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Cross Offers Royal The Biggest Challenge of His Career

Posted: Jul 3rd 2019 By: Michael Hunt

When Jon Cross dove off the top of a steel cage in his WFC Championship loss to Tim Rockwell, he thought his in-ring career was over. All the fans were soon led to believe that his in-ring career was over. We believed it.

We were wrong.

When Cross was lured out of retirement to face Luke Langley at the OKX event in May and was finally pinned after 45 minutes of intense action, we thought that was probably the end of his in-ring career. One night only, Cross came back and was bested by someone better than him. But he proved he could take two years off and return in better condition than he was in when he left. And we believed that it was okay because he left under his own duress, rather than before when physical injuries forced him to the side.

We were wrong again.

But the story doesn’t start with Jon. It starts with 10 months of deception by Alex Royal. For ten months, Royal had led the fans in Tahlequah that he had turned over a new leaf. He had parted from the Proclamation. He had not only mended fences with NAW Tag Team and UWE Champion Fuel, but he had actively teamed with him. Royal even mended fences with WFC Hometown Heroes Champion J. D., reforming S.T.F. and capturing the UWE Tag Team Titles.

But again, we were wrong.

Royal never strayed form his Villain roots in WFC and maintained his alliance with Cross there. And all the while, Royal has learned everything he can from Cross. He formed a partnership and brotherhood with Cross that went outside the wrestling ring. They put together the What Can You Offer podcast and spent the better part of a year providing insight and entertainment in regards to the Oklahoma wrestling scene as well as other common topics of interest to them. It seemed like they could never be broken apart.

So this past Saturday, when Royal faced Fuel for the UWE Title in a match both participants were forced into by UWE Director of Operations and special referee for the match, Dustin McGowan, the fans knew that some sort of chicanery was going to happen. What they did not suspect was the crash of a steel chair on the head of Fuel, ending any conception that Alex Royal might be a “good guy”. This came after attempted interference by the Proclamation during the title match. That interference was driven away by Zach Royal, who returned on his own. And that really should have been the first clue. After all, how could one relatively new competitor fight off the combination of the UWE Tag Team Champions Ethan Cole & Reed and the UWE Apex Champion Zakk Sinizter? The answer soon came when the steel chair in Royal’s hand ended up slamming into Fuel and McGowan made one of the fastest 3-counts in UWE history. But that was not sufficient as the Proclamation then annihilated Fuel to the point where he had to be helped to a local medical facility for examination.

Confident that the primary threat to the UWE Title had been eliminated, Royal and McGowan took seats at ringside to observe the 2019 Sooner Stampede. As is traditionally the case, the winner of the Stampede gets the opportunity to main event Showdown and challenge for the UWE Title. The Stampede is always a unique mixture of action. There are usually several in-ring debuts and that was the case here, the most notable being Richard Pierce’s butler, Gary Poppins, who was literally thrown into the ring by Pierce himself. There are some feuds continued or reignited and that happened right from the beginning as the first two competitors were NAW Lightweight Champion Anarchy [2nd] and Wesley Crane. Not only did Anarchy have to fend off Wesley for almost an hour, but he was ultimately eliminated by NAW Tag Team Champion Running Wolf, who was not even a competitor in the event! And there are always some surprise returns. Bill Black, Samuel Savage, Draven and even Brett Stopp, who was there to receive an award on behalf of his father Seann Stopp, all entered the Stampede.

But apparently no one, including McGowan and Royal, were prepared for the biggest return of them all. He was the last entrant in the Stampede. And when the 3 simple words “We. Are. Cross” appeared on the projection screen, the shock that ran through the crowd was like none other. Jon Cross had returned to UWE! Jon Cross, who was the best friend of Alex Royal, had come to challenge for the title!

Cross had already come to the aid and defence of Fuel after Royal’s attack, but this took things even further. And with only 5 other competitors on the ring, Cross simply focused on elimination as quickly as he could. Most of his time was spent with long-time rival Bishop Nasty, whom he was finally able to remove after a protracted battle. Then, Cross turned to BPW Oklahoma Champion Tommy Dean, who put up a valiant struggle, but was also tossed over. That simply left UWE Tag Team Champion Reed, who tried to remind Cross that they were all part of the Villains. And they are. But as many know, there is no honour amongst thieves and after seemingly acknowledging that bond, Cross grabbed Reed by the back of the neck and threw him over.

Jon Cross had won the 2019 Sooner Stampede. And Royal and McGowan were irate! So much so that Royal stormed to the ring, grabbed the title belt and shoved it in the face of Cross. In a video promo posted after the show had ended, Royal made it clear that if Cross went through with the challenge and faced him at Showdown, their friendship would be over.

Even Tim Rockwell, who was present at the event, but unable to participate due to a separated shoulder, is unhappy with this dissension in his ranks. He acknowledged that Royal went too far in what he did to Fuel, but also promised to try and restore some order between the two at the next WFC event.

It seems to me that the answer to the simple question “What Can You Offer?” is just this. Royal can offer the UWE Title. Cross can offer his friendship. Is either of these things truly worth it to the opposing side, especially if it means the end of not only a partnership, but a friendship? Come October 12th, that question may well be answered. And again, it could be the end of a career.