Major League Wrestling Fusion – September 7, 2019: Around The World In Three Matches
IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling
Fusion #74
Date: September 7, 2019
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Rich Bocchini
We’re coming up on War Chamber and that could mean one of two things. We could be seeing a big preview of the upcoming special or we could be seeing a nothing, filler show that just kills off a week before we get to what matters. Or it could be a combination of both, which is likely going to be the case. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Konnan arrives and gets jumped by Promociones Dorado, with Salina de la Renta taking her phone back.
Apparently each match is going to be from a different location this week.
Jordan Oliver vs. Gringo Loco
From Chicago. Oliver says Loco acts like he can do whatever he wants, just like all the cops out here. While sounding like he’s about 10 years old, Oliver describes himself as young and dumb. Oliver jumps him before the bell and knocks Loco outside for a beating from Myron Reed. Back in and the stomping continues as we hear about Reed’s issues growing up. Loco dropkicks the leg out and hits a standing moonsault to the back. The handspring back elbow sends Oliver outside but he’s right back in for a big boot to the floor.
That means a suicide dive from Oliver and the chinlock goes on. Back up and Loco reverses a springboard hurricanrana into a sitout powerbomb and the fans wake up in a hurry. A split legged moonsault gives Loco two but it’s a thumb to the eye to slow Loco down. Oliver hits a pop up Stunner into a small package for two, only to have Loco enziguri him outside. The big flip dive drops Oliver and he claims a shoulder injury. The goldbricking is clear here but the distraction lets Reed hit Loco with a chair to give Oliver the pin at 7:43.
Rating: C. The flips were nice but this felt like it had two ending sequences and they should have wrapped it up after the Stunner. That’s part of the problem with matches like this: they just keep going for the sake of continuing, even when there isn’t a need to. It was a fine cruiserweight style match and Loco still gets a reaction so it’s hard to ask for much more.
War Chamber preview.
Low Ki says the question is whether his partners can trust him. The bigger question is if they can’t at this time. Their history is behind them and now he will go to war with them.
Richard Holliday vs. Brian Pillman Jr.
From New York. Before the match, Holliday calls it a conspiracy that the Hart Foundation really runs MLW. It’s no coincidence that Dynasty sounds so much like destiny, because they are the only true thing around here. Pillman chops away to start so Holliday does the same to keep us even early on. A dropkick (without full extension) and a dropkick put Holliday on the floor but he sweeps the leg to drop Pillman on the apron.
Back in and the heelish offense begins with a knee to the head getting two. Pillman misses an armdrag and gets kicked in the head as the announcers put over the idea that Pillman is making rookie mistakes. Holliday gets two off a swinging neckbreaker but misses a lariat, meaning the comeback is on. A victory roll and powerslam give Pillman two each but Holliday is right back with a Death Valley Driver for his own near fall.
With that not working, Holliday brings in a chair, which the referee grabs. The referee takes forever to get rid of the chair, allowing Pillman to throw his Rookie of the Year award to Holliday and drop to the mat (including holding his head for a bonus). That’s not enough for a DQ so Pillman kicks him low and grabs the straitjacket neckbreaker for the pin at 7:10.
Rating: D+. Not a great match but this feud has carried the promotion for a long time now. You can throw any combination of these two teams together and have a solid match so it’s not like this was a stretch. Pillman needs a lot more experience but he’s clearly very athletic and can do the basics more than well enough, meaning the match wasn’t terrible by any means. Not terrible, but there was a bit too much crammed in near the end.
Dominic Garrini is coming.
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We recap last week’s World Title match with Contra costing Tom Lawlor his chance to get the title back. The big brawl was on after the match with Low Ki making the save to become the fourth member of Team Lawlor.
The Von Erichs don’t trust Low Ki but they’re willing to go to war with him. Contra’s reign of terror ends in Texas.
Mance Warner will deal with Salina de la Renta later because it’s all about Jimmy Havoc right now. He couldn’t drink while he was in the cell so he thought of ways to hurt Havoc. Warner has a blueprint of pain and he’s coming to f*** Jimmy up.
Show ads.
Lawlor is ready for War Chamber no matter how banged up he is. It is his destiny to make sure Contra doesn’t walk out on his own. He doesn’t know if Low Ki is trustworthy but he knows Low Ki is coming to cut off the snake’s head. After that, Lawlor is ready to take care of business.
N-1 Victory Tournament: Alexander Hammerstone vs. Go Shiozaki
From Nagoya, Japan in Pro Wrestling Noah and Hammerstone’s National Openweight Title isn’t on the line. They lock up to start as the arena is eerily silent (I get the culture aspect of it but it’s always jarring by comparison). Hammerstone takes him down by the leg but gets reversed into a headlock, which goes to a standoff. Shiozaki’s shoulder has no effect so Hammerstone tells him to do it again. A chop nearly has Hammerstone keeling over so he shoulders Go to the floor as we take a break.
Back with Shiozaki hitting a delayed suplex for two so Hammerstone kicks him in the face. A pair of German suplexes give Hammerstone two, only to have Shiozaki come back with a heck of a lariat. They forearm it out and then chop it out for a change of pace until Hammerstone hits the swinging sitout Rock Bottom (inaccurately called the Nightmare Pendulum) for two. Hammerstone can’t hit a Burning Hammer but can get a boot up in the corner. A powerbomb, with a VERY delayed count, gives Hammerstone two, followed by the Nightmare Pendulum (the real one) to finish Shiozaki at 12:44.
Rating: B-. This was the kind of match that Hammerstone needed. You can only get so much out of having him beat up smaller guys and Savio Vega so switching in someone as good as Shiozaki makes a lot of sense. I know Hammerstone isn’t going to win the tournament or anything like that but he got to showcase himself here, which makes both he and MLW look good.
Contra promises to win the War Chamber to end the show.
Overall Rating: C+. I liked this show well enough as they had a nice mix of stuff. That being said, it wasn’t a show that you need to watch and you’re better off just taking the week off and getting ready for next week’s big showdown. They hyped up War Chamber rather well and the original stuff here was good enough. Nice show, but pretty skippable.
Results
Jordan Oliver b. Gringo Loco – Chair shot from Myron Reed
Brian Pillman Jr. b. Richard Holliday – Straitjacket neckbreaker
Alexander Hammerstone b. Go Shiozaki – Nightmare Pendulum
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The Oliver vs. Loco felt like amateur hour I thought. You had the ridiculousness of a match taped two months ago being the follow-up to another taped at a later date with an awful promo most likely shot in Dallas last week, overdubbed commentary with Schiavone even though we can clearly see Cornette with Bocchini at ringside, blatant crowd sweetening (well, more than usual) drawning everything including strikes, all that for a horrendous “storyline” that has never been explained and a clear afterthough judging by all I just mentionned.
I did enjoy the Holliday vs. Pillman match. Yeah, it was a bit slow and basic, but I liked the Guerrero tribute and finish.
Hammerstone vs. Shiozaki was a fine, albeit slow, strong style match, but man did that crowd look tiny.