Major League Wrestling Fusion – April 13, 2019: That’s Why You Never Jump A Skeleton Man

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #53
Date: April 13, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Jim Cornette

We’re done with Battle Riot and that means it’s time to move forward to the next big show, which is probably taking place next month. LA Park is the new #1 contender but it could be a long time before he actually uses the title shot. World Champion Tom Lawlor also has to deal with Contra and that’s probably up first. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Battle Riot, including Teddy Hart taking a champagne bottle to the head, Tom Lawlor retaining the title and Battle Riot itself.

Opening sequence.

The announcers preview the show.

Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Richard Holliday and Alexander Hammerstone are here with Friedman but there’s no one with Pillman. Pillman goes with some shoulders blocks to start but gets tripped by Holliday, who gets ejected in a hurry. Hammerstone is gone as well, despite not getting caught doing anything. What a biased referee.

With Friedman left on his own, Pillman dropkicks him into the corner, setting up a heck of a slap. Friedman gets smart by going after Pillman’s injured shoulder, including a stomp onto the wrist. The arm gets wrapped around the rope as Friedman gets to show off his rather nasty limb wrenching skills. Friedman works on a top wristlock with Cornette in his element talking about the pressure and how much damage the hold is going.

A backsplash onto the arm gets two but Pillman finally comes back with a shot to the face in the corner. The high crossbody and a superkick have Friedman in trouble but the arm gives out on a whip attempt. Instead Pillman snaps off a powerslam for two, though the landing hurts the arm again. Friedman goes evil again by hiding behind the referee in the corner, allowing him to poke Pillman in the eye. A double stomp to the back gets two but Pillman grabs a small package for the pin at 11:55.

Rating: C. The more I see of Friedman, the more I like him. Not only can he cut a rather good, obnoxious promo but he knows how to work a body part like few others. For someone just twenty two years old, that’s some impressive talent. Speaking of a talented twenty two year old, Pillman seems to be getting it more and more every single time he’s in the ring and is miles ahead of where he was just a year ago.

Post match Friedman declares that a fluke.

We look back at Tom Lawlor’s press conference last week when he was jumped by Contra.

Earlier today, Salina de la Renta announced that she is going to be executive producing an episode of Fusion over Cinco de Mayo weekend. As for LA Park cashing in, stay tuned.

After yelling at a cameraman, Sami Callihan says he left for a bit so he could find himself again. Now that he’s figured that out, it’s time to figure out what he wants to do. When he was in the Battle Riot, Mance Warner got his attention because he’s crazy like Sami. Next week, they’ll fight because the world of MLW never sleeps and neither does he.

Holliday and Hammerstone yell about what happened but they have plans for tonight. Like parking in a handicap spot! They find the cameraman and violence seems imminent.

Jimmy Yuta/Lance Anoa’i vs. Rich Swann/Myron Reed

Swann and Reed get extra weapons checks as the bias continues. Yuta works on Reed’s arm to start and unloads in the corner with a series of stomps. Reed heads outside for a breather so it’s off to Swann vs. Lance, which doesn’t work well for Swann. An attempt at a running hurricanrana is countered with pure power.

A backdrop sends Swann into a 450 (cool) and Lance adds an elbow for two. The loud chops in the corner have Swann in more trouble but he’s fine enough to rake Yuta’s eyes. Reed comes back in for a forearm to the head and it’s Swann firing away his own chops. The stepover kick to the face sets up a slingshot legdrop from Reed into a running splash for two on Yuta. As usual though, the excessive double teaming is countered by a single armdrag and it’s back to Lance to clean house.

A Samoan drop/dropkick combination (yep) has the villains in trouble but Lance misses a 450. That lets Reed get his running start for the over the top cutter (still looks awesome) and a near fall on Lance. Swann kicks Yuta very low and it’s a Codebreaker into a splash on Lance’s back. A 450 into knees to the chest from Swann sets up a regular 450 from Reed for the pin at 8:42.

Rating: C. This felt longer than it was and that’s not often the best thing. Lance and Yuta weren’t the best team in the world, though Reed and Swann are a good enough heel combination. The match had good action but it was also a little messy, which made it something that was just kind of there. Not bad, but it needed some more polishing.

Mance Warner talks about poking an albino moose in the eye and getting in a fight in the back of a moving truck. Sami talks about thumbs up, thumbs down, but all he needs to worry about is kneepad up, kneepad down.

Tom Lawlor talks about all of the injuries he’s gone through over the years. You can break his insides but you won’t break his spirit, which Contra will learn the hard way.

LA Park vs. ???

Open challenge time as Jimmy Havoc is missing for some reason. As luck would have it, we have someone to answer.

LA Park vs. Sami Callihan

It was going to be him or Warner. Sami goes right at him and walks into a scoop powerslam. That’s what you get for trying to jump a skeleton man. They fight to the floor with Callihan hitting Park in the knee with an umbrella. That doesn’t have much of an effect as Park sends him into the barricade and grabs a metal post used to connect velvet ropes. Callihan takes the post away and hits Park in the ribs but again, there isn’t much of an effect.

A chair to the head sends Sami staggering in Salina’s direction so Park hits him again. They trade rams into the posts as Cornette tries to explain why there isn’t a DQ here. Callihan gets crotched against the post and a replica MLW World Title (Cornette: “IT’S A BELT!!!”) to the head makes it even worse. They head back inside after about four minutes on the floor and the ref gets bumped because….does it really matter?

Sami kicks the referee by mistake and avoids a charge to send Park shoulder first into the post. The baseball bat to the face connects but here are Ricky Martinez and Hijo de LA Park for the group beatdown. Warner runs in for the save but Low Ki comes in as well with Callihan not being able to do much good. Now it’s Daga running in to superkick everyone and hit the big running flip dive onto the pile. Callihan loads up his own dive but gets speared down to give Park the pin at 7:17.

Rating: C+. At this point, you just have to expect the No DQ matches with Park, mainly because I can’t imagine him trying to wrestle a regular match. Unfortunately you can’t imagine him losing either, which is understandable given his star power in Mexico, but it doesn’t help much with the drama. I’d be surprised if he loses his eventual cash in, though I’ll take building a heel up over a random win any day.

Post match the beatdown is on with Promociones Dorado standing tall.

Holiday and Hammerstone go to leave in Friedman’s car but the Hart Foundation steals it to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling wasn’t all that great this time but they did a nice job with the storytelling. There are some big stories going on, though I’m not sure when those stories are actually going to end. It comes down to too much everyone fighting everyone at times, though there is still enough coherence to the whole thing to make it work well enough. Not a great show, but it certainly wasn’t boring.

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:


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




Major League Wrestling Battle Riot II: Something That Rhymes With Boogaloo

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Battle Riot II
Date: April 5, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Jim Cornette

This is the big live Wrestlemania weekend show and that means we have a major battle royal, which worked well enough last year. I’m not sure what to expect this year as they’ve barely announced any stories for the match, though we do know a good chunk of the lineup. The winner gets a title match at any point they want so at least there’s a big prize. Let’s get to it.

Note that I actually watch this show regularly so for once I know what’s going on. For those of you who are new, I’ll mention names and characters where they matter.

We open with a list of most of the people in the match. It worked for the old Royal Rumbles so this is fine.

The announcers run down the card, which includes a pair of title matches to go along with Battle Riot.

Middleweight Title: Teddy Hart vs. Ace Austin

Austin is challenging and this could be good as the Harts are crazy popular around here. The Dynasty (MJF, Alexander Hammerstone and Richard Holliday) is watching from ringside. As Cornette rants about travel in New York, we start with the guys shoving each other and slowly slugging it out. A rather early Project Ciampa gives Hart the first big advantage with Austin rolling out to the floor. An overhead belly to belly on the floor makes it even worse for Austin and the springboard moonsault off the barricade keeps Austin down. Austin gets crotched against the post and Teddy heads over to steal some of the Dynasty’s champagne.

