Major League Wrestling Fusion – March 30, 2019: Ring Of Honor Style
IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling
Fusion #51
Date: March 30, 2019
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Jim Cornette, Rich Bocchini
It’s the last show in Chicago before we head up to New York for Battle Riot. The problem is this show doesn’t really do much to build towards its specials, meaning it’s not going to be much more than a regular episode. That’s not the worst thing in the world though and this week will feature Teddy’s Hart’s open challenge for the Middleweight Title. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Salina de la Renta sends El Hijo de LA Park somewhere to give someone whatever he wants for an advantage in Battle Riot.
Opening sequence.
We open with a preview of Battle Riot, a two hour special.
Recap of Teddy Hart getting arrested and Dynasty destroying Brian Pillman Jr. last week.
Ariel Dominguez vs. Daga
Low Ki is on commentary due to ripping off Daga’s ear a few months back. The fans are behind Daga as the much smaller Ariel spins out of a wristlock. A headlock works a bit better for Daga and a dropkick puts Dominguez down, getting the fans right back into it. Some running forearms keep Daga in control and the announcers talk about Konnan. Dominguez gets thrown into the air for a big crash to the mat and a running kick to the face gets two.
Dominguez finally gets in a pair of elbows to the face and a springboard tornado DDT gets a delayed two (Low Ki: “COVER HIM! COVER HIM!”). Daga gets sent outside for a dive, with Dominguez barely being able to take him down. Back in and Daga gets some knees up, followed by a right hand to the face to really take over again. A heck of a release German suplex drops Dominguez again and a single arm implant DDT gives Daga the pin at 7:49.
Rating: C-. Dominguez has a lot of fire but he’s small enough that it’s really hard to believe that he could actually pull something like this off. Daga is a bigger star both figuratively and literally, making this feel longer than it needed to. Low Ki vs. Daga should be fine for a hard hitting brawl, and listening to Low Ki is far more fun than it should be.
Post match referees have to break up Daga and Low Ki.
Last week Salina and LA Park’s victory interview was interrupted by Mance Warner, who was beaten down for his efforts.
Myron Reed has accepted the open challenge for the Middleweight Title because he wants a chance. Reed gets straight to the point: he’s taking the belt and heating up Major League Wrestling.
The Hart Foundation isn’t happy with the Dynasty and Teddy promises to throw them into a furnace like coal to keep the fire going.
Ricky Martinez vs. Air Wolf
This is Air Wolf’s (a masked 19 year old from Minneapolis) debut. An early hurricanrana has Martinez in trouble and a springboard dropkick sends him outside. There’s a good looking no hands dive and a Salina distraction doesn’t work, allowing Wolf to kick him in the head. He tries to get just a bit too high flying though and Martinez takes him off the barricade, setting up the Madison Rayne faceplants back inside.
Martinez hits an old Bobo Brazil kick to the head, followed by the Tully Blanchard slingshot suplex and you know Cornette is right there with the historical names. A neckbreaker gets two but Wolf is back with a series of kicks and a 619 over the bottom rope. Wolf’s slingshot DDT is more of a slingshot armdrag though Martinez looks a little dead. Back up and Wolf gets caught on top, allowing Martinez to hit a pop up knee for the pin at 6:26.
Rating: D+. Wolf had some nice stuff but he never really popped in a way that made me care about him. That being said, at 19 years old he’s in need of a lot more ring time so the extra polish is going to help him a lot. Martinez is still very good as a midcard heel like this and he’s a perfect fit as Salina’s muscle.
Recap of Contra’s attacks.
Dynasty is happy with destroying the Hart Foundation (though MJF isn’t happy with Hammerstone’s arm around his shoulder) because they were all frauds. Pillman’s necklace shattered last week because it was cheap, but diamonds like them are forever. They’re going to win Battle Riot.
Battle Riot Control Center with WXW’s Avalanche Robert Dreissker, Jimmy Yuta, Rey Horus, Kotta Brazil, Ricky Martinez, Lance Anoa’i, Myron Reed, Richard Hollday, Rich Swann, Jordan Oliver, Leo Brien, Michael Patrick and Dan Severn, among all the other previously announced names. That’s looking pretty good, though I still feel bad about the destruction of the Dirty Blondes.
Tom Lawlor isn’t sure what to make of Jimmy Havoc but he wants revenge for Havoc being the last man to defeat him. Havoc might as well check into the hospital right now because Lawlor is putting him down and he’s staying there.
Daga wants a rematch with Low Ki and he’s going to kill him.
Salina is on the phone with whomever she sent El Hijo de LA Park to help but Hijo isn’t there yet. LA Park says he’s got this.
Middleweight Title: Teddy Hart vs. Myron Reed
Reed is challenging and Hart is still banged up with bad ribs. We hit the posing on the ropes and Reed bails to the floor as the early stalling continues. They finally lock up over a minute in and Hart grabs the arm to put Reed in trouble. A shoulder drops Reed again but it’s a nipup in short order. Hart goes with the strength in the form of a snap powerslam, which bangs up his own ribs even worse.
Project Ciampa makes it even worse on Reed, though again with the same problem for Hart. The Arabian Press gets two but Reed finally gets smart by going after the heavily taped ribs. Sometimes just kicking a guy in the bandages over and over is the best strategy. Hart can’t come back with a German suplex so Reed hits him in the ribs to keep control. A Codebreaker gives Reed two more and Hart gets thrown outside, followed by a whip into the barricade.
Back in and a top rope splash gets two but Reed spends too much time yelling at the referee and gets taken down for an armbar. The ribs flare up again though and Hart has to let go, instead heading up top. That’s delayed as well and it’s a dropkick into a super hurricanrana for two. Reed walks into something like a hammerlock fisherman’s DDT but the Lionsault hits knees. The kickout means another argument with the referee, allowing Hart to grab a backslid of all things for the pin to retain at 10:59.
Rating: C+. There was a story here and the injury was the only way to make you believe that Reed had a chance. Hart and the Hart Foundation are one of the hottest acts in the company and it’s a good idea to have him overcoming the odds here. It was almost nothing but waiting around until the ending with Hart winning, and really that’s just fine.
Hijo returns…and punches his father in the face, because it’s Mance Warner under the mask. A beatdown of Park ends the show.
Overall Rating: C. This was all it needed to be with a completely watchable show in the vein of a good Ring of Honor episode. They didn’t do much for Battle Riot but that’s the kind of show where one match is going to be more than enough to make the card work. Now just do that show right and we can get on to the stuff they’ve been setting up over the last few weeks.
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