Major League Wrestling Fusion – December 28, 2018: Orange Is The New Black Friday Management
IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling
Fusion #36
Date: December 28, 2018
Location: Scottish Rite Temple, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone
It’s time for one of the biggest matches of this taping, if not the main event of the whole thing. This week we’ll be seeing Konnan come out of retirement to challenge Low Ki for the World Title in a match that is almost destined to go the way of shenanigans. Other than that, it’s time for more build towards Super Fight, which should be a changing of the guard. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
We open with a recap of the war between Konnan and Salina de la Renta, which has seen Konnan bringing in one name after another to go after Low Ki. With all of them having been vanquished, it’s Konnan’s time to do it himself.
Opening sequence.
The announcers preview the World Title match.
We look back at Tom Lawlor choking out Simon Gotch last week.
Here’s Gotch for the $20,000 open challenge, which is almost never a good idea.
Simon Gotch vs. Ace Romero
Romero weighs about 400lbs and Gotch knows he screwed up. Some chops just annoy Ace so Gotch jumps on his back for a choke. That goes as well as expected, meaning Gotch bails outside for a breather. The threat of a suicide dive has Gotch terrified but he comes back with some strikes to the face. Romero shrugs those off and slams Gotch, setting up the running splash for the win at 2:02. Total squash, as it should have been. You have to think that’s about it for Gotch around here after two straight losses.
Romero throws some of the money to the crowd.
Rush vs. LA Park is still confirmed for the April 4 show.
Kotto Brazil is out due to injuries suffered at a nightclub. Ricky Martinez was there and rather enjoying himself with some strippers. Martinez has been suspended but he’s not exactly worried because MLW can’t hold Promociones Dorado down.
Ariel Dominguez vs. Andrew Everett
Dominguez is a hometown boy and rather small in stature. Feeling out process to start with the overly cocky Everett getting taken down by the leg. Everett takes him down as well and hits a very soft Lionsault to the back. The nerve hold goes on for a bit before Everett goes with a big boot instead. Dominguez is right back up with a rolling German suplex, which Bocchini says Dominguez learned from training with Team Filthy. That’s quite the detail. Dominguez gets taken down again and Everett goes up, only to have his shooting star press hit knees. A small package gives Dominguez the upset at 3:05.
Rating: C. Perfectly fine, albeit short match. The big upset was a nice surprise with the much smaller Dominguez taking advantage of the cocky veteran. That’s a story that is going to work no matter what and it was fine here too. I’m not sure how far Dominguez can go but at least they’re going him something to build from.
We look back at Teddy Hart winning the Middleweight Title.
Konnan is ready to expose Salina and Low Ki tonight.
We look back at Brian Pillman Jr. hitting Tommy Dreamer low to win a tag match.
Dreamer applauds Pillman for teaching him something. He looks into Pillman’s eyes and sees doubt and insecurity, which he had when was Pillman’s age. They’re going into a Singapore cane match and Dreamer knows what’s going on in Pillman’s head. For every Charlotte and Randy Orton, there’s an Angelo Mosca Jr. and Bruno Sammartino Jr. (David was so lame that he’s become Bruno Jr.) and Pillman needs to know what he’s doing. Dreamer has some evil things in his head and Pillman is about to find them out.
We recap Tom Lawlor vs. Low Ki, including the long brawl between the two of them on the live show from two weeks back.
We get a new H2 video with Pillman working out at a gym. He’s on the phone with a girl, saying he needs to get in his cardio but insists that she’s his best girl. Later, Teddy is with him, saying that the Hart Foundation wants the Tag Team Titles.
Lawlor is fired up about waiting seven months since winning the Battle Riot and biding his time until he gets his title shot. Low Ki is a coward who will never see a real champion when he looks in the mirror. Next week, Lawlor is coming for him.
Matt Striker hypes up the main event.
MLW World Title: Konnan vs. Low Ki
Hometown boy Konnan is challenging and there’s no DQ. Konnan gets smart by knocking him cold with a loaded sock but Ricky Martinez pulls the champ to the floor for the early save. Salina comes out to check on the bloody Low Ki, who finally crawls back inside. He’s still able to kick at the mostly immobile Konnan but falls down into the Tequila Sunrise. That’s enough to draw Martinez inside for the save but Low Ki dropkicks him by mistake.
What looked like a battery shot puts Low Ki down again so Salina comes in, only to have Konnan take the cane away. Low Ki makes another save and gets a beer bottle, which he stomps Konnan face first into for even more blood. Some shots to the cut make things even worse for Konnan and Martinez comes in for a few shots of his own. Cue Hijo de LA Park to make it even worse with Low Ki pounding on the kidneys until the referee stops it at 5:37.
Rating: D-. Well that wasn’t quite what I was expecting and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Konnan wasn’t going to be able to work a match here so that’s fine, but this felt more like “what was the point” more than anything else. It was entertaining in a freak show way, and that’s not exactly enough for a match that was hyped up this heavily.
Post match Salina hands Low Ki a spike….and he stabs Konnan in the back, which the announcers call a shanking. Lawlor FINALLY comes in for the save. That’s quite a bit too far and not something I really wanted to see in a wrestling show. Once you get into attempted murder, it’s a little too much for me to take.
Pentagon is down in the back to end the show (with Tony saying it must be the work of Promociones “Delrado”). At least that explains the lack of a save.
Overall Rating: D. The opening two matches weren’t much to see but they weren’t the point of the show. Part of the problem at the moment is we’re waiting on Super Fight where Lawlor should win the title in the most obvious title changes in years. That’s all well and good, but at the same time it can make for some trying times before we get to the title change. The shanking things was a bit much, but maybe they need to write Konnan off TV for a bit. Not a great show, but most of that is due to me not liking the big angle at the end. We’ll call it a misfire, instead of something horrible though and that’s going to happen.
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