Of course it goes into MJF’s face and it’s Austin coming back with a kick to the face from the apron. Back in and Austin kicks him in the head a few times before slamming him head first into the mat. Austin takes way too long coming off the top and gets crotched, though he’s fine enough to do the same thing to Hart to block the super Canadian Destroyer. A spinning kick to the face drops Hart again and a spinning top rope Fameasser gets two. Austin gets knocked off the top again though and it’s a super Canadian Destroyer into a regular Canadian Destroyer to retain the title at 6:54.

Rating: C+. Hart wasn’t exactly sweating here, which is kind of annoying as I like Austin a lot and could see him going somewhere. That being said, this wasn’t the place for some big, epic title defense so going with the quick match here with Hart hitting his usual stuff and winning definitively in the end was fine.

Post match Hart rhymes about Alexander Hammerstone, in red, seeing Ted, meaning he’ll be dead. He shoves Richard Holliday but gets a champagne bottle to the head.

Minoru Tanaka vs. Myron Reed

Reed has Rich Swann with him as they continue to claim MLW is treating them unfairly. Tanaka is a big star in Japan and the current GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion. Reed bails straight to the floor to start where Swann offers some advice. Back in and Tanaka works on the arm before going with a standard dropkick to keep Reed in trouble. Swann’s cheap shot from the floor lets Reed score with an enziguri though and we take a break.

We come back with Tanaka’s missile dropkick putting Reed in trouble again as Cornette goes over the history of Japanese wrestling. Reed uses the rope to get out of the cross armbreaker and Stuns his way out of a suplex. A slingshot cutter gives Reed two more but Tanaka rolls him up into a cradle for the pin at 8:48.

Rating: C. Nice little match here with Tanaka looking very good and polished as you would have expected him to. He’s the kind of import that works very well on a special show like this. Reed’s jumping cutters always look great and he got in some offense against the much more polished name.

Video on Contra, a terrorist style stable who have looked awesome in limited appearances.

Promociones Dorado (major heel stable run by Salina de la Renta, an awesome witchy manager) draw their Battle Riot numbers with Salina not being happy with how long it takes. The guys seem pleased when Sami Callihan comes in demanding his money from Salina. He’ll see them tonight. As they leave, Mance Warner (feuding with the group) comes in and steals one of the good numbers, replacing it with a worse one.

We recap Jimmy Havoc vs. Tom Lawlor. Havoc was the last man to defeat him in MLW and now Jimmy is back to win the World Title.

Brian Pillman Jr. is happy with his number when Salina comes in and tries to buy it. Pillman would rather talk about her chest and Salina gives up.

MLW World Title: Jimmy Havoc vs. Tom Lawlor

Lawlor (a former UFC fighter) is defending and this is a street fight. Havoc jumps him before the bell and we lose a camera but Lawlor snaps off a release German suplex to take over. A Death Valley Driver out of the corner stops Lawlor and Havoc pelts a chair at him for two. It’s time to bring in a table (a board in this case) with Lawlor hitting him in the head and bridging the table between the ring and the barricade.

Some kicks to the chest have Havoc in trouble but he avoids a chair and takes Lawlor down again. The chair gets thrown at Lawlor’s head again but hang on as Havoc needs to yell at the fans, allowing Lawlor to send him into the table. They steal a horn from the crowd and Cornette gets in a few horny jokes. More tables and another chair are sent inside but Lawlor grabs a pumphandle suplex.

A charge hits chair though and Havoc gets two off a DDT. Havoc throws in four chairs and bridges a table between them as Cornette has just about had it with the hardcore stuff. Two more chairs are sets up on top of the table but a hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb through everything for two. Lawlor sets up a table in a corner but gets sent to the floor before he can use it. Havoc finds a staple gun and that’s just too much for Cornette, especially as it’s used to break up a Figure Four on the floor.

Lawlor is busted open and Havoc licks the blood off, setting up another staple into the head. The referee gets beaten down and there’s a Death Valley Driver through the door for no count. A belly to back faceplant onto some chairs gets a very delayed two from a fresh referee. With nothing else working, Lawlor knees a chair into Havoc’s head twice in a row to retain at 13:13.

Rating: C-. As is usually the case with hardcore matches, your individual mileage may vary. I’m more in the Cornette camp, though he was the completely wrong choice to call something like this because he can’t stand this kind of thing because it’s not wrestling. Now to be fair I’m really not a fan of the staple gun and licking the blood and all that stuff. It comes off like it’s all Havoc knows how to do and with the story not exactly being a violent one, it felt out of place.

Salina tries to buy a rookie’s number but that isn’t happening. Her goons come in and steal it instead.

Video on last year’s Battle Riot.

The announcers preview the match.

Battle Riot

40 man Royal Rumble (with pin/submission/over the top eliminations) with one minute intervals and the winner gets a World Title shot whenever they want. Also, no commercials for a nice bonus. Maxwell Jacob Friedman is in at #1 and says he isn’t shaking because the other thirty nine men in the back are shaking in their own boots. Dan Severn (of Dan Severn fame) is in at #2 and MJF panics in a hurry. The eye poke doesn’t work to start and it’s a belly to belly suplex to send MJF flying.

Hijo de LA Park is in at #3 as the intervals are already going fast. A dropkick puts Severn down but he’s back up to suplex a gyrating Hijo. Air Wolf is in at #4 and it’s a springboard armdrag to take Hijo down as the announcers talk about Teddy Hart being sent to the hospital, meaning he’s out of the match. Severn gets MJF into the corner and it’s Minoru Tanaka in at #5.

We get a weird yet cool slugout between Severn and Tanaka until Jordan Oliver (newcomer) is in at #6. With no one doing anything, Rey Fenix is in at #7 as they need to get rid of a few people. A rolling dropkick hits Hijo and the multiple springs springboard wristdrag have Wolf in trouble. Severn and Tanaka team up on MJF and it’s Pentagon in at #8. Kicking and chopping go around the ring and it’s a standoff with Fenix.

Avalanche (an Austrian from WXW) is in at #9 and Oliver’s high crossbody bounces off of his chest. Well you deserve that if you try to hit someone named Avalanche. MJF offers him money and that seems to be a business deal as Tanaka is on the floor but not eliminated. MJF does manage to get rid of Fenix for the first elimination so Pentagon gives him a beating. Ace Romero (400lbs) is in at #10, giving us MJF, Severn, Hijo, Wolf, Tanaka, Oliver, Pentagon, Avalanche and Romero at the moment. A Pounce eliminates Oliver and Hijo eliminates Pentagon in an upset.

Ken Kerbis (the newcomer who Salina tried to buy earlier) is in at #11 and it’s Romero and Avalanche doing the big man showdown. As Severn and Tanaka hook holds on MJF at the same time, Leo Brien is in at #12. Tanaka gets rid of Severn to a chorus of booing as Severn (61) looked good for about twelve minutes. Michael Patrick (Brien’s partner) is in at #13 but they can’t get rid of Avalanche. Tanaka gets rid of Brien and it’s Gringo Loco in at #14. A top rope cutter hits Romero as the fans are way into Loco, as always. MJF gets rid of Hijo and Tanaka makes Patrick tap to a kneebar.

Kotto Brazil is in at #15 with a slingshot spear and a frog splash to Loco. There’s a standing Sliced Bread to Kerbis and it’s Rey Horus in at #16. A springboard crossbody gets two on Brazil with Loco making the illogical save. One heck of a pop up tornado DDT hits Loco and MJF steals the two count. Romero eliminates Kerbis and it’s Rich Swann in at #17. Superkicks and running Swantons abound but Horus rips the tape off of Swann’s mouth to start the slugout.

