Fusion #80
Date: October 19, 2019
Location: Auditorio Municipal, Tijuana, Mexico
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, AJ Kirsch

This is a special show with Jimmy Havoc’s Slaughterhouse, meaning it’s basically a Halloween special. That means a bunch of violence and fighting, which is hardly the worst thing in the world. It makes sense to throw something like this out there for a change, but at the same time it doesn’t mean as much if you do that kind of violence so often. Let’s get to it.

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

We look at the Dynasty retaining the Tag Team Titles last week.

The Von Erichs know the Dynasty is scared of them and need to act like champions. The title match is still taking place in Chicago at SuperFight, in a Texas Tornado match for the Tag Team Titles. I’m not sure how much these two should be allowed to talk without some more practice.

We get a special Slaughterhouse themed intro, with Jimmy Havoc talking about being willing to bleed.

Havoc promises a lot of blood and violence, which he certainly likes. First up, Josef Samael vs. a member of Promociones Dorado in a Tijuana street fight. Havoc himself will be in a three way against Damian 666 and Savio Vega, where he takes the torch of being the best hardcore wrestler in the world.

Los Haraganes vs. Triple Amenaza

That would be Animal/Demencia/Silver Star vs. Star Boy/Arandu/Zarco and I’m going to be lost in this one. Los Haraganes hit dives before the bell (I think) and we starts fast (as you would have had to expect). This is apparently a hot feud and it’s a big brawl as commentary admits the cameras are probably going to miss things.

One of the Haraganes (the announcers are reading cards about later in the show from Havoc) hits a middle rope gordbuster to set up a frog splash to set up a double stomp low blow for no cover on….well I have no idea actually as none of these people have anything to identify them. Commentary starts paying attention to the match as it’s Star Boy being hung in the ropes for a guillotine legdrop from Silver Star. Arandu comes in and gets reverse monkey flipped into a double dropkick as we take an early break.

Back with the match having settled down a bit for a chop off between Demencia and Zarco. Or maybe it’s Arandu as the commentary seems to be split. Ok now it’s 2-1 Zarco, who takes over with more chops and a dropkick into the corner. Animal comes in but his monkey flip attempt is blocked with a dropkick from Arandu. More changes without tags (legal but a bit confusing) ensue but hang on as Contra hacks the feed.

Contra talks about how Mexico has had violence before but never the global dealers in violence. They’re coming for Salina de la Renta and Promociones Dorado. We come back with Star Boy getting one off a double underhook piledriver. There are some weapons piled up on the floor and the crowd seems to have lost some energy during the break. Star Boy is put on top and getting super hurricanranaed right back down as Animal isn’t pleased with the referee.

Arandu comes in for two off a spinebuster and a hanging swinging neckbreaker gets the same. It’s off to a seated abdominal stretch of all things but Silver Star makes a quick save. A somewhat messy sitout powerbomb gives Silver Star two and the announcers aren’t pleased with the speed of the count. Everything breaks down (you knew that was coming) and it’s a springboard armdrag to send Zarco into (not through) a table at ringside. Star Boy and Arandu miss dives to go through the tables (or at least close to it), leaving Zarco to get triplebombed for the pin at 13:34 (on another VERY slow count).

Rating: C. I have no idea how to rate something like this as it was entertaining, but at the same time there was so much going on and I had no idea who was what or how this was supposed to go. It was entertaining enough but you could feel the crowd not caring and that took a lot out of the match. Not bad though.

Post match Los Haraganes beat up the referee for the slow counting. Fair enough.

Gino Medina is coming.

Brian Pillman Jr. has some fun with a young lady by the pool and isn’t worried about Low Ki. Jokes are made about Low Ki’s amazing voice.

Salina de la Renta comes up to see Havoc and brings El Hijo de LA Park to represent Promociones Dorado in the street fight. Josef Samael jumps Hijo to break up the argument and the fight is on.

