Post by Ross Report on Dec 4, 2018 15:02:00 GMT
It's safe to say that the Super Brawl draft weekend is one of my favorites of the entire year. I know some folks get a little antsy with the wait time between picks, but for my BBQ sauce, the wait just adds to the drama! Plus, it's always intriguing to see who gets rewarded with Super Brawl spots and what shockers get pulled from out of left field too. This year's draft featured plenty of surprises, and I'll hopefully have a full run-down on the four teams within the next couple of weeks, certainly before the "grand daddy of 'em all" itself.
In the meanwhile, we also have the latest Sunday Night SLAM! to talk about, which was also a momentous event! Things kicked off with Brock Lesnar and Sable making their return after having been banned from last week's show following "The Beast's" heinous assault on Ken Shamrock. We got an explanation of sorts for the "how" and the "why" of what drove Lesnar to do what he did to "The World's Most Dangerous Man," with Brock making it clear that he doesn't expect to meet Shamrock in the ring at Super Brawl or ever again, or else he'll finish the job he started! Well, while Ken Shamrock may not have been at the Talking Stick Resort Arena last night, we did hear from him nonetheless. While still recuperating yesterday, it seems the MMA veteran intends to be at the E-Arena for the final SLAM! before Super Brawl XVIII, where he plans on calling Brock out for a fight that I'm betting the whole world wants to see! It does make you wonder what the other Captains think about all of this though. With Lesnar and Shamrock so diametrically opposed to one another, does this create an opportunity for either John Cena or Chris Sabin to exploit at Super Brawl?
Things still aren't quite right in "The Vaudevillains" camp, where Simon Gotch seemed more caught up in the possibility of a bWo run-in than he did the actual result of Jervis Cottonbelly's try-out match against IRS. One has to question if Gotch's paranoia (something we've seen from him before) ended up having an effect on "The Gentleman's" in-ring performance, allowing a crafty veteran like Irwin R. Schyster to take advantage. Indeed, "IRS" would score a cheap pin over poor Jervis, putting the masked man's alliance with "The Vaudevillains" in serious doubt. And what of the bWo themselves? Well, as it turns out, they spent the entire match backstage in typical bWo manner, trying to break the world record for the most number of champagne flutes stacked on top of one another. However, that fact did little to appease Simon Gotch's anger, as he vowed revenge for next week. I have to say though, Simon's beef with Al Snow and co seems to be pretty one-sided at this point.
To rewind a little, the first match on this week's SLAM! saw Buh Buh Ray Dudley back in action for the first time in six months. Poor Buh Buh has cut somewhat of a lost figure since he and Scotty Flamingo went their separate ways, resulting in him taking a surprising beating from veteran grappler Bill Dundee here. It looked as if his trip to the woodshed was going to end in defeat, yet somehow, the sight of the plastic yard flamingo he's been carrying around recently (which he's dubbed "Scott E.") woke him from his slumber and helped Dudley score the victory. It seems it's not just Buh Buh Ray who's all lost at sea since the dissolution of "dirt" either, as Scotty Flamingo himself appears out of sorts at the moment, despite having a new "family" around him in the talented Johnny Gargano/Flamingo and Candice LeRae. For all the sins they committed together, I guess I can't help but hope those two star-crossed tag team partners find their way back to one another, for their own sanity if nothing else.
