Post by Ross Report on Nov 27, 2018 15:41:54 GMT
The Toyota Center was rocking last night as the EWA continues the steady march towards Super Brawl XVIII! And speaking of the "Showcase of the Immortals," we saw some huge developments, not least of all a badly injured Ken Shamrock surprising Al Snow to take that coveted third Captain's spot! It sure looked as if "The World's Most Dangerous Man" wasn't even going to make it to SLAM! this week after Brock Lesnar left him bloodied, bruised and half-blind the week prior! And yet, just as Al Snow was zeroing in on a countout victory, a timely distraction from "The Vaudevillains" (who it seems have problems of their own with "The Snowman" and bWo after a backstage ice sculpting incident between the two groups earlier in the show) allowed Shamrock to hobble down to ringside and catch his opponent off guard. One ankle lock later, and the MMA veteran finds himself on a collision course with Brock Lesnar at Super Brawl! The World Champion might have been banned from this week's broadcast as punishment for his downright shocking actions one week ago, but no doubt he and Sable were left fuming to see Shamrock earn his opportunity as Super Brawl Captain after everything they'd done to take him out of the mix.
Let's not forget that there'll be two other Super Brawl Captains looking to achieve the ultimate in wrestling glory as well though. We already knew one of those, with Chris Sabin checking in with an update on the major ankle issues that have plagued him since the summer. That said, he's under strict doctor's orders not to do anything that might antagonize the injury before Super Brawl, which may have just put a target on "Detroit's Finest." On top of that though, Sgt. Slaughter revealed the identity of the fourth and final Captain, handing the spot to the man who was forced to pull out as Captain last year, John Cena! While "The Doctor of Thuganomics" got off to a hot start in 2018, putting together an impressive win streak until finally falling to Brock Lesnar, he's looked well and truly motivated since returning from injury these past few weeks. If I know John as well as I think I do, he's going to take this opportunity with open arms to try and make up for the disappointment of missing out on last year's festivities.
And we won't have to wait long to find out who else will be competing in Super Brawl either, as "Sarge" announced that the draft would commence this Friday, right here on EWA.com! It's gonna be an interesting weekend as Brock Lesnar, Chris Sabin, Ken Shamrock and John Cena take it in turns to pick their respective National Title and Tag Title contenders, as well as their Alternates! Keep your eyes peeled this Friday for all the details!
Going back to SLAM! though, and the night officially kicked off with "The Vaudevillains" continuing to experience some inner turmoil. I was glad to hear that Sgt. Slaughter dished out some suitable punishment after Simon Gotch's unprovoked attack on Todd Grisham last week, with their pay for the rest of the year going straight to my fellow broadcaster's bank account. In the meanwhile though, Gotch continues to play antagonist among his cohorts, challenging Jervis Cottonbelly to win a match on next week's show if "The Gentleman" is going to be formally introduced into the group. We'll have to wait and see how that pans out.
Our first contest of the evening saw a heated showdown between Richochet and Lucas Calhoun, two men who you could say were desperate for a win. For Ricochet, it was all about washing away the disappointment of King of the Ring and reminding the world what he's capable of, while "The King" has yet to taste victory of any kind here in the EWA. Alas, he'll have to wait a little longer still, as despite a valiant effort from Lucas Calhoun, he couldn't quite get the job done against "The One And Only." I still stand by what I said last week, that it's only a matter of "when" not "if" it all starts coming together for Lucas, who continues to impress even in defeat. At the same time though, Ricochet makes a strong case for why he could be one of the front runners in this Friday's Super Brawl draft.
The ubiquitous Renee Young found herself with a brief interview with Charlotte Flair right before "The Nature Girl's" tag match against Daffney and Becky Lynch. That would soon be interrupted by AJ Lee, Charlotte's tag partner for the night, who has had her fair share of issues with Daffney in the past. Despite never having teamed together before, it looked as if the two of them were very much on the same page as they took the fight straight to their opponents in a chaotic tag match a little later on. However, Charlotte inadvertently put AJ at a disadvantage after repeatedly trying to enter the match to help her out, only for the Referee to block her every effort. That allowed "Revelation" to switch out and Becky Lynch to submit Lee to the Dis-Arm-Her before escaping once again. It seems Charlotte just can't get any traction against her two major enemies right now.
After twice beating down Santino Marella and Braun Strowman in as many weeks, "The Kings of Wrestling" were feeling pretty pleased with themselves this week. Their gloating would eventually draw the ire of Santino Marella, who'd revealed earlier in the night that "The Monster Among Men" wasn't medically cleared to be at SLAM! As a result, "The Italian Stallion" was in two minds over whether to go and fight Hero and Cesaro single-handedly, yet it all proved to be a ruse as Strowman made a surprise appearance, finally turning the tables on the Tag Team Champions! Indeed, it looked for certain that Cesaro was about to suffer the same fate as John Cena several months ago, namely being tossed off the stage to the concrete floor below. Thankfully though, Sgt Slaughter was on hand to talk sense into the big man before it came to that. Or should I say, make an offer that Strowman and Marella couldn't refuse, handing them their rematch against "The Kings" next week on SLAM! Only this time it'll be a No Disqualification Match! I tell you, folks, that one has got slobberknocker written all over it! Could we see the Tag Team Titles change hands two weeks before the biggest show of the year?!