Myron Reed is in at #18 for the second back to back partners in a row. Thankfully Reed gets in his running cutter over the top for the always cool visual. Reed and Swann dropkick Tanaka out as they’re getting better at keeping the ring from getting too full. Avalanches eliminates Loco and it’s the nearly 500lb Barrington Hughes in at #19. Reed’s springboard crossbody bounces off of Romero and Hughes, meaning an easy elimination.

It’s Ace Austin in at #20, giving us MJF, Avalanche, Romero, Brazil, Horus, Swann, Hughes and Austin at the halfway point (I must have missed Wolf going out). A bunch of people get together to get rid of Hughes with Swann celebrating, earning himself the big elbow from Romero for the elimination. Jimmy Yuta is in at #21 as Avalanche is gone. Yuta superkicks Austin out and MJF is dropkicked through the ropes for a breather.

Jacob Fatu of Contra is in at #22 but here are Simon Gotch and Josef Samael through the crowd to clean house. A gas can to the head has Brazil in trouble and everyone but Romero is stacked up for the least connecting moonsault I’ve ever seen. Thankfully Fatu drops a backsplash to make up for some of it. The gas is poured on three guys and a lighter is pulled out, drawing in security to prevent the murder.

Fatu isn’t having that and hits the moonsault onto Yuta and Horus before leaving, seemingly eliminating himself. As usual, Contra is the best thing going around here with Fatu looking like a star. MJF comes in and steals pins on Reed, Yuta and Horus in the most perfect thing he could have done. Brian Pillman Jr. is in at #23 for a showdown with MJF. A superkick gets rid of MJF (Bocchini: “BRIAN PILLMAN YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE!”) and it’s Davey Boy Smith Jr. at #24. They shake hands but Romero is back up to prevent them from having to fight.

The double teaming works just fine though and Romero is out as Konnan and LAX (as in all three) are in at #25, #26 and #27 (I think?). Smith tosses Santana and Ortiz as Low Ki is in at #28. Konnan just leaves as Ki fights back with a springboard kick to both Harts. LA Park is in at #29 for the fourth or fifth instance of partners/stable mates in consecutive numbers. Park brings in a step stool as we hear about Fatu being arrested for fighting with the NYPD.

Emil Sitoci (Dutch wrestler from WXW) is in at #30 and hits a moonsault onto Pillman. That gives us Smith, Pillman, Ki, Park and Sitoci for a rather international grouping. Daga is in at #31 and goes straight for Low Ki (who nearly ripped his ear off a few months ago) with stomps and choking in the corner. Blue Meanie is in at #32 and it’s a bunch of eye pokes until Smith suplexes him down. Alexander Hammerstone (a monster freak of nature) is in at #33 to kick Pillman out and Sami Callihan (with the bat) is in at #34 to a big reaction. Callihan bats Meanie in the head for the pin, followed by Ki and Sitoci being tossed.

A running big boot eliminates Holliday but Hammerstone kicks Smith out to get us down to four. Callihan mocks Park’s dance and gets kicked in the face by Hammerstone but Park breaks up a cover on Warner for some reason. Warner and Hammerstone go to the apron with an eye poke getting rid of Hammerstone but Callihan gets rid of Warner, leaving us with Callihan vs. Park. Sami is ready so Park hits a spear and tosses Callihan out for the win at 47:13.

Rating: B-. It was better than last year’s as they didn’t have as many random entries, though having the wrestling world in town for the show helped out with that. Park winning is….weird, as he’s undefeated in MLW and makes sense as a #1 contender but he was just one of the people in the match for the second half of the match. Other than the spear at the end, I don’t remember anything he did the whole way through.

The rest of the match was pretty good with Contra looking like stars. It was a great way to keep them from being eliminated, though the gas can was a little much. They kept things moving well enough, even if forty people is a little much. This would have been better with just thirty entrants, though I can get why forty sounds better. Overall not bad, and it felt like a major event for a special show.

In a press conference, Tom Lawlor says he’ll fight anyone from any country and he’s ready for Contra. Speaking of Contra, here they are to lay him out, with the handcuffs still on Fatu’s wrists.

Overall Rating: B-. Overall this was almost all about the Battle Riot as the other three matches just kind of happened. It’s an entertaining two hours (or close to it) with MLW knowing how to do their bigger shows well, as usual. They were smart to go with so many people as it offered a little bit of everything and might make some people come back next time. Good show, though it still wasn’t quite at that top level that they have trouble hitting.

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:


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




Major League Wrestling Fusion – March 23, 2019: Southern Charm

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #50
Date: March 23, 2019
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Jim Cornette, Rich Bocchini

We’re still in Chicago and that means things are getting interesting as we move closer to Battle Riot over Wrestlemania weekend. Unfortunately that makes these shows a bit dead, which is rather appropriate given that we’ll be seeing a Death Match this week between LA Park and Mance Warner, who hopefully is as entertaining in the ring than he is on the mic. Let’s get to it.

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

Cops have arrested Teddy Hart for vandalizing his car. In a nice bit of trickeration, you can’t see the cops and only see a red light on a door. Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Richard Holliday show up to laugh as Brian Pillman Jr. freaks out. Davey Boy Smith Jr. goes to bail Teddy out of jail.

Opening sequence.

Myron Reed vs. Gringo Loco

Reed comes out saying FREE SWANN. Loco is the hometown boy and even more popular than usual. We get a long weapons check on Reed before he takes Loco down with a wristlock. Flips and nipups give us a standoff so Reed forearms him in the face. Loco is back up with a flip off the middle rope and a pull of Reed’s leg gives us another standoff. Cornette can’t figure out how to describe Loco but thankfully Reed kicks Loco in the head to give commentary a new focus. A headscissors sends Loco to the floor but he’s right back in for a powerbomb into a piledriver.

Loco isn’t done as he nails a Spanish Fly for a double knockdown, allowing the announcers to talk about Battle Riot. A missed baseball slide sends Reed to the floor for a big flip dive. Back in and Loco gets crotched on top, setting up a springboard hurricanrana that nearly spikes Loco on his head. Reed’s springboard 450 gets two and it’s time to yell at the referee. That’s enough of a distraction for a springboard cutter from Loco into a Spiral Tap for the pin at 7:21.

Rating: B-. More lucha fun here, which they do quite well in this company. They’ve got a little something with the build towards Swann’s return and that’s one of the best things that could happen to them. You need stories to keep people’s attention and that’s what we had here. Nice match here too as Loco is still very over with the crowd.

Post match Reed slaps the referee down, likely earning himself a suspension of his own.

Mance Warner talks about going into the bosses’ office and swinging a chair until he got a match with Los Angeles Park. He’s got a plan for this match:

1. Light beers

2. Eye poke

3. Kneepad up, kneepad down

That adds up to the pay window and he’s going to take Park’s mask.

Battle Riot Control Center with the announcement of Jimmy Havoc challenging Tom Lawlor for the World Title. Smart move as Havoc was the last person to beat him. Also added to the Battle Riot: Mance Warner, Daga, Air Wolf and Barrington Hughes.

MJF and Holliday laugh their heads off at Teddy Hart’s mugshot and think it would make a great shirt. Or even better: on a billboard in Calgary.

We get a video from Contra Unit to explain their actions. On March 2, they took up their arms because they’re a global organization: the Crusaders of Nihilistic Terror Revolutions Armada. They’re here to infiltrate and take the gold because they’re international dealers in violence and business is good.

Ace Romero promises to make Contra pay the consequences.

