Slammiversary 2018: Could DeAngelo Williams turn on Moose?

DeAngelo Williams returning to Impact Wrestling ahead of Slammiversary 2018 is convenient… a little too convenient! Should Moose be watching his back?

With Slammiversary 2018 rapidly approaching, let’s look back in time. DeAngelo Williams made his pro wrestling debut at last year’s Slammiversary, tagging alongside his buddy, Moose, against Chris Adonis and Eli Drake. Wrestling fans have come to not expect much out of celebrity attraction matches, but the former NFL running back received high praise for his performance.

Unfortunately for fans, the rookie would hang up his boots after just one match. It makes sense. Go out on top. Retire undefeated. But wrestlers are a lot like Brett Favre – they can never stay retired. Despite having only one match under his belt, Williams turns out to be no exception. After Thursday’s Impact, it’s clear that DeAngelo didn’t return to play cheerleader for Moose at Slammiversary.

A great Russian short story writer named Anton Chekhov once advised other writers, “if it’s not essential to the story, don’t include it in the story.” That little piece of wisdom, often referred to as Chekhov’s Gun, suggests that the former football player should play a key role in Sunday’s main event.

Let’s analyze DeAngelo’s return using Chekhov’s Gun. He returns to Impact, telling Josh Matthews how he’s been training with Moose. They show us a professionally-edited workout montage of said training. Naturally, Austin Aries interrupts to throw some shade at the former NFL players. The World Champion sucker punches Williams. Double-A brings in a steel chair but ends up receiving one of the most powerful toe kick in the business. The Ex-NFLer tries to return the favor, but Aries cheap shots him with a kick to the groin.

Both DeAngelo, and the chair, here are possible examples of Chekhov’s Gun. We know he and the challenger are both friends. They competed together in Williams’ first match as a pro wrestler and both share a bond over a Gridiron past. But the former Memphis Tiger was absent from television for an entire year. Despite his appearance as an all-around great guy, his return is beyond suspicious. Why involve him in the build to this feud if he’s not going to play a role at Slammiversary 2018?

The introduction of the chair is equally as significant as DeAngelo’s return. More importantly, no one has used it yet. Aries’ had a free shot after the low-blow, but opted to taunt him with it instead. Williams has to be thirsty for vengeance now, or at least that’s the illusion.

Let’s set the scene. The referee gets knocked out. Aries starts fighting dirty. But here comes DeAngelo, chair in hand. Things can go one of two ways. One, Williams steps into the ring and clotheslines the champ. He checks on Moose to make sure he’s all good, but he’s still got the chair in his hand. The challenger starts to get back to his feet, while the former running back sets his sights on Austin. In a classic wrestling swerve, DeAngelo turns around and lays out Moose with the chair! He and The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived were in cahoots the whole time!

The other scenario would start similarly. The referee is down, Aries is looking for a cheap way out, and again Williams, with a chair in hand, comes to make the save. Moose tries to stop DeAngelo, but his training partner is just too hellbent on revenge. During all this arguing, the champ picks up the chair and uses it to take down Moose. The ref recovers. He makes a slow count, and Austin Aries retains.

In the first scenario, his motivation is simple. There are so many former NFL players that have jumped to pro wrestling, but he’s the best one. He doesn’t want to sit on the sideline anymore. DeAngelo was a better player than Moose, and he’s a better wrestler too. It can set up a grudge match for Bound 4 Glory where Moose gets his revenge and Williams can retire at the end.

Option B allows for a slow build. Technically, Williams cost him his opportunity at becoming champion. But at the same time, he wanted his revenge on Aries. His mom raised him better than just to stand there and let someone push him around.