Ric Flair’s Last Match
Date: July 31, 2022
Location: Nashville Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, David Crockett, Ian Riccaboni

We had to get here eventually and I’m not that happy about it. This is a show that I haven’t really wanted to watch since it was announced and that hasn’t changed since. While I absolutely respect what he did in the ring, I’m not the biggest Flair fan and seeing him do something this risky isn’t something I particularly needed to see. The good thing is that this is a full show and the undercard looks pretty awesome, but it’s all leading to one thing and that has me dreading the show. Let’s get to it.

This is billed as a Jim Crockett Promotions event for old times’ sake.

Pre-Show: Ren Narita vs. Yuya Uemura

They go with the grappling to start and get to a standoff as Crockett seemingly has no idea who either of them are. Tony doesn’t either, but at least he seems more interested. Narita gets the better of a chop off (Crockett: “They wish they could be Ric Flair.”) and kicks him in the back a few times, only to run into a dropkick.

A running clothesline in the corner sets up a running bulldog out of the corner before starting in on the arm. Something close to Antonio Inoki’s cobra twist has Narita in trouble but he comes back with a German suplex for two. Back up and they slug it out until Narita counters a charge into a belly to belly suplex with a bridge for the pin at 5:58.

Rating: C. This isn’t designed to be a great match or anything close to it but they were able to go out there and do their moves until one of them got the pin. That isn’t a bad thing and it works very well for a spot like this. Good enough match here as Narita and Uemura continue to showcase themselves well and grow in front of your eyes.

Bunkhouse Battle Royal

Sinn Bodhi, James Storm, Bully Ray, Mance Warner, 1 Called Manders, Gringo Loco, Kommander, Joey Janela, Kal Herro, Big Damo, Blake Christian, Crimson, Jordan Oliver, Rickey Shane Page, Wolfie D, Effy, Matthew Justice, Crowbar

It’s a brawl to start (of course) but after about a minute, here is Nick Gage to lead a GCW invasion, as he promised last night at a GCW show. Storm hits Herro with the Eye of the Storm and tosses him out and there goes Damo as well. Some double teaming takes Crimson out and Loco moonsaults out onto Damo to eliminate himself. Kommander runs the top rope and eliminates himself as well and Janela tosses Wolfie D.

Bodhi whips out a spare ring rope for some choking but gets kicked out. Effy crotches Crowbar on top and plays D-Von in an old What’s Up. The Ray tosses him, as well as Justice, Manders and Oliver in a roll. We’re down to Warner, Ray, Storm and Janela, with the latter two being knocked out. Ray drops Warner and loads up a table, with Warner being powerbombed through. Then Warner tosses him to win at 11:23.

Rating: D+. You’re only going to be able to get so much out of this as it was a pretty fast battle royal with an invasion angle going on in the middle. Warner winning is fine, and it was nice to see them go that route instead of the expected way with Storm or Ray. Not much to see here, but you know what you’re getting with a battle royal.

Warner wins a cowboy boot and belt buckle because of course he does.

Bob Caudle (92 years old on Tuesday) welcomes us to the show and sends us to ringside.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. American Wolves

Scott D’Amore is on commentary and Chris Sabin works on Davey Richards’ wrist to start. Richards spins out and kicks the arm for the break, only to get armdragged into the corner. Edwards comes in but Shelley tags himself in and slaps on a sleeper. The Guns start taking over in the corner with the alternating kicks but Richards comes back in for a cheap shot. Some alternating kicks put Shelley down and commentary starts making Rock N Roll Express vs. Midnight Express comparisons.

Richards puts Shelley down and gets a running start to kick Sabin off the apron. The Wolves grab stereo submissions but Sabin Edwards away and into the other two for the double break. Richards dragon screw legwhips Shelley’s knee onto the ropes but misses a top rope double stomp. Shelley takes both Wolves down at once and the hot tag brings in Sabin to clean house.

The missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination drops Richards for two but Edwards is back in with a superkick. Edwards’ backpack Stunner sets up the top rope double stomp with Sabin having to make a save. Sabin cutters Edwards and it’s the Dream Sequence for Richards. Skull and Crossbones finishes Edwards at 10:49.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of hot opening match you want to have and it worked well. These teams are going to have a solid match against each other through talent alone and that was on display here. The Guns are one of the best teams of their generation and the Wolves were good if you can handle Richards, making this a fast paced opener, as it was designed to be.

Video on some great moments of Jim Crockett Promotions.

Various wrestlers are here, including Vickie Guerrero, Santino Marella, Al Snow and Mick Foley.

Killer Kross vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

This is an MLW showcase. Scarlett Bordeaux is here with Kross, who has hair for a weird look. Smith drives him into the corner for a clean break to start so Kross takes it to the mat. The headscissors is escaped with a nip up and Smith cranks on the arm. The hammerlock goes on and we go to a wide shot for no apparent reason. They trade belly to back suplexes before a slugout goes to Smith. Back up and Kross pulls him into the Krossjacket but Smith flips back to escape. A t-bone suplex drops Bulldog again and it’s the Quickening (running forearm to the back of the head) to finish for Kross at 5:25.

Rating: C. They kept this one quick but the only thing that mattered was the belly to back suplexes. Smith is someone who should have all of the tools to be a top star but the lack of charisma hurts him a good bit. Then you have Kross, who feels like a killer (appropriately enough) and just isn’t that great in the ring. Mix those two together and you have something, but for now it’s two people missing something important.

More legends (Booker T., Shawn Michaels), plus Will Sasso, talk about what Ric Flair means.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Alan Angels vs. Nick Wayne

The winner gets a future Progress World Title shot and I’ve never actually seen Wayne. He gets A LOT of praise though but I’ve never seen a match. Ian Riccaboni joins commentary to spruce things up a bit. Gresham seems a bit more enthusiastic here than he did at Death Before Dishonor. Angels and Gresham start things off but Gresham is sent outside and since lucha rules (because of course it is), Wayne comes in and sends Angels outside. Takeshita comes in with a running clothesline to put Wayne on the floor but it’s too early for the dive.

Gresham is back in to kick Takeshita down but Angels takes Takeshita’s place. Back in and Takeshita forearms Angels down before blasting him with a clothesline. Wayne grabs a Code Red for two on Angels but has to flip out of Takeshita’s German suplex. The Blue Thunder Bomb drops Wayne for two and everything breaks down. Angels and Wayne moonsault off the top and out to the floor for the big crash. Back in and Gresham drops Takeshita and Wayne, setting up the suicide dive to Angels. Gresham takes Angels back in and, after shrugging off the cradle attempt, tied Angels up for the rollup pin at 5:38.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced match with so much crammed in that it felt like it could have been twice that long. Gresham is the most successful star here and him going on to the title match makes sense, though Wayne was looking smooth while he was in there. Takeshita was good as usual, with Angels continuing to be fast but small, which leaves him as just kind of a person.

Cody Rhodes sends in a video talking about how great he and his dad both think Flair is.

Rock N Roll Express vs. Brian Pillman Jr./Brock Anderson

That would be Ricky and Kerry Morton with Robert Gibson in their corner to counter Arn Anderson. Pillman and Brock have the 1990s Horsemen shirts to make things extra awesome. Nick Aldis joins commentary as the revolving door continues. I’m not sure if the bell rang but Pillman and Kerry start things off with Pillman taking him down without much trouble. They trade wristlock reversals until Kerry kicks him in the face to take over.

Pillman gets caught between the Mortons and pingponged back and forth with right hands. Brock comes in and wants Ricky, who kicks him into the corner and hammers away. It’s back to Kerry for the double dropkick but Brock takes Kerry into the corner for the tag off to Pillman. Kerry manages to send Brock into Pillman in the corner for a breather and the hot tag brings in Ricky. Everything breaks down and a Pillman cheap shot sends Ricky into a gordbuster to give Brock the pin at 7:39.

Rating: C. I get what they were going for here and the Express vs. Horsemen theme was a good idea, but Ricky and Kerry doesn’t have the same ring as Ricky and Robert. Pillman is someone else who seems to have a bunch of the tools but it hasn’t quite clicked yet. The match was another case where it wasn’t bad, but nothing I’ll remember in about five minutes.

JJ Dillon is here.

Bandido vs. Black Taurus vs. Laredo Kid vs. Rey Fenix

It’s a brawl to start with Taurus clearing the ring early on. Fenix and Kid are left alone with Kid shrugging off a chop and hitting a tornado DDT. A tiger driver plants Fenix but Kid misses a dive. Taurus comes back in and gets kicked in the face in the corner. Bandido is back in as well and gets caught with a rolling cutter from Fenix. Bandido sends Fenix outside and hits the one armed gorilla press on Kid.

There’s the running headscissors on Taurus but Kid knocks Bandido outside. Taurus dives onto everyone at ringside and then beats them up back inside as well. Bandido catches Taurus up top but he’s fine enough to super gorilla press Kid back down. Everyone is staggered and Taurus is sent outside, where Bandido nearly breaks his neck on a dive but manages to turn it into a Destroyer on the floor.

