Major League Wrestling Fusion – November 28, 2019: Their Must See Act
Fusion #86
Date: November 28, 2019
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: AJ Kirsch, Rich Bocchini
This is a special show with MLW running a special Thanksgiving edition. That’s a good idea, and it seems to be serving as this week’s Fusion anyway. It’s all about the World Title with Jacob Fatu defending against Ross Von Erich, who is substituting for his injured brother Marshal. It isn’t clear who attacked Marshall, but there is a good chance we’ll find out tonight. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
We open with an old ad about Thanksgiving before Contra takes over to say this is going to be their night.
Opening sequence.
Injustice vs. Zenshi/Gringo Loco
Elimination rules with Kotto Brazil and Jordan Oliver for Injustice. Before the match, Oliver says that he usually doesn’t like Thanksgiving but he’s feeling hungry tonight. He’s hungry for money, but also for justice. Myron Reed gets thrown out at the bell so Zenshi and Loco are free to double spinebuster Oliver. A split legged moonsault gets one on Oliver and Zenshi backflips into a seated pose.
That leaves Loco to hit a big dive to the floor, allowing Zenshi to hit a slingshot corkscrew Swanton. A cartwheel moonsault gives Loco two on Oliver and it’s Brazil getting in a cheap shot from the apron. Brazil gets two off a Backstabber and we hit the reverse chinlock. Loco, sporting a bloody nose, is tripped back down so Oliver can hit a springboard elbow to the back of the head.
A springboard 450 gives Brazil two but Loco is up for the tag a few seconds later. That means Zenshi can come in with a 450 clothesline (that’s a new one) to Oliver. A Pele and running shooting star take Brazil down, setting up a middle rope 450. Loco’s Swanton gets two and Zenshi’s insane diagonal flipping Coast to Coast makes it even worse.
Oliver takes Loco down though and it’s Brazil’s By Any Means Necessary (running Sliced Bread) for the pin on Zenshi at 8:16. Loco is back up with a Tombstone to eliminate Brazil at 9:11 though and it’s down to one on one. But wait, as Oliver suddenly realizes he has a knee injury, allowing Reed to run back down for a distraction. Oliver is back up with the middle rope cutter to finish Loco at 9:48.
Rating: C-. The elimination rules were just a detail here and a needless detail at that. It’s a nice nod to history and all that jazz but could you come up with something that made it work a bit better? Injustice has completely surprised me though as there was no reason to believe they would be anything special but they’re actually quite a nice act with some surprises in them.
King Mo is ready to beat up Ricky Martinez.
Interviewer Kaci Lennox looks for Priscilla Kelly in the bowels of the building….and eventually gets jumped by Kelly instead. The Mandible Claw knocks Kaci out and the cameraman takes a beating of his own.
Video on King Mo.
King Mo vs. Ricky Martinez
We haven’t seen Martinez in a bit and I miss that music, though that might be because he normally has Salina with him (not this time). Mo does get a star’s reception so there’s a little something there at least. They talk trash to start and Martinez gets chased to the apron, where he manages to snap Mo’s throat across the top. A springboard is speared out of the air though and it’s a gutwrench powerbomb into a kneebar to make Martinez tap at 1:42. Well that worked, and I’ve never been anything close to a Mo fan before.
We look back at last week’s Falls Count Anywhere match with Mance Warner beating Jimmy Havoc, only to have the feud continue because it can never end.
Warner tells Havoc not to mess with him again because he got a W against Havoc last time. Then Havoc went after him again so Warner isn’t about to forgive Havoc. It’s always an eye for an eye, which Warner says over and over.
Video on Jacob Fatu.
Various shows are coming.
Next week: a battle royal and the return of Salina de la Renta.
The Dynasty had a great Thanksgiving, even if MJF had to join them over Facetime. It’s time for Hammerstone to give Holiday his gift though, which is……a giant man. That would be Grogan, who must be a good 7’3 and will be in next week’s battle royal.
Tom Lawlor gives Ross Von Erich a pep talk, calling himself part of the family.
MLW World Title: Ross Von Erich vs. Jacob Fatu
Fatu is defending and it’s Tom Lawlor and Josef Samael as the seconds. They take their time to start with Fatu shoving him around, followed by a swinging collar and elbow to send Ross flying again. Ross’ dropkick works a bit better but he runs into an uppercut to stop that offense cold. Fatu misses a backsplash and Bronco Buster though, allowing Ross to snap off a Cannonball.
The kickout sends him outside though and Fatu takes over again with a superkick. A heck of a headbutt sends Ross to the apron and Samael gets in his required cheap shot. The nerve hold goes on and does so again after a quick break. Fatu’s sitout powerbomb gets two more as he’s surprised that Ross is hanging in there. A crossbody gives Ross a breather and some Sling Blades have Fatu down again.
There’s a missile dropkick to put Fatu on the floor where Lawlor thinks about a cheap shot but stops himself. Fatu gets taken down again by a suicide dive and it’s the Claw back inside. With Fatu in trouble, he falls over the top for the break and they’re both down on the floor. It’s Fatu up first and taking things into the crowd to keep destroying Ross.
Back to ringside and the chop hits post but what was supposed to be a superkick (more like a hip strike) sends Ross into the referee. For some reason that earns the referee a running Umaga attack in the corner, followed by the pop up Samoan drop to Ross. The moonsault connects for no count because, you know, Fatu ended the referee. Even Samael doesn’t see the logic in that one.
Fatu’s Stinger Splash hits post and Ross nails the spinning high crossbody. Samael’s chair is dropkicked into his face so Lawlor picks it up….and hits Ross in something that isn’t the biggest surprise. After some profanities about the Von Erichs, Lawlor leaves so Fatu can hit the double jump moonsault and retain at 14:58.
Rating: C. The match dragged a lot at times but Ross hung in there well enough to get to the heel turn. There wasn’t much of a reason to believe that a title change was possible so it was all about getting to a pretty obvious heel turn. That worked well enough too and it’s about as good of a main event as you could get in this situation. Fatu continues to be a monster and the more I see of him, the more you can feel WWE drooling.
Overall Rating: C-. The biggest problem here is the opener as it really didn’t add anything of feel special in the slightest. The main event came off as a big deal and had the angle to close the show so that’s a positive, as is the very effective King Mo debut. Overall, the show felt mostly special, but there is nothing you need to watch, which holds things back a good bit. Fatu is becoming the special attraction though because someone built like that shouldn’t be able to do those things.
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