Elsewhere, we heard from Gabriel, with "The Solitary Reaper" making his pitch for why he should be the number one draft pick this Friday. It's great to see that King of the Ring defeat seemingly hasn't derailed Gabriel, who will no doubt be a great boon to any team he might end up on. And who knows? Perhaps he could even be a future Super Brawl Captain in years to come!
In a rematch from King of the Ring, "The Rockers" took on "The Bayou Bullies." Their first go around was virtually a handicap match with Marty wrestling the entire contest by his lonesome (unless you count the bag of Skittles in his corner) before Shawn Michaels swooped in at the end to surprise their opponents, but here we had a more traditional tag match that didn't let up. I've said before how impressed I am by the unorthodox duo of Skinner and Jethro, and how it was only a matter of time before they found their groove together. Well, it seems they have finally got on the same dance card, with "The Bullies" avenging their loss two weeks ago in dramatic fashion. Granted, it took a cheapshot with the gatorclaw to HBK's throat to set up, but I guess you could say it goes to show how desperate they were for that elusive first win. With the score now at 1-1 between these two teams, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a rubber match at some point in the near future to settle things once and for all!
Next up, I had the pleasure of sitting down with a veritable legend in this sport, Jushin "Thunder" Liger, someone I've had the pleasure of knowing for over 25 years. It's been a long time since we last saw Liger in the EWA, but I'm happy to see him back on the big stage once again, where I'm sure he'll have plenty of success.
In our wrestling main event of the evening, boy, were we ever treated to down and dirty battle between Fit Finlay and Marty Scurll, two of the very best grapplers to emerge from the UK! While he usually lets his actions talk for him, "The Fighting Irishman" had some words to say before the match, addressing some of the taunts Scurll had aimed in his direction during the week. Indeed, it seems as Scurll trying to get under his skin only fired Finlay up that much more, resulting in these two ring warriors dishing out a world of pain to one another. This may well go down as one of my favorite TV matches of the year, and one I highly encourage you to seek out if you've not had the chance yet. In the end, Fit Finlay picked up the duke to bounce back from the setback of King of the Ring and put himself right in the mix as far as potential draft picks go. It would be no less than Finlay deserves after some of the incredible age-defying performances we've seen from him these past few months. Still, credit where credit is due, Marty Scurll has a ton of upside even with this loss. I know I've made no bones about not being a fan of some of the shortcuts "The Villain" likes to employ to get ahead, but that doesn't dampen my respect for how much of a competitor he is, not one little bit. Believe me, he's gonna be a huge star in the EWA sooner rather than later. You can take that to the bank!
And then, to close things out, the mystery was finally solved! For about a month now, we've seen these strange videos hinting at the arrival of a new superstar looking to "burn it down." Well, we now know it was the returning Seth Rollins! It's surely no coincidence that "The Architect" is back right in time for Super Brawl after twice coming up short in 2014 and 2015, as part of Team Conglomerate and Captain of Team EWA respectively. By all accounts though, this isn't a Seth Rollins looking to save the E-Wrestling Alliance. Rather, it's a Seth Rollins looking to torch it to the ground so that something new might be born from the ashes. I can't claim to know how Rollins intends to make that a reality, but I can say this with 100% certainty...he would make for a hell of a draft pick this Friday should any Captain want to take a risk on someone that's not had a whole lot of ring-time recently!
With that all said and done then, here's how this week's list of the top three movers and shakers is looking:
1. Fit Finlay
2. Ken Shamrock
3. The Bayou Bullies
I'm still in awe of the match we witnessed this week between Finlay and Scurll, with "The Fighting Irishman" picking up the huge victory to position himself well for a Super Brawl spot. Speaking of, I've no earthly idea how Shamrock managed to make it SLAM!, let alone beat Al Snow to earn the third Captain's spot last night, but with that kind of determination, who knows how far it'll take him? And last but not least, "The Bayou Bullies" finally pick up a win, and one over their closest rivals to boot! Could this be the jumping off point that kickstarts their EWA career? Only time will tell!
Don't forget to share your own picks via our Twitter page. And don't forget to send in your questions on Twitter or right here on EWA.com for the next edition of JR's Mailbag one week from Friday either!
For now though, I'm sure I'll see you right here on EWA.com this Friday when the 2018 Super Brawl draft takes place and all the pieces of the puzzle regarding the biggest event of the year finally fall into place! Until then,
BOOMER SOONER!