One of the biggest surprises coming out of the Super Brawl draft, at least as far as I was concerned, was the fact that Ricochet didn't get picked for any of the teams. While there's no denying Ricochet has lost more matches than he's won this year, I'd have thought the strength of his performances alone should have earned him a spot. What do I know though? Anyway, "The One And Only" would soon find himself interrupted by Gabriel, who seemed eager to rub in the fact that he was the second pick in this year's draft. The back-and-forth between the two would then lead to the two superstars agreeing on an impromptu match where the winner would get Gabriel's spot at Super Brawl while the loser would be banished from EWA television altogether! These two tore the house down back in September in a contest that ended in a time limit draw, but just like then, we'd be denied an out-right winner. On this occasion though, it was all down to Marty Scurll jumping both men. "The Villain" dished out a vicious assault to Gabriel and Ricochet with the assist of a steel chair, before trying to worm his way into the Super Brawl Match as well, demanding they make it a Triple Threat on next week's SLAM! - Ricochet versus Gabriel versus Scurll! And the same rules apply too, whereby the winner will take Gabriel's place on Team Good Boi's and the person to suffer the pinfall or submission will be banned from EWA television! Talk about high stakes! And will either Ricochet or Gabriel even be in any condition to take part in that one given the beating they suffered at Marty Scurll's hands here? I guess we'll have to wait to find out.
I've made no bones about the fact that I think Jushin "Thunder" Liger will make a welcome addition to the EWA roster, not least because we've been a little short on the "hero" side of things lately. Truth be told, it seems like the quote-unquote "bad guys" are getting one over on the "white hats" on a near weekly basis, so here's hoping Liger can provide a bit of hope in the darkness. He had his first opportunity to show what he can do this week as the Japanese legend found himself teamed up with Super Brawl Captain and National Champion, Chris Sabin. They would take on the odd-couple pairing of Marty Jannetty and Skinner, two superstars who've had their fair share of issues as of late to say the least. To the surprise of no one, "The Rocker" and "The Bayou Bully" weren't exactly on the same page here, resulting in Skinner turning on his partner with a low blow and then leaving him high and dry for their opponents to pick up the pieces. It's surely only a matter of time before this rivalry comes to a head, perhaps even at Super Brawl XVIII itself? As for Sabin and Liger, it was good to see that "Detroit's Finest" was able to tough out the match after his recent ankle issues, building some important momentum before the "Showcase of the Immortals," while also giving Liger a good run-out in his debut as well. I'd be surprised if this is a team that continues beyond last night's SLAM!, but at the very least, I think both men have shown that they can rely on one another if need be.
We've not seen WALTER since he fell to Fit Finlay in the first round of the King of the Ring, leading to some speculation that They had punished him over that result. Well, the big Austrian finally made his return and did so in shocking fashion, appearing in the middle of the ring with clown make-up on his face and screaming like a madman. When security tried to intervene and move him to the back however, WALTER started attacking them until he was finally subdued and dragged backstage. What could They have done to him over the last five weeks to cause a mental break like this? What's the significance of that clown make-up? And will WALTER be in the right frame of mind to help Brock Lesnar's team emerge victorious at Super Brawl XVIII? Time will tell.
The Big Show has been on a tear in 2018, capturing the National Title, almost winning Civil War, and racking up more wins than anyone else. By contrast, his opponent last night hadn't even competed in an EWA ring since way back at Super Brawl XI, when his team finished as runners-up to Rene Dupree's Team Genesis. To say then that this was a bit of a mismatch in terms of size, recent success, and ring rust would be a gross understatement. As good as "The New F'N Show" once was, I don't think too many armchair quarterbacks rated his chances particularly high against "The World's Largest Athlete." And yet, give credit where it's due, Jerry Lynn didn't back down from his battle with the giant, having to fight from underneath for much of the contest as the Big Show threatened to dominate. In the end, it might have taken a stroke of luck to hand the ECW veteran the win, as an awkward fall out of the ring rocked Show and left him unable to answer the ten count, but it was still a huge victory no matter how you look at it. And let's not forget, these two will be teammates at Super Brawl XVIII as part of Team Cena, so they'd better put any lingering resentment to bed if they want any chance of being the over-all winners on December 16th!