Alexander Hammerstone vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

Hammerstone has MJF/Holliday with him while Pillman is on his own. Before the match, MJF grabs the mic and says he has a PSA for all of us: Hart is in jail again because he’s white trash. Pillman hits the ring and starts fast with some armdrags as MJF jumps on commentary to talk about killing the Hart Foundation. Cornette: “Now I know how people felt about me thirty five years ago.” Hammerstone sends him face first into the buckle to take over but Pillman shoulders him in the corner.

A running slap to the face gets on Hammerstone’s nerves and it’s a spinebuster to take Pillman down again. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Pillman is back up for a strike off. A crossbody gives Pillman one and a snap powerslam gets the same. MJF offers a distraction though and Pillman gets dropped throat first across the top rope as a result (nice touch with Pillman’s dad’s throat issues). The Nightmare Pendulum finishes Pillman at 5:21.

Rating: C-. Not too much here though Pillman got in some offense to keep it from being a squash. Hammerstone vs. Smith should be a heck of a match between two monsters and that’s a great thing to build towards. They’ve got something with Hammerstone and I think they know it this time around.

Post match the beatdown stays on with Hammerstone tearing up Pillman’s chains while Pillman is forced to watch.

Tom Lawlor is at his fight camp and promises to keep it out of Jimmy Havoc’s hands. I like this UFC/MMA style training stuff as it’s become a theme for Lawlor, which makes a lot of sense.

Mance Warner vs. LA Park

Death Match with the ring announcer saying Mance is from Buckshot, Tennessee rather than Bucksnort. Salina de la Renta even mocks the old Park dance from WCW. Warner puts the American flag on the ropes to make him even more popular but Park has his own fans too. They stare each other down and trade struts until the first eye poke has Park on the floor. The fight heads outside with Park being sent into the barricade as the announcers debate Park’s weight.

Park heads into the crowd with Warner dragging him right back, along with a table. Back in and Warner uses a chair for a springboard tornado DDT as Park can’t get anywhere so far. There’s the running knee to the head and Warner blasts Park with a few stick shots. Park gets sat in a chair for some headbutts, which stagger Warner even more. Another running knee is blocked though and it’s a belly to back suplex to drive Warner through a chair. They head outside again with Park putting him on the table….which breaks before anything can be done.

That’s fine with Park, who hits a running backsplash onto Warner onto the broken table. Since he’s apparently environmentally conscious, Park powerslams him through what’s left of the table again. Back in and Park whips him with a belt, which Warner seems to like. Warner takes off his suspenders and it’s time for a whip off. With that not working very well, they switch to punches and chops with Warner getting knocked down to one knee.

Park clotheslines him down for two and it’s time to bring in a bunch of chairs, plus a big piece of wood (because tables aren’t good enough). Said wood is bridged between the chairs and a top rope backsplash sends Warner through. The rest of the wood is broken over Warner’s head (great visual) and a suicide dive against the barricade keeps Warner in trouble. Warner takes forever to get back inside and the delayed cover gets two. A tornado DDT gives Warner two of his own, with Cornette wondering how a rope break is possible when anything else is legal.

Warner hits the eye poke and pelts a chair at Park’s head for two more. Park pelts a chair right back at Warner and we look at the replay, during which Park does something off the top that we don’t see and commentary doesn’t explain. That feels really out of place in a promotion that is usually far better in that area. The spear finishes Warner at 18:38.

Rating: B. This felt like the brawl that it needed to be and it never came close to feeling like a nearly twenty minute match. I still don’t get the appeal of LA Park (the appeal in America that is, as he’s a mega star in Mexico) but him beating Warner is far from something worth getting annoyed over. Warner is going to be fine with that great talking ability and the match was a good brawl.

Overall Rating: B. Nice stand alone show here as we get closer to Battle Riot. The problem is that, just like last year, Battle Riot itself is getting almost no build because no one is talking about winning the thing. Most of the roster is going to be involved so it wouldn’t be hard to have some quick promos about the match. Maybe the show itself will be better, but they’re not doing a great job of making me want to see it.

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:


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




Major League Wrestling Fusion – January 25, 2019: The Fighting Before The Fighting

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #41
Date: January 25, 2019
Location: Scottish Rite Temple, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

It’s the go home show for SuperFight and that could make for an interesting show. MLW doesn’t have a ton of experience with stuff like this and therefore the track record is hard to guess. The big story continues to be the build towards Tom Lawlor’s World Title shot against Low Ki, so expect something from that tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Dr. Rex Bacchus.

We look back at Low Ki and Black Friday Management taking out various people over the last several months, mainly thanks to Sami Callihan. Now Lawlor has laid out Callihan, so Salina de la Renta is sending LA Park after Callihan, which is tonight’s main event.

Opening sequence.

We run down the top matches at SuperFight.

Kotto Brazil vs. Vandal Ortagun

This is Brazil’s return after an eye injury that means he’s now wearing an eye patch. Ortagun doesn’t waste time in jumping Brazil and knocks him outside in a hurry. That means a kick to the chest to slow Ortagun down again and there’s the suicide dive into the barricade. What looked to be a running Sliced Bread is blocked and Ortagun snaps the patch into his eye like a true villain.

A hard whip into the corner keeps Brazil in trouble but he snaps off a German suplex for a breather. Another bridging version gets two and a springboard spinning splash is good for the same. Ortagun slams him right back down to cut things off again, only to walk into a Code Red. Back up and an RKO into the running Sliced Bread finishes Ortagun at 7:52.

Rating: C. Brazil isn’t too bad in the ring at all and plays a very good undersized underdog. The eye patch is a good way to build even more sympathy and then winning the match clean helps pay it off. At the same time you have Ortagun, who is a perfectly serviceable jobber to the stars.

Post match Ricky Martinez, the guy who injured Brazil in the first place, runs in and beats Brazil down. He even steals the eye patch.

We look back at Brian Pillman Jr. beating Tommy Dreamer in a Singapore cane match. Brian wants a rematch in any kind of match.

Dreamer calls in and says he’ll fight Pillman in a mystery partner tag match in Philadelphia.

Barrington Hughes vs. Ace Romero

Hughes is the hometown boy and Romero is the smaller of the two at 400lbs. They take their time locking up and it’s the big shoulder that goes nowhere. Romero dropkicks him into the corner….and here’s Rob Parker to say hold on there fat boys. These two shouldn’t be in the ring because there’s a pie eating contest down the street. Cue the Dirty Blonds to jump both of them at 2:15….and we have a tag match.

Dirty Blonds vs. Ace Romero/Barrington Hughes

Running corner splashes set up stereo World’s Strongest Slams to finish the Blonds at 53 seconds. What else do you want me to say here?

Mance Warner is still coming.

Next week it’s Dreamer vs. Pillman in an Empty Arena match.

Pillman and Teddy Hart hold cats and see fear in the Lucha Bros’ eyes. Then it’s time to train, which means downing a protein drink and pointing at a cat.

SuperFight rundown with Striker doing his usual, shall we say, verbose hyping.

Sami Callihan mocks Salina de la Renta for her cause because all Sami cares about is money. He’s taken everyone out and he’ll take out LA Park tonight.

Video on Lawlor vs. Low Ki.

Low Ki mockingly congratulates Lawlor for making it to SuperFight. He hints at Lawlor going through a divorce for the sake of his career before moving on to talking about his reputation for taking things too far. Maybe in Philadelphia he should take things too extreme instead. They got off the personal issues so fast that it seemed to be part of a different promo. Low Ki’s delivery was great as usual though.

Sami Callihan vs. LA Park

Falls Count Anywhere which apparently means hardcore. Salina is here with Park to make things more interesting. Before we get a bell, Park lays the Mexican flag on the mat and bows to it as the stalling is strong here. They shove and chop each other to start with Callihan opening his vest so Park can chop harder. The chops actually break the skin and Callihan starts crying. Park splashes him in the corner, stops to strike the dance, and gets two off a clothesline.

