Francesca De La Cruz
Rising Star of the Week
Sunami Tayo
On Showdown, Sunami Tayo managed to grab the attention of New Breed Champion, Xander Payne after winning a triple threat match against Naheem Bogard and Viktor Jackson. However, another way that Sunami Tayo managed to grab the attention of Xander Payne was after the matchup when he connected with the Mercy Kill on Xander after Xander tried to slap the shit from Sumani’s mouth. By the looks of things, I do not think thing between these two guys are over and we could be seeing a potential Midsummer Massacre match with the two of them. I think it is a well-deserved match. Sunami is someone who has killed it since his debut. He did great in the 24/7 Battle Royal at Pain for Pride and I knew that hard work will not go unrecognized. This could end up being a good match if done and will bring the best out of these two men.
Beef of the Week
Lethal Consequences vs. Rex McAllister
For Beef of the Week, I give this to the interesting matchup between Lethal Consequences and Rex McAllister. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to see much activity from LC’s part, but I was pleasantly surprised to see it from him. I do think that he can cut some good promos when motivated and I could see that his motivation is on a high since returning. As for Rex, he continues to show why he could be the next World Heavyweight Champion. He was no slouch with his promos and with the two of them, they brought something different into the table. Never did I expect to see these two clash as well as they did. I knew from that, it was going to be a great match to see on Voltage. Despite the result of the match, I knew these two would have a great showing. There is no shame of the loss and I feel it will not impact them whatsoever.
Show of the Week
Voltage
Voltage takes this spot as our Show of the Week. In order to start off the show, you had VIP take on Lionel Storm and Xander Payne in which he was able to stand tall in the end. Perhaps, VIP will be a potential contender for the New Breed Championship. It should be interesting how what the match is because I do think VIP has a good shot at winning the championship as well. There was also the segment with Lethal Consequences, Matt Daniels and Andy Dominguez where the talk about a new member for the newly formed The Enterprise was brought up. Someone “younger” and more “potential” was brought up. It can be anyone at this point, but hopefully, the person who gets that rub is someone that can benefit from it. There was also the number one contender’s match for the National Elite Championship that consisted of James Ranger, Lars Grier, Charlie Marr and Daryl Kinkade. By the look of the card, I knew the match had to be either Charlie’s or Daryl’s for the taking. Just thought they could have used it a little more. Lars had his issues with Noah and I think James needs to be trusted a little more before given a title opportunity. It was well-earned from Daryl, so can’t be all too upset about it. There was also one of the bigger turning points in this show. It was announced that at Midsummer Massacre, it will be Lethal Consequences taking on Devan Dubian. Not sure how I feel with two Voltage stars fighting on a SHOWDOWN FPV, but they might be able to make it work. There was also the main event of the show – a champion vs. champion match with the National Elite Champion, Prince of Phenomenal taking on the World Heavyweight Champion, Chris Elite. It was a well-fought effort from both men, but Chris came out on top and he looks good approaching possibly the next Voltage supershow in about a month? Not quite sure if the match will be there, but when it happens, it should be a good one.
Match of the Week
Drillmatic vs. Mr. DEDEDE and Cameron Ella Ava
For Match of the Week, we saw Mr. DEDEDE and Cameron Ella Ava defend the Unified Tag Team Championships against Drillmatic (Astraea Jordan and Malcolm Jones). From the conflicts from the champions themselves, this match should have been quite obvious on how it was going to end. Obviously, Drillmatic will find a way to get the victory since I thought the champion’s disagreements would get the best of them. Overall, I thought this match was amazing. Cameron looked good despite the loss. Astraea looked good herself and Malcolm shined whenever he was in the ring. I was glad to see that there was a real effort to keep the titles, but Mr. DEDEDE seemed on “vacation mode” in this match and it cost him the match and tag title reign, but he could care less about that. One of the more talked about moments was after the match where Cameron basically killed DDD the same way she was almost killed during the Draft show a few weeks back. Make me kind of wonder if Mr. DEDEDE is out for a period of time or if he will show the week after. I thought it was the perfect way to top the great match and continue that storyline going.
Promoer of the Week
Rex McAllister
For Promoer of the Week, I have to give it to Rex McAllister again. Ever since the move from Voltage, he has killed it. There was no doubt that he would see him in a major championship picture again. Didn’t think it would be so soon, but I was happy to see him be Chris Elite’s first opponent of Season 12. Just like stated already, this is going to be a great match to see. I think both of them are great in their own ways and to see the two of them clash, it kind of makes me wonder how these two will collide in the ring. There is no doubt that Rex will be difficult to keep up with at times when it comes to promos, but he has proven in the past that he is one of the best talents that EAW has to offer at the moment. If he wins the title or not again, I do think that he will be a stay in the main event scene. I do see him taking part in some major angles and with the alliance between Daryl Kinkade and Charlie Marr, I do think something good will come out of that. I’m not too worried about what happens after him when this title match is said and done, I think he will still do great things this season.
Champion of the Week
Chris Elite
For Champion of the Week, I gave it to the winner of the champion vs. champion match on Voltage and that is Chris Elite. So far, Chris Elite has gotten some impressive victories underneath his belt. From defeating opponents such as Jamie O’Hara and Impact to Malcolm Jones, I do think he has defeated a bunch of credible opponents that could have taken the title off of him if they wanted too. Still, he remains the champion and I don’t quite exactly see who could take the title off of him. With all of the potential talent on the brand, it can be anyone at this point. I would not be shocked to see his title reign end via cash in. By the looks of things, I can see him holding the title past Crossfire, but other than that, things do not look so clear to me. That might be a good sign, but I wouldn’t say that things look so safe for him. I do sense that someone is going to take the title from underneath him. I do sense that someone is going to really take Voltage to some bigger heights.
Most Valuable Elitist
Drillmatic
On Showdown, Drillmatic managed to claim the Unified Tag Team Championship in their first match as a team. It was well-earned on their part. They brought it to the table when it mattered. I think one of the bigger struggles in EAW is taking the titles from them. I can see them holding onto the titles for a while. I do not think there are many teams that are ready enough at the moment to step up to the plate against them. The only ones that I can sense being competition as of right now, are Daryl Kinkade and Charlie Marr. Other than that, these other teams need to continue to improve before they can step up to the champions. It will not be an easy feat for them to accomplish and it should be interesting to see who are the first contenders for the titles. If the Grand Prix becomes a thing this year around Road to Redemption, it should be interesting to see how many of those teams stay. Other than that, I am going to let Malcolm and Astraea enjoy their title reigns. Congratulations to both of them and hope they enjoy their moment!
