Pre-SLAM! Exclusive

Before SLAM! officially gets underway, we find ourselves at ringside, as "La Vittoria è Mia" kicks in and the crowd goes wild for the arrival of the EWA Tag Team Champions, Santino Marella and Braun Strowman, both dressed in their ring gear!

SCOTT STANFORD: We've barely even sat down for tonight's broadcast, and look who it is!

DON WEST: So Strowman and Marella have actually decided to grace us with their presence this week, huh?

SCOTT STANFORD: It certainly seems that way, DW! And it's great to see them back too after playing their part in Team Shamrock's victory at Super Brawl XVIII!

The fans continue to show their appreciation as both Marella and Strowman enter the ring, picking up a pair of microphones along the way. They wait on the music to die down before the Italian Stallion addresses the audience first...

SANTINO MARELLA: OK, so I've-a gots a confession to make. Me and-a Prawn were supposed to-a be on last week's show but I, er, kinda got lost on-a the way to the arenas.

BRAUN STROWMAN: You mean, you took us to San Jose instead of San Diego, little man.

SANTINO MARELLA: C'mon! It's an easy mistake to-a makes!

Santino holds out his arms in a protest of innocence as Strowman shakes his head.

SANTINO MARELLA: Alright, fine...I'll-a take the blame on that one, just 'cos I'm-a such a great partners. But, the importance thing is, we-a made it to tonight's show! And now that-a we are here, there's a couple of guys who-a we wanted to address, right, Prawn?

The Monster Among Men turns deadly serious now as he looks towards the hard camera, glaring directly into it.

BRAUN STROWMAN: Kings of Wrestling... you two called us out last week, looking for a shot at the Tag Titles. The same Tag Titles that we took from you in December. The same Tag Titles that we defended at Super Brawl. And these same Tag Titles we're both holding right here, right now. Well, all you had to do was ask! Hero... Cesaro... you want your shot? Why wait? Come on down, and let's do this!

Strowman and Marella turn their attention towards the stage, as the crowd erupts in cheers, eager to see these two world-class teams go at it one more time!

SCOTT STANFORD: OH MY! The Kings of Wrestling called out the Champs last week, and now it seems as if Marella and Strowman are returning the favor!

DON WEST: Last Sunday saw an impromptu National Title Match, and now we might be about to see an impromptu Tag Title Match too! I tell you, Stanford, 2019 is getting off to a great start!

The Champions wait on their challengers to make their entrance...yet instead of The Kings' theme kicking in, some altogether different music kicks in instead! As lone piano begins to play, a circus showman appears in black-and-white on the screen.

THE ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages! Cast your eyes to the heavens, and bare witness to the most marvellous miracles of modern man! A devilish duo who will dazzle and delight! Two fellows carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders! The last guardians of etiquette and decorum! Your next EWA Tag Team Champions of the World!...

THE ANNOUNCER: AIDEN ENGLISH!...

English appears under a spotlight, dressed in a bowler-hat and tails.

THE ANNOUNCER: SIMON GOTCH!...

Gotch appears on the opposite side of the stage, in a top hat and tails.

THE ANNOUNCER: The Vaude... villains!

The lights come up as a black-and-white filter appears on the screen. The two Vaudevillains shake hands at the top of the ramp, while Santino Marella and Braun Strowman seem confused by their arrival back in the ring.

DON WEST: God not these guys!

SCOTT STANFORD: They did look very impressive in victory last week.

DON WEST: No, they beat one guy and his plastic flamingo! I'd like to think you and I would have a shot of winning that fight!

The Vaudevillains make their way down the ramp and into the ring, where Strowman and Marella are waiting.

AIDEN ENGLISH: Our sincerest apologies gentlemen, we are not the Kings of Wrestling.

SIMON GOTCH: No. We're better.

AIDEN ENGLISH: Why vie with the supposed 'Kings', when you can fight the 'Gentlemen of Wrestling'? The guardians of all that is right, and purveyors of the golden era of wrestling.

SIMON GOTCH: Two men that carry themselves with honor and prestige rather than ill-repute and indecency.

AIDEN ENGLISH: Messrs Cesaro and Hero clearly consider their jovial antics backstage as far more important than pursuing the championships they degraded in 2018.

SIMON GOTCH: Consider us as the rightful contenders to your crowns. We will gladly take this title opportunity.

Strowman and Marella look at one another before Santino answers.

SANTINO MARELLA: Uhhhh...no offence, but you guys aren't-a the Kinks of-a Wrestling. Heck, I didn't even know the Tall Villains still-a worked here after that embarrassing loss to-a the b-Double-o at Superb Brawl!

BRAUN STROWMAN: Oh no, they still work here, little man. Didn't you see? They had a match last week against a lawn ornament and now they figure they deserve a shot at our titles.

AIDEN ENGLISH: I'll have you know--

SANTINO MARELLA: Wait, wait, wait...a LAWN ORNAMENCE?!

BRAUN STROWMAN: Yeah. A little pink plastic flamingo. And even then, they still barely walked away with the win.

The fans seem to enjoy this gentle mocking, laughing and pointing at the Vaudevillains. It causes both Gotch and English to lose some of their poise as Simon fronts up to Strowman, despite the massive size difference.

SIMON GOTCH: Well, at least we deigned to appear last week! Unlike you two so-called "champions".

Strowman turns serious now, glaring down at Gotch with murderous intent...only for Santino Marella to step inbetween him and Gotch.

SANTINO MARELLA: OK, OK...let's-a all calm downs here, guys. I mean, you might not be The Kinks, but we're-a still fighting champions! So I say, if-a Chris Halo and-a Sussudio are too busy to-a come out here and fight us, we can-a always fights Eamon England and-a Siman Gooch instead!

SIMON GOTCH: It's Gotch, you filthy urchin! Simon Gotch and Aiden English!

AIDEN ENGLISH: Otherwise known as your next E-Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team--

BAM! It seems as if English suckered Santino in, SMASHING him in the head with his microphone! The Italian Stallion goes down in a heap!

SCOTT STANFORD: OH BOY! Here we go!

At the same time, Gotch tries to get the jump on Strowman but is instead grabbed in a goozle! Aiden English then tries to bumrush Braun only to get grabbed around the throat via the Monster Among Men's other hand! It looks like the big man is about to deliver a double chokeslam, yet the Vaudevillains put a stop to that with a pair of kicks to the gut! They then hook him up, preparing to deliver a double suplex...yet Strowman somehow manages to counter with a double suplex of his own to loud cheers! English scrambles back to his feet in a daze, turning around and walking right into a Cobra Strike from a groggy Marella, sending him tumbling through the ropes and into ringside! Meanwhile, Braun and Gotch also clamber back to their feet, where Strowman now powers Simon high overhead before press slamming him out of the ring and right onto his own partner!

SCOTT STANFORD: Despite the Vaudevillains' best attempt to jump them, the Tag Team Champions have just cleared the ring! Something tells me this didn't exactly go the way English and Gotch had planned!

DON WEST: You think?! They just got tossed around like trash!

As Strowman and Marella regroup, daring the Vaudevillains to come back in the ring and face them like men, Gotch and English scramble back to their feet and support one another as they back up the ramp. It's clear they're far from happy with how things have played out, vowing revenge against the Tag Champions.

SCOTT STANFORD: Between The Kings of Wrestling and the Vaudevillains, it's safe to say Strowman and Marella have no shortage of potential challengers right now!

DON WEST: That's what comes with being champions, Stanford! And those targets on their backs aren't about to get smaller anytime soon!