They head outside with Park putting him in a chair for the huge suicide dive, which is rather impressive given his size. One heck of a trashcan shot keeps Callihan in trouble but he blocks another dive with a trashcan shot. Park loses his belt and Sami blasts him with it a few times before daring to mock the strut. A beer to the mask looks to set up the running start lariat but Callihan gets tossed over the barricade instead.

Park turns part of the barricade into a ramp with a trashcan on top, setting up a suplex to put Callihan in even more trouble. Some chairs (the ones that don’t move rather than the usual folding kind) are thrown inside but Park stops to cover for two. They fight out of the arena and into the lobby with another trashcan shot giving Park two more. It actually goes outside the building for a few moments without much happening, meaning it’s time to go back into the arena.

Back inside and the referee gets bumped but is fine enough to count two off Park’s headbutt. The referee shouts about his ankle being injured and Park shouts a lot, followed by a powerslam for two with the referee stopping at two due to the pain. Park jumps the referee but a low blow gives Callihan a perfectly fine two. It’s time to set up some chairs next to each other but Park blocks a powerbomb and spears Sami through them for the pin at 13:37.

Rating: C+. This was a lot of fun with a good effort to hide the fact that Park is little more than a brawler in a cool costume at this point. Callihan losing over and over again is interesting, though he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t need to win all the time anyway. At least we got some entertaining brawling here and that’s all this was going to be.

Overall Rating: C. Not too bad here, though it was the definition of a filler show that had no real purpose other than being one last show before SuperFight. I’m looking forward to seeing the big show, even with the most obvious main event result they could have. Now just deliver with the rest of the show and everything will be fine. Completely watchable show this week, but nothing worth going out of your way to see.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/


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


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




Major League Wrestling Fusion – January 4, 2019: The Renaissance Man

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #37
Date: January 4, 2019
Location: Scottish Rite Temple, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

How are we over nine months of this show? We’re still down in Miami after last week’s attempted murder.. This week is a bit of a nicer note as Pentagon faces Teddy Hart in what should be a preview of a Tag Team Title match. There’s other stuff around here besides people being stabbed in the kidneys so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s attack on Konnan, which still doesn’t feel right. Tom Lawlor made the save, albeit after the stabbing.

Opening sequence.

LA Park vs. Gringo Loco

They take turns playing to the crowd before the bell and the fans are WAY behind Loco here. A hug sets up some posing together before the match, allowing Park to get in a cheap shot and take over. How rudo. They go outside into the crowd to avoid the whole wrestling thing early on. That means a lot of walking around with an occasional punch thrown until it’s back to the ring for the Park strut.

The dueling chants begin, much to Park’s annoyance. Park gets in a few belt shots to make the fans gasp instead of cheer, which is quite the change of pace. They head outside again with Park powerbombing him through a pair of chairs, with Tony talking about how it should be ok as long as no one bleeds. Park finds a Mexican flag to wrap around his head, drawing a USA chant.

Back in and Park gives us some pelvic thrusts (I didn’t need to see that) but misses a charge in the corner. Another strut takes too much time, allowing Loco to hit a double springboard into a cutter for a rather near fall, freaking Salina out horribly. Loco throws him outside for a flip dive and a dropkick through the ropes keeps Park in trouble.

It’s time to head to the entrance with Loco diving off the set with a crossbody for a huge dive. Back in and Loco takes his sweet time loading up Spiral Tap, allowing Park to roll away with no problem. Park stops to yell at the referee and accidentally crushes him twice in a row. He’s fine enough to see Park hit a spear and then count a pretty fast three at 12:18 though.

Rating: C. This is a match where you have to keep in mind what you’re getting. They made no secret about the fact that this was going to be a fight instead of a wrestling match and that helps things out a bit. Neither seems like they’re going to be able to wrestle a mat classic so go with what they can do instead. It’s the best they can do so go with that instead of embarrassing themselves.

Post match Park makes some rather sexual gestures to some people in the crowd.

Kotto Brazil talks about Ricky Martinez attacking him in the nightclub. He has to wear an eye patch for the time being but he’ll get his revenge.

Here are the fines from Promociones Dorado TRYING TO KILL Konnan:

Salina: $15,000

Low Ki: $15,000

Ricky Martinez: $7,500

Hijo de LA Park: $7,500

Not a bad place to be after what they did on national TV.

On the phone, Konnan says he’s in bad shape and promises to give Low Ki and company what’s coming to them.

Low Ki talks about how Tom Lawlor got started at Battle Riot and now he’s coming for the title. Tom isn’t a conqueror though and Low Ki is going to make an example out of Tom in front of his children.

Fred Yehi is back from his three month international tour but he’s been keeping up with what’s been going on around here. That’s why he wants to fight Low Ki with his bald head next week. A fight, not a match.

We look back at Ace Romero defeating Simon Gotch last week to win $20,000.

Romero is going to spend half the money on food and half on something that makes his eyebrows go up. He’s coming for the World Title though.

It’s time for the Super Fight Control Center. This includes the Lucha Bros vs. the Hart Foundation for the Tag Team Titles plus a few people who don’t have matches yet.

Next week: Tommy Dreamer vs. Brian Pillman Jr. in a Singapore Cane match.

Dreamer talks about the history of the cane and how painful it can be in a variety of ways. He brings up the original caning match in ECW (of course) and how much damage, both physical and mental, has been done to him over the years. Pillman doesn’t know what he’s in for.

Teddy Hart vs. Pentagon

Non-title. The Hart Foundation plus a former University of Miami football player are in Hart’s corner while Pentagon is on his own. As a bonus, Smith is now dressed like Hart, which oddly works for him. The fans are behind Hart again, which tends to always be the case, and the announcers have to acknowledge them. CERO MIEDO gets a nice chant of its own though so this is far from one sided. Hart offers a handshake but gets CERO MIEDO instead so Hart punches him down.

They slug it out with Pentagon getting the better of things but Hart reverses a suplex to the floor into a Stunner. Teddy’s hanging piledriver (Orton’s DDT but a piledriver) sends Pentagon to the floor and there’s the moonsault to make things even worse. In the classic heel move of the night, Pillman offers a distraction so Smith can get in a cheap shot. Pentagon fights back against all three Harts at the same time but Hart pops him in the jaw to cut him down.

They fight back to the apron and that means a Canadian Destroyer to crush Hart, though of course he’s right back up a few seconds later. Hart can barely stand and a second Canadian Destroyer, this time from the middle rope, makes things even worse. Since Hart can’t stand, Pentagon ties him in the ropes for the loud chops. Hart can’t manage the walk over Pentagon’s back for the sunset flip so it’s a regular dropkick for some more success. A moonsault gives Hart two and the top rope moonsault elbow gets the same.

Pentagon scores with a superkick in the corner and the Fear Factor (still called the Pentagon Driver here, which has to be a copyright thing or something) gets two on Hart. Something like a Whisper in the Wind drops Pentagon again and now the Lionsault (minus the run) connects for two. Pentagon can’t break the arm as Hart is right back with a Backstabber. A DDT and the powerbomb into a Backstabber finish Pentagon at 11:20.

Rating: B-. The more you watch Hart, the more impressive his comeback really is. To have become the joke that he was for so many years and then turned into this rather impressive performer is nearly remarkable. His matches are entertaining and while they’re a bunch of high spots, they’re well done high spots and that’s enough to keep you around for a long time. Good stuff here, with a win over Pentagon being something worth mentioning.

