Post by Ross Report on Jan 14, 2019 22:37:53 GMT
It's a new year, which means a brand new beginning for the E-Wrestling Alliance! And things got off to a hot start on last night's SLAM!
New Women's Champion Daffney kicked off the show, fresh off of being the sole survivor in that incredible Six Woman Tag Team Elimination Match at Super Brawl XVIII. "The Zombie Goddess" wasted little time in setting out her stall as the new champion, in particular sending out a warning to Charlotte and challenging the winner of the triple threat match later in the show to a Women's Title Match next week. More on that in a bit!
Shortly after, Charlotte would head to the ring to make it known she was trying to put Becky Lynch behind her, only for "The Queenslayer" to head down to ringside. Or to be more accurate, hobble down on a pair of crutches after the damage the Figure Eight did to her at Super Brawl. I must admit, it's still strange to hear the crowd cheering Becky after all the underhanded tactics she and Daffney have employed against Charlotte in the last several months when you'd think they'd despise her at this point. Still, Lynch obviously had a different interpretation of how her elimination came about during that epic encounter at Super Brawl, leading to a tête-à-tête where wild accusations were flying back and forth, eventually resulting in the shocking arrival of Winter! While things didn't get physical, Winter did put herself between Charlotte and Becky Lynch, seemingly saving the "Lass Kicker" from getting her "Lass" kicked and perhaps signaling a new alliance with Becky and her Revelation partner, Daffney. I guess we'll have to see how this situation develops going forward.
In the very first match of the year, we saw IRS take on newcomer Mustafa Ali. This one ended up being a pretty one-sided affair, with Irwin R. Schyster using his veteran instincts to underwrite Ali's high-flying prowess and pick up a big win. Could this be the year where IRS works his way into title contention, be it National or perhaps even World? Stranger things have happened, that's for damn sure.
Elsewhere, as Samoa Joe was preparing for his return to the squared circle after a concussion threatened to end his career last year, he was interrupted by Chris Hero and Cesaro. It looked as if "The Kings of Wrestling" were trying to get in Joe's head, or at least stir the proverbial pot on Joe's big night, but "The Samoan Submission Machine" and his girlfriend Shayna Baszler weren't about to be thrown off their game by anybody. This led directly into Joe's match with John Cena, a man who had plenty to prove in his own right after being the first man eliminated at Super Brawl. As you'd expect with two superstars the caliber of Samoa Joe and "The Doctor of Thuganomics," they tore the house down with a hard-hitting slobberknocker, as neither man looked to back down. After ten minutes of back-and-forth action, it looked as if Cena was about to finish his opponent off with the Attitude Adjustment, yet Joe slipped free and caught him in that deadly Coquina Clutch which has served him so well over the years, causing John to pass out.
To his credit, Cena was willing to admit he got beat by the better man, offering Samoa Joe a show of respect post-match. After some hesitation on the big Samoan's part, they shared a handshake as Joe seemed ready to leave...only for "The Kings of Wrestling" to suddenly jump Cena from behind! As the assault continued, "The Samoan Submission Machine" charged back down to ringside to seemingly make the save, yet the entire scenario would turn out to be a set-up. Indeed, it's safe to assume that Samoa Joe has joined forces with the former Tag Team Champions, who would take it in turns to stomp a mudhole in Cena before holding John's prone body upright to allow Joe to use him as a human punching bag. This would eventually bring out Cena's friend and tag team partner, the Big Show, who thankfully ran the attackers off before any further damage could be done, yet it's clear that this new-found alliance of Samoa Joe and "The Kings of Wrestling" had already made a huge impact at the expense of John Cena. Knowing what kind of competitor "The Doctor of Thuganomics" is though, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he comes looking for some retribution. At least, as soon as he's finished licking his wounds, anyway.
Becky Lynch wasn't the only superstar on crutches last night, as Brock Lesnar made a fleeting appearance using walking aids after Ken Shamrock damn near snapped his ankle in half to secure Super Brawl victory last month. "The Beast" wasn't exactly in a talkative mood, which is perhaps understandable all things considered. Still, not knowing what Brock Lesnar is thinking is even more unnerving than when we do know what's on his mind!
