In the beginning, we are met by a video package, featuring the gravestone of Sami Callihan. Jimmy Havoc delivers a wonderful “sermon” in a way only he can. Flanked by Salina De La Renta, we are left to wonder what kind of alliance these two have formed. It’s a sad but necessary way to open the show.
Soon after the intro to the show, we get right into the action with MJF coming to commentary for the first match of the night. MJF comes out with Aria Blake and a chorus of boos from the crowd. As soon as The Hart Foundation music hits, the crowds mood changes and Teddy Hart walks out, tag team belt in tow, looking to face Dynasty’s own Richard Holliday. This was never meant to be. MJF and Aria Blake cause a distraction, which allows Richard Holliday to attack Hart from behind and run off with Hart’s belt. This feud has been brewing for a long time and I can’t wait to have all six of these guys in a tag team match.
Instead of a match, we get treated to a Mance Warner promo. We find Mance “drinking and thinking,” down by a river that looks an awful lot like a drainage ditch. Ole’ Mancer is angry, and with good reason. He was forced to fight and oust his only real ally in MLW, Sami Callihan, in the main event of last weeks episode. This prompts Mancer to go tell us that he’s going head hunting. He wants to go through all the members of Promociones Dorado, before destroying Salina’s stranglehold on MLW once and for all. Let’s hope this proves to be better than Mancer’s send off of Callihan.
Match #1: Jordan Oliver defeats Isiah Velasquez
This match was rough to watch. Throughout the match, there were a lot of sloppy looking moves and very little story to get behind. Both wrestlers have talent but it wasn’t on display in this match. Going a hair under five minutes, this match did nothing to build any future story, nothing to help establish Jordan Oliver, and barely got a reaction from the crowd. Oliver picks up the win after hitting two cutters.
Match #2: Low Ki defeats Tom Coffey
Another boring match. Low Ki Runs across the ring to hit a KO elbow. Big deal. After the bell, Low Ki is met with a roar of boos, after having his name chanted last week.
After the match, Low Ki cuts a promo on Contra Unit, citing each one individually, escpecially Fatu, who Low Ki claims to know his family lineage quite well, and possibly better than Fatu himself. Low Ki continues to state that the Pandora’s Box that they have opened will come for them and that they are without question on his hit list. When will Low Ki come after them? We shall see soon enough.
Contra Unit finally addresses the elephant in the room about the match against the Von Erichs and Filthy Tom Lawlor. This promo is quite good, especially when the camera focuses on Jacob Fatu. His promo made him sound and feel like a killer, which is good, going into the main event and his match July 6th, with Tom Lawlor.
Match #3: Tom Lawlor and the Von Erichs defeat Contra Unit
Oh boy… This match was a car crash, and not in a good way. Where do the problems start? This was a Texas Tornado Unsanctioned match. Six guys beat the crap out of each other and made the action incredibly difficult to follow. There was very little in the way of story or drama and it did very little to build to the Kings of Colosseum event coming up. Besides the debut of the Von Erichs and a few cool spots, this match is completely forgettable and really has nothing worth mentioning about it. The Von Erichs hit an Iron Claw slam for the win. The victory is short lived as everything devolves into an all out brawl in and out of the ring. If this is supposed to build tension, MLW has somehow managed to do the opposite.
Final Thoughts
This show was bad. There is really no way paint it in a better light. Not every show can be a winner or be perfect but in a day and age where a viewer can find wrestling entertainment literally anywhere on the internet, why settle for something this half baked. The product has been slipping in quality since Fury Road and this is the worst outing so far. Let’s hope next week doesn’t continue this trend.