Bandido takes Kid up top for a super backflip fall away slam down onto Taurus and Fenix and everyone is down on the floor again. Back in and Taurus plants Bandido but Fenix makes the save with a top rope double stomp. Fenix’s Samoan driver finishes Taurus at 11:50.

Rating: B. When you put these four on the card, you do it so they can have a match like this. They had a very entertaining match with all kinds of high spots and fast paced action, which is all you would have needed here. It’s not about making sense or having any logic behind it, but rather about popping the crowd every chance they can. As usual, it worked.

Jim Ross wishes Flair well and thanks him for everything.

We recap Impact Wrestling World Champion Josh Alexander defending against Jacob Fatu. This is the match that got my attention more than anything else so this should be a heck of a fight.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Josh Alexander vs. Jacob Fatu

Alexander is defending and Fatu is part of the Anoa’i family with the nickname of the Samoan Werewolf. Tom Hannifan joins commentary this time around. Fatu charges at him to start and Alexander hammers away in the corner. Back up and Fatu uppercuts his way out of trouble, only to get elbowed in the face. Alexander starts cranking on the ankle but Fatu, who is built like Umaga, is back up with a running hurricanrana.

Fatu goes up but gets superplexed right back down. That doesn’t slow Fatu down, as he runs the corner and hits the Whisper In The Wind into a handspring moonsault, because he can do that. The running hip attack misses in the corner though and Alexander is back to the ankle. A powerbomb onto the knee gets two on Fatu, who is sent out to the apron.

Fatu’s slingshot is broken up and the running crossbody to the back puts him on the floor. Fatu is fine enough to run Alexander over and the top rope moonsault gets two back inside. Alexander manages to roll some German suplexes, only to walk into a pop up Samoan drop. Then Mark Sterling and the Major Players run in to jump them both for the DQ at 10:30.

Rating: B. Yeah this worked and the ending was about all they could have done. You don’t want one of the top stars of either promotion losing so doing the run-in is as logical as it gets. I could still go for Fatu to get a spot on a major roster at some point in the future because he is one of those freak athletes you do not find very often. Alexander continues to be one of the best stars going today and having him as the centerpiece of Impact is a great idea. Good match here and I expected nothing less.

Post match the beatdown is on but Diamond Dallas Page of all people runs in and Diamond Cutters Matt Cardona for the save.

An attempt at an interview with Jeff Jarrett finds his father Jerry Jarrett….and Jerry Lawler too. Lawler helped train Jeff so he’s ready to see Flair lose in his last match. Flair stole the strut from Jackie Fargo and ran out of Memphis the first time he faced Lawler, so it’s time to get rid of him for good. Lawler can still cut a fine enough heel promo.

Briscoes vs. Von Erichs

That would be Marshall and Ross Von Erich, Kevin’s sons. Ian Riccaboni is back on commentary as Mark takes Ross down to start. Marshall comes in to slam Mark but it’s off to Jay for a running clothesline. The Briscoes take over on Ross in the corner and the Von Erichs are sent outside for a big dive from Jay.

Back in and Jay hammers on Ross but a shot from Marshall puts the Briscoes in trouble for a change. That doesn’t last long as Jay gets over for the tag off to Mark and house is cleaned in a hurry. A shotgun dropkick sends Marshall into the corner as everything breaks down. Redneck Boogie is broken up and Marshall’s claw slam only gets two. Jay’s neckbreaker sets up the Froggy Bow to finish Marshall at 7:48.

Rating: C+. I haven’t seen the Von Erichs in a bit and they have gotten a bit better since then. It’s nice to see them looking more polished in the ring, which comes with experience. That being said, the Briscoes are one of the best teams of this generation and there is no shame in losing to a team that good. Nice enough match here, but the Von Erichs were overmatched.

Sting is grateful for Ric Flair.

We recap Jordynne Grace defending the Impact Knockouts Title against Rachael Ellering and Deonna Purrazzo. Not much of a story here but we need a women’s match on the show.

Impact Wrestling Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rachael Ellering

Grace is defending. They trade the rapid fire rollups to start with no one being able to get anywhere. Purrazzo is sent outside so Grace and Ellering shake hands before starting up as well. Grace sends her into the corner and hits the running knees to the back, with Ellering seems to have hurt her ankle. Purrazzo is back up and sent right back to the floor, leaving Ellering to hit an STO into a middle rope spinning legdrop for two on Grace.

Back in and Purrazzo can’t get the Queen’s Gambit on Grace so Ellering comes in to beat on both of them. Grace spinebusters Ellering, who gets caught in a Fujiwara armbar from Purrazzo. With that being a problem, Grace grabs a choke on Purrazzo for the break. Back up and the Grace Driver plants Purrazzo and a rear naked choke makes Ellering tap to retain Grace’s title at 9:11.

Rating: C+. Another match that was fairly fast paced but without a ton of drama for the main event. Grace is a heck of a powerhouse and a good champion while Purrazzo has been the star of the division for a good chunk of the year. That left Ellering there to take the fall and it came at the end of a perfectly decent match.

We recap the main event, which is Ric Flair having his last match because he wanted to do it one more time. Then Jay Lethal no showed a podcast so Flair ripped into him, despite the two of them being friends. Jeff Jarrett wasn’t pleased so he and Lethal beat Flair down, drawing blood, because of course they did. Flair got Andrade El Idolo, his son-in-law, and the tag match is set. If this sounds not so great, it’s because it isn’t.

Undertaker and Michelle McCool are sitting next to Mick Foley.

Ric Flair/Andrade El Idolo vs. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett

Karen Jarrett is here with Jeff and Jay. Jeff even shoves Conrad Thompson during his entrance so you know it’s serious. Flair, wearing the Big Gold Belt (looks to be the original too), uses the WWE version of his theme with the WOO to start. Kid Rock is at ringside (because of course he is) and Flair is wrestling in a sleeveless shirt, which is probably best for everyone at the moment. Flair and Jarrett start things off but it’s off to Lethal before anything big happens.

Lethal takes him down without much trouble and we’re at an early standoff. A headlock takeover takes Lethal over but he’s back up for an exchange of slaps in the corner. Lethal wants Andrade, who springboards in, making this a pretty run of the mill match instead of what we’re here to see. Some elbows to the face put Andrade in trouble but he’s fine enough to hiptoss Jarrett.

Flair comes in so Jarrett bails before hitting that strut. An Irish whip is blocked and Flair does his own strut, plus a crotch chop for fun. Flair chops away and kicks an interfering Lethal low, which is enough to send Jarrett up the aisle for a breather. Back in and Andrade gets in some kicks to Lethal’s ribs, allowing Flair to choke away in the corner. Some chops put Lethal down and Andrade comes back in, only to get taken down as well.

Now Jarrett can come in to stomp away, setting up another strut. Lethal’s Black Machismo (a name that has Crockett VERY confused) ax handle gets two on Andrade and the basement dropkick gets the same. Andrade counters a belly to back suplex from Jarrett but they bump heads for a double knockdown. The tag brings in Flair, who gets a Figure Four on Lethal but Jeff makes the save.

Karen slips in a high heel to bust Flair open, meaning Megan Flair (Ric’s daughter/Conrad’s wife) goes after her for the catfight over the barricade. Flair pokes Lethal in the eye to escape but gets taken back inside, where you can see him being VERY blown up. Lethal hits a suplex with Andrade having to make a save, leaving Lethal to hammer away even more. Hail To The King misses though and the tag brings in Andrade to clean house. A middle rope DDT gets two on Jarrett and Lethal superkicks Jarrett by mistake.

Andrade poisonranas Lethal and the ref is bumped, which is all this match needed. Flair tags in, despite laying on the apron at the time. Flair literally crawls over to Lethal for a cover but there’s no referee, so Jarrett brings in the guitar. That hits Lethal by mistake (duh) so Conrad throws Andrade some brass knuckles. Flair uses them on Jarrett and the Figure Four goes on. Cue another referee so Flair can pin the unconscious Jarrett (in the Figure Four) at 26:48.

Rating: D+. That’s about as generous as I can go as this was one of the hardest things I’ve sat through in a good while. Flair looked every bit of 73 years old out there and that was one of the worst possible outcomes. Seeing him laying on the apron and barely able to move was sad and the match was overbooked beyond belief in ways it didn’t need to be. If this is a ten minute match and they keep things as quick as they can go, it could have worked, but trying for some epic deal was a horrible idea.

The other problem is who was in there with him. I know there is a history/connection with most of them, but you would have go to pretty far down the list of Flair’s history to find Lethal and Jarrett. It comes off more like “here’s the best we can get to say yes” rather than someone special. The other problem is that needing them to be in the ring so long so Flair can recover left us with an only so interesting handicap match.

All in all, this is about what you had to expect: Flair talking up the match rather well and not being able to deliver in the ring. It was a passable match with the other guys in there, but this was all about Flair and at the end of the day, he wasn’t able to make it work. Cut this down to about 10-15 minutes and it could have worked, but it felt like Flair was dragged through this rather than going out on a happy note.