El Hijo de LA Park vs. Josef Samael

It’s a street fight outside in the back with Samael knocking him around and sending Park into some fences before nailing some crossfaces to the head. An argument with the referee lets Park fight back and slams him through a big piece of wood. Samael gets sent head first into a door but comes right back with punches and headbutts. Cue Simon Gotch and Ikuro Kwon to jump Park as Salina rants on the phone for someone to get over here now. Park is left laying and I’m not considering this a match as it was more of a long brawl to set up the big beatdown. Nothing to see here in other words.

Mance Warner knows he and Jimmy Havoc love barbed wire so we’ll have a Stairway To Hell match at SuperFight. Hang the barbed wire above the ring and get a ladder so you can be even more violent.

Havoc was having fun until he heard from Warner. He’s studied the Stairway To Hell match (from ECW, not named here) and Warner is going to regret that challenge.

The SuperFight Control Center doesn’t add anything new but the card does look pretty good.

The Dynasty sings God Bless America because they’re so glad to be back home. Richard Holliday brings up his lawyer/father (MJF: “JUST CALL HIM YOUR FATHER!”) and they talk about trying to get out of the Texas Tornado match. Maybe he could get it turned into a Dynasty Tornado match. As MJF tries to wrap his head around that, they decide to just go on the yacht. Well only after MJF cuts Holliday off from any more coffee.

Savio Vega vs. Damian 666 vs. Jimmy Havoc

Hardcore and it makes perfect sense to have Havoc main event his own show. Salina is here with Damian and wants some revenge on Havoc. Damian and Vega double team Havoc to the floor to start before Vega knocks Damian down in a hurry. It’s time for the cookie sheet from Havoc but Vega brings in a kendo stick and the trashcan. Vega grabs a chair but gets whipped over the back by Damian’s belt.

Everyone heads to the floor to keep hitting each other before Vega takes Damian back inside for a whip into a chair. Havoc busts out the thumbtacks onto a chair, which he gets knocked onto for the painful comedy spot. Vega goes off with the revolving trashcan lid shots and slams Havoc onto the chair for two.

We get the required table, which has a broken leg before it is even set up. They get the table stood up and Havoc crotches Savio on top. The superplex through the table plants Vega (and makes the table explode) but Havoc makes the save and hits the Acid Rainmaker to finish Vega at 9:48.

Rating: C-. It was a pretty paint by numbers hardcore match and that’s all well and good for what they had here. Savio and Damian are both in their fifties and it makes more sense to have the weapons instead of trying to do a regular match. It made sense to have Havoc get a win here and the match felt fast enough so it’s hard to get too mad about a hardcore match on a hardcore themed show.

Post match Damian gets a Rainmaker of his own. Damian’s son Bestia makes the save.

Overall Rating: D+. This wasn’t the worst thing and having it as a theme show worked well enough. The Tijuana crowd works better than most MLW crowds, if nothing else just for the amount of people there alone. The violence deal was fine for the Halloween season and it was nice to mix things up a little bit. Sometimes you need to change things around and even though this wasn’t great, it was nice of them to go in a different direction.

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:

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Fusion #64
Date: June 29, 2019
Location: Waukesha County Expo Center, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Commentators: Jim Cornette, Rich Bocchini

It’s another Contra show here and that means things could get interesting again. This time around it’s Josef Samael vs. World Champion Tom Lawlor as Lawlor gets ready for his showdown with Jacob Fatu for the World Title next week. Samael is the designated fall guy so you can probably guess what is coming tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video from Contra, threatening to destroy Lawlor tonight.

Opening sequence.

Marshall and Ross Von Erich come to commentary to say they’ll have Lawlor’s back.

Adam Brooks vs. Austin Aries

The hometown boy Aries now has a thicker beard and is in the long tights this time. Aries catches a kick to the leg to start and takes Brooks to the mat as we go with some amateur stuff. Brooks gets a hammerlock but Aries reverses into a front facelock. A hard armdrag puts Brooks back down and it’s a basement dropkick to send him outside. Brooks sends him into the corner and hits a sliding dropkick of his own.

