October 12th, 2018
Rich Bocchini hypes up tonight’s main event, which is Rich Swann vs. Teddy Hart. Hart then complains about the fact that there is a conspiracy against the Hart Foundation, and MLW doesn’t want them on the top. He goes over his family legacy and accomplishments, and says soon enough they’ll be Tag Champions (makes sense because MLW literally has ZERO teams).
Vandal Ortagun vs. Brian Pillman Jr. w/The Hart Foundation
This is Pillman’s first singles match in MLW, and it served its purpose. Ortagun has delivered in matches like these, and he actually got some time to shine. While this should’ve been Pillman running through someone in his debut, I wasn’t against “a more competitive” match like this. Pillman definitely needs some work, but that’ll come with time. Keep an eye out on him in the next few years, as he already has the look to be a star, now all it takes is the talent.
Winner: Brian Pillman Jr.
Match Rating: NR
They hype up Rush’s MLW debut, same video as last episode.
Jimmy Yuta vs. Hijo de LA Park w/Salina De La Renta
I’m really confused at the booking here, and it feels like one of those matches that took place at the wrong time. With Yuta having a Middleweight Title shot coming up, he definitely needed a win, but then LA Park just got a tag title shot with Hijo, but now he’s losing in his debut? Not sure about that decision, but it was a fine match, with the crowd not really caring. Yuta could be a great babyface moving forward if they give him the chance to shine. Check out his work in Dojo Pro if you don’t agree with me, but I can’t wait to see more of Hijo de LA Park.
Winner: Jimmy Yuta
Match Rating: **1/2
Stokely Hathaway is returning to MLW!
Shane Strickland no showed a media event, and that leads to some quick words from Lawlor, as the hype continues for their match next week.
Also announced for the MLW Halloween Special is PCO vs. LA Park. This adds to the “Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal” match between Callihan and Havoc. Havoc cuts a promo, pretty much telling Callihan he’s a psycho, and Callihan will regret what he did to Havoc.
Rich Swann is interviewed, as he talks about Rich Swann parties, his friend ACH, and defeating Teddy Hart in the main event.
Back to the Fightland control center, as they announce the MLW Tag Title match as the Lucha Bros defend against LA Park and Hijo de LA Park. Also confirmed is the MLW World Title rematch between Low Ki and Shane Strickland, Rush vs. Sammy Guevara, and Ace Romero making his MLW debut.
Teddy Hart w/The Hart Foundation vs. Rich Swann
This was a good main event, but could’ve used some time trimmed off because it felt quite long. Plus, if you put this into perspective compared to Davey/ACH last week, then it REALLY makes ACH look like a loser. Anyways, they did some cool Teddy Hart things in this match, but the crowd only cared at times, and other times were dead. Rich Swann was doing well by himself, but in the end the numbers advantage, and the cheating ways of Teddy Hart costed him, allowing for Hart to pick up the win. It finally seems like The Hart Foundation are going places.
Winner: Teddy Hart
Match Rating: ***1/2
Final Thoughts:
While not as bad as last weeks episode, there just wasn’t much to offer this week. MLW has an incredibly talented roster, but they just don’t know how to properly fill an hour of TV. Plus, there were quite a few questionable booking decisions on this episode. We kicked things off with a fine squash, as Brian Pillman Jr. needed the win, but should’ve looked more dominant in his debut. Moving on, some angles advanced through the video packages and interviews, but I’m not a big fan of a huge set of just videos when we transition from the 2nd match to main event. That’s when the show begins to feel like it drags on, but thankfully the main event this week was good, and everything they did made sense. Good stuff there, and we finally get Lawlor/Strickland on the next episode.
Final Rating: 5.0/10