Post match Flair goes to ringside to thank some legends (Undertaker, Foley and Bret Hart, who are sitting together) before talking to Tony Schiavone. Flair talks about how he can’t believe how great this was and he’s in one of the best wrestling towns in the world. Then Kid Rock told him he was here to be entertained, just in case Flair didn’t have enough pressure on him. They’re hitting the town tonight, which isn’t quite how I was expecting such a speech to go.

Andrade hands Flair the Big Gold Belt and Flair hugs Lethal to end the show.

We get some credits, including a montage of Flair photos and Bob Caudle giving us the signoff (as he did back in the day).

Overall Rating: B-. This is a weird one as the main event is awful but that’s the only thing on the show that matters. I’ve heard this compared to a big boxing pay per view where no one watches anything but the last fight and that makes a lot of sense. The rest of the show was quite good and works as a heck of an indy show, but the main event didn’t work and dragged everything else down.

The other problem is the feeling of the show, as it might have been nice to have one more match, but it felt forced in a way. It’s like Flair decided it was time to praise him again and everyone had to line up with their nice things to say. The problem is they did that fourteen years ago on a bigger stage and after a better match. It didn’t feel fun or special, but rather “ok, he got what he wanted so let’s try to have a good time”. The Flair stuff was sad, and as good as the rest was, that’s all that mattered.

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Defyance Forever
Date: August 23, 2019
Location: Temple Grand Ballroom, Tacoma, Washington
Commentator: Rich Bocchini

This is another promotion that I have heard a lot about over the years without ever actually seeing one of their shows. The promotion is based in Seattle and Tacoma is close enough. I’m really not sure what to expect from this one and that makes things a lot more interesting, at least most of the time. Let’s get to it.

I don’t follow this promotion so I apologize in advance for not knowing anything involving storylines, characters etc. Please bare with me. I’m also not sure if this is a full show or a TV show that is comprised of matches from Defyance Forever.

Rich Bocchini runs down the card and there is some star power to this one.

Matt Cross vs. Judas Icarus vs. Cody Chhun vs. Guillermo Rosas

One fall to a finish and commentary keeps talking about a recent tournament, which seemed to involve a lot of the roster. Chhun and Rosas seem rather popular here, though it’s a loud MATT CROSS chant as soon as the bell rings. They literally go in a circle to start until Icarus and Cross kick the others in the face. Cross dives out onto Rosas but Chhun breaks up Icarus’ dive.

Rosas monkey flips Chhun until Icarus comes back in to hit Rosas in the face. A jumping back elbow to the face gives Icarus two on Rosas as the fans want Icarus to PUT SOME SHOES ON. Rosas reverses a whip into the corner and hits Icarus in the face, only to have Cross come back in with a clothesline. Cross’ charge is countered with a heck of a backdrop to the floor but Chhun crashes on a springboard to put himself down as well. That leaves Icarus to knock Rosas down and mock him, earning a heck of an overhand chop.

Icarus is back with a front chancery before kicking Rosas in the face a few times. A few more kicks make Rosas Hulk Up and it’s a standing Spanish Fly to plant Icarus again for a delayed two, with Chhun and Cross making the save. We get the big circle of shots to the face until Rosas clotheslines Icarus down, leaving all four on the mat for a bit. Cross pulls himself back onto the apron and hits (or close enough) a springboard double stomp to Chhun and Icarus before getting two on Rosas.

Icarus is back up with a dive onto Rosas but Chhun kick shim in the face. Chhun airplane spins Icarus and uses his swinging feet to drop the other two. Back up and Rosas hits a superkick into a Death Valley Driver on Chhun, only to get taken down by Cross’ cutter. Chhun is back up to send Cross outside and a springboard cutter gives Chhun the pin on Icarus at 12:40.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of match that is always going to work and it is a great way to start a show. Have four people out there flying around and doing all kinds of stuff until one person gets the win. There might not be much in the way of storytelling, but it’s the kind of fun match that gets the people into a show. Classic formula and it is always going to work.

Post match Chhun gets on the mic and talks about how awesome it is to have Jushin Thunder Liger on the show. The fans want to see Chhun vs. Liger and he seems to like the idea. Chhun seems to say he’s coming for someone on September 27 (when he would face Darby Allin, though he was hard to understand).

Rocky Romero vs. Clark Connors

Connors is a New Japan Young Lion and the hometown boy. The fans are split to start as the two of them fight over a lockup to start. Romero’s headlock takeover doesn’t work but neither does Connors’ headscissors counter, meaning it’s a standoff. They go to the mat again and this time Connors’ wristlock doesn’t get him very far, meaning it’s a HARD shot to the face to rock Rocky.

The exchange of big chops doesn’t last long as Romero kicks him down and avoids a dropkick to take over. More strikes keep Connors in trouble as Romero is looking more serious. There’s a shoulder to put Connors down again and Romero knocks him into the corner without much trouble. Romero takes him down by the arm and gives it a good kick before driving it down with a top rope knee.

Back up and Romero slaps Connors, which is enough to trigger the ticked off comeback…for all of two seconds before Romero takes out the arm again. Connors fights out of a cobra clutch and snaps off a powerslam though and they’re both down. Back up and Connors wins a chop off and tells Romero to COME ON. Romero does just that with a big wind up and then pokes him in the eye to send Connors into the corner.

The Forever Lariats connect for a bit before the sixth is cut off by a heck of a dropkick. Connors stomps a mudhole in the corner and then does it again in another corner. Back up and Connors hits a spear to set up a Boston crab, sending Romero (eventually) crawling over to the ropes. Another spear only hits post though and it’s a tornado DDT from Romero. A Falcon Arrow into a cross armbreaker finally makes Connors tap at 13:17.

Rating: B. Romero continues to be one of the most back and forth wrestlers I’ve ever seen as he can go from having the most ho hum matches to something good like this. It’s almost fascinating to see just how good or bad he can be but he tends to be better when he is on a smaller stage like this one. Connors looked great here too and you can see the potential that New Japan and a lot of other places probably see in him.

Post match Romero gives Connors a nice show of respect.

DEFY Tag Team Titles/PCW Ultra Tag Team Titles: No One Lives vs. Warbeast

Warbeast (Josef/Jacob Fatu, better known as part of Contra in MLW) is defending both titles against No One Lives (Derek Drexl/Dr. Kliever), who seem to be rather evil. The fans are certainly behind the champs here and it’s weird seeing them as faces. No One Lives jumps the champs before the bell but Fatu isn’t having any of that and clears the ring, setting up a heck of a suicide dive to the floor.

That leaves Josef to hammer on Drexl, including a loud chop in the corner, as I don’t think the bell ever rang. Fatu knocks Kliever silly again, leaving Drexl to come back with a staple gun to Josef. The stapled Josef is fine enough to hit a neckbreaker onto some open chairs to drop Drexl. That’s not enough though, as Josef staples some paper to Drexl’s head. They switch off and Drexl (who bounces right back up) uses the paper to cut Fatu’s foot open.

You don’t do that to…well anyone really, as Fatu sends him into the corner for a Cannonball. Fatu hits a handspring moonsault onto a chair onto Drexl and Josef pelts a chair at Drexl’s head. Again, that doesn’t keep Drexl down long as he’s right back with chair shots of his own for two as Kliever and Fatu slowly strike it out on the floor. Now the chair is thrown around Josef’s head but it just annoys him this time, meaning he throws it at Drexl’s head instead.

Josef drives the chair into Drexl’s throat so Drexl staple guns him in the head. Fatu is back up with a powerbomb onto the apron to drop Drexl again but he’s right back up one more time. That means a pop up Samoan drop (dang) to give Fatu two, leaving Kliever to get superkicked into Josef’s DDT. Fatu’s triple jump moonsault retains the titles at about 9:00 (as I don’t think there was an opening bell).

Rating: C. Your mileage may vary on the brawling but e pluribus gads Fatu is a sight to behold and they treated him as a star here….at least when he was actually doing stuff. The majority of the match was either in a wild brawl or spent on Josef vs. Drexl, making this kind of a weird match. Fatu is worth the look though, and that is enough to make up for the bad.

Juice Robinson vs. Randy Myers

That would be Ravenous Randy Myers, who was the final champion of the late 90s Stampede Wrestling revival. I know this because I have far too much time on my hands to spend looking up defunct wrestling promotions. This is Robinson’s Defy debut and we get a mini bio on him, including his time in NXT and New Japan. Myers has some new music and he lip syncs to the song on the way in during a rather flamboyant entrance.

Various fans (male and female) are kissed on his way to the ring, with Robinson looking to think this is a bit much. The fans say Myers is going to kiss Juice and the streamers fly in. Instead the bell rings (after about eight minutes of entrances) but Myers heads outside to grab a chair. The chair is sat in the corner, with Myers asking Robinson to have a seat (Fans: “HAVE A SEAT!”).

Robinson finally sits down so Myers puts on Robinson’s ring coat, sunglasses and hat (Fans: “SEXY B****!”) before stripping it back off (Fans: “THIS IS WRESTLING!”). Myers puts the glasses on Juice and leads towards him but Robinson pulls out a dollar, which goes into Myers’ mouth. That means some strutting before Robinson rolls him up for a fast two, which makes things a bit more serious.

