Three rather new Elitists in this video, none of them participated in Grand Rampage and none won a Championship yet here in EAW so I won't bother repeating ''SINCE 2018'' the exact way three times.
AJ Redding
I'll get straight to it with him, I appreciate the hunger I hear from him. I respect the fact he seems to know his lane as a New Breeder and he knows that no matter what is said about him and how little others think he can win, he still goes out there and he'll be fixing to make as big an impact as he can. He gets the idea of having one opportunity to make a first impression and considering this is his first Rampage he has the right like all other New Breeds alongside him to want to take the biggest bite he can get out of this whole thing. He has every reasons as well to be hopeful when history proved that even a rookie can leave this event victorious so he has no reasons to believe he has no chance. This makes hearing those who try to play the modesty card look silly, the likes of Jay Jerry Johnson who lowers his expectations and thus sabotages his chances of winning because his mind is not committed to the task at hand, not fully.
Should someone like AJ Redding win, it will come as a shock, but it really shouldn't be a surprised because this won't be a first in EAW's long and storied history. Competitors from all ranges of skills and motivations went on to be part of the elite list comprising those who were the lone survivors, sixteen of them thus far and we are days away from knowing the identity of the seventeenth. Will it be AJ Redding? Will it be Bronson Daniels? Who will it be? We'll soon find out, but no matter who stands tall in Phoenix they will have earned it and it won't matter if they thought they deserved it because of how dominant they've been most of the season or if they are a come-from-behind underdog no one expected to even make it past half of the field.
What matters is to go out there and fight for that opportunity, because no one is going to do it for you. Doesn't matter what others say or think, because they don't care about anybody's opinion as well and that is fine. So AJ, I'll look forward to seeing how hungry you are and how you'll make the most of the platform you and the other New Breeds have been offered on Sunday. At Grand Rampage, in Phoenix, it's open mic night, your chance to scream out loud and make your presence felt.
Mia Santoro
With her drive and desire to succeed alone, I'll give Donovan's squeeze a fair chance come Sunday. She has decent odds to do good for herself. She runs with the self-confidence of someone who could make it all the way.
Who can blame her for the arrogance she puts on display when she holds victories over names like Jack Ripley and Cameron Ella Ava? Wouldn't go as far as to consider myself If she had that much ego out of beating actual B-Tier elitists I'd be telling her to sit down and curb her enthusiasm even despite my track record but I won't, for a girl that started only last season and already score pins over big names like that? As Holly Arrow told me last season, she earned the right to be arrogant a little bit.
Telling others they try too hard or that their work on the stick is inconsequential holds less meaning than anything else. And I've spent far too much time already addressing something that means so little. So if this is a hand Mia opted to play, on Sunday like several others she will realize that her own words don't amount to much if she doesn't leave the event with the dub. In a game like Grand Rampage, the House wins against 29 Elitists each year, they throw their best poker face, we all do but only one of us beats the House. Will it be Mia Santoro? Does she have a good enough hand to go All-In? She is putting all her chips forward and it's obvious she's betting on herself, as she should, she's playing the game just like most of us safe for those who take the I-won't-win route which includes Jack who for a Straight Shooter sure ain't aiming his sight on the right target and that will benefit a young Elitist like Mia. Heck, maybe she'll set him straight by eliminating him, maybe that will show him that his focus on Cameron is a stupid venture when he should be doing what all of us are which is fighting to earn our seat at the high-stakes table on the greatest stage of them all!
I'm interested to see how she will react to her elimination if it happens. She can, like everyone else, believe with all her heart that she can do it. She can remain steadfast in her belief that she will do it, and if she does? Good for her, I mean that, but if she fails her reaction will be quite interesting. Much like seeing how she will react once she comes face to face with her man, this might be a test for their relationship and the question is will they be professionals about it? If one eliminates the other will it impact them outside of the ring? I don't wish their couple harm, but Grand Rampage will be a test of the love they have for one another. Let's see if they can put it aside for the sake of personal advancement, that will be an interesting story to follow.
During Grand Rampage, every participant are gamblers.
We all throw our chips in, we bet on ourselves in hopes of beating the odds, and the one who finishes last is the first in line for glorious ascension. Here's the thing when it comes to playing at that game, as Mia said to start of her video it is indeed brutal, but those who can shrug off losing their hand in Phoenix quickest are the ones who more often than not can build their next hand and go against the house once more and quickly the chips lost during Grand Rampage becomes a distant memory.
If I am to make an analogy over the name of the city where Grand Rampage is taking place, is that while many out there think that winning this is a matter of life or death there is always a way to rise from the ashes of this annual event and like a Phoenix rise to grow and achieve goals and make it big the likes we can't believe. Bronson Daniels is a perfect example of that, burning himself by being runner-up only to win the World Championship at Pain for Pride regardless. It's easy to make a promise most won't be able to keep for the sake of the game. Not so easy however to figure out what to do once said promise is broken. For a gambler, especially if she's an addict it will be easy to do it because there is always another opportunity, this sounds negative but the upside to it is that you can bounce back fast and forget the previous failure in profit of the next hand to play.
Luis de la Rosa
By the time I am recording this video, Roberto's brother has yet to say a word ahead of this great opportunity on Sunday. There is still time for him to say his piece, I'm not worried or concerned over it but should he fail to do his job when he had seven whole days to let us know his view on why he thinks he will win Grand Rampage... Or not... Then this won't look good for him.
Perhaps he is sick, maybe there is a family obligation he had to tend to, and kept him away from a recorder. Life throws us curveballs sometimes and there are moments where we must put our career in the backseat to take care of something more important. Martin St-Louis, head coach of the Montréal Canadiens, had to take a leave on absence for about a week not long ago because his son had a medical emergency. That is a good reason to stray from doing his job, trust me when I say if the man simply decided that he didn't feel like working? He would've been fired and rightfully so. But this isn't hockey, Luis won't be suspended or receive a fine if he misses out but should he not have a valid explanation for his mutism? No one will be sorry for him.
If we put this aside however, I will admit that I don't know a great deal about the man. I haven't paid much attention to his work since he joined the company in October last season. He seems to be enjoying the good life and is provided for by La Familia, I mean good on him if he has everything he wants and doesn't need to worry about money.
I took a bit of time to listen to his stuff over on Voltage, and the kid prides himself on his ability to rely on his brain as he seems to be lacking in the physicality department so he compensates by being smart. This will be a major issue for him on Sunday because a match like Grand Rampage demands a great deal of physical effort, it's taxing and requires a good amount of stamina to go through it. I figure he will try to manage his strength and I suspect he'll slide under the bottom rope a time or twice and stay away from the heat of the action until an opportunity arrives for him to pull a fast one then bail out of dodge. Not a bad strategy if you know you don't have what it takes to win on skills and physical abilities alone. And this is why I don't see him with even a remote chance of winning this event. Forget the fact he hasn't talked or if he does it'll be late in the game. If the kid can't put in the work inside the ring? He won't amount to anything not just against 29 other Elists all of them stronger and more skilled than him but later on when he goes back to Voltage.
I heard he got a few wins to his name, sure okay, good for him, but who's willing to wager that won't amount to much if his only strong attribute is his mind? I hope for him that he finds the courage to go hit the gym because even a Family Don knows how to get his hands dirty and put in the work when he needs to. And if he wants to truly be a leader? He's gonna have to be able to show us that he can command respect inside the ring and intelligence alone ain't going to cut it.
Speaking of cutting, this is how I'll end this video.