Overall Rating: B-. The matches were rather good and they advanced the stories well enough. Above all else I’m impressed by how well they’ve managed to build Lawlor vs. Low Ki so many months in advance. I want to see the match, even if it’s the most obvious ending in the world. This show worked quite well and I had a good time, which is always a good thing to be able to say.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/


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


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




Major League Wrestling Fusion – November 30, 2018: Which Way To Miami?

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #33
Date: November 30, 2018
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Rich Bocchini

We’re still in Chicago after last week’s explosion from Shane Strickland. That seems to be his final night for the company, but the question now is where do things go from here. The Miami shows should cover them for most of the time until the big February show, but until then we’ve got some time left to fill. Let’s get to it.

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

Salina de la Renta is rubbing some rocks together and speaking a different language. Her fingers are bleeding and she licks the blood while saying LA Park. So is she a witch now?

Opening sequence.

There will be a live version of Fusion on December 14 from Miami. Cool.

Here’s Simon Gotch for his Prize Fight Challenge, but first he talks about having a lot of filthy history around here. To be the best you need funds though, so tonight it’s $10,000 on the line against anyone filthy enough to take the money from him.

Simon Gotch vs. Ariel Dominguez

Dominguez is about as big as Rey Mysterio. Gotch wastes no time in throwing him down and lays in some forearms in the corner. A buckle bomb doesn’t quite work as Dominguez isn’t big enough to reach the corner. The cradle piledriver finishes Dominguez at 1:26.

Post match Gotch shoves the money in Dominguez’s mouth and gives him another piledriver. How Ted DiBiase of him.

We look back at MJF jumping Kotto Brazil last week. Kotto has promised to be ready for Miami.

MJF says there won’t be a ladder match in Miami, because he’s better than that. He is NOT afraid of heights but he’s not going to do the match because it’s not worth his time. Like the interviewer.

Tommy Dreamer was excited to fight Brian Pillman Jr. because he knew his dad. Now though, he has to teach a skinny jeaned millennial (ERG) some respect, because he’d rather fight than insult people on those podcasts that everyone has. I heard a similar promo on Eli Drake on this week’s Impact. Moral of the story: STOP HAVING TOMMY DREAMER AS A FEATURED PERFORMER!

Stokely Hathaway likes domination and is here to take MLW to new heights. Whoever he manages, they will right the wrongs of MLW.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

Dreamer works on a wristlock to start and Pillman bails tot he corner like he probably should. That’s enough for a standoff and Dreamer’s chop just seems to annoy Pillman. The snap jabs have some more luck and there’s the Flip Flop and Fly. They head outside so Dreamer can spit beer in his face but takes too long trying to hammer in the corner, allowing Pillman to superkick him in the leg.

We hit the chinlock for a bit until Pillman lets it go and drops an elbow. The conversation stays on Pillman and the Harts turning on Kevin Sullivan, with Tony comparing it to Larry Zbyszko and Bruno Sammartino. I don’t think it’s that severe just yet. Dreamer gets two off a cutter but gets chopped hard, which seems to hurt Dreamer’s neck. Pillman grabs the cane but the referee takes it away, allowing Dreamer to hit a low blow for the pin at 6:34.

Rating: D. My head hurts again. The match wasn’t the worst but I’m so sick of seeing Dreamer anywhere, let alone pinning anyone. They had a story here and it helped a bit, but my goodness this is the second time in a week I’ve seen Dreamer in a big match. Are there no other veterans available? Or a veteran who can talk about more than legends and hardcore?

Post match Dreamer raises his hand, and gets taken down by a neckbreaker because Pillman is a villain. Pillman unloads on him with the cane and here’s Teddy Hart to raise Pillman’s hand. Teddy leaves and Pillman adds another neckbreaker. Good. Now take some time off TV. Like seventeen years or so.

Konnan says there’s bad blood in the title match but his boys will be ready.

Tom Lawlor calls Gotch a liar who wasn’t really family. Gotch chose the short term over the long term and he won’t be able to use that money and the gold watch because Lawlor is going to break every one of his fingers.

Miami control center. Added to the first night: Teddy Hart vs. Pentagon, Rush vs. Shane Strickland (well that’s a surprise), Dragon Lee vs. Rich Swann, DJZ vs. El Hijo De LA Park and Andrew Everett vs. Dezmond Xavier.

For the live show on December 14: Dreamer vs. Pillman Jr. in a Singapore Cane match, Rush vs. Rich Swann, Ace Romero vs. Barrington Hughes, Dragon Lee vs. DJZ and Low Ki vs. Konnan (I’m still curious about that one) and MJF vs. Dezmond Xavier vs. Kotto Brazil vs. Jason Cade vs. Andrew Everett in a five way ladder match for the Middleweight Title. I kind of want to see the show, save for the Dreamer match because somehow Dreamer is getting a match on a featured show.

Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros vs. LA Park/El Hijo De LA Park

The Parks are challenging and have Salina de la Renta with them while the champs have Konnan. This is under “Mexican” rules, which means tornado. The slugout is on to start with the champs getting kicked in the face to cut them off. Hijo takes Fenix outside for a crotching on the barricade, followed by a broken piece of table to the head (I guess Mexican rules mean no DQ). Some chair shots, including using one for a crotching (egads man), keep Fenix in trouble.

Park chairs Pentagon in the head and Fenix gets the same as the skeletons are in full control. To keep things even, Pentagon gets crotched against the post, with Fenix taking a THIRD crotching a few seconds later. Somehow Fenix is fine enough to hit a double Lethal Injection, followed by Pentagon’s back to back Sling Blades. The champs nail some running dives over the top, with Fenix banging his elbow up in the process. Back in and the champs whip Hijo with Park’s belt, followed by a 619 into the wheelbarrow splash for two.

Park tries to come in as well and eats a pair of superkicks for his efforts. With nothing else working, Park backdrops his son to the apron, allowing him to come back in for some stereo tilt-a-whirl backbreakers. That means stereo suicide dives from the skeletons as the fans are WAY into this one. Everyone misses something from the top though and things slow down a good bit. Fenix tries his springboard hurricanrana but gets caught in a top rope Spanish Fly for two, even as Park spears Pentagon down.

A hanging double stomp to the back knocks Fenix silly on the floor as his very rough night continues. Hijo makes the mistake of trying his luck with Pentagon, earning himself a suplex into the corner. That means a showdown between Park and Pentagon, which I don’t think means as much as they think it does. They chop it out until Park gets two off a clothesline. Pentagon is fine enough to kick Park’s leg out and hits the top rope double stomp for two.

Fenix finally gets back up and casually sidesteps a dropkick from Hijo. A rolling cutter puts Hijo down but he jumps onto Fenix’s back, spins around a bit, and pulls Fenix into a Canadian Destroyer for two. The Black Fire Driver gets the same on Hijo and it’s Pentagon coming back in with a chair to Hijo’s back. Park is fine enough to take out Pentagon’s knee though and a basement dropkick gets two.

The Backstabber out of the cover gives Pentagon the same but the dive is broken up by Hijo’s chair to the head. Fenix comes back in and kicks away at Hijo but gets sent outside for a twisting Asai moonsault. Park headbutts Pentagon down and the delayed cover gets two. Back up and Pentagon kicks Park low, leaving Hijo to take the spike Fear factor. Fenix hits a big flip dive through the ropes onto Park and flies into the crowd as Pentagon retains the titles at 21:08.

Rating: B-. Well that was long. I’m not sure how epic the skeletons are as a team but Park was doing well enough, overly large stomach aside. Other than that, you have the small Hijo who is fine but nothing special. It’s cool to have brothers vs. a father and son, though that’s about all this has going for it. Not bad, but nothing I’m going to remember as anything great.

