger his career as well as the title! I'll be sad to see my fellow Oklahoma native go, but at the same time, Chris Sabin is going from strength to strength right now. With Super Brawl right around the corner, that momentum couldn't come at a better time either!
It's been a few weeks since we've seen Lucas "The King" Calhoun in an EWA ring, but he was back this week to "Talk Chop, Baby!" That involved calling out Marty Scurll, the man who jumped Calhoun several weeks ago and left him laying. "The Villain" used this opportunity to air some understandable grievances over being left out of this year's King of the Ring tournament, before threatening to make another example out of Calhoun. Instead, it would be "The King" who "took care of business," sending the Brit packing and standing tall! Mark my words though, folks...this rivalry is far from over!
Speaking of heated rivalries, things have escalated pretty quickly between Daffney and Charlotte Flair since "The Zombie Goddess" returned at All Hallows' Evil. It's fair to say that Charlotte had something to prove after being wiped out in that initial assault, and she certainly came into this match like the proverbial "house on fire." However, Daffney is no slouch either, managing to use "The Nature Girl's" aggression against her to exploit openings and take control for portions of the contest. In the end though, it looked as if Charlotte had Daffney right where she wanted her, setting up for the Figure Eight...when who should make her presence felt but Becky Lynch! It's safe to say "The Queenslayer" has unfinished business with Charlotte, allowing Daffney to roll her opponent up for the cheap victory, Charlotte's first loss in an EWA ring this year. No doubt about it, "The Nature Girl" has plenty of reason to be angered as she looks to bounce back from this one!
After some amazing quarter final matches over the past couple of weeks, the King of the Ring tournament continued in earnest as we witnessed our first semi-final contest with Fit Finlay taking on Gabriel. Few superstars have enjoyed as much success over the last few months as "The Fighting Irishman," who had made no bones about being how much it would mean to him to walk out with the crown. Then again, the exact same could be said for Gabriel as well, who has been scratching and clawing for every inch of recognition he can get since his arrival in the EWA. With both competitors so determined to win this one, the match itself played out in the exact manner you'd expect with neither Finlay or Gabriel backing down. Make no mistake, this was a good ol' fashioned barnburner, the kind of match that reminds me why I fell in love with this sport in the first place. It wasn't about any shenanigans or outside influences, but rather who was the better man on this particular night. In this case, Gabriel was that man, but on a different occasion? I'd suggest that might not always be the case given the strength of the age-defying performance from Fit Finlay. Still, "The Solitary Reaper" walked out victorious here, booking his place in the finals. Question is, who would he be facing?
Before we could find out, we heard from Ken Shamrock for the first time after he accidentally knocked out Amy Weber the week prior. "The World's Most Dangerous Man" certainly seemed penatent here, as well as outright dismissing any conspiracy theory linking him to Sable, but as we'd see a little later on in the show, you could say Shamrock was being disingenuous at best.
Moving on to the second semi-final match, we had PCO versus Ricochet. Pierre Carl Ouellet has seemingly gone through a few changes in personnel this week, with Ariel being ditched in favor of Father James Mitchell, a man we haven't seen in almost two years since he and Kane went their separate ways. Meanwhile, Ricochet has been striving to prove his loss to Shamrock at All Hallows' Evil was just a fluke by picking up the King of the Ring crown he believes he deserves. That made for an exciting "David versus Goliath"-type contest, with "The French Canadian Frankenstein's" power and strength colliding against the speed and agility of "The One And Only." While neither one of these men are exactly crowd favorites, the EWA Universe clearly enjoyed this wild battle which spilled to the floor and saw the official show a whole lot of leeway to both men! At one point, it even looked as if Ricochet had the win all sewn up after an incredible piledriver on the big man, only for James Mitchell to run interference by putting PCO's boot on the bottom rope. In the end though, PCO was able to deliver a devastating chokeslam through the announce table, a move which proved decisive in handing him what some may well call the upset victory. He had to go to hell and back to earn his spot, but this victory confirmed it'll be PCO taking on Gabriel later in the show to decide who will become this year's King of the Ring!
In a strange turn of events, it looks as if Blue Pantaloons is being denied the chance to cash in her rematch clause against Tessa Blanchard anytime soon by her own teammate Simon Gotch. I've pointed out the jealousy that Mr Gotch appears to have in regards to "Ms Pantaloons" before, but one thing I found very interesting here was the mystery over who Aiden English was on the phone to. It sounds as if an "intervention" is taking place next week on SLAM! with the possibility of a fourth "Vaudevillain" being added to the mix, but who and what that might involve, we'll have to wait to find out.