A springboard Stunner gives Brooks two and a low superkick keeps Aries down on the floor. Back in and Aries gets in a shinbreaker into a belly to back suplex to put Brooks in trouble. Some knees to the head keep Brooks down and Aries hits the middle rope elbow to Brooks’ seated back. The neckbreaker over the ropes sends Brooks to the floor but the suicide dive is blocked with a forearm.

Brooks gets in a slingshot DDT but can’t follow up. Aries is right back with the Horns of Aries (Last Chancery) until Brooks makes the rope. Brooks sends him to the apron but dives into a Death Valley Driver onto the apron, with Cornette going into a rant about how dangerous that is. He’s right you know. The 450 hits Brooks’ knees though but his Swanton hits Aries’ knees. A discus forearm sets up the brainbuster to give Aries the pin at 12:00.

Rating: C+. Aries may not have the best backstage attitude but he is one of the best in-ring performers around today. You’re all but guaranteed to get a watchable (at worst) match and he’s a good hand to have around here. He can do just about anything from carry the World Title to feud for the midcard or Middleweight Title. That’s a very valuable asset to have and Aries is someone who can do it.

Post match Aries is interviewed by says don’t interrupt the fans, who continue their AUSTIN ARIES chants. Aries talks about how he doesn’t put his life on social media but that doesn’t mean he’s been sitting at home. This is professional wrestling instead of sports entertainment or cosplay wrestling. He is the last real magician of professional wrestling because he can make everyone believe.

That’s why he’s here in MLW, which is the only place that follows the weight limits. He’s been the World Heavyweight Champion several times but he hasn’t been a heavyweight a day in his life. Aries is a middleweight, and that’s bad news for Teddy Hart. I’m more than down for that.

We look back at the Dynasty attacking Teddy Hart and stealing his Tag Team Title last week.

The Dynasty was in Martha’s Vineyard at a house Richard Holliday’s dad bought after he shut down an orphanage. Alex Hammerstone is going for a Hogan tan. Holliday: “87 or 91?” Oh and they’re the Tag Team Champions because possessions is nine tenths of the law. MJF and Aria Blake leave to go, ahem, fix her nails.

Samael is out for Lawlor’s blood before Jacob Fatu takes the title.

Savio Vega is coming.

We look back at last week’s wild six man tag and the wilder post match brawl.

Jacob Fatu vs. Ariel Dominguez/Sam Black

Fatu jumps them both while the music is still playing. An overhead belly to belly sends Dominguez flying and a superkick drops Black. A crazy high pop up Samoan drop plants Dominguez and it’s the double springboard moonsault (perfect) for the pin at 1:20. Fatu looked outstanding here.

Post match the beatdown is still on with the rest of Contra running in to take both jobbers out.

Salina de la Renta doesn’t want to talk about a goat f***** (uncensored) like Mance Warner. With her voice changing, she talks about how she knows how hard it is for men to see a 22 year old woman in control.

Kings of Colosseum rundown, with an open challenge from Hammerstone, Myron Reed vs. Rey Horus and a live Jim Cornette Experience with Salina.

Mance Warner is looking forward to the 4^th of July and promises to take care of Salina and Promociones Dorado. It’s time to start headhunting and the fireworks are starting when he comes after the team. The beer goes down and the hat goes around as Mance promises to have blood running down his hands. After he mows his lawn that is. Rather good promo from Mance here, who sounds like he is speaking as himself every time.

Tom Lawlor vs. Josef Samael

Non-title and Salina (in a completely different outfit and with her hair done differently) is watching in the back with Ricky Martinez. The fight starts fast with Lawlor knocking him down but getting chopped in the corner. That’s fine with Tom, who comes back with shots of his own with one big one knocking Samael outside. Lawlor sends him into the barricade and post and is even smart enough to block the low blow on the way back inside.