While Lesnar's 231 day reign as World Champion is over, Ken Shamrock's is just getting started! "The World's Most Dangerous Man" received a raucous reception from the EWA faithful as he headed to the ring with the gold around his waist. However, having vanquished "The Beast" at long last, Shamrock wasn't about to sit back and take things easy. On the contrary, he was already setting his sights on his first challenger, the monstrous 2018 King of the Ring, PCO! That soon brought out PCO's handler and mouthpiece, "Father" James Mitchell. The former "Sinister Minister" took umbrage at Shamrock's claim to not "fear" Pierre Carl Oulette, leading to the kind of tricks we've seen from Mitchell in the past. A fireball distracted the World Champion long enough for PCO to tear his way through the canvas and surprise Shamrock from behind, laying him out with a two-handed chokeslam and then standing tall. If this was but a tease of what's to come, it's safe to assume that Ken Shamrock's life isn't likely to get any easier now that he's moved on from his battles with Brock Lesnar!
The name might be the same but this is very much a completely different group calling themselves "The Kingdom" to what we saw in the EWA several years ago. Gone are Teddy Hart, Adam Cole and Matt Hardy, and instead we have Matt Taven, Joey Ryan, "Hangman" Page and Scarlett Bordeaux! As part of their debut, Taven found himself taking on "The World's Largest Athlete" in a match where Matt was at a distinct size disadvantage. Not to mention, Big Show was looking to follow up on an impressive 2018 by getting off to a winning start in 2019. Unsurprisingly then, Show was able to dominate much of the early proceedings, yet the ravishing Scarlett Bordeaux proved a fatal distraction, causing Big Show to take his eyes off the ball and get caught with a flurry of big moves to suffer a first defeat of the new year. At the same time, what a way for "The Kingdom" to introduce themselves to the EWA Universe! While you might not agree with the tactics of Taven his manager, something I'm inclined to be critical of myself, it's hard to argue with the results.
Elsewhere, Gabriel looked to shed the disappointments of his debut year by starting fresh for 2019. Personally, I think he has a lot to be proud of last year after impressing at the likes of Sin City Survival, King of the Ring, and Super Brawl, but I can understand his desire to reinvent himself. "The Reaper" is not so "solitary" anymore, with that old moniker being retired as Gabriel looks to reap all that he's sowed. What this means in the coming weeks and months, I'm sure we'll find out enough.
Gabriel wasn't the only superstar looking to put the past behind him either. Well, figuratively speaking, considering we're talking about "The Vaudevillains" here. Indeed, Aiden English and Simon Gotch are evidently looking to get right back into the Tag Team Title hunt, although I doubt they were quite expecting one of their first opponents in this new year to be a plastic lawn flamingo. Despite some early shenanigans with "Scott E," this was effectively a handicap match pitting Gotch and English against Buh Buh Ray Dudley, who did his level best to take on the not-so dynamic duo. However, when your "partner" is an inanimate object, there's only so much one man can do, leading to the Whirling Dervish putting Bubbs away for the three count.
It was revealed by Jim Cornette at Super Brawl that Matt Morgan had suffered horrendous injuries after a motorcycle accident, yet on this week's SLAM!, "Corny" made public that it wasn't an accident after all. In fact, it seems Morgan was deliberately run down by some mystery assailant, who then appeared on the EWA-Tron while keeping his identity hidden, revealing that he was far from finished. Whether this is a threat towards Jim Cornette as well I can't possibly say, but either way, this individual has proven themselves to be most dangerous and not to be taken lightly.
Throughout this week's SLAM!, there was multiple advertisements from Marty Scurll, who appears to be on the lookout for "evil" allies for whatever nefarious schemes he has in mind next. We saw over the last few months of 2018 just how devious Scurll could be on his own, so I shudder to think what he could do with back-up supporting his "villainous" ways.
Following on from his impressive showing at Super Brawl, WALTER was back in action once again. And to the surprise of many, "The Ring General" soon found himself with Sable in his corner! The two seemed to share some kind of kinship in the run-up to last year's "Showcase of the Immortals," although how much of that was genuine and how much was Sable looking to manipulate the hulking Austrian is open to interpretation. Whatever the reality of the situation though, it seems as if WALTER is somewhat enamored with the former Women's Champion, and with Sable pulling the strings, there's every chance he could soon find himself on a similar career path to that of Brock Lesnar!