Now we get to more traditional start, four minutes after the bell. Hold on again though, as Myers needs to put on lip gloss. Myers closes his eyes and leans his head down for a kiss but gets headlocked instead. Robinson: “I’m sorry, I’m here to wrestle!” They run the ropes but Myers says stop, allowing him to slap Robinson in the face. Robinson hits his snap jabs and it’s a backsplash to set up a bodyscissors to keep Myers down.

That’s reversed so Myers can kick away at Robinson’s back but a spinebuster plants Myers for two. Back up and Myers strikes away to put him down with a backsplash of his own getting two more. A fisherman’s suplex gives Myers two but Robinson is right back with the Juice Box to cut Myers off.

Robinson hits a cannonball in the corner to set up a Jackhammer for two more and frustration starts to set in. Myers is fine enough to crotch him on the top but Robinson headbutts his way out of a kiss attempt. A high crossbody drops Myers again and it’s back to the snap jabs. The big one misses though and now Myers gets in the kiss. The kissed Robinson rolls him up into a cradle for the pin at 11:10.

Rating: C+. Robinson was the star but Myers is one of those guys who is so into the gimmick that it is hard not to watch him. I can get the idea of someone as over the top as him getting to showcase his star power and a lot of it feels like mind games. The match itself was pretty good, but this was much more in the way of showmanship.

Post match, Myers says that since he didn’t have consent for that kiss, he owes Robinson a beer. Myers goes outside to get said beers and they drink together, with Myers kissing him again. Robinson shakes his hand and leaves, allowing Myers to say this world is a garbage fire right now and everyone knows it. Sometimes the voices in his head are not so great and sometimes he is just playing a character. The voices in his head were cutting promos on him all week but then he walks through that curtain and he sees the people and his head is just fine. These people are his heart. That was a pretty cool thing to hear.

Dragon Lee vs. Douglas James

Lee has been around the world but his biggest American exposure has been in Ring of Honor. James has been in a variety of independent promotions and I remember him being pretty good. We get a handshake to start and we’re ready to go. Feeling out process to start and neither of them can get very far with the grappling attempts. James takes him down for a front facelock, which is broken up just as fast.

Lee puts him on top but gets caught with a middle rope hurricanrana to the floor. That means a big suicide dive from James and it’s Lee in trouble first. A drop suplex gets two back inside and they head straight back out to the floor. This time Lee hits a hard chop and a posting for two of his own as James is rocked for a change. A running seated kick to the shoulder gives Lee two Back up and they strike it out with James nailing a superkick, only to get caught in a quick German suplex.

They headbutt the heck out of each other and an exchange of knees gives them a well deserved double knockdown. Back up and James charges into a raised boot in the corner but comes right back with a Codebreaker for two. Lee unloads with forearms in the corner to set up a running delayed dropkick for two of his own. Some kind of a suplex is countered into a guillotine choke to put Lee in major trouble but he manages to muscle his way up for a suplex.

Lee goes up so James plays some possum, allowing him to catch Lee with a superplex. A spear gives James two and he blasts Lee with a spinning backfist, only to get nailed with a jumping knee to the face. James is back with a running clothesline into a top rope splash for another near fall. A twisting top rope splash only hits raised knees though and Lee hits a hard German suplex for two more in a good false finish. Lee goes up so James joins him for some slaps to the face, setting up Lee’s Alberto double stomp for two more. A running knee (with the pad lowered) hits James and a Falcon Arrow gives him the pin at 14:30.

Rating: A-. This was the all action match that leaves you wondering who was going to win and how they were going to keep kicking out of these things. It was pure excitement, which tends to be the case in any Lee match. It’s not about selling or anything more than surviving against the other one. That might not be traditional, but it is certainly entertaining and that is what they made work very well here.

Respect is shown post match.

Here’s what’s coming at the next show.

Jordan Oasis vs. Brian Cook

Oasis is the hometown boy…who won’t be wrestling here as New Japan’s El Phantasmo runs in and jumps both guys. No match.

Phantasmo rants about how terrible America is….except for its President. He doesn’t like Tacoma and Seattle is even worse, because this place is a PWG wannabe. The fans are REALLY not happy with him, as I can barely understand his promo. Phantasmo calls them all trash and issues an open challenge for September 27.

Alex Coughlin/Karl Fredericks/Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Brian Pillman Jr./American Guns

The Guns are Ethan HD/Mike Santiago while Coughlin and Fredericks are New Japan Young Lions. Liger gets the great legends pop and my goodness is that song still catchy. We get dueling Liger vs. Pillman chants before the bell and those two get to start with some circling as Bocchini plays up Liger vs. Pillman Sr. as the big deal that it was. Without doing anything, Pillman tags in HD so Liger brings in Fredericks as well. Fredericks bounces out of a wristlock and grabs one of his own before they head to the mat for the grapple off. HD’s arm gets tied up but he manages to bridge into a cradle for two and a break.

Back up and HD hits a hurricanrana driver and a double stomp to the back to keep Fredericks down for a change. Coughlin comes in for a shoulder and we hit a fairly early chinlock. That’s broken up and HD grabs a headscissors, which is reversed into a leglock. The surfboard goes on but HD is out of that in a hurry. Some chops stagger HD again but he rolls through a sunset flip and hits a jumping double stomp. Santiago comes in for a jumping knee drop but Coughlin wrestles him down in a simple but effective counter.

A double arm crank sends Santiago over to the ropes so it’s back to the grappling. Coughlin spins out of a wristlock and grabs a headlock but can’t get the Boston crab. That doesn’t last long either as Santiago is up with a dropkick for two. Coughlin chops him back though and it’s a double tag to bring in Pillman and Liger (the fans are WAY more into the latter this time). Pillman drops to a knee and extends his hand, which has Liger cautious. As expected, Pillman pulls him into a headlock and takes it to the mat, meaning it’s time for some cocky posing.

That doesn’t last long as a Liger kick puts Pillman down and it’s time for the eternally awesome looking surfboard. HD breaks that up so it’s back to Fredericks for some chops in the corner. Pillman is right back with a running slap so it’s time to chop it out in the middle. Fredericks hits a dropkick to the floor so it’s off to Santiago for a butterfly suplex. The Guns double team Fredericks down though and it’s a running shooting star press to give Santiago two. HD fires off some kicks to the chest, with Fredericks telling him to bring it on.

That works for Pillman, who comes back in for a seated abdominal stretch. A superkick cuts off Fredericks’ comeback and Pillman sits down on the chest for two. Santiago offers a quick distraction so some lame double teaming (I’m not quite sure what they were trying) can take place. With the referee back, a double suplex gets two on Fredericks to complete an odd sequence. A Codebreaker into a windup knee sets up a springboard enziguri for two, with Liger having to make the save.

Fredericks finally manages a spinebuster for a breather and the hot tag brings in Liger to clean house. The Shotei palm strike in the corner staggers Pillman but he’s right back with a dropkick for two. Everything breaks down (Bocchini: “You knew it would happen.”) and it’s Santiago getting splashes in the corner. Liger Shoteis him down for two, followed by the brainbuster for the pin at 20:11.

Rating: B. This got a lot of time and they did a good job of making the Liger part feel like the bigger deal. He’s an absolute legend and by far bigger than everyone else in the match put together so this went well. It was special to see Liger in the ring and they treated him as such. The Young Lions got in their time too and you can see the talent there, with the ring time being what they needed. This was long but it held up, with Liger of course being the highlight. Well done.

Post match Pillman shows Liger the respect that he deserves, with Liger shaking/raising Pillman’s hand.

DEFY World Title: Artemis Spencer vs. Schaff

Spencer is defending and they have a lot of time for this. The fans are split during the entrances (Fans: “OH, ARTEMIS SPENCER/SUCKS!”) and it’s an early exchange of shoves to the face. The bigger Schaff slugs away but Spencer kicks him in the chest and hits a running dropkick up against the ropes. A springboard is broken up though and it’s time for the corner stomping. The Cannonball connects as well and there’s the big toss suplex to send Spencer flying.

Back up and Spencer jumps to the top for an armdrag back down, setting up a run up the corner for a very bouncy wristdrag. A 619 to Schaff’s standing face gets two and we hit the Octopus, which Schaff spins off without much trouble. Schaff’s delayed vertical suplex sends Spencer rolling to the floor but he has to elbow his way out of a Death Valley Driver on the apron. That means a headscissors to send Schaff outside, where Spencer puts him in a chair.

The required Daniel Bryan YES Kicks set up a big one to knock Schaff back out of the chair but Spencer puts him back in (make up your mind dude). A big run around the ring takes WAY too long, allowing Schaff to launch him into the air for a nasty crash down onto the apron. Schaff throws him up the aisle and then back down (again, make up your mind dude), with Spencer driving him into the barricade. Spencer slips off of Schaff’s shoulder for a posting as they have been on the floor for about five minutes now.

