Here we are, the latest MLW Fusion after the events of Fury Road and we find ourselves at the Waukesha County Expo Center still and getting another solid outing from the MLW crew. Without further ado, let’s get started.
We start out our show with a venomous promo from the resident big bastard of Dynasty and new MLW National Openweight Champion, Alex Hammerstone. Rich Bocchini is interviewing him in his private gym in the middle of a workout. Hammerstone wastes no time hitting the bullet points of why he is the new National Champion, why he’s hated by the crowd, and why Brian Pillman Jr. is the hero that the fans have gotten behind. When Rich presses him about Dynasty having his back, Hammerstone points out that he is the first to bring Dynasty a title and that he gave them a destiny. Then in an effort to embarrass the commentator, Hammerstone grabs Bocchini and starts doing squats with him over his shoulders showcasing that in the end, he’s just a muscle head. Great stuff.
Match #1: Richard Holliday(with Aria Blake) defeats Kotto Brazil
This match was short and sweet. Both Brazil and Holliday played their parts perfectly. Brazil came into the match the undersized underdog and used his speed from the opening bell. However, Holliday’s size and strength advantage proved time and time again to be too much for Brazil. Early on, you could tell that this was going to be a recurring theme in the match after Holliday leveled the much smaller man with a big boot, haulting all forward momentum. Towards the end of the match, Brazil hit a beautiful top rope single leg drop kick and looked like he might take the match, but Holliday hit a massive lariat and followed up with a beautiful gut wrench power bomb for the win. Short, sweet, and to the point, the way a match like this should be.
Match #2: Air Wolf defeats Ace Austin
Two young, high flying, and technically proficient guys working together should make for a good match right? Well, not always. This match felt a little flat. From the entrances, the crowd seemed to fall asleep, at least on the recording. On top of that, it seemed like there were a few mistakes that came about due to lack of experience. That being said, there is still a lot to like about this match. Both wrestlers showed incredible athleticism and technical ability. On top of that, there were some great spots making use of both wrestlers unique skill sets. For example, Ace Austin’s parkour training was on display during a great exchange on the ring apron. Air Wolf showed that just because he’s a high flying luchador, doesn’t mean he can’t use some great power moves, like his spinning butterfly suplex, or as he like’s to call, the Tail Spin. Unfortunately, a few cool spots don’t put together a complete match. Air Wolf picks up the win with an awkward finish. I would like to see these guys in another match together at some point in the future. I just really hope they can iron out the kinks.
Next, we get a promo from Salina De La Renta. She tells us about next weeks show which she is executive producer for. Salina has been dealing with Sami Callihan and Mance Warner for a while and now she gets to deal with at least one of them. Sami and Mance are booked in a match tailor made for them, a falls count anywhere match where the loser leaves MLW for good. Two great, hard hitting, and violent workers. Look forward to seeing this match in the main event next week.
Cameras catch up with Sami and Mance outside to ask about their match next week and their thoughts about and oh boy, do we get an answer. I absolutely love these two together. Sami just spouts off about what the match is gonna look like and how after everything is all said and done, much to the chagrin of Warner, Ole Mancer is “going to ride off into the sunset.” Mance was a little offended by that remark and by the end of it, while Mancer shook Sami’s hand like a gentleman, Mancer left him with a warning. He said, “As soon as that bell rings, we fighting.”
Next week, we also get a bit of a pay off when Low Ki squares off against Ricky Martinez, after Salina and Martinez left him at the mercy of Contra Unit.
Tom Lawlor is gonna defend his title at MLW: Kings of Colosseum on July 6th against Jacob Fatu and Lawlor had a few things to say about it, chief among them, how for the first time in MLW history, he’s going to “clean up the place.” Also, Lawlor found his back up against Contra Unit in the country boys, the Von Erichs. Contra Unit and Jacob Fatu follow up with a rather uninspired promo. I don’t know how to feel about this feud so let’s hope that their match delivers.
Match #3: Davey Boy Smith, Jr. defeats MJF
This match is two consummate professionals squaring off. MJF comes out flanked by his Dynasty cohorts and Aria Blake, really playing up how much of a bastard he is, taunting the crowd and receiving a barrage of boos. As soon as the Hart Foundation music hit’s, the crowds mood changes. It doesn’t take long for this match too take off either. MJF rolls out of the ring to waste time and frustrate Smith. Smith held his composure and waited for the best time to strike, grabbing MJF by the head and tossing him into the ring. After controlling the match for a few minutes, things start to turn in favor of Dynasty when MJF rakes Smith’s eyes and tosses him into the turnbuckle. For the remainder of the match, MJF work’s Smith’s right knee, taking every opportunity to attack and keep the much larger man from getting a good base. Throughout the match, Dynasty distracts the ref from his job and allows the other members to choke Smith with a shirt, giving MJF a better chance of winning. Smith continually fights back and showcases several times his hybrid style of wrestling and MMA. Nearing the end of the match, Smith hit’s a diving headbutt and goes for the pin but Richard Holliday grabs MJF’s foot and put’s it on the bottom rope, forcing a break. After punching Holliday off the ring apron, Pillman and Teddy Hart rush out from backstage to provide some much needed backup. Smith picks up the win after hitting MJF with a running power slam. This truly felt like a main event match.
The cameras very quickly cut to a shot of Contra Unit attacking Ariel Dominguez backstage and then the show goes off air.
Final Thoughts
This show was solid overall but it was brought down by pacing issues and some pretty lackluster heel promos. The show as a whole was better than episode 59 and was a decent follow up to Fury Road. There is a good base to build on towards Kings of Colosseum, let’s just hope something does build and eagerly await the violent clash between Sami Callihan and Mance Warner.