02-13-2020, 11:34 AM
Hi, I’m Sallie Graham, and welcome to the latest edition of EMERGExtra with just ten days to go until EMERGE #35, the final show before we invade South Africa. We’ll talk about Invasion later… but let’s dive into the other news doing the rounds shall we?
What has been answered CATAGORICALLY and without question, is that moving to the UK was the right thing to do for the company. As I said in the last edition, all UK shows are now sold out, and I can now confirm that Invasion: Europe officially has no tickets available, nowhere. With London and Toronto expected to go on sale in the next few weeks, there is no doubt that EMERGE is on an upwards curve. With that upwards curve, the question has been asked, should EMERGE be playing to bigger venues? Well, I asked that very question to someone close to Drew Bryant and the Coalition, and they told me that maybe in the future, but right now is about building that fan base. They said that from now on, the United Kingdom will always be their base, BUT touring the country isn’t necessarily the future plan. Does that mean that one day EMERGE will return across the pond? Or as it more likely, does it mean that Drew Bryant hasn’t given up on a purpose built arena just yet? Plenty of questions to be asked, but personally I’m wondering if this years ‘tour’ is just part of a bigger experiment. After all, if you were to build a purpose built arena, where in the UK would you put it? Where the most fantastical fans are of course, whilst remaining accessible to everyone else. All this is of course conjecture, but if I hear anything else on this subject I’ll be sure to let you know.
That of course is for the future, on our more immediate horizon is South Africa which is now only four and a half weeks away. As of the time of writing, the only title picture that is clear is we know Christian Cannon and The Chuke get their shot at Sierra Swann and Danny Darko for the DUO’s titles. Of course, this is a stellar match in itself, but perhaps more intriguingly Christian is pretty much Sierra’s Nephew… a point Sierra wasn’t slow in trying to make. One thing is for certain, Christian want’s the DUO’s Championship, and will get his chance to win it right in Sierra’s back yard. Honestly, I see this as nothing less than a recipe for disaster.
With regards to the SPIRIT Championship, no more details have been forthcoming, other than YUYO is going to be tested like no other SPIRIT Champion has. I mentioned a Gauntlet on the last Extra, but received a DM telling me that definitely isn’t the case. Something that was interesting though was another little teaser, whereby I was told that nothing would be decided in South Africa. So does that mean a tournament perhaps? Who knows? What we do know is that any announcement will have to happen at EMERGE #35, so all we can do is wait and see.
Now, the RUSH Championship. Tommy Wasley winning the title at EMERGE #34 set up a lot of possibilities for what could happen at Invasion. Of course, the obvious booking would be a member of Unforgiven, but with Willow Wilkes obviously defending the EMERGE title, and Sundown facing Tommy Cook, that only really leaves Melissa Killgraves, or perhaps Liam Dillinger. Liam is only just back, and much would depend on his performance in just over a week, so Melissa Killgraves looks like the favorite. Tommy versus Melissa would certainly already have the hype, but just how beaten up is Melissa after her confrontation with Willow. There is of course the potential for a rematch with Jennifer Helms, but as you are probably aware, there is no rematch clause in EMERGE, and Jenni seemed to make it clear she is ready to move onto bigger things. But there is no doubt that right now Jenni is in limbo. Whoever Tommy faces, it’s pretty obvious that the fan base is fully behind Wasley, who is very quickly making himself one of the most popular on the roster. Tommy versus the Unforgiven guarantees buys… and we all know that’s all the Coalition is concerned about.
EMERGE Championship, now that is where the waters are even muddier. It’s unlikely Jennifer Helms will get her shot right away having lost the RUSH Championship not that long ago. Melissa had her shot, so maybe another is asking a bit much. YUYO? Maybe, but Drew has very often called whatever is happening with the SPIRIT title YUYO’s biggest challenge, so who else could it possibly be? Now, this is where it gets pretty interesting, because I have heard a MAJOR rumor doing the rounds that Willow’s opponent at Invasion could be someone that at the moment we don’t even know is a part of the roster. Someone who could be ready to return. I’m not saying anything else, but if true… South Africa, you are going to get one hell of a main event.
What else have I been hearing over the last few weeks…?
Towards the end of EMERGE, we saw Jester Funn bundled into the back of a van where apparently Gloria his girlfriend already was. Nothing has been heard from the two of them since. I tried to speak to Liam Dillinger recently, and was told to ‘wait and see’ and that they were ‘perfectly safe’ and being ‘looked after’. I dunno what this means, but could it mean that Cindy has a ‘use’ for them both, perhaps a weapon for the upcoming wars. As we know, Cindy methods are known to be unorthodox, so what if she is trying to ‘channel’ the Demon Clown Thamuz? Who knows, but perhaps we will find out on EMERGE. Of course, that’s not the only thing on Cindy’s mind, as she seems to have a lot of ‘mistrust’ at the moment for Samual, who was of course Jason King before. I don’t know what is going on there, but you can bet Cindy will not stand for any ‘problems’ now she is so seemingly close to her goals. But, of Samual and her do have a problem, where does this leave Willow Wilkes. By the side of her Queen, or right next to her husband?