An Asai moonsault with a chair takes Schaff down but Spencer needs a breather of his own. Spencer uses the chair as a launchpad for a running knee to the face but a tornado DDT is powered off. Schaff gets on the apron but still not back inside, as Spencer hits another 619, setting up a top rope double stomp to FINALLY get them both back in the ring. A backdrop puts Spencer right back on the floor (of course) and it’s a big flip dive (of course again) to drop Spencer (who he only kind of grazed).

Back in and Schaff’s top rope splash gets two, though he seems to come up favoring his hand/wrist. Spencer is fine enough to slip out of a superplex and Project Ciampa gets two. Some clotheslines with a handful of Schaff’s hair put him down a few times, with Bocchini saying this is testing the referee’s patience. That’s the same referee who let them stay on the floor for about eight minutes so I don’t want to hear about his problems.

Schaff comes back with a torture rack neckbreaker for a close two so it’s time to put Spencer on top. Some headbutts put Schaff right back down and there’s a top rope double stomp. A kind of shaky piledriver sets up Spencer’s Spiral Tap for a VERY close two, with the referee’s hand hitting the mat anyway. Spencer misses a moonsault though and Schaff’s torture rack neckbreaker gets two more. Another torture rack neckbreaker is countered but Spencer spends too much time talking trash/flipping him off, allowing Schaff to hit a third torture rack neckbreaker for the pin and the title at 19:46.

Rating: B. This was another good one as they beat the fire out of each other, with the last five or so minutes being rather good. The title change felt like a big deal and the reaction on the pin made it even better. I wasn’t wild on how long they spent on the floor as it became a bit ridiculous, but most of what we got here was good. The important thing is that it felt like a big time main event and that’s what they were hoping for here.

Post match Schaff can’t believe he did it and talks about his time in Defy. This place gave him a chance and he is grateful to both the company and the fans. Schaff talks about his grandmother watching the show and we get a THANK YOU GRANDMA chant. One more thank you ends the show.

Overall Rating: A-. I came into this with no expectation and got one heck of a show so I’m rather pleased. There were all kinds of good matches and a nice variety of stuff throughout the card. It was also a nice mixture of their regular roster and some guest stars to keep things from getting dull. This was a lot better than most independent shows I’ve seen and I had a really good time with it. Nicely done and I wouldn’t mind seeing some more from them, which is a rare feeling. Great show.

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Never Say Never 2021
Date: March 31, 2021
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Ray Flores, Jared St. Laurent

This is pretty much it for me with MLW, as they have lost so much of what made them special now that they hare back after the pandemic hiatus. There is little here that interests me, including the main event of Jacob Fatu defending the World Title against newcomer Calvin Tankman. Let’s get to it.

Jacob Fatu says Calvin Tankman is going to be just another body on the count.

Calvin Tankman says he is different and you can’t play games with him.

Opening sequence.

Simon Gotch vs. Jordan Oliver

Gotch has beaten/beaten up Oliver a few times now. They go to the mat to start with Gotch working on the legs in a smart move. The chinlock goes on as commentary talks about how balanced Contra is between all of its members. Gotch takes him to the mat again with something like a reverse Koji Clutch. That’s broken up in a hurry with Jordan nailing some forearms to the floor but something like the Coffin Drop misses back inside.

With Oliver down, Gotch hammers away with the bandanna around his hand, followed by some choking for a bonus. A kick to the ribs gives Gotch two and an armbar sends Oliver over to the rope. Some knees to the back keep Oliver down as this has been one sided so far. Oliver manages to fight up with a DDT and a running forearm. A clothesline puts Gotch down and the top rope cutter is enough to give Oliver the pin at 9:14.

Rating: C. Just a match here as they are setting up the Injustice vs. Contra trilogy for the night. MLW seems to see quite a bit in Oliver though I’m not sure how far he is going to be able to do. Oliver can talk and is decent enough in the ring, but he looks like he is about fifteen years old and that is going to cause some issues.

Video on Calvin Tankman.

Josef Samael isn’t sweating Tankman or Injustice.

Dragon Gate is coming. Cool.

Daivari vs. Myron Reed

They slug it out to start and Reed throws him outside for a suicide dive. Daivari sends him into a wall and they fight up the stage. Reed backdrops his way out of a piledriver attempt and hits a quick dive to take over again. It’s time to go back inside where Daivari gets smart by going after the leg.

The Figure Four goes on so Reed grabs the rope and comes up with a jawbreaker. Reed goes to the apron and hits a quick Fameasser over the middle rope. Back in and Daivari snaps off a powerslam for two before stealing and putting on Reed’s chest protector. The frog splash misses so Reed hits a springboard cutter and takes the protector back, setting up a 450 to finish Daivari at 8:05.

Rating: C. Reed continues to be someone who seems like he could go somewhere as a face, though I’m not sure how likely that is after such a long reign as the Middleweight Champion. I like his charisma though and this felt like an important win over a somewhat more established name. Daivari and Contra will be fine, so they had the right winner here.

Alex Hammerstone is ready to face Mil Muertes in two weeks because he is ready to take his title back.

We get a split screen interview with Gino Medina and Richard Holliday, though Holliday gets in an argument with Alicia Atout first. Gino wants to kick Holliday in the head and Atout mentions how much cologne Holliday wears. Holliday does not like being compared to a Ken doll and they insult each other so much that Atout calls them petty. Atout also announces a Caribbean Title match between the two of them on April 14. Works for Medina.

Another Calvin Tankman video.

We see Tankman attacking Jacob Fatu to set up the title match.

We will get a medical update on Bu Ku Dao in two weeks.

MLW World Title: Jacob Fatu vs. Calvin Tankman

Fatu, with Daivari, is defending and Tankman might have had food poisoning earlier this week. They trade shoulders to start and Fatu is knocked hard out to the floor. That just makes Fatu mad so Tankman hammers away at him even more. Tankman kicks him into the corner but Fatu nails a headbutt.

A springboard clothesline (dang) and a superkick drop Tankman, followed by a Samoan drop for two. The unwrapped wrist tape goes around Tankman’s throat and the reverse Cannonball gives Tankman two more. We hit the nerve hold (of course), which doesn’t last long as Fatu lets go for a running headbutt instead. Tankman is right back up for a slugout and knocks Fatu outside again.

Back in and Fatu kicks him in the head, setting up a handspring moonsault for two more. Tankman is back with a spinning backfist and a hard clothesline gets another near fall. Daivari comes in for a distraction though and Fatu hits Tankman with the flat. The double jump moonsault retains the title at 10:44.

Rating: C+. The ending holds back what was otherwise a pretty good hoss fight, with Tankman giving Fatu everything he could but ultimately getting stopped by a flag pole. I would hope that they could come up with something a little bit better than that a distraction into a weapon shot. It’s just so basic and that is not the kind of feeling I want for a main event title match.

Overall Rating: C. Yeah I’m done. This was every problem with MLW rolled into one: more of the same stories which feel like they go on forever, what could have been some great matches reduced to just pretty good and nothing that I’m going to remember. MLW was a heck of a fun company at one point but they have lost that almost completely and now they have lost me watching their show, at least for the time being.

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Fusion #123
Date: March 3, 2021
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Jared St. Laurent, Rich Bocchini

This company is on the clock as I’m giving them two more shows to do something interesting to keep me around. I haven’t been impressed by the shows since their return and there comes a point where it’s too much. Hopefully they can shake it up a bit, but otherwise I’m out. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Contra vs. Injustice to set up Jacob Fatu’s World Title defense against Jordan Oliver.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Los Parks vs. Contra

Simon Gotch and Daivari are challenging for Contra and Salina de la Renta is here with the champs. Daivari takes Hijo down into an armbar but everything breaks down in a hurry. With Park and Gotch cleared out, Daivari starts working on Hijo’s knee to take over. Back up and Hijo takes Daivari down by the arm, earning another kick from Gotch. Daivari is back on the leg but Hijo kicks him back.

With Daivari sitting down on the mat, Hijo wraps his legs around his arms (picture the start of a Code Red if Daivari was standing) and then bends back to put Daivari’s head near the mat between his own legs (it’s hard to describe but it looks great), which again draws Gotch in for the save. Park comes in for the brawl but this time Daivari beats on Hijo as everything breaks down, much to Salina’s annoyance.

Back in and Hijo hits a double missile dropkick to put Contra on the floor. That sets up the stereo dives to the floor, followed by a top rope hurricanrana to send Gotch outside. Everything breaks down again with Hijo missing another missile dropkick. Park gets stomped in the corner so here’s LA Park Jr….who is cut off by the referee. That lets Injustice come in to cut off Daivari, meaning Park can hit the spear to retain at 8:21.

Rating: C. The Parks are a weird team as they aren’t much to see in the ring but they are hilarious on the mic and Park has great charisma so it is easy to like them. This part of Contra isn’t exactly interesting, though Daivari has been pretty good since he arrived. Not a good match, but any champion is going to have to deal with Contra at some point.

The Von Erichs talk about how much they want to get their hands on Tom Lawlor. Or maybe a hammerhead shark can do it.

Video on Jordan Oliver.

