A few storylines coming to an explosive conclusion, some unanswered questions, some brawling, and a bigger and longer story set-up. MLW Fury Road ‘19 fired on all eight cylinders and made up for the confusing and sloppy mess that was MLW Fusion: Episode 59. Without wasting anymore time and text, let’s jump into the event.
Match 1: Gringo Loco gets the win over Myron Reed
This match shouldn’t be too much of surprise to anyone. Reed has been a pretty detestable heel for some time and the crowd was ready to boo him. Playing to the crowd, Reed worked them into a frenzy whenever he got the chance. Gringo Loco however showcased some wonderful Lucha Libre action and left it all on the mat. Loco has a great arsenal of aerial moves and grappling offense which he used to wear down Reed to pick up the win with a spinning variation of a Tombstone Piledriver. High-flying and fast paced, this match was a great match to open up with, really sparking the crowd and setting them up for the rest of the night. Post match, Myron Reed pulled out a set of brass knuckles out of his pants and leveled Gringo Loco with a mean hook. Could this be the last we see of these two in the ring together or is this building to something greater down the road? We shall see.
Salina Del La Renta then cuts a short and informative promo about the direction of the company and how Court Bauer saw fit to allow her to run a show later this month. June 15th , Salina will be the executive producer for MLW. Let’s wait and see how this plays out or if there is a build to something bigger.
After Salina, Kaci is standing outside a doorway saying that Tom Lawlor is missing and she will continue to update Jim and Rich as this story unfolds.
Match 2: Alexander Hammerstone defeats Brian Pillman, Jr. to become the first MLW National Openweight Champion.
Right from the entrances, you could tell that the crowd was fully behind Pillman and it was no question who the favorite was going into this bout. Hammerstone made his entrance, flanked by Richard Holliday and MJF to a roar of boos. As Holliday and MJF were making their exits, MJF drew more heat on commentary saying that if Brian Pillman, Sr. were still alive today, he would vomit at the sight of his own son. Sickening words from an absolutely detestable human being. As the match began, you could tell that this was going to be a bout of opposing styles. Pillman started out strong and fast, trying to put away the much larger Hammerstone quickly but all momentum was stopped quickly by a wonderfully placed bicycle kick from Hammerstone. This was a theme throughout the rest of the match as well. Every time Pillman would gain the upperhand, Hammerstone would stop him cold in his tracks. In the end, Hammerstone’s strength and will proved too much for the speed of Pillman and Hammerstone is the first ever MLW National Openweight Champion.
Soon after this match, Jim and Rich are given some footage of Contra jumping Tom Lawlor in the parking lot and taking him to an undisclosed location. The scene then cuts to a live view of Lawlor tied to a chair and Contra sends a message that they can do whatever they want by cutting off Lawlor’s hair. Kidnapping and assault and a promo would have been fine but some of the effect was lost when they just cut his hair off. However despicable it might have been, it still seemed childish.
Main Event Time!! Teddy Hart retains over Jimmy Havoc
This match, this is what wrestling is all about. A wonderful combination of technique, brutality, and storytelling. The bout starts off how one would expect with Teddy Hart showcasing his athleticism and conditioning early. Within the first few minutes of the match, Teddy hits a beautiful springboard corkscrew senton to go for the pin early but Havoc wouldn’t have it. For a few minutes, Havoc then plays the part of the human pinball, taking bumps all over the ring until getting the upper hand by dropping Hart face first on a chair coated ring apron and drawing the first signs of blood. Then, with the sick depravity that Havoc is known for, he hit’s Hart with a devastating chairshot to the head at the ring post. The next spots were just as devastating. Paper cuts to the mouth and finger webbing is enough to make you cringe in disgust. The back to back suplexes on the steel barricade draping the ring apron were enough to make you question both men’s sanity but this match kept going and didn’t let up. Teddy went for a head scissors off the top rope and was reversed into a Sharpshooter by Havoc, much to the chagrin of the crowd in attendance. Teddy Hart found another gear though and put away Havoc with a Canadian Destroyer which set him up for the Hammerlock DDT into the chair and pick up the win. This match was wonderful from beginning to the end and it didn’t end there. Dynasty came out to beat the hell out of Teddy Hart but everything broke down into a giant brawl when The Hart Foundation came out to even the odds. Jim and Rich talked about how MJF and Davey Boy Smith were going to face off next week so clearly this was meant to give that match more gravity.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this show was great. Short, sweet, to the point. I wished I could have had another hour added to this but for the time that was given, this show was solid. A few good matches, some good promos, and some building blocks for the future. I can’t wait to see the fallout from this show. Let’s hope that MLW can ride out this wave of momentum.