Everyone, including yours truly, forgot about the newly instated rule that the previous King of the Ring gets the first shot at the World Title post-Super Brawl and one further opportunity at the next year's King of the Ring show. Chalk that up to old age on my part, folks. Either way though, it meant Al Snow found himself challenging his old rival Brock Lesnar once again, and while "The Snowman" may have had Lesnar's number in their early encounters, it's fair to say it's been pretty one-sided ever since. However, Al was facing a wounded "Beast" this time around, with Brock still feeling the effects of a near career-ending shoulder injury. Even at less than 100% though, Brock Lesnar is unlike any competitor we've ever seen in the EWA, able to take untold punishment and still dish out those suplexes that have become such a deadly trademark. No matter what Al Snow came at him with, the World Champion continued to find a way to reply, at least until Ken Shamrock made an appearance from out of nowhere, going right after Brock's injured shoulder with a fujiwara arm bar that brought the fight to a premature conclusion! As far as apologies go, this is one of the worst I've ever seen, with Shamrock showing no remorse whatsoever as he looked to tear Lesnar's arm out of its socket, before then trying to snap Al Snow's ankle as well. Thank God security were on hand to drag him away before he could finish the job, yet I have to question just what has got into "The World's Most Dangerous Man?" Is it the disappointment over losing to Lesnar at All Hallows' Evil? Could it be Sable does have some kind of influence over him after all? Or is this just the real Shamrock rearing his head for all to see? Whatever the reason, he made a huge statement of intent last night, and Sgt Slaughter has a big decision to make now. Issuing a fine didn't seem to curb Shamrock's aggression last week, so what will "Sarge" have in store for the MMA veteran after this disturbing assault?
In the meanwhile, it was time for the finals of the King of the Ring, where PCO and Gabriel would duke it out for the honor of joining the likes of famous previous winners such as Kurt Angle, Cody Rhodes, The Rock and Harry Smith! To say this match was a golden opportunity for one of these competitors would be a gross understatement. And after both competing in gruelling matches once already earlier in the night, you had to wonder just what either man had left in the tank. Well, thankfully, the answer was plenty! Indeed, PCO and Gabriel fought tooth and nail here, delivering a dictionary definition of a "slobberknocker" as they beat the living tar out of one another! Credit where it's due as well, while PCO might seem like a soulless monster, Gabriel was able to hurt "The French-Canadian Frankenstein" more than perhaps any other opponent he's faced thus far in his burgeoning EWA career. Still, PCO is as vicious as they come, able to put to good use that God (or perhaps devil?) given strength, as well as showcasing some surprising agility for a man of his size. And it was perhaps that unrelenting, almost unholy power that proved to be his advantage here. After all, while Gabriel got caught up in the moment and played to the fans while he was on top, PCO managed to catch his opponent unawares with a series of sickening moves that culminated in a Black Hole Slam for the victory that many in the EWA Universe seemed to predict was coming, if our poll on Twitter is anything to go by! How much of that was down to Father James Mitchell's guidance is hard to say, but the fact remains, PCO is our new King of the Ring, guaranteeing him the first shot at whoever walks out of Super Brawl the World Champion!
It's time now for my picks for this week's top three movers and shakers. Here's what I've got:
1. PCO
2. Gabriel
3. Ken Shamrock
The number one slot seems like a no-brainer here, with PCO winning two brutal battles to put his name in the history books. Still, Gabriel can be proud of the way he acquitted himself last night, having to be at his best against a game Fit Finlay and then taking "The French-Canadian Frankenstein" to the limit. And last but by no means least, Ken Shamrock made a huge and shocking statement by taking out both the World Champion and his challenger in one fell swoop, seemingly signaling a turn to the darkside in the process. Given how unpredictable the EWA is, his actions could either see him lose his job next week or perhaps even be named a Super Brawl Captain, you just don't know! But I can say for sure that there's only one way to find out!
As we wait for all the King of the Ring fallout and more information on this year's Super Brawl though, feel free to share your own top three movers and shakers via our Twitter page. And don't forget to send in your questions for this Friday's edition of JR's Mailbag as well, which you can do either on Twitter or right here on EWA.com. Until then,
BOOMER SOONER!