Overall Rating: C-. Pretty flat show here as they seem to be holding the fort until we get to Miami. That’s not the worst idea in the world and this week certainly wasn’t terrible, but it’s also not thrilling. The main event is the best part by far, but even that’s not a great match. The Miami cards are looking good though and that’s what matters at the moment.

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/


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


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




Major League Wrestling Fusion – October 26, 2018: The Shoe, Not The Fan

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #28
Date: October 26, 2018
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Matt Striker, Tony Schiavone

I know it’s a little early but it’s time for the Halloween special. In this case, that means a flashback to days of Halloween gone by, including a Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal. That has the potential to be something great or something awful, but since we don’t have WCW running things and forgetting to rig the wheel (seriously), we should be fine. Let’s get to it.

Earlier this week, Sami Callihan attacked Tom Lawlor and choked him with a baseball bat as Low Ki taunted Lawlor with the title. Turning Lawlor face isn’t the worst idea in the world as the fans already love him.

Opening sequence, although with a theme of violence as this is the Halloween episode.

Matt and Tony are in costumes with Matt as a crab and making horrible ocean puns. Tony….I have no idea.

Richard Holliday vs. Joey Ryan

Hang on though as Joey needs to offer the fans his lollipop and then oil himself down. Tony: “….yeah.” Holliday knees him in the ribs but stops to shout at the fans with Tony calling him out for being stupid. There’s the required knee injury off the atomic drop to Ryan but Holliday is fine enough for a belly to back suplex. A dropkick cuts Ryan off again and we hit the chinlock.

Holliday lets that go and starts a Garvin Stomp because I can’t escape that man. Since that’s such a horrible move, Ryan pops back up with some right hands but the superkick is blocked. They hit heads and Holliday nearly falls into Ryan’s crotch but stops for a rollup instead. Holliday’s double underhook backbreaker and a suplex into a swinging neckbreaker gets two but Joey is right back with a pumphandle suplex. Sweet Tooth Music is enough to finish Holliday at 4:55.

Rating: D+. Not too much to see here with Ryan getting a win over someone you would think the promotion would want to push. That being said, Ryan has barely won anything around here so having him get a pin here keeps some of his credibility. This was more shtick than the wrestling and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially in a more toned down version from Ryan.

Konnan gives Sammy Guevara a pep talk. Sammy leaves and here are Salina de la Renta, Low Ki and Ricky Martinez. They laugh at the idea of Konnan losing all the time so Konnan promises to bring in Daga to fight Low Ki. That’s fine with Low Ki, who Konnan calls the ex-champ.

Jimmy Havoc won the coin toss and gets to spin the wheel. The wheel lands on Spinner’s Choice so he looks over his options. Nothing sticks out on the list though so he’ll just do everything at once. Uh….I’m not sure how that’s going to work but I have a feeling it’ll be a generic brawl.

PCO vs. LA Park

Makes sense for a Halloween show and Park has Salina with him. Tony says he gets a chill down his spine just looking at Salina and….well yeah. To put it mildly, Park looks like he’s put quite a bit of meat on his bones. PCO shouts a lot and shoves Park into the corner so it’s time for the knees dance. Park shouts what sounds like some rather vulgar statements in Spanish (the words “your mother” were used). That’s not cool with PCO and Park is chokeslammed down.

The moonsault (with PCO landing on his own head) gets two and a suicide dive sends Park into the barricade. They chop it out on the floor with PCO getting the better of it and ramming him into various things. Back in and PCO stomps away but Park dances a bit and hits a running clothesline for two. A knee sends PCO outside and there’s the suicide dive. Park grabs a chair but opts to whip him with a camera cable instead.

Back in and a few belt shots to the back have PCO in trouble as the announcers get into PCO’s bizarre Frankenstein character. PCO gets up and hits a powerbomb, followed by a knee to the mask for two. With Park on the apron, PCO tries a Swanton of all things and lands with a SICK thud, only to stand up as Park hits a big dive of his own. Park throws him back in and finishes with a spear (with Park showing more energy than at any part of the match) for the pin at 10:40.

Rating: C+. I get why people like PCO but I’m really not sure I get the appeal of Park. I know he’s a legend in Mexico, but in America he’s a fatter version of that guy who used to do the chair dance in WCW. Why you would push him hard anymore isn’t clear to me, but I guess legendary status will get you a long way.

Post match Park speaks Spanish and Salina says it was him thanking the fans and wanting a Tag Team Title shot for himself and his son. This takes longer than it needs to, but does include fans throwing in money.

Callihan doesn’t care what Havoc picked and is ready to kill him.

Fightland Control Center. Now confirmed: Lawlor vs. Callihan in a street fight.

Earlier this week, Stokley Hathaway was seen for the first time after being kidnapped about six months ago. Whoever did it was careless and he escaped, so now he can be back at Fightland. That’s rather odd.

We look at Havoc spinning the wheel again.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Sami Callihan

Anything goes and, in theory at least, Havoc will bring everything that could be used in the other matches on the wheel. Sami comes out with a baseball bat because he doesn’t trust Havoc’s choice of weapons. Jimmy doesn’t bring anything with him but pops Sami in the face while he says the catchphrase. They’re on the floor in a hurry with Jimmy setting up a chair and pulling out a dog collar. That’s not enough as he also grabs a staple gun, which takes WAY too long, allowing Sami to get in a few shots.

Sami chops the post though, allowing Jimmy to poke him in the eye. A running start sets up another poke to the eyes and Havoc staples him in the chest (which is heavily covered so that shouldn’t hurt). Back in and Havoc tries a sunset flip (a wrestling move) but gets stapled in the head and underneath the arm. Striker: “Tetanus for everybody!” Sami grabs a chain and doesn’t like the fans telling him to tie his shoes so he throws one of them up the air. The shoe, not the fan.

Havoc goes back to the vicious by stapling Sami’s crotch for a near fall. After stapling Sami’s foot, Jimmy literally pours salt in the wound. Havoc finds a body bad and an urn (Paul Bear impression covered by Striker) but the ashes are knocked into his face. The Cactus Piledriver gives Sami two so he puts a shoe on his hand and hits (Or kicks?) Havoc in the face. Havoc gets put in the body bag but sits up and spits at him, earning himself a second Cactus Piledriver for the pin at 10:41.

Rating: C+. This was a good brawl but rather disappointing given what they could do. We’ve seen Havoc do the paper cuts before and while that’s still good, it’s not as good as it could have been. Callihan winning was the obvious choice as he has a lot bigger stuff to get to in the future, but this should have been about five levels wilder to get where they should have gone.

Overall Rating: C. For a Halloween show, I’ve seen worse. They thankfully didn’t go with the corny stuff like pumpkins everywhere and that’s appreciated. MLW tends to be more serious than not and I’m glad they didn’t switch things up for the sake of the holiday. It’s a fine show and the big matches were watchable, though they’ve done better multiple times before.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/


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


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




Major League Wrestling Fusion – October 5, 2018: A Curious Way Of Doing Things

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #25
Date: October 5, 2018
Location: War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

Fury Road has come and gone but it’s going to be a few weeks before we get there. Why a show that has been around about six months can figure out the scheduling better than Ring of Honor is beyond me, but who am I to complain? The main event here is LA Park vs. Pentagon in a Mexican Massacre match. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Low Ki narrating a video about being Fenix last week, which shows how he and Salina de la Renta will triumph over Konnan. Tonight LA Park will take care of Konnan.

Opening sequence.

Earlier today, Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Aria Blake came to see Salina to ask for help with Joey Janela. Low Ki seems intrigued.

Ricky Martinez vs. Jake St. Patrick

Martinez pauses for a conference with Salina before taking him down for some headscissors faceplants on the mat. St. Patrick gets thrown into the corner for some chops and a hard running lariat. A top rope Codebreaker finishes St. Patrick at 2:12. Total squash.

