Major League Wrestling Fusion – March 10, 2021: It’s All Over The Card

Fusion #124
Date: March 10, 2021
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Jared St. Laurent, Rich Bocchini

It’s time for another title match as Alex Hammerstone is defending the National Openweight Title against LA Park. This would be yet another side trip on the way to Hammerstone vs. Jacob Fatu but why let anything else stop them on their eternal detour tour? I’m still not sure about how long I’ll stick with the company but I might as well get through Never Say Never. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at Jacob Fatu retaining the World Title against Jordan Oliver but having to deal with Calvin Tankman.

Opening sequence.

Calvin Tankman took everything Jacob Fatu threw at him last week and he’s ready to do it again against Fatu for the title. Injustice comes in to offer him a spot on the team and Tankman doesn’t say no.

Gringo Loco vs. Gino Medina

Rematch from a few weeks when Gino won but Loco attacked him after the match. They roll around to start with Loco flipping over him for a standoff. A superkick puts Gino on the floor and the step up flip dive drops him again. Back in and Gino gets the knees up to block a splash and it’s off to the bodyscissors. That doesn’t last long so Gino goes with a slingshot hilo for two instead.

Gino drops him again and the chinlock goes on for a bit. Loco punches his way to freedom off the top and gets two off a springboard splash. Gino isn’t having that and kicks Loco in the face for two more, only to get caught on top. The super Spanish Fly gives Loco two, which doesn’t get quite the reaction you would expect. A running knee in the corner sets up a kick to the back of Loco’s head for the pin at 9:16.

Rating: C. Every single time I watch Gino, I can’t figure out what is missing from him. He has the in-ring abilities and the way of carrying himself but he just does not have the X factor and it is really hurting him. The match was fine, but Medina is missing that thing to get him to the next level. That has been the case for a long time now and I’m not sure I can see it getting better for a little while.

Post match Medina says that’s what happens when you mess with him.

Tom Lawlor can’t stand the Von Erichs or ACH.

Azteca Underground is still a thing.

Clip of LA Park vs. Jerry Lynn from the original MLW run.

Here are the top 5 middleweights:

5. Brian Pillman Jr.

4. Bu Ku Dao

3. Myron Reed

2. Daivari

1. Laredo Kid

Pillman still works here? Are they sure about that?

Alicia Atout tells us about an open contract for a Middleweight Title shot next week. That could be interesting.

Kevin Ku vs. ACH

As we’re told that there is a mystery masked man backstage, ACH starts in on a wristlock. Ku takes him down into a headscissors as Dominic Garrini tells Ku to go after the bad ribs (makes sense). Thankfully Ku is smart enough to go after said ribs with some hard knees and there is a gutwrench suplex to take ACH down again. A backbreaker sets up something like a seated abdominal stretch, followed by a few kicks to the head to give Ku two. There’s the waistlock to stay on the ribs but ACH fights up and kicks the leg out for a breather.

A kick to the back of the head gives ACH two with the ribs taking some damage on the cover. It works so well that ACH does it again for the same and Ku is bleeding from the mouth. Something like a torture rack into an Angle Slam drops ACH for two, followed by a backbreaker for the same. Garrini pulls ACH off the apron for some cheap shots but here are the Von Erichs to cut him off. Since he’s a little nuts, ACH goes up top and dives onto Ku and Garrini. Back in and a brainbuster finishes Ku at 10:39.

Rating: C+. This had a story with the ribs and the interference, but the people involved are not exactly thrilling. ACH is fine enough and Ku can do the submission stuff just fine, but I need a little more than that to be pulled into things. I was waiting around for this one to be over, and that is rarely a good feeling. Unfortunately that is the case with a lot in MLW and that needs to be fixed in a hurry.

We look at LA Park vs. Jacob Fatu from a good while ago.

Video on Mil Muertes.

Alex Hammerstone and Richard Holliday aren’t worried about Mil Muertes because Hammerstone takes care of every beast and monster. Salina de la Renta comes in to ask if Contra is in her head. Holliday: “You haven’t been the same since you were born.” Salina is rightly confused by that line but promises LA Park is winning the title.

Injustice wants the Tag Team Titles, though they respect Los Parks.

Someone has signed the open contract for the Middleweight Title shot but we’re not sure who.

We look at Los Parks winning the Tag Team Titles.

Video on Calvin Tankman.

Contra thinks Tankman has screwed up and promises pain.

We go to the Never Say Never Control Center with Tankman vs. Fatu for the World Title confirmed.

National Openweight Title: LA Park vs. Alex Hammerstone

Hammerstone is defending and Salina de la Renta (who changed clothes really fast) is here with Park, along with a man in a suit who seems to stand watch. They shove each other around to start and here are Los Parks to pull Hammerstone outside for a beating. Back in and Park sends him into the corner and takes the belt off for a whipping.

Hammerstone catches him on the top in a superplex though and they’re both down. Back up and Hammerstone sends him outside but this time the referee actually pays attention so the beatdown isn’t on. Hammerstone gets in a shot to the face and a missile dropkick plants Park again.

A pumphandle suplex gives Hammerstone two as we hear about Gino Medina and Richard Holliday getting in a fight backstage and being ejected, which sounds plot pointish. Park misses a charge into the post but the threat of the Nightmare Pendulum brings the rest of Los Parks up to the apron. The distraction lets Park get in a DDT and running knee for two but Park breaks up the spear with a kick to the face. A hard forearm to the back of Park’s head retains the title at 9:57.

Rating: C. Not bad here, but it felt like another pit stop on the never ending road. Park is someone who could be a threat to Hammerstone, but with so many other people coming after him, it was kind of hard to imagine a title change here. Hammerstone’s reign has become nearly epic and it is hard to imagine it ending on a pretty regular episode of Fusion.

Post match here’s Mil Muertes (the previously mentioned masked man, who no one apparently recognized) to take out Hammerstone. A belt shot and a bunch of right hands to the head leave Hammerstone laying and Muertes hands Salina the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show was a good illustration of a lot of MLW’s problems. They had a main event built up and while it went ok, there was no drama and there was no reason to believe something was going to change. The bigger problem is that this is the case up and down the card. It seems that we are always waiting for the big moment around here and that is not going to work for very long.

MLW has tried to make it work for the better part of a year now and it is dragging everything down. The show is completely acceptable but it isn’t exactly interesting, no matter how many Lucha Underground teases they make. I’ll be around for Never Say Never because something might actually happen here, but I don’t have my hopes up.

 

 

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