Salina de la Renta, who has changed outfits in the last five minutes, says she is addicted to gold and suggests that Alicia Atout is rather friendly with Richard Holliday. Anyway, Salina wants the Openweight Title.

Parrow vs. Dugan

Parrow is a monster who was here in the early days. Dugan gets thrown around to start, including a fall away slam into the corner. Parrow hits a chokeslam into a sitout powerbomb (the Murder Bomb) for the pin at 1:37. Total squash and I’ve always liked Parrow so this was a nice surprise.

Post match Parrow says he wants Mil Muertes.

Tom Lawlor is furious at the Von Erichs, who threw him through the window of a truck and cut his back open. He wants either of them or ACH….to face Kevin Ku!

We look back at TJP turning on Bu Ku Dao and not caring much about it.

Dao wants TJP.

Azteca Underground ad.

Jordan Oliver is ready to show that he is a heavyweight, even though Jacob Fatu is going to f*** (uncensored here) him up.

Calvin Tankman vs. Laredo Kid

The much bigger Tankman shoves him down to start but Kid snaps off a headscissors. You don’t do that to Tankman though and he hits a heck of a running shoulder. A toss lets Tankman get two so Kid bails out to the floor. Back in and a suplex gives Tankman two as this is one sided so far. Kid gets his feet up in the corner to block some charges and Tankman is knocked to the floor. That means a big dive to take him down in a heap and Kid gets two back inside. A top rope elbow gets the same on Tankman, who is right back with a heck of a powerbomb. Kid pops back up with a top rope elbow to the jaw but Tankman blasts him in the back of the head. The Tankman Driver finishes Kid at 6:44.

Rating: C+. Tankman is a guy who has some potential but there is something missing from him so far. It might be experience, but at the moment he feels like a few people in the moving big men category. At the same time you have Kid, who went from being in the main event of a major show a few weeks ago to barely surviving against Tankman for a few minutes. That’s doing a good job of making Tankman look good, but do you want to burn what you have in a name like Kid?

Tankman likes the world finding out who he is and wants the World Title.

We look at some of the international attention Lio Rush is receiving for becoming AAA Cruiserweight Champion.

Alicia Atout comes into the men’s locker room to find out why she is being accused of sleeping with Holliday. The Dynasty doesn’t care so she leaves, with Hammerstone accusing Holliday of having a thing for her. He denies it rather quickly, with Bocchini being suspicious.

We look at Injustice taking Jacob Fatu down a few weeks ago.

Contra promises to destroy Injustice for playing in deep water where they don’t belong.

Here are the Top 5 Tag Teams:

5. Dirty Blonds

4. Injustice

3. Violence Is Forever

2. Contra

1. Von Erichs

We look at Gino Medina beating Gringo Loco a few weeks ago and getting in another brawl after the match.

Medina says Loco isn’t a real luchador and he will expose Loco soon.

We look at the Alicia Atout/Richard Holliday stuff again.

Next week: Alex Hammerstone vs. LA Park for the Openweight Title and in two weeks, Parrow vs. Mil Muertes.

MLW World Title: Jacob Fatu vs. Jordan Oliver

Oliver is challenging and commentary isn’t exactly high on his chances. Myron Reed is here with Oliver and Daivari is here with Fatu. Oliver isn’t waiting and dives over the top onto Fatu, followed by a quick posting as we get the bell. Another suicide dive is countered into a Samoan drop to plant Oliver hard and they head inside. Fatu runs him over with an elbow and drops some elbows to crush Oliver’s chest again. Oliver gets in a chop block to the posing Fatu but gets sent hard into the corner for his efforts.

A few shots to Fatu’s head just earn Oliver a superkick so he grabs Fatu’s leg and hopes for the best. Fatu misses a sitdown splash and Reed grabs Fatu’s leg so Oliver can hit a superkick. Another dive is countered into a drop onto the apron and the video starts glitching a bit. Fatu loads up the moonsault but his knee gives out, allowing Oliver to German suplex him off the top. The top rope cutter and a superkick rock Fatu but he’s right back with a pop up Samoan drop. The moonsault finishes Oliver at 9:08.

Rating: C. Oliver was trying here but there is a limit on how far you can go in this situation. They did about as well as they could have and I’ll take what I can get in this kind of a match. Reed would have been a more believable challenger, but I’m not sure that was the point of this one. This wasn’t awful, but Fatu needs a serious challenger soon.

Post match the Sentai Death Squad runs in to beat down Reed and put Injustice in the body bags. Calvin Tankman comes out for the save and Pounces Fatu to the floor to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Well, it was more interesting, and that ending has me a little curious. I’m not sure if this is going to be enough to keep me around, but this was a nice step up over some previous shows. Above all else, focusing on the World Title and making Fatu seem like he might be in a little danger for once was a welcome change. Now have a good follow up to this and they might be on their way out of their funk.

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Fusion #118
Date: January 20, 2021
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Jared St. Laurent

We’re back to normal this week after Salina de la Renta was in charge last week, but the interesting note came at the end of last week’s show. De la Renta’s Promociones Dorado seems to have been bought out by some group called Azteca Underground, which seems to be some continuation of Lucha Underground. That certainly gets my interest so let’s get to it.

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

ACH is challenging for the World Title tonight but has been attacked outside of the gym. The match is still on.

Opening sequence.

Zenshi vs. Daivari

Daivari is the newest Contra soldier and is in outstanding shape. Feeling out process to start until Daivari nails a running clothesline for an early two. There’s a backdrop out of the corner for the same and the armbar has Zenshi in more trouble. A hammerlock slam gets two more and the armbar goes on. Zenshi is sent outside but comes back in with some rams into the buckles. A slingshot neckbreaker gets two (with one arm) but a bottom rope 450 hits knees. Daivari grabs a hammerlock lariat for the pin at 6:11.

Rating: C-. This was designed to make Daivari look good and it did that well enough. Taking apart the arm was a bit of a twist on the normal setup but it went as well as could have been expected. I haven’t been much of a Daivari fan over the years but he looked crisp here and the physique is a marked changed from his WWE days, so well done on putting in a lot of work.

Myron Reed isn’t scared of Contra and wants some of Daivari.

Savio Vega looks at a picture of himself and promises to get the Caribbean belt back from Richard Holliday in a strap match. Vega will even provide the strap, which is the same one he used on Steve Austin. The contract is in the mail.

Jordan Oliver vs. Simon Gotch

Gotch wins an early slugout without too much trouble but Oliver is right back with more forearms of his own. That earns him a Saito suplex so Oliver grabs a waistlock into a snap suplex. They head outside with Contra hitting a kick to the back and adds an elbow drop from the apron.

Back in and some chops in the corner put Oliver on the floor, followed by an enziguri for two back inside. An armbar sends Oliver straight to the rope as Gotch seems to be toying with him. Oliver finally gets in a running knee to the chest for two and a big boot gets the same. That’s about it for Oliver though as his springboard is pulled into a sleeper to give Gotch the win at 7:28.

Rating: C. This wasn’t much of a competitive match but it told a story. The big appeal here was that Oliver was angry at Gotch for what he did to his friend and Gotch, being the more trained and experienced fighter, knew how to keep his cool and reel the overzealous Oliver in. That’s a simple story but it was all you needed here and Gotch played it as well as could be asked.

Post match Gotch lays him out with a piledriver for a bonus. Myron Reed runs in for the save.

We look back at Los Parks winning the Tag Team Titles last week.

Tom Lawlor and Team Filthy denies all allegations against them from last week’s title change. They don’t have any idea who attacked ACH this morning either, though pronouncing his name like a sound instead of the letters is funny.

Video on ACH.

Salina de la Renta isn’t having any of these questions about Promociones Dorado so Alicia Atout goes on a mini rant about how ridiculous Salina is for never answering anything. Alicia is going to find out what’s going on.

Mads Krugger knows that he will end Alex Hammerstone when they meet again in two week.

ACH has said that Team Filthy’s Dominic Garrini attacked him this morning.

Richard Holliday joins us from Martha’s Vineyard and says he has signed the contract to face Savio Vega against his lawyer/father’s advice because he is 12 steps ahead of Vega.

MLW World Title: ACH vs. Jacob Fatu

ACH is challenging and is rather banged up coming in. Daivari is here with Fatu to keep things unfair. ACH charges at him to start and gets knocked into the corner with ease. Some backflips allow ACH to dropkick the champ outside but the dive is knocked out of the air. There’s a ribs first drop onto the apron and Fatu sits down on the ribs back inside. Another drop misses though and ACH strikes away, only to get pulled into a Samoan drop.

Fatu drops down onto the ribs again as the game plan isn’t exactly complicated here (as it shouldn’t be). The running hip attack misses but ACH’s rather dumb slam attempt comes crashing down. Fatu grabs a neck crank and there’s a headbutt to put ACH back down. A missed charge into the corner puts Fatu down for a bit though and ACH gets to strike away.

ACH dropkicks the knee out and hits a basement dropkick to the side of the head (which shouldn’t work on a Samoan). There’s a slingshot cutter (which Fatu sells like a DDT) for two and a hurricanrana sets up an enziguri. For some reason ACH tries the slam again, this time earning himself a pop up Samoan drop. The moonsault finishes ACH at 9:52.

