July 13th, 2018
Rich Bocchini and Tony Schiavone welcome us to the show, tonight our main event is UFC vs. Bellator, being Jake Hager vs. Tom Lawlor. Plus in action is Barrington Hughes, along with more Battle Riot news. They show an attack from earlier on, where Strickland was laid out. Two more matches are hyped for tonight, and we’re sent off to Col. Robert Parker in the ring.
The Stud Stable vs. Team TBD and Rhett Giddins
This was a very basic six man tag, with nothing special, and a predictable outcome. The Stud Stable needed a win, and the issues continued between Yuta and Cade, furthering the split of Team TBD. Rhett Giddins didn’t get to do a whole lot, so I can’t be quick to judge him. The crowd really didn’t care at all, and they built all this time leading to a Yuta hot tag, yet Cade just tagged himself in and it was all wasted. Nothing terrible here, just really average.
Winners: The Stud Stable
Match Rating: **1/2
From the Battle Riot control center, they announce Fulton, Fred Yehi, and Homicide fro the match. Other matches are hyped for the show, and it airs live on Thursday.
Barrington Hughes vs. Jaye Skye
The Hughes squashes continue, as this dude still has nothing noteworthy going on. He’s a friend of Shane Strickland and has his back, yet it leads to a match with Leon Scott… Definitely not something anyone can be too excited for. Fine little squash here, and I say it everytime, let’s see what’s in store for Hughes moving forward.
Winner: Barrington Hughes
Match Rating: NR
MLW Officials can confirm that Low-Ki did not attack Strickland, as Low-Ki is busy training in California.
MJF vs. Joey Janela w/Aria Blake
This was a pretty solid match, better than the opener. Joey Janela did some wild things, and they brought in a chair at the end. MJF takes the pin here, yet he has a Middleweight Championship match coming up on Thursday? Good logic. Anyways, Aria Blake threw the chair in the ring, which allowed for MJF to hit Janela with it, but ultimately Janela hit a superkick to MJF (with the chair by his face) to pick up the win. This may be a case where Blake wanted MJF to use the chair and get the win, because they’ve teased the MJF and Blake pairing before.
Winner: Joey Janela
Match Rating: **3/4
MJF is interviewed after his match, and says he got cheated out of a victory. Aria threw the chair in the ring, but the referee was as blind as a bat. The people at home can’t be upset at Aria, because she’s being influenced by a Bad Boy. Deep down, Aria knows she needs a real man… But Joey Janela comes back out to attack MJF! The two brawl on the stage as referee’s try to separate them.
Shane Strickland is officially cleared to compete next week on Fusion, where he will defend the MLW World Heavyweight Championship against Low-Ki in a $60,000 Bounty Match.
There’s a cryptic video from Jimmy Havoc, as he still has his sights on Tom Lawlor.
Jake Hager w/Col. Robert Parker vs. Tom Lawlor w/Team Filthy
This was a pretty solid match, playing to the strength of both men. Lawlor is stuck in two feuds (Havoc and Stud Stable) while being the #1 contender to the World Title. The crowd was pretty quiet here, and that has been a problem with main event’s in the past. Overall, nothing wrong with this, even though I wasn’t a fan of the finish. The feud will continue, as The Stud Stable attacked Lawlor, causing a DQ finish. Hager is just alright here, he seems WAY better in Lucha Underground.
Winner: Tom Lawlor via DQ
Match Rating: ***
After the match, Lawlor says he’s going to New York to win the Battle Riot, and walk out as World Champion, because MLW stands for “Major Lawlor Wrestling”.
Final Thoughts:
MLW Fusion continues to be an easy hour to sit through, as angles are always advanced, and the matches are usually always solid. This week we had four matches, an average opener, a squash, followed by two good matches. Live on Thursday is Battle Roit, which they have been hyping for weeks now. The show has potential, so we’ll see how it goes. Also, next week’s main event was confirmed, as Strickland defends the World Title against Low-Ki in a $60,000 Bounty Match.
Final Rating: 6.5/10