Samael manages to get in a whip to send Lawlor throat first into the ropes and the champ is in trouble. One heck of a clothesline blasts Lawlor and we hit the camel clutch. With that not going far enough, Samael pulls Lawlor’s head against the post. Lawlor comes back with a suplex and we cut to the back to see the Von Erichs fighting the rest of Contra. Back in the arena, Samael’s spike gets caught in the turnbuckle so Lawlor spinwheel kicks him down. Lawlor grabs the spike and shoves the referee down for the DQ at 7:50.

Rating: C. This was all it needed to be. They didn’t need to do anything more here other than keep Lawlor fighting and have Contra cause more chaos. It’s clear that Fatu is the real star of the team and that’s the reason why he’s getting the big title shot against Lawlor. I can’t imagine that match goes to a finish, but the ending could be interesting.

Post match the brawls are still on in the back and in the arena to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. It says a lot when a minute long squash pushed the show that much further up the line but Fatu looked that impressive. What mattered here was getting things ready for the big title match at Kings of Colosseum. Couple that with the first steps towards Aries vs. Hart and things are looking up around here. This place has gotten rather good in a hurry and they’re getting ready to move up on the list of best promotions around at the moment. Not bad for a company that really relaunched fifteen months ago.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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

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Fusion #54
Date: April 20, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Jim Cornette

You can see some stories coming into focus at the moment and that makes for some interesting stories. Tonight’s main event is Mance Warner vs. Sami Callihan, which should be a good way to go. Well maybe not good but at least a fun brawl. The problem is the main events are getting more and more brawl based and that can only last for so long. Let’s get to it.

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

Air Wolf/Rey Horus vs. Lucha Bros

Pentagon swears at Wolf in Spanish and we’re ready to go, allowing Cornette to rant about how much he can’t stand traveling in New York. Fenix and Wolf trade arm holds on the mat until a springboard armdrag sends Fenix outside. Pentagon superkicks Wolf down but Horus grabs an armdrag on Pentagon to take over again. Wolf and Horus’ dives are blocked by stereo kicks to the face and the fight heads outside with Fenix chopping Horus against the barricade.

Some more keep Wolf in trouble and Pentagon even takes the glove off to make it even better. The Bros unload with the superkicks, including a double shot to a kneeling Wolf. The flipping wheelbarrow splash gets two on Horus so it’s back to the chops between Wolf and Horus. A quick springboard Downward Spiral takes Fenix down so Pentagon comes back in for another superkick.

The Pentagon Driver gets two with Horus making the save this time around. Horus dives into a kick to the ribs but is fine enough to grab a Spanish Fly for two more. Not to be outdone, Fenix hits the spinning kick to the head, setting up the Black Fire Driver for another near fall. The Bros have had it though and it’s a double superkick into the spike Fear Factor for the pin at 7:43.

Rating: C+. Oh like this was going to be anything other than good. The Bros are one of it not the best tag team in the world today and they make anyone with them look that much better. Air Wolf has gotten so much better since his debut and while he’s still not great, he’s turned into someone who can have a good match against anyone. Having it be against the Lucha Bros just made it really easy.

Video on Contra vs. Tom Lawlor.

Salina de la Renta won’t say when LA Park will cash in his title shot because it doesn’t make sense to say when they’ll go for the title. She calls Sami Callihan a warthog so here’s Sami to break up the press conference.

Ace Romero vs. Josef Samael

The fight starts on the ramp with Samael already bailing. A chop has no effect on the huge Romero but kicking the ropes as he gets inside certainly does. Some crossface shots keep Romero in trouble but he drops backwards onto Samael for the breather. Romero goes up top and gets slammed down, with the crash knocking the referee off his feet. To go really old school, Samael loads up the boot and kicks Romero in the face for the pin at 3:13.

Rating: D. Romero is a monster but Samael shouldn’t have been selling that much in one of his first matches. The team is an awesome group but Samael isn’t the most thrilling guy in the world. Believe it or not he’s a former NWA World Champion, which thankfully hasn’t been mentioned yet. You can figure out why it’s a good idea on your own.

Post match the beatdown is on until Barrington Hughes comes in and gets beaten down as well.