Rating: C+. They didn’t bother making Fatu sweat here and they shouldn’t have. ACH is a bigger star outside of MLW but it isn’t like he has done much of anything around here in the first place. Fatu is an absolute monster and doesn’t need to be in anything resembling danger outside of a major challenger. ACH is good, but he isn’t that good, at least around here.

Post match Fatu and Daivari proclaim Contra’s dominance but the flag bearers jump them, revealing themselves to be Injustice to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The main event was the best part of the show but the main thing about this week continues to be how much they can do with so little. There were very few people on this show who feel like stars but they managed to make a decent show out of an episode featuring Simon Gotch, Daivari and ACH. As usual, it’s all about the presentation and now they are making it work.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #110
Date: November 18, 2020
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Jared Saint Laurent, Rich Bocchini

Oh yeah, this show still exists. It has been over six months since we’ve seen a new Fusion and that means the company is going to be hitting the ground running this week. We have Jacob Fatu defending the World Title against Davey Boy Smith Jr., but it should be interesting to see who is still around and how things go around here. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look at the history of the promotion, even back to the Underground days and coming up to the modern stuff to tie things together. I still don’t quite know if they need to talk about the stuff from almost twenty years ago but it’s not the worst idea. Anyway, Contra has completely taken over the promotion, which is the storyline explanation for the last six months. This is the Restart though and things are finally getting back to normal.

Opening sequence.

Alex Hammerstone vs. Dugan

Non-title and the Nightmare Pendulum finished Dugan (who didn’t even get a first name) at 20 seconds.

Post match Hammerstone says he’s been ranked #1 for way too long and wants his World Title shot.

Quick look at Myron Reed vs. Brian Pillman Jr. for Reed’s Middleweight Title, which was set up back in May but we never got to see the match. Reed defends against Pillman tonight.

Middleweight Title: Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Myron Reed

Pillman is challenging….or at least he should be as his music plays but he is nowhere to be seen. More on this later.

Lio Rush is coming.

Stephen P. New is now a sponsor of the show. Make your own jokes (Assuming you have any idea who that is. Otherwise, make jokes anyway.).

Middleweight Title: Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Myron Reed

Pillman is actually challenging this time and Jordan Oliver is here with Reed. Pillman charges at the bell and knocks him to the floor but Reed is ready for the slingshot dive. The chop hits the chest protector to hurt Pillman’s hand though and Reed nails the suicide dive to take Pillman down for a change. Back in and Pillman hits a knee to the head into a slingshot hilo. The scoop powerslam gives Pillman two and we hit the bodyscissors to stay on Reed’s ribs.

Make that an abdominal stretch as commentary has to be very careful about a man from Louisville being all about injustice. We continue the selection of submissions with Pillman slapping on a surfboard. Back up and Pillman misses a charge into the ropes, allowing Reed to hit a springboard elbow to the face. Reed even gets a lot more serious by taking off the chest protector but they hit stereo crossbodies to put both of them down.

A big boot and clothesline drop Pillman, followed by a slingshot legdrop for two. Pillman is ready for another springboard though and this time he grabs a backslide for two of his own. A spinebuster gives Pillman two more and there’s a spinning high crossbody for the same. Reed is right back with a cutter for his own two and it’s time for some deep breaths. Pillman chops him in the back though and it’s a fisherman’s driver for the next near fall. A missed charge into the corner bangs up Pillman’s knee though and it’s the Captain Crunch (White Noise) for the pin to retain at 11:17.

Rating: C. This was a bit of a weird one as Pillman was working heel, which is a big change of pace for him. If nothing else it is cool to see him trying to do something different, which you have to do at his age. Pillman has a famous name, but he still doesn’t have a lot of experience. See what works and what doesn’t and you’ll become a bigger star in the long run.

Post match, Myron Reed says he wants Lio Rush so he can prove himself against the best.

It’s time for Los Parks (oh man they were on fire before everything shut down), who say it’s time to get rid of Contra and win some titles.

Speaking of Contra, they warn us of the silence in the shadows. They are ready for the next stage in the war, with Jacob Fatu promising to break Davey Boy Smith Jr.’s back twice.

Konnan reveals that Salina de la Renta was Contra’s inside person who was helping Contra infiltrate MLW. She has had her manager’s license suspended and faced a fine, but she will be back next week with a statement.

Video on the Opera Cup, which is back next week.

Here are the brackets:

Tom Lawlor

Rocky Romero

Laredo Kid

ACH

Low Ki

Davey Boy Smith Jr.

Richard Holliday

TJP

The alternates are Gino Medina, Jordan Oliver, Hijo de LA Park, King Mo, Dominic Garrini and Daga.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. has been training in Los Angeles and Japan because this is the biggest fight of his career. Sixteen years ago, he was an 18 year old high school student doing his chemistry homework on the way to the MLW shows. Now he’s ready to be World Champion.

Richard Holliday is stuck in the Caribbean and blames Alicia Atout for it. He tried to get her stuck at the Canadian border after all.

The Von Erichs are training in Hawaii with their dad Kevin and say it’s time to prepare.

MLW World Title: Jacob Fatu vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

Smith is challenging. They shove each other around to start and go into the power lockup. Smith slaps on a headlock and Fatu isn’t sure what to do with this kind of strength. A collision doesn’t go anywhere so Smith gets in a powerslam for two. An exchange of headbutts makes them both shout a lot with Smith knocking him down for another two. There’s the delayed vertical suplex for the same on Fatu but Smith might have hurt his back.

Fatu is smart enough to whip him into the corner a few times and some headbutts to the back make it even worse. We hit the torture rack for a bit but Fatu’s charge into the corner hits knees. A charge hits post to rock Fatu again and Smith drops a leg for two. Fatu is right back with a swinging side slam to bang up the back even more but he takes too long going up. Smith cuts him off but the back gives out again, meaning it’s a Samoan drop into the moonsault to retain the title at 10:22.

Rating: C. It was a good power match, but I never once bought that Fatu was in trouble. Smith can do all of the moves and looks good doing them, but the lack of emotion hurt this a bit. It’s going to take someone special to get the title off of Fatu, and that makes for some interesting moments as we move forward around here. I’m not sure how much more Smith is going to do in MLW, but his challenge here wasn’t quite inspiring.

Post match Fatu says no one can stop Contra and calls out Alex Hammerstone. Cue Hammerstone, but a man in a mask jumps him with a chair and gives him a chokeslam onto the apron to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It’s nice to have MLW back, but this wasn’t exactly inspiring. It felt like they were just trying to pick up where they left off and that’s kind of hard to do after so many months away. The show wasn’t terrible or even bad though and the matches did feel somewhat big. They just needed to feel bigger, and that could have been done with a few more weeks to get back to normal.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

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.

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 100^th 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

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #96
Date: February 8, 2020
Location: NYTEX Sports Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: AJ Kirsch, Rich Bocchini

The Dallas swing continues as we continue the Hart Foundation vs. Contra, which should have some long term potential. If nothing else, we already have a big match tonight as Brian Pillman Jr. challenges Jacob Fatu for the World Title. It seems to be a setup for the much bigger match with Davey Boy Smith Jr. challenging but that sounds like waiting for. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Contra vs. the Hart Foundation, which does sound like a war.

Opening sequence, with Contra interrupting to promise Pillman’s destruction.

The announcers run down the card.

Here’s Tom Lawlor, in a Von Erichs shirt and with an unnamed bodyguard, to get things going, complete with (I believe) new music with slow lyrics of “I HAVE COME TO KILL YOU”. Lawlor says it’s great to be back and points out how great his Von Erichs shirt is. It represents the dollar store Von Erichs, rather than the Von Erichs that we remember.

The fans demand he take the shirt off so Lawlor does as they ask and then cleans himself with it in rather disrespectful ways. Lawlor throws it to a fan who throws it back. Lawlor: “Just like the Von Erichs, YOU FAILED!”. He has found a new family in the members of Team Filthy so here’s the new star in his debut as part of the team. Tonight he’ll be facing someone who should be on Botchamania rather than in this ring.

Dominick Garrini vs. Zenshi

Garrini judo throws him down to start so Zenshi grabs a wristdrag. A headscissors into a victory roll gets two and Zenshi flips out of a German suplex. Garrini has a seat on the mat and tells Zenshi to bring it, which is exactly what happens with a running hurricanrana for two. Another headscissors out of the corner drops Garrini and a dropkick gets two. Zenshi’s shooting star press is pulled into a triangle choke but that’s broken up as well.

Garrini starts stomping him in the corner but Zenshi flips him over for a moonsault dropkick. A hurricanrana puts Zenshi on the floor, albeit after his face hits the apron. Back in and Zenshi’s 450 is countered into a judo throw for some stomps to the arm. It’s bad enough that the trainer comes in to check on Zenshi, who stomps on the arm even more. The cross armbar goes on and the referee stops it at 6:58.