After helping make an example of John Cena earlier in the show with their new ally Samoa Joe, "The Kings of Wrestling" came out to stake their claim for another shot at the Tag Team Champions. Santino Marella and Braun Strowman were conspicuous by their absence this week, yet I'd wager there'll be no shortage of challengers in this new year, with Chris Hero and Cesaro apparently being first in line.
The women's triple threat match was a huge opportunity for all three superstars to get off the mark in 2019, made even bigger by Daffney's "revelation" (if you'll pardon the pun) that she intended to put the gold on the line against whoever walked out victorious. JoJo definitely had the experience edge here, having competed in more matches than any other woman in EWA history, while both Lacey Evans and Peyton Royce were looking to make a name for themselves in their debuts. Needless to say then, this one was wrestled at a frenetic pace as all three competitors looked for that victory and the elusive title opportunity that would come with it. It's fair to say JoJo, Peyton and Layton all had their opportunities to shine in this one, yet as often seems to be the case in these multi-person matches, it came down to who was in the right place at the right time. In this instance, it was Lacey Evans taking advantage of JoJo being knocked to the outside in order to counter an attempted sunset flip by Peyton Royce and score the win! It'll be interesting to see how she measures up against a superstar as black-hearted as Daffney when the gold is on the line next Sunday, and indeed if the Women's Title continues to change hands as often in 2019 as it did in 2018!
You'd think Skinner would be a little happier after winning the Alternates Match at Super Brawl, yet it seems "The Bayou Bully" has a large chip on his shoulder, feeling as if he should have been on Team Shamrock and already in possession of the National Championship. And yet, when Frank Shamrock headed down to ringside and offered the chance for Skinner to challenge him right then and there, the man from the Florida swamps was nowhere to be found. Instead, Shamrock offered an open challenge to anyone else in the back who was willing to take him on, drawing the attention of "The Fighting Irishman" himself, Fit Finlay! Talk about a tale of two fighters, with Finlay having over 40 years of in-ring experience while Shamrock has technically only competed in one wrestling match in his entire career. However, the National Champion has plenty of experience in fighting tooth and nail against the odds, and he showed that heart and determination right here as he put his MMA prowess to good use! I'm trying to rack my brain for the last time we witnessed a match as technically sound as this one, with focused offense and some tendon-tearing holds! For my money, I've no idea how Frank Shamrock managed to kick out of that Celtic Cross from the second rope either, yet that's just a testament to how much of a tough SOB he really is. Still, just as the match was seemingly drawing to a conclusion, Skinner finally made his presence felt, smashing a chair over both men's heads to force a no contest! However, that would then bring out Lucas Calhoun, who hit the ring and took Skinner out of the equation, before then doing the same to both Finlay and Frank Shamrock as well! However, as strange as it was to see the self-styled "King" get involved in proceedings, things took an even more bizarre turn when a seemingly large woman with red hair hopped the guard rail and took the fight to the weakened Finlay. "She" then entered the ring and attacked Shamrock as well, before finally pulling off the wig to reveal none other than Brady Pierce! It's been a long time since we've seen Brady as an active competitor in the EWA, and boy, what an impact he made last night! It looks as if the National Championship scene is heating up already here in 2019, and I expect we're only just getting started too!
With such an exciting first show of the year, let's move on to my picks for SLAM!'s top three movers and shakers:
1. Samoa Joe
2. Lacey Evans
3. Matt Taven
Top spot this week has to go to "The Samoan Submission Machine," both for his victory over John Cena and then the reveal of his alliance with "The Kings of Wrestling" which resulted in Cena being damn near put on the shelf again. Second place goes to Lacey Evans for winning a high-energy triple threat match which guaranteed her a shot at the Women's Title next week. And last but by no means least, Matt Taven takes third spot, with the leader of "The Kingdom" picking up a head-turning victory over the Big Show in his first EWA match! An honorable mention must also go to Brady Pierce for the shockwaves he sent at the end of the show!
As the EWA enters its 18th year, it looks as if the excitement isn't about to die down anytime soon! From new superstars coming in to old rivalries continuing to rumble on, 2019 is already shaping up to be a hell of a year! And there's still a whole lot more to come too! Until next week,
BOOMER SOONER!
