Major League Wrestling Fusion – March 7, 2020: Happy Milestone
IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling
Fusion #100
Date: March 7, 2020
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: AJ Kirsch, Rich Bocchini
It’s time for a special show as we have the big milestone episode. As a result, the World Title is on the line with Cima challenging Jacob Fatu for the World Title. It’s almost hard to imagine that MLW has this kind of a history but they have become a rather nice promotion and it’s cool to see them get to an important show like this. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Fatu promises violence against Cima because it isn’t about wins and losses.
Opening sequence.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. is ready to shut Erick Stevens’ mouth because Stevens has been saying Smith is ducking him. Tonight, he’s knocking Stevens’ mohawk off and has the Von Erichs watching his back.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Erick Stevens
Stevens has Kit Osborne with him and I’m not exactly sure who that is. I do however know who Tom Lawlor, on commentary is though. The fans are behind Smith here, as you might have expected. Smith grabs a headlock to little avail so he shoulders Stevens down instead. A headscissors doesn’t work for Stevens as Lawlor thinks Philadelphia is named after cream cheese.
Smith shoves Stevens hard into the corner and gets two off a gorilla press. The chinlock goes on, followed by a delayed vertical suplex for two. They head outside with Smith being whipped into the barricade but coming right back with a suplex onto the floor. Back in and Stevens starts in on the leg before slugging Smith down with forearms.
The half crab goes on for a good while but Smith makes the rope, with Stevens making sure to hold on as long as he can. The leg cranking continues until Smith fights up for right hands in the corner, followed by a backdrop. Stevens gets some quick near falls but Smith snaps off a powerslam for two of his own. Another powerbomb sets up the top rope headbutt to finish Stevens off at 11:51.
Rating: B-. That’s the kind of match that makes Smith look good, as you have a monster like Stevens but Smith was the bigger monster. That’s how you build up towards Smith vs. Fatu, which should headline the next pay per view. Heck of a fight here and it keeps Smith off the mic, which is a very good thing for him at this point.
Post match Smith gets in Dominick Garrini’s face and we probably have his next match before getting to face Lawlor.
Injustice isn’t allowed in the building.
Jimmy Havoc is addicted to pain but loves hurting others more than himself. He’s ready to destroy Brian Pillman Jr.
Low Ki is ready to beat up King Mo.
LA Park is done with Salina de la Renta and is ready to fight anyone anytime because he is a mercenary.
Jimmy Havoc vs. Brian Pillman Jr.
Havoc, with Priscilla Kelly in the corner, throws him down to start and Pillman isn’t sure what to do with this one. Pillman tries to spin out of a wristlock before going with a kick to the head to get out instead. Some armdrags into a dropkick put Havoc down and an arm trap rollup gets two. That’s too much for Havoc as he throws Pillman outside as we go split screen to see Injustice still trying to get inside. Pillman chops the post by mistake and Havoc stays on the arm….in a way at least….with a cross arm choke.
Back up and the Acid Rainmaker is broken up, allowing Pillman to snap off a powerslam for two more. Pillman’s spinning high crossbody gets two and he grabs a Backstabber for the same, with Kelly making the same. A distraction lets Havoc grab a chain and…hit himself in the face, but the referee doesn’t buy it. The Acid Rainmaker misses and Kelly crossbodies Havoc by mistake. Air Pillman is good for the pin at 7:37.
Rating: C. Pillman’s middleweight run continues and that’s where he should have been back in the day. It’s great to see him getting some more time in the ring and starting to round out a bit, though he still has a long way to go. Havoc barely ever wins anything of note anywhere he wrestles but he’s fine for a character.
Post match, Pillman promises to win the Middleweight Title for his family.
Injustice STILL can’t get in.
Richard Holliday successfully defended the Caribbean Title on a private island.
The Dynasty has a great time in the Caribbean, even without MJF (Hammerstone especially loved the pharmacies). Holliday and Hammerstone are proud of their titles and can’t wait for Gino Medina to beat up Mance Warner.
Mance Warner is ready to beat up the Dynasty. Uncle Moon Man is fine too and they’re going to go drink.
Contra is ready for violence around the world and Josef Samael promises a war.
Next week: Killer Kross vs. Tom Lawlor.
MLW World Title: Cima vs. Jacob Fatu
Fatu is defending and has Samael with him. An early kick misses for the champ and Cima chops away. The pop up Samoan drop is blocked with some elbows to the head and Cima catches him with a baseball slide on the way back inside. Some double knees to the chest set up a backsplash for two and Cima grabs the seated abdominal stretch. Fatu powers up again and hits a running hip attack in the corner before hammering at the back of the head.
More stomping in the corner ensues and Cima is put in the Tree of Woe for a running headbutt to the ribs. They head outside with Samael looking pleased as Fatu sends him into the announcers’ table. The nerve hold goes on (Bocchini: “Deep tissue massage eh?”), followed by a hard elbow to the jaw to drop Cima again.
The Vader Bomb misses though and Cima gets in some running knees to the back. Something like a guillotine choke into a DDT sets up a triangle choke, with Fatu having to bail to the rope. Cima misses the top rope double stomp though and Fatu hits the pop up Samoan drop. Back to back moonsaults retain the title at 10:15.
Rating: C+. Cima is one of those guys who can do all kinds of stuff and look good at almost all of it, but he almost never wins anything major. At least we had something interesting here with the World Title on the line, as MLW has done a great job of making Fatu feel like that much of a big deal. Whoever takes the title off of him is going to be huge and that’s rather cool to see.
Post match, here’s the Death Squad with a body bag to wrap Cima up to end the show.
Overall Rating: C+. Overall, this didn’t feel like some major milestone show (aside from the World Title match) but I don’t think they were really going for one. The big thing they did here was mention that it was the 100th show and then nothing more. It’s fine to go that way and it doesn’t make things feel disappointing if they aren’t trying to go for something ridiculously big. Nice enough show here, with Fatu always being a big deal.
Results
Davey Boy Smith Jr. b. Erick Stevens – Top rope headbutt
Brian Pillman Jr. b. Jimmy Havoc – Air Pillman
Jacob Fatu b. Cima – Moonsault
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I wonder if Salina is done with MLW. I don’t believe she appeared at any of tapings and hasn’t mentioned it on her Instagram in weeks. Losing her and MJF would be a big 1-2 blow to the company.