Becky Lynch has been turning a lot of heads recently after striking up an alliance with Daffney which they've called "Revelation." It's one that has certainly seen her fortunes turn for the better, leading to this non-title match against Tessa Blanchard. We haven't seen the third generation superstar in competition since she recaptured the gold back at All Hallows' Evil, and it seemed as if she was caught off guard by the sheer ferocity of "The Lass Kicker" here. Indeed, Becky may have had the match won had she not got a bit too cocky on the top rope, leading to "The Queen of the Carolinas" to put her down with a stiff Magnum. The fight wasn't over there though, as Daffney would make a post-match appearance, with "Revelation" looking to make an exmaple of the Women's Champion. Fortunately for Tessa though, Charlotte Flair ran to the rescue, helping Blanchard fight the dastardly pair off before setting up a tag team match for Super Brawl where it'll be Charlotte Flair and Tessa Blanchard going up against Daffney and Becky Lynch...where whoever picks up the win will walk out with the Women's Title! You've got to admire the guts of Tessa Blanchard for agreeing to such a stipulation, although it obviously puts her second reign as champion in some serious jeopardy as well. Still, that should be one hell of a contest in two weeks time!
In our main event, the recent rivalry between "The Kings of Wrestling" and the odd couple pairing of Braun Strowman and Santino Marella finally came to a head. "The Kings" defeated their opponents at All Hallows' Evil to retain the titles, but rather than take that victory with good grace, they proceeded to reveal their true colors and beat Marella and Strowman down at every opportunity. As a result, that led to Sgt Slaughter making this return bout a No Disqualification Match, the kind of stipulation that opened things up and allowed both teams to get as violent as necessary to settle the score. Well, they sure took advantage of that! Tables, flagpoles and chairs were just some of the weapons utilized here, as all four men beat the living tar out of one another for the right to walk into Super Brawl XVIII as the EWA Tag Team Champions! While the Referee tried to maintain some semblance of order to begin with, this one soon broke down into the kind of wild affair we were all expecting, resulting in Strowman and Marella finally doing the seemingly impossible by putting Hero and Cesaro down for the count! It's been a long road to the titles for these two men who were thrown together by Samuel Shaw all those months ago, but let's take nothing away from "The Kings of Wrestling" or the incredible run they've had. From winning the Hulk Hogan Rock N' Wrestling Tag Team Tournament, to defeating OVE for the gold, and then taking out every other team along the way, Hero and Cesaro have more than proved their mettle. And there's always the possibility that they might just win the gold back when they're a part of Team Good Boi's as well! After all, only three teams have ever successfully defended the Tag Titles in the Super Brawl Match, although it's worth pointing out that Santino Marella was part of one of them alongside Damien Sandow! Can history repeat itself once again for the Italian Stallion?
After an eventful night, it's tough to narrow down my picks for this week's top three movers and shakers, but here's what I've got:
1. Braun Strowman/Santino Marella
2. Jerry Lynn
3. Marty Scurll
Super Brawl season often sees last minute title changes, and this year was no different as Braun Strowman and Santino Marella made sure they'd be walking into the "Showcase of the Immortals" the new Tag Team Champions! Coming in at number two, Jerry Lynn returned to action for the first time in seven years, pulling out a gigantic (if you'll pardon the pun) victory over his Team Cena team mate, Big Show! And last but not least, Marty Scurll may not have had a match last night, but he damn sure made an impact at the expense of Gabriel and Ricochet, setting up the possibility of "The Villain" sneaking his way onto a Super Brawl team next week! You might not agree with his tactics, but that might not matter if they pay off next Sunday!
Let me know your own top three movers and shakers via our Twitter page. And don't forget to send in your questions on Twitter or right here on EWA.com for this Friday's edition of JR's Mailbag as well! This'll be the last Mailbag before Super Brawl, so make 'em some good ones!
So, now we turn to the final stop before the "grand daddy of 'em all" as SLAM! returns to the E-Arena. We've already got an all-important triple threat match on the cards, and we know Shamrock'll be in the house and calling out Brock Lesnar as well, but what other surprises and shocks will be in store? There's only one way to find out! Until next time,
BOOMER SOONER!
