July 27th, 2018
This week’s show is a two hour special, with some of the matches from the Battle Riot event.
Tony Schiavone welcomes us to the show, with his new broadcast partner, MATT STRIKER!
Myron Reed vs. Kotto Brazil
This was a fun opener, with Reed getting a lot in, but most importantly featured Kotto picking up another win. The crowd was very quiet, but I’m sure it’s just because they weren’t familar with either guy too well. Hopefully the crowd changes through the night, because the Orlando crowd always held past matches back. Anyways, good back and forth stuff here, with your typical kicks, dives, and cutters, as expected in a fast paced opener. Reed looked great, and I really hope he gets more opportunities in MLW. The main goal here was giving the fans a fun opener, which was accomplished, along with giving Kotto another win. Both men are welcomed back into the Middleweight division anytime, as they actually fit the style, unlike MJF and Joey Ryan…
Winner: Kotto Brazil
Match Rating: ***
MJF is interiewed, and is asked about Joey Ryan. He says New York City is the greatest place in the world because Maxwell Jacob Freedman was born there, and it’ll only take a short time for him to defeat Joey tonight and become the first MLW Middleweight Champion.
Konnan is interviewed about coming out of retirement. He’s gonna defeat 39 other men tonight and win the Battle Riot.
Some bigger news coming out of the show tonight, LA Park will be returning to MLW in October.
Joey Ryan is interviewed next, saying he had to cut down 5 pounds to make the Middleweight division. He had to cut back on the lollipops and baby oil to make weight. Joey is very good at what he does, and he didn’t get rich like MJF, he got rich by being a really good professional wrestler.
Team Filthy are in the back getting their spots for Battle Riot. Lawlor is asked about his loss to Jimmy Havoc, but he blows it off and says it’s time to move on.
MLW Middleweight Championship: MJF vs. Joey Ryan
This wasn’t a great match, just filled with antics, and definitely not something that should’ve been used to crown the first champion. MJF is a fine choice, but does he really fit the Middleweight style? Joey Ryan seemed to just be here to make the crowd pop, and bring some more fans to the show. Like I said, this was slow, boring, and really had nothing great to make a championship match to feel special.
Winner: MJF
Match Rating: **
MJF is interviewed after the match, and says he feels way better than everyone in the crowd. MJF is just that good, so he gets to cut the line and doesn’t care what the old veterans have to say. MJF is the Supernova, and tells the crowd to go back to their parents basement.
Sami Callihan and his heavies choose their spot in the Battle Riot.
They recap Low-Ki winning the MLW World Title last week, as he’s interviewed after the break.
Swoggle comes out from under the table, and he chooses his spot in the Battle Riot.
Salina De La Renta introduces us to the NEW MLW World Heavyweight Champion, Low-Ki. He’s here to bring everyone the fight, and it doesn’t matter where you come from or who you represent, Low-Ki will hold his position at the top.
MLW Battle Riot
This were a few surprises, some cool moments, lots of down time, good interactions, storylines continued, and a somewhat hot crowd. What else would you expect from a FORTY MAN Battle Royal? 40 Men was definitely too much, and it seemed like they only went with that number for the appeal. There were quite a few moments where the match dragged on for about five minutes, as we just were waiting for something big to happen. Tom Lawlor came in at #5, and lasted until the very end to pick up the win. This isn’t the most shocking, as Lawlor has been #1 in the rankings for quite some time and is usually a focal point of the show. The closing stretch with Lawlor and Hager was too drawn out, and should’ve been shortened down with some better exchanges. Thankfully, the New York crowd really got behind Lawlor, and it made a great atmosphere for when he picked up the big win. This wasn’t a terrible match, it was good, but not one of those Battle Royal type matches that you’ll need to rush and see again. Lawlor was a great choice to win, and he keeps getting better and better as a pro wrestler.
Winner: Tom Lawlor
Match Rating: ***
Matt Striker goes to the ring and interviews Tom Lawlor. They give him a standing ovation, and Striker mentions how he started at #5, but finished the job. Tom Lawlor calls himself the top combat sports athlete in the world, and he’s finally getting what he deserves, whenever he wants it. Lawlor is used to the major leagues, and he wants to change the L in MLW to “Major Lawlor Wrestling”.
Final Thoughts:
MLW hyped up the Battle Riot match A TON, and while it definitely was a bit of a let-down, the show wasn’t terrible. I’m assuming we’ll get to see the other matches from Battle Riot eventually, but they chose just to air these ones to fill the 2 hours. Getting a 2 hour time slot so early into a TV deal is a great sign, and MLW should definitely do another one when they get the chance. I’ve been harsh on some of the matches in the past, due to a poor crowd, poor booking, or whatever, but the product keeps getting more interesting, and they keep doing more (LA Park, WarGames, etc) to get more attention on the promotion. Good stuff by MLW, just nothing GREAT to make this show a must see.
Final Rating: 6.3/10