Major League Wrestling Fusion – November 16, 2019: Let The Good Signs Roll
IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling
Fusion #84
Date: November 16, 2019
Location: GILT Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, AJ Kirsch
We’re still in Orlando and things are starting with a bang after the pay per view debut. This time around is a big match with Davey Boy Smith Jr. facing Tom Lawlor, who may be on his way out of the promotion. Above all else though is Contra, who looks like they are going after the entire promotion. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Tom Lawlor and the Von Erichs fire each other up for their matches. They have each others’ backs you see.
Opening sequence.
Ikuro Kwon vs. Marshall Von Erich
Josef Samael and Ross Von Erich are the seconds and for some reason the Von Erichs don’t have their belts with them. That’s always annoying. Kwon blocks a Claw attempt on the floor and they head inside for the first time. Marshall snaps off a suplex but Samael trips him up and Kwon takes over. A series of kicks put Marshall down for two and some more strikes knock him into the corner. Marshall blocks a kick to the ribs so Kwon kicks him in the face, only to get caught by a heck of a clothesline. The Claw goes on but Samael comes in for the DQ at 3:49.
Rating: C-. They didn’t bother wasting time here before the angle advancing finish and that’s the right way to go. Contra vs. the Von Erichs is going to be a big main event down the line and there is no point in having a bad match with too much time here. The Von Erichs are especially green and letting them have some short form matches like this is a better idea.
Post match the brawl is on but doesn’t last long.
MJF has had Botox put into his face after the Claw from the Von Erichs. Richard Holliday talks MJF into seeing his face and Holliday immediately demands the face be covered again. Alex Hammerstone comes in and doesn’t have a lot of sympathy for them losing the titles. He has a big gift for them but won’t say what it is. It’s bigger than the titles though.
We see the first matches for the Opera Cup, including Brian Pillman Jr. vs. TJP and Hammerstone vs. MJF.
Dynasty vs. Dominic Garrini/Douglas James
Before the match, Holliday tells the fans to quiet down….and gets a call from his lawyer/father (which is what it says on his phone). He doesn’t like being interrupted in the ring so they’ll deal with this later. Holliday shoves Garrini in the face to start and actually gets a handshake, which results in a judo throw. The threat of a choke freaks Holliday out because Garrini HAS HIS AIR POD!
Hammerstone comes in for the test of strength but Garrini pulls him straight down into a triangle choke. That’s broken up with the raw power so it’s off to James for the first time. Some kicks to the chest have Hammerstone down and a kick to Holliday knocks him off the apron. That might have damaged the Air Pod so Holliday comes in and hammers away on James to take over.
A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two and it’s Hammerstone coming in again to stay on the back. Hammerstone declares him just too small, setting up James’ dropkick for the knockdown. It’s back to Garrini vs. Holliday and the throws are on in a hurry. Hammerstone has to break up the cross armbreaker so James takes him down with a Meteora. They head to the floor for the dueling slugouts, including James hitting a tornado DDT on Hammerstone. Garrini dives back in just in time to beat the count at 7:03.
Rating: C. I liked this better than I was expecting to with Garrini and James looking good in a big upset. They were also smart enough to not have the Dynasty, even in a different incarnation, lose another match in short order. Hammerstone continues to look like the big breakout star (at least in the ring) and I could see the split coming sooner rather than later.
Post match, Hammerstone storms off.
Teddy Hart is pretty banged up after last week.
Myron Reed thinks we should be celebrating his name instead of worrying about Hart.
Lawlor and the Von Erichs get a phone sent to them in the mail. Samael issues a challenge for a fight against Jacob Fatu on Thanksgiving night. The contract is included as well and Marshall signs to face Fatu.
The women’s division is coming this month.
Zeda Zhang is ready to represent MLW and show why she brings the pain. Next week, she’s taking Spider Woman’s mask.
We see Mance Warner’s challenge to Jimmy Havoc for Falls Count Anywhere.
Havoc accepts and promises violence, even if they fight back to his apartment.
We look at King Mo’s press conference from last week.
Mo is ringside.
Tom Lawlor vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
We get a handshake to start and Davey wrestles him to the ground to shake Lawlor up a bit. Back up and Lawlor puts him into the corner for a clean break before it’s time to head to the mat. Davey goes for the armbar before switching to a failed rear naked choke attempt. Lawlor rolls him up for the break and Smith heads to the apron for a bit. More grappling gives us another clean break as King Mo looks rather interested in what is going on.
A fireman’s carry into a headlock has Lawlor in trouble for all of a few seconds as the lack of advantages continues. Back up and some shoving lets them go to the slugout, though Davey gets in a great fake by teasing a right hand and picking the ankle instead. The ankle lock is reversed as well and they go outside where Lawlor wins a slugout to take over. Back in and Lawlor starts in on the arm but Davey is right back with a rear naked choke.
With that not working, Davey headbutts him into the ropes for a change. Three Amigos are good for two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up as well so Lawlor goes with the kicks to the chest, only to get dropped on his head with a belly to back suplex. Lawlor can’t get the rear naked choke so Davey drops him with a hard shot to the face. A t-bone suplex doesn’t work as Lawlor’s legs give out from underneath him, though he’s fine enough for a Russian legsweep.
Lawlor tries to roll into something but Davey reverses into the Sharpshooter for a sweet counter. With that not working, Davey goes with a Crossface but Lawlor is too close to the rope. Back up and they slug it out until Lawlor pokes him in the eye (not clear if it was intentional), setting up Hirooki Goto’s GTR for the pin at 15:47.
Rating: B. I’m really starting to like these matches as they do them infrequently enough to make them work. It also helps that these two are both well versed in this style of wrestling and made a story out of the whole thing. They had a good match here and while Smith isn’t there yet, you could put him out there as a World Title contender later on without much trouble.
Post match Lawlor talks about his contract coming up. Maybe he’ll get raw or lay the smack on someone, but he’s the hottest thing in wrestling.
Overall Rating: C+. Another show that was a bit up and down but overall came off as entertaining. That’s not a bad way to use about fifty minutes and the show worked just fine. The company continues to do things right as they do some good stuff without the main eventers being around every week. That’s very important and something so many companies can’t figure out.
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