Lawlor says if Contra wants to be famous, come after the champ. He’ll face any combination of them face to face, man to boys. It’s time to remind people how filthy he can be, and he has friends coming.

We look at LA Park winning Battle Riot II.

We look back at Sami going after Salina earlier tonight.

Ricky Martinez comes up to Sami and the fight is on in the stairwell.

We look back at the Hart Foundation stealing the Dynasty’s car.

We see the Harts inside the car, with smoking and cats doing various cat things. They imply that something is in the glove compartment and also suggest that MJF did various, uh, favors, to get into the Dynasty. Hart: “With those tight pants of his.”

Gringo Loco vs. Puma King

How many times can we see this match? Loco dives over him to start, setting up an anklescissors for no effect. Cornette goes into his regular explanation of why luchadors roll around so much as they flip to a standoff. Puma won’t shake hands, instead going with a spinebuster and low superkick. The top rope hurricanrana sends Loco to the floor for the springboard dive.

Back in and King hits what looked to be a low blow but Loco is fine enough for a springboard cutter for two of his own. King hits a heck of a pop up powerbomb and goes up top, only to get caught in a super Spanish Fly for two more. Puma grabs a superplex and rolls into a second but the third is blocked. The top rope hurricanrana is countered into a tiger bomb to give Loco the pin at 6:53.

Rating: C-. The match was fine but it feels like we’ve seen this one a few times now. The point of this show is to mix the styles up but having the two people who wrestle a similar style doesn’t work over and over. It was entertaining, but I rolled my eyes when I saw who was going to be involved.

Salina has a proposition for Mance Warner if he’ll take care of Sami for her. Warner turns the hat around but his granddaddy Mad Dog taught him what happens if you lay down with women like him. He’ll pass on those fleas. Salina: “Well….uh….your genitalia has fleas!”

The Dynasty drinks Red Bull with MJF saying they’re not firing on all cylinders. The losses have been flukes and they want to take the Hart Foundation down. We get a group cheer, but Hammerstone doesn’t seem convinced.

Sami Callihan vs. Mance Warner

After Cornette gets in a shouting match with Callihan, the brawl is on in a hurry. They fight to the floor with Sami choking against the barricade but the first eye poke gets Mance out of trouble. Beer can shots to the head keep Sami down but he finds a chair and drives it into Warner’s throat. A suplex on the floor (after several block attempts) just wakes Warner up so Sami gives him another one onto an open chair.

As tends to be the case in every MLW main event, countouts and DQ’s aren’t a thing as Mance sends Sami to his knees off a chop. They head inside with a chair being thrown in and the bell rings….which seems to be a mistake. Mance uses the distraction to chair Sami in the back as the announcers get in an argument about Sami being a guest on Cornette’s podcast. Sami gets creative by tying Mance up with his own suspenders and wrapping a chair around his neck. Warner is back up with a Bionic elbow but the drop toehold sends the chair into the throat again.

That doesn’t seem to do too much damage as Mance sits him in the corner and hits a headbutt. Sami is right back with a Tombstone through the open chair….for two. If that’s not going to be the finish, don’t do the spot. A table (with only one leg) is brought in and set up in the corner with Sami spearing him through it for one. Back up and Sami spits in his face so it’s a lariat into the knee to the face for two more. Mance loads up something in the corner but Ricky Martinez and Hijo de LA Park run in to jump him for the DQ at 10:05. Yes a DQ after all that.

Rating: C. The near falls were ridiculous here but the problem is that it was another brawl in the main event. That has been the case way too many times lately and it’s getting really repetitive. Warner not losing is a help, but he needs to get a pin in one of these matches at some point.

Post match Sami makes the save and it’s a handshake between Callihan and Warner. They keep brawling with Part and Martinez to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I liked most of the show but it’s starting to feel repetitive around here. It seems that almost every show is nearly the same and a lot of the feuds are going longer than they should. It’s still an entertaining show and doesn’t feel long at all, but they need something fresh in here to keep things going.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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