05/01/10 -
SEVEN UNRESOLVED ISSUES FROM 2009 – Part I
Re-Awakening 8 saw a close to many feuds within EPW. But
the final two shows of the year also saw plenty of new, heated
rivalries within Explosive Pro Wrestling that will see 2010 get
off to a very hectic start. Over the next fortnight, we will be
taking a look at the seven biggest issues within EPW that remain
unresolved from 2009
We will start by taking a look at the controversial ending to
last years Invitational Tournament Final.
Last years tournament was dubbed the toughest in its eight year
history. The nine man field featured three former EPW champions,
five former EPW tag team champions and three former winners of
the tournament itself.
After a gruelling qualification process, the final at
Re-Awakening 8 saw four men battle it out for the right to call
themselves the winner of the Invitational Tournament for 2009.
Those four wrestlers were Davis Storm, Damian Slater,
Tyler Jacobs and Jay Taylor.
For more than 15 minutes of frenetic action, these four men
pulled out all the stops as they searched for a way to score the
win and leave the Craigie Rec Centre with the trophy and
guaranteed title shot in hand.
It seemed as though Damian Slater had the match won as he locked
JT in the STF. But as Slater wore JT down, Davis Storm scored
with a huge Yakuza kick on Tyler Jacobs and scored the pinfall
to win the Invitational Tournament.
But a review of the footage of the final moments of the match
revealed that JT tapped out to Slater just as the referee was
counting the three that would make Storm the ninth winner of the
tournament.
Slater and his valet, Amber, put forward an immediate protest
claiming that due to referee incompetence, he was robbed of the
biggest win of his career. The protest has been the reason that
Storm has not yet been awarded the Invitational Tournament
trophy.
EPW officials have decided that the best course of action is for
a match to take place at the first RISE OR FALL
between Davis Storm and Damian Slater to determine the official
winner of the 2009 Invitational Tournament.
This is a match that Slater has been desperate for. He believes
that in 2009, he became the best wrestler in Australia and that
a win over an established former EPW champion will finally get
him the respect that he deserves.
Whereas Storm has earmarked 2010 as the year of the Ironman.
After losing the EPW championship in early 2009, Storm has been
preparing himself for another run at the title. Davis believes
he is in the best shape he has been in for years and is readying
himself to prove once again that he is still the best wrestler
in Explosive Pro Wrestling.
This battle of the future and the past could well decide who is
the best in this country today. With a guaranteed title shot
hanging in the balance, you can be sure that both men will be
bringing their best.