A lot of talk on Twitter regarding Donovan Street and his ‘suspension’ from EMERGE, of the back of his blatant attack on fans and referee’s alike. There is someone who claims to be legit, saying that Donovan Street was only suspended as Aiken and Silas saw him as a potential ‘issue’ so instead put him on the bench behind this ‘indefinite suspension’. If you think about it, it actually makes sense. After all, there has been far worse done on EMERGE programming without such repercussions. I tried to get a word with one of the Coalition on this subject, but no one would give me a statement. I’ve contacted Donovan Street to see if he will comment but as yet have received no reply.
Over the past couple of months, Madeline Masters has been referring to herself as the ‘light’, a reference to her wanted to remove EMERGE of the darkness that it has been shrouded in of late. The problem with being the light is quite simple, eventually she is going to gain the attention of Cindy Todd, who has made it clear that if you are not with her, it doesn’t matter if you are Revolution or not, you are against her. In my opinion, right now isn’t the right time for Madeline to expose herself to this, and she should concentrate on bettering her results, instead of angering the one person who could end her career in a heartbeat. My point, yes the EMERGE needs soldiers to defend it, but NO ONE can carry the battle alone.
Something else that has been trending over twitter of late is the hashtag #KALItheend in reference to her really struggling to maintain her early success. After winning the Battle Royal at Symphony of the Sea, it was thought that KALI would go all the way, but recently, especially after the termination of Aubrianna Powers contract, KALI has struggled to find form, and if she fails to beat Danny Darko, those questions are going to get even louder. Some of the more publishable comments that have been written are ‘flash in the pan’ and ‘found out’ and finally ‘nothing more than a gimmick’. There is no doubt that KALI is a talent, but she needs to get back on the horse and fast, or otherwise she could be the latest victim of the Coalition.
In the last Extra, I mentioned a potential signing coming in, but at the time I had to be quite careful about what I said. Negotiations were at a crucial stage, with both his current employee and EMERGE playing hardball, but if the teaser at EMERGE #34 is anything to go by it seems that all the kinks have been ironed out, and this individual will make their EMERGE debut at Invasion: South Africa. Not going to spoil the surprise, but this person will certainly light up the stage that is EMERGE and potentially shake the company all the way up to the rafters.
One of the most surprising things to come out of EMERGE, was Desiree Devna, accusing Drew Bryant of sleeping with Sierra Swann, perhaps even more surprisingly, Sierra didn’t do a thing to deny it, and in fact seemed to confirm it. If this was true, then that would explain what has seemed like favoritism towards Sierra… Sierra even managing to immediately get a match with Desiree that will take place in ten days. Personally, I’ve seen Drew with Kitty and his young daughter, and in all honesty I don’t believe he would risk all that for a fling, even with someone as obviously beautiful as Sierra. No statement as yet from Drew, and knowing him I wouldn’t expect one either. I hope for his sake this is precisely what it seems like, a rumor.
And finally before I move onto the rumor mill circling the locker room right now, it has been confirmed that Aiken Frost and Silas Mason will be in Exeter for EMERGE #35, and it is thought they are coming to question Drew Bryant, after what was seen at the end of #34 where Drew was clearly caught speaking with someone believing he was off camera. Needless to say, they will be looking for answers, and I hope Drew has them, or it could be a long night for him.
Now, onto some of the unconfirmed rumors that I’ve heard in the last few weeks. And I need to reiterate… these are unconfirmed.
Is there a connection between Julia Boleyn and Madeline Masters we have yet to learn? #Sisters
Is another Cannon about to join Christian at EMERGE?
Has a throwaway Danny Darko comment revealed that Vanilla Skyy is ready to come back?
Is the Chuke telling the truth about who he is? Do we KNOW who he is?
Are Annabelle Burchard’s intentions really pure? #behindthemask
Did I really hear Mitch Sanders name mentioned behind a locked board room meeting? Or had they just had KFC delivered?
And finally… why is there rumored footage of Melissa Killgraves having a secret meeting with Drew Bryant two days before EMERGE #33? When it was breaking that she was joining Unforgiven?
Plenty for you to get your teeth into there guys. And who knows, some of it could well be true haha.
Anyway, that’s it for another edition of EMERGExtra. Make sure to check out EMERGE #35 live from Exeter, and I’ll be back with another edition of the show right before Invasion, when we should know exactly what is going on. I’ve been Sallie Graham, take care of yourselves and stay safe. Byeeeee