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One Man Sam Wins One Day Tournament For Ryder

Posted: Jul 3rd 2015 By: CMBurnham

Is it possible for a 400-plus pound competitor to NOT make an impression anywhere he goes?

If you asked One Man Sam that questions, the answer would almost assuredly be No.

Sam was one of eight elite competitors chosen to battle in the inaugural Ryder Memorial Cup Tournament. Not only would the winner be recognised for his endurance in being victorious in three matches in one afternoon, but they would also have the opportunity to challenge for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title at a later date.

There were no easy paths to victory in this tournament as in the first round, Sam faced off against ComPro Champion Jake OBrien. The 21st Century Aristocrat knew that this could be the best opportunity to make people treat him seriously in WFC and, as the only representative of the Caballero Cartel in the tournament, a lot of added pressure was on him. But even with the presence of a member of Cartel Security at ringside, Sam was still able to connect with the Black Hole Slam and advance in the tournament.

Round two saw Sam face off against a long time adversary in the form of Bobby Starr. And just as in the first round, the odds were not in the favour of Sam as Starr had his manager, Mark Wilson, at ringside once again. And despite knowing that he was on thin ice with WFC management and specifically with Director of Operation Dexter Hardaway, Wilson could not resist becoming a factor in this match. Towards the end of the match, Wilson threw his hat in the ring and then jumped up on the ring apron to argue with referee Chance Snodgrass. Meanwhile, Sam hit a splash from the 2nd rope, but when he made the pin, the referee was still distracted. As Sam went to get the attention of the referee, Starr grabbed his sceptre and knocked Sam down with it. As Starr covered Sam, Wilson alerted the referee, who turned around and made the 3-count. This brought out Dexter Hardaway, who said he saw what happened in the back and would not allow this miscarriage of justice to continue, so he restarted the match. Mark Wilson was beside himself, having a conniption fit, but Bobby Starr did not have time to protest as he was caught with the Black Hole Slam as well and Sam advanced to the finals.

The final obstacle in the path for Sam was WFC Tag Team Champion Aaron Anders. Anders had beaten Muy Macho in the opening round, then took on IZW Tag Team Champion Graham Bell in the 2nd. Bell was probably the most experienced competitor when it came to this kind of tournament, as he was the winner of the 2014 Impact Player of the Year Tournament in IZW. So Anders knew he would need some extra assistance and he got it by taking the Ryder Cup and running around the ring with it. Then, when he went to give it back to the Soul Ryders at ringside, Bell hooked him in a Full Nelson, but Anders backkicked Bell in the groin and pinned him. And despite a long rest period between their opening round matches and the finals, the heat of the afternoon was much more of a factor against the heavier Sam than Anders. Sam knew he needed to win and win quickly and he tried to polish Anders off early with a Moonsault, but could not connect. Anders pressed the advantage as much as he could, but it seemed like no matter what he did, he could not keep is larger opponent down. And after a successful connection with a Moonsault, Sam scored the 3-count and became the inaugural Ryder Memorial Cup Tournament winner.

This now puts Sam in contention for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title. And that is just one of the many positive pathways Sam appears to be heading down. He has one more match in his Best-of-5 series with Mr. Nasty on July 17th. And after the impact he made the last time he was in MSWA, he appears to be on the road to becoming a regular member of their roster and will be seen on July 3rd against Richie Adams.