WA vs Australia: A Breakdown of Evolution
At EPW at The Deen, we got another taste of the feud that exists between Western Australia and Victoria when Julian Ward defeated ‘Loverboy’ Lochy Hendricks. Dating all the way back to 2004 when a then ‘FN Carnage’ defended his EPW Championship against Melbourne’s Lobo in a brutal Taped Fist Street Fight; a look back in the EPW Vault will find many more examples of WA defending its turf against competitors from Victoria.
It was last year’s State of Origin victory from ‘The Don’ that really kickstarted his ascent to the EPW Championship, and at Evolution, he will need to prove himself again – this time against ‘Cash Money’ Carlo Cannon.
This will be an intense match-up, but it does pose an important question: is WA really the best state in Australia?
Let’s look at the facts!
1. No Home Ground Advantage
You hear sports teams talk about the “Home Ground Advantage” all the time. In Best of 7 series’, the team which gets to play the additional game in front of their home fans is usually seen as the favourite. EPW has hosted State of Origin contests between 2012 and 2017, and the ledger sits at 3 Wins, 3 Losses. It’s only a 50% record. When you have the crowd on your side and intimidating the interstate competitors with their noise of affirmation, one must wonder why this record isn’t any better.
An important victory of note when it comes to these State of Origin contests is 2017’s victory from ‘The Don’ Michael Morleone. He must bring that same fire that toppled Mr Juicy, Damian Slater and Jack Bonza last year if he hopes to leave Evolution as EPW Champion.
2. The Cost of a Beverage
With the exception of the great drinks specials The Aberdeen Hotel put on whenever EPW takes over, it’s generally pretty hard to find a reasonably priced beverage in Perth. We are probably mere moments away from bars offering “after pay” options for a cheeky pint.
If you don’t believe me, the Google machine brings the cold hard facts to light. The average cost of a pint in Perth is $10.00, however, in Melbourne and even the “expensive” Sydney is at $8.00, and Damian Slater’s hometown of Adelaide comes in better at $7.50. In fairness, it does it make it a lot easier not to overindulge and get knocked out for more than a 10 count.
This means that Julian Ward and Gavin McGavin will need to find a more cost-effective manner to render each other unable to take to their feet in their Last Man Standing Match at Evolution. Both men have shown a real liking to a steel chair, but the unpredictability of this type of match means nothing is off-limits all over Bodyslam Central.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Whilst the columnist may be using generic stats to push their agenda, you can count on the EPW Drinking Section having great deals on all your favourite drinks for our 18+ fans at Evolution!
3. Not being able to win when it matters
Let’s be frank. Western Australian football fans see things through a particular lens. This lens may not be as subjective as they like to believe. Seven times they have jumped on their teams’ bandwagons as they made it through to the AFL Grand Final, only to come back with three premierships.
Kudos to the Eagles who won those three flags back when they could win at the MCG, but for the Dockers, their performance in 2013 against Hawthorn was hugely disappointing. Taking a break from elbowing people in the head, Nat Fyfe stepped up to kick two shots at goal out of bounds…on the full. To paraphrase the highly decorated junior ice hockey player Gunnar Stahl, “They lost it for themselves.” Given that a Western Australian team has not won an AFL Premiership in over a decade, its safe to say that WA has a problem with winning the big one.
Since losing his EPW Championship at ReAwakening 16, somebody who has struggled to win one is ‘The Godfather’ Davis Storm. Nobody would ever be stupid enough to doubt the credentials and ability of Storm. But a fact’s a fact and Storm has struggled to get victories in 2018. Fresh from his loss to WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, Storm allowed himself to be goaded into a match with Gavin McGavin where he put his career on the line. Storm managed to avoid that stipulation by refusing to tap out, but the loss still has ‘The Godfather’ questioning his future. At Evolution, he has been granted the opportunity to address his state of mind in front of the EPW faithful.
4. W.A. = Wait Awhile
Western Australia is notoriously slow on the draw when it comes to catching up to the rest of the country. Remember when you would take your trips over to Melbourne (for a break from WA) and have to bring back cases of Krispy Kreme donuts because this exotic dessert was not available in Perth? The first Krispy Kreme was built in Australia back in 2003… and WA had to wait until 2014! Uber took two whole years to make its way from Sydney to Perth back in 2014. And 7-Eleven (where you can get affordable coffee) is worse, taking 37 YEARS to make its way from Melbourne to Perth.
So it seems appropriate that we seem to have been waiting a while to see The Untouchables get their chance to win the EPW Tag Team Championships. Since forming late in 2017, Damian Slater and Marcius Pitt have been impressing in tag team action. Their biggest victory so far has come at the expense of Tyler Bate and Trent Seven of Moustache Mountain. However, their most significant victory so far was the pinfall against ‘The Don’ and ‘The Big Rig’ at Collision Course, which earned them the opportunity against Allyson Cruz and Hayden Zenith at Evolution.
Generation Zero will be no pushovers though. Winning the Tag Team Championships at last year’s ReAwakening after a gruelling Rumble match beforehand, they have successfully fended off all comers successfully. Evolution stands as their biggest test and they will need to bring their very best to defeat The Untouchables.
Before we’re inundated with one-eyed hate mail, we’re purely playing Devil’s Advocate here. WA, much like ‘The Don’, seem determined to prove themselves. Whilst Morleone held the flag close to his heart last year to represent WA at State of Origin, he will need to bring that fire to overcome ‘Cash Money’ at Evolution.
If you want to represent WA proudly and get behind your EPW Champion, there’s only one way to do it. Get your tickets now and be part of the “home crowd advantage” at Evolution at https://epwperth.com/event/evolution-2018/
Stand together, West Australia!
Written by Eric McFarland; a pop culture obsessed, sports loving, pro wrestling tragic.
Check out his podcast at http://sportheads.podomatic.com or on Facebook @thesportheads