Rating: C. This was an interesting twist as Zenshi dominated a good chunk of the match but lost in the end when Garrini cranked it into another gear. The match was a bit of a clash of styles but the point here was to make Garrini look like a killer and that’s what they did. Let Zenshi stick with the high flying stuff though because that’s where he shines.

Post match Lawlor says there’s nothing wrong with what Garrini did because they’re martial artists and that’s what they do.

Contra’s Death Squad goes after Brian Pillman Jr. but Davey Boy Smith Jr. makes the save.

Video on Contra vs. Hart Foundation.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman has had caffeine for the first time and can’t stop talking or jumping up and down. Anyway, there have been threats of a lawsuit against MLW so the Dynasty is going to get to produce their own episode. That will include Gino Medina vs. Septimo Dragon, Alexander Hammerstone vs. Aerostar and Richard Holliday/MJF vs. the Von Erichs for the Tag Team Titles. MJF was hilarious here in a different way.

Richard Holliday vs. Savio Vega

The still hyped up MJF is on commentary, sending Kirsch into a facepalm. After a hug with MJF, Holliday lets him hold the Air Pods. After a quick promo from Savio on how much he loves his Caribbean Title and offering to take Alicia Atout salsa dancing, we’re ready to go. MJF thinks Vega reminds him of an old Kwang. They stare at each other to start and Holliday mocks the Puerto Rican vest as we wait about forty five seconds before the first contact.

Rating: D+. As usual, Vega was one of the worse in-ring performers around here, though I can see why he would be a big help as far as agenting goes. That being said, it’s not a good visual to have him in there with so many bad matches. Holliday continues to look awesome though and would be a huge star if he wasn’t surrounded by so much other talent.

Post match Holliday takes the Caribbean Title with him and says his lawyer/father is going to make this a title match.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. tells Brian Pillman Jr. that the game plan is on. The Von Erichs come in to say they’ve got Pillman’s back too.

Killer Kross is coming.

Battle Riott III is coming in July.

MLW has a working relationship with Dragon Gate. The more talent they can bring in, the better.

We look back at Gino Medina joining the Dynasty and attacking Konnan.

LA Park is coming back.

We look at Injustice complaining about the referees so the referees will be graded with the good referees getting big matches. As long as we don’t have to see any of this, they’ll be fine.

AAA and MLW will be running a co-promoted show on March 13 in Mexico.

The Dynasty is running next week’s episode.

Mance Warner is asked about the Dynasty. Mance: “A*******.” He gives Alicia a light beer and leaves.

Zenshi wants revenge.

MLW World Title: Jacob Fatu vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

Fatu is defending and has Josef Samael in his corner. Pillman gets chopped in the corner to start and Fatu holds up the Contra flag. A toss sends Pillman into the corner but Fatu misses sitdown splash. Some kicks to the chest don’t do much to Fatu, who is right back with a chop.

Pillman’s middle rope crossbody is countered into a spinning release Rock Bottom. The nerve hold is broken up with a jawbreaker and some kicks to the head stagger Fatu. Now the springboard crossbody puts Fatu down and Air Pillman drops him again. Cue Injustice for a distraction though, allowing Fatu to run Pillman over. The handspring moonsault gets two and a pair of double jump moonsaults finish Pillman at 5:30.

Rating: C-. This could have been a lot worse though it was just a step above a squash. That being said, Fatu is not supposed to be sweating over just about anyone, which is going to make the big title change that much better. That would seem to be Smith down the road, and that’s going to be a heck of a fight. Pillman is getting there, but he still needs ring time, as would anyone with as little experience as he has.

We see a clip of the Death Squad attacking Smith and the Von Erichs during the match to explain where they were. Again: well done on covering something like that because it would leave a hole otherwise.

Overall Rating: D+. Not much of a show this week and that is the kind of thing that is going to happen every now and then. The matches were designed to set up some stuff for the future but we didn’t get much on this show, which made this a bit harder to watch. It’s not terrible by any means, but it’s nothing worth seeing save for Fatu’s usual awesomeness.

Results

Dominic Garrini b. Zenshi via referee stoppage

Richard Holliday b. Savio Vega – Suplex into a swinging neckbreaker

Jacob Fatu b. Brian Pillman Jr. – Double jump moonsault

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #90
Date: December 28, 2019
Hosts: AJ Kirsch, Rich Bocchini

It has been a big year for MLW and that’s what we’re looking at today. This is a Best Of 2019 show and in this case, that means we could be in for some good stuff. A lot has taken place over the course of the year and I could go for a nice retrospective. They have a lot to pick from here so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The hosts welcome us to the show.

We open with a highlight package, including Tom Lawlor winning the World Title, Battle Riot II, the Dynasty winning the Tag Team Titles, Alexander Hammerstone becoming the first National Champion, Jacob Fatu winning the World Title, War Chamber, the Opera Cup and SuperFight.

From August 3.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

They slap hands to start and it’s a slow pace to get things going. Davey throws him off of a headscissors on the mat and it’s time for some early grappling. Smith gets a hammerlock and you can see Thatcher playing this out in his head as he tries to find a way out. The hold is reversed into a half crab, with Thatcher’s eyes bugging out. That’s broken up so Thatcher kicks at the leg and grabs it again, this time sending Smith over to the ropes.

More kicks to the leg set up a belly to belly to put Davey back in the middle, setting up a legbar. With the grappling not working so well, Davey headbutts his way to freedom but can’t get a cross armbreaker. Thatcher switches into an ankle lock with a grapevine as the counters continue. Davey slaps the mat (not a tap) and turns it over into a Sharpshooter, sending Thatcher to the ropes for a change. They slug it out (Tony: “Like two rams butting heads on the side of the Rocky Mountains!” How long has he had that one saved up for?) until Thatcher gets two off a small package.

Another pinfall reversal sequence gives us some slick two counts and it’s time for a breather. Back up and Smith rolls some German suplexes, followed by a tiger suplex (Thatcher’s “OH DANG” look when he knows he can’t block it is great) for two. They fight over arm holds with Thatcher not being able to get a cross armbreaker this time. Smith isn’t having this and rolls out into a Crossface for the tap at 14:46.

Rating: B. This was almost all technical mat work, which is all the more impressive given Smith’s size and power. It makes him look like a complete package and all the more dangerous, which he’ll have to be to go after Hammerstone. Thatcher looked incredible as well, making me wonder why he hasn’t gotten a job in a big company yet. He isn’t the most interesting looking but there’s always a role for someone with his style.

We look at Tom Lawlor turning on the Von Erichs and their ensuing feud.

Zero Hour is coming.

BUY MERCH!

Video on Gino Medina.

Video on the Dynasty’s year.

Here are the Top Ten Moments of the Year:

10. Priscilla Kelly Debuts

9. Ross Von Erich Chases Tom Lawlor Through New York

8. Contra Unit Attacks The Lucha Bros

7. Mance Warner Has A Chainsaw

6. Jacob Fatu Dives Off The Cage

5. Tom Lawlor Turns On The Von Erichs

4. Jimmy Havoc vs. Mance Warner

3. War Chamber

2. Jacob Fatu Wins The World Title

1. Salina de la Renta Gets Speared Through The Table

Zero Hour ad, again.

Join Team Filthy!

Video on Contra, which is going to burn the world down.

From Saturday Night SuperFight:

MLW World Title: LA Park vs. Jacob Fatu

No DQ, Park, undefeated, is challenging and Fatu is a monster. Salina de la Renta and Josef Samael are here as seconds. Before the match, Park grabs the mic and rants in Spanish. They circle, shove and slug it out with Park getting the better of it off a pair of clotheslines. A running knee puts Fatu on the floor and there’s a suicide dive, which is like a flying bus at this point.

Back in and Fatu starts firing off the headbutts to take over and some shots to the face put Park in trouble. The mask is torn and it looks like we already have some blood flowing. Park gets whipped into the barricade as the beating continues on the floor. Even Salina is looking worried as they head into the crowd to continue Park’s destruction. Back in and Park gets knocked into the corner but snaps off a powerslam for two and a breather.

Fatu superkicks him down and hits a handspring moonsault for his own two. With nothing else working, Park goes up top and hits something like a Whisper in the Wind. What all else fails, throw your large body at the other guy. They head outside again with Park nailing a chair to the back, followed by literally breaking the bell over Fatu’s head. Park headbutts away, which sounds rather idiotic against a Samoan. After not knocking himself silly, Park whips away with the weightlifting belt.

Fatu, now busted as well, runs the corner for a flying shoulder to send Park outside for a huge running dive to crush Park again. There’s a table set up in for corner as Park is thrown back in, only to avoid the moonsault. Samael throws a fireball at the referee though, which might be taking things a bit too far. That brings Salina in….and Park’s spear misses Samael, sending Salina through the table instead. The Samoan drop sets up the double jump moonsault to retain the title at 20:00.

Overall Rating: B. Now that’s how something like this should go. Like I said, there has been a lot of good stuff going on this year and while I could go for some more full matches, or even clips of some matches. What we got here was fine though and that’s all it needed to be for a week where they barely did anything. MLW is in a great place going into 2020, but now they have to keep that going, which is the real trick.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

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.

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.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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