JR's Mailbag #7

Hello, and welcome to another edition of JR's Mailbag! After doing the j-o-b to a concrete floor last week, I'm back to answer all of the EWA Universe's burning questions! No topic is taboo here, folks, so if you've got anything you want to know for future installments, just remember that there are two ways to go about submitting your questions. You can either get in touch via the EWA's official Twitter account or you can send me a direct message right here on EWA.com.

With all that out of the way, let's see what's in today's mailbag:


After a small lull over the past couple of months, it really seems as if the tag division is on the upswing again. I mentioned last time out in the Mailbag that tag wrestling is a cyclical beast in nature, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise to now see so many potential contenders popping out of the woodwork.

Since it seems pretty obvious (to me at least) that Braun Strowman and Santino Marella could well end up challenging for the gold one final time before Super Brawl, and "The Vaudevillains" have had their shot and come up just short, I'm going to take a look at three other teams who've really caught my eye recently. In no particular order:

1. Big Show and John Cena - these two came together over the summer and gelled right from the off-set. Both have similar temperments, both have similar experience, and both are much loved by the EWA faithful. That initial run was cut short thanks to Matt Morgan and his Steel Horsemen of Doom injuring Big Show, but now that Show is healed up and Cena has returned from his own injuries, the sky could well be the limit for these two should they want to keep this alliance going.

2. The Bayou Bullies - I mentioned it this past week on the Ross Report, but I've been really impressed by the way Skinner and Jethro have made their presence felt in the EWA. Sure, they haven't won a match together as of yet, but you can see this uncle-nephew pairing improve with each and every outing. Take them lightly at your own peril, 'cos they might just skin you alive!

3. The Rockers - Never did I think I'd see the day when Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty would put their differences aside and come together once again! Yet here we are, with "The Rockers" not only back and on the same wavelength, but looking like they've not skipped a beat either! Much like "The Bayou Bullies," I can't help but think that the more matches they can get under their belt, the more momentum they might build. Then again, one could argue that "The Kings of Wrestling" have looked truly unbeatable ever since they won the Hulk Hogan Rock N' Wrestling Tag Team Tournament earlier this year, so whoever does end up dethroning them will no doubt have to pull something special out of the bag!

Next question:


You might onto something there, John. Off the top of my head, I can recall Finn Balor debuting in late June of 2016 before walking out with the King of the Ring crown in November that same year. Then there was Andrew Martin, who had his first match in late July of 2007 before capturing the King of the Ring just two months later. On top of that, there was Pentagon Jr going from debuting in early October 2015 to being part of the victorious Team Rated R at Super Brawl XV in late December as well. However, those are just the most egregious examples I can think of and not one comes close to the 35 day turnaround between PCO's first match and his winning the King of the Ring. It just goes to show how much of an impact "The French-Canadian Frankenstein" has made in such a short amount of time, and against arguably the toughest field of opponents any King has had to face as well. Whoever walks out of Super Brawl XVIII with the World Championship had better be ready, because they'll be in for a hell of a fight against PCO!

Next question:


Back in the third edition of the Mailbag, I was asked a similar question regarding what shows to go back and check out on the EWA Network. There I mentioned Super Brawl's XVII, XIII, X and VI, which I still stand by but will expand on a little now.

Last year's event was one which made history by seeing the first time ever women were invited to take part in the match, more than making up for the fact that there was only three teams involved. Plus, from a personal standpoint, I found the ending of the match really enthralling as it came down to a straight-up war of attrition between Jack Gallagher and Adam Cole rather than becoming overwrought with outside shenanigans.

XIII was a fantastic show for many reasons, featuring a super strong line-up which seemingly positioned Team Rhodes as the heavy favorites in many people's eyes. I can't help but love a good underdog story though, so to see Steve Corino's misfit team walk out victorious has a special place in my heart, even if "The King of Old School" did cheat to get the job done before embarking on a villainous run over the next half year that saw his ego spiral out of control.

The obvious draw for Super Brawl X was the fact it was the first and only time that the Super Brawl Match has taken place within the confines of War Games. That added a whole different feel to "The Grand Daddy Of 'Em All," which was only made all the more dramatic in those closing moments when The Rock threw everything at Masato Tanaka barring in the kitchen sink, only for "The Strong Style Saviour" to somehow overcome the odds and walk out with the win, despite being the first Captain to see the rest of his team eliminated.

And going back to Super Brawl VI, that one sticks out to me because it was really the start of a new era for the EWA, with a new guard coming in and doing a phenomenal job establishing themselves. JBL's team might have emerged victorious that night, but it was very much a coming out party for the likes of Booker T, Tommy Dreamer, Matt Hardy, and Chris Benoit, not to mention members of Team Cabinet like Christian, Rene Dupree and Sylvan Grenier.

Honestly though, you can't go wrong with any Super Brawl Match!

Next question:


Well, here's the thing, Homer...only one out of the last five King of the Ring winners have successfully cashed in their World Title opportunity, that being Edge back in 2015. That's including the fact that our last two King of the Ring winners have each received two shots at the gold as well. So while winning that crown is certainly a worthy accomplishment, it just goes to show that the hard work is far from done. As far as PCO goes, when you look at that mixture of surprising speed and agility to go along with that jaw-dropping power, one could argue that he's the total package. And with Father James Mitchell guiding him, there's no reason to believe he can't go on to become a dominant World Champion down the line in the same vein as a Samuel Shaw or indeed Brock Lesnar. But, and here's the crucial point, with Lesnar still holding the gold, I don't know if there's ANYONE that can beat "The Beast" right now, be it PCO or anyone else. That's just my gut feeling, but it's been known to be wrong in the past.

As for the others involved in the semi-finals? It's no secret by now that I'm a big fan of Gabriel, Ricochet and Fit Finlay, and think it's only a matter of time before they all hold some kind of gold here in the EWA. Gabriel has been fighting and clawing for respect since arriving, while Ricochet has quickly propelled himself up the card thanks to that amazing rivalry with Ken Shamrock, and one could say that Fit Finlay is the dark horse of the bunch. Despite being the oldest active member of the roster, "The Fighting Irishman" continues to turn back the clock in impressive fashion. So no, I don't have any worries of any of them "fading into obscurity" as they're all way too talented and too hungry to suceed to let that happen.

Final question:


History dictates that's a pretty tough question to answer, Meg. After all, Super Brawl has traditionally been the time of year where we've seen superstars of old make surprise one-off returns that no one saw coming. Be it Shane Helms in 2011, MYSTERIO in 2011 and 2013, Brent Albright last year, or arguably all of Team Legend in 2009, don't be too surprised if we see some shocking draft picks!

That said though, looking at the current roster, I really hope a lot of our superstars get to experience the majesty of Super Brawl. I just talked about Gabriel, Ricochet and Fit Finlay, and it seems like a no-brainer that all three of them will be much sought after picks for all of this year's Captains. On top of that, I mentioned in the last Ross Report about Big Show having a hell of a 2018 as well, so I think he'd make a strong addition to any team. Plus, you've got to believe that John Cena has a chip on his shoulder after initially being named a Captain for last year's event, only to have to pull out due to injury. There's no shortage of talent amongst the EWA roster right now, that's for damn sure.

Thanks for all the questions, folks! If you've got anything you want to ask me, feel free to send them into JR's Mailbag either here or here and I'll do my best to provide an answer in two weeks time...barring any more accidents, that is! Until then,

BOOMER SOONER!