Tom Lawlor is training in Las Vegas and promises to beat Shane Strickland to prove that he’s the best in the world.

Simon Gotch vs. ???

This is another Prize Fight Challenge for $2000 and the challenger is….Gangrel??? Well sure. Gangrel, who loses a bit without the music and awesome entrance, goes straight at him to start and hammers away in the corner, followed by the running elbow. Gotch sleepers him so Gangrel uses the fangs to escape….and that’s a DQ at 1:03. They can’t have Gangrel take a pin from Gotch? What a bizarre segment.

ACH doesn’t know why Davey Boy Smith Jr. is getting booked after what the Hart Foundation did to Kevin Sullivan. He’s ready to bite like a bulldog.

We look back at Jimmy Havoc vs. Sami Callihan from last week. Spin the Wheel Make the Deal airs on October 26’s Halloween special.

Callihan loves the idea of spinning the wheel and lists off some options, including Coal Miner’s Glove.

We get the first Fightland (November 8 show in Chicago) Control Center with Shane Strickland getting his World Title rematch against Low Ki.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. ACH

ACH dropkicks him at the bell and starts in with the flipping. That just annoys Bulldog so he puts ACH on top for a forearm to the jaw. A superplex is countered into a rollup for two on Smith and a deadlift German suplex is good for the same. ACH takes way too much time going up and tries jumping from the other ring’s top rope for a frog splash, allowing Smith to get away pretty easily. The running powerslam finishes ACH at 2:29, in a loss you wouldn’t expect to be that emphatic.

Konnan is ready for the big main event when Salina (in a different outfit) interrupts. She thanks him for making Pentagon a sacrifice for LA Park. They switch to Spanish and don’t seem to like each other.

Rush, a big name luchador, is coming.

Tale of the tape for Park vs. Pentagon.

LA Park vs. Pentagon

Mexican Massacre, which seems to mean street fight. Salina, in a third outfit, and Konnan are here as well. They go nose to nose to start until Parka pelts a trashcan at him to take over early on. It’s already time to go for Pentagon’s mask, which is torn in half in quite the sign of disrespect. Of course it’s table time with Park going near the production area to clear one off and bring it to the ring, because he needs to wreck as much stuff as possible.

A dustpan to the back keeps Pentagon in trouble and Salina is very pleased. Park hits him in the shoulder with a studded belt and it’s time for some good old fashioned choking. A hurricanrana sends Park to the floor and there’s the big flip dive. One heck of a chair shot to the head has Park’s mask messed up as well and they head back inside. Pentagon hits a top rope double stomp for two and throws some Spanish insults at Salina.

Park clotheslines him down for two of his own but Pentagon kicks him in the knee in the corner to set up the Alberto double stomp. A snap powerslam near a trashcan sets up a backsplash for two on Pentagon, followed by the suicide dive on the floor. Back in and Park hits something like a Lethal Combination for two more but Pentagon is right back with the Sling Blades. Park trashcans him down for another near fall and it’s time for another table. That takes too long though, allowing Pentagon to hit a Backstabber.

Some trashcan shots to the head have Park in trouble but he’s fine enough to come off the top with a spear through the table for a rather close two. Pentagon kicks him low for two more and takes his frustrations out on the referee with a trashcan to the back. Park kicks him low and grabs a cover, with the referee counting a fast pin at 15:56.

Rating: B. The ending was a bit of a relief as I was worried that they were going to put Park over clean here, which would have been a bit of a headscratcher. What we got here, along with an acceptable ending, was a heck of a fight that felt like the violent spectacle they were hoping to have. I liked what I saw here, which tends to be the case with Pentagon no matter where he is.

Post match Park rants in Spanish, which Salina translates to a challenge for the Tag Team Titles. Pentagon seems to accept to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a weird show with a bunch of squashes and then a long match to wrap things up. That makes things rather unbalanced as the squashes weren’t exactly important, but it did give us multiple Salina appearances and that’s a very good thing. This needed some more star power, but at least the main event was strong.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/


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


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




On This Day: June 6, 2010 – AAA Triple Mania XVIII: With Double Dancing Skeleton Men

Triplemania 18
Date: June 6, 2010
Location: Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City, Mexico
Attendance: 17,500
Commentators: Konnan, Alfonso Morales, Jesus Zuniga, Arturo Rivera

 

This is the Wrestlemania of the AAA promotion, which I believe is the biggest wrestling company in Mexico. This show is their latest major show so I figured I’d take a look at it. I figured if I can watch Japanese shows and have no idea what’s going on I can do the same with Spanish ones right? I speak some Spanish so this could be a bit better. The main event is LA Park vs. La Parka for the rights to the name La Parka which is apparently a dream match. Let’s get to it.

 

Again if I mess something up I apologize. Keep in mind I have no idea what’s going on or who half of these people are. Also I don’t know any stories or anything like that either. Please bear with me on this but I’ll do what I can.

 

The opening video is about war throughout the ages, including shots of Hitler. Also we get what I think is the history of Triplemania which had a lot of Konnan in it. There’s a countdown and we go to the arena where pyro is set off.

 

Some good looking women bring down flags and what looks like a coat of arms while what sounds like the score of Rocky IV plays in the background. Actually it doesn’t sound like the score from Rocky IV. It IS the score from Rocky IV. That’s kind of awesome. One of the flags has a man’s face on it and the girls stop by a woman in the audience holding an urn. I think that face is of the founder of the company and I’m assuming that’s his widow? She’s shown on the big screen so I’d assume she’s important.

 

Mini-Estrellas Championship: Octagonito vs. Mini Abismo Negro vs. Mini Charly Manson vs. Mascarita Divina vs. Mini Psicosis vs. Mini Histeria vs. Mascarita Sagrada vs. La Parkita vs. Mini Chessman

 

This is a 9 man TLC match for the World Minis Championship. From what I understand there are often minis that are tributes to the full sized wrestlers. Notice a lot of people being named mini whatever name. Abismo Negro is the champion here. I won’t be saying mini every time so if I say Psicosis for example, I mean the mini, not the big guy. Good luck trying to keep track of who is who here but I’ll do what I can.

 

The entrances take a very long time as you would expect. Oh wait here are three at once. I think they’re called the Mini Vipers. They’re comprised of Abismo Negro, Histeria and Psicosis. Parkita comes out to Thriller which is kind of cool. It should be noted that these guys aren’t tiny. They’re just slightly above the top rope. Divina is in blue. That helps a bit.

 

Manson gets a nice reaction. Octoganito gets a better one though. I think that leaves only Sagrada. No apparently I just missed his entrance as there are 9 people in there. Here we go. The Vipers team is all in pink so they’re a unit I guess. They have a big six sided ring and they stay on a wide shot. It’s FAR bigger than American rings. Parkita vs. Chessman in the ring at the moment. Scratch that as they both dive out.

 

Divina vs. a Viper at the moment. Manson vs. another Viper now. They’re flying in and out but other than the first seconds there haven’t been more than two in there at all. From what I understand this was supposed to be a seven man match but Chessman and Parkita were added to the match at the last minute. Big chair shot to the head of Manson I think.

 

There’s a ladder in the ring which is being used a bit but no one has tried to go up yet. And just as I say that there they go. Psicosis makes an attempt at it but is met by Octoganito. The overhead camera shot is taking some getting used to. Divina, Parkita and a Viper in there at the moment. Divina has a ladder but a Viper has another one, this one shorter. The Viper gets a powerbomb to Divina as Parkita brings in a table.

 

Something draws a pop from the crowd but we don’t see it. Divina vs. a Viper at this point. The Viper is sent to the floor and Divina gets a gorgeous rana to the floor. I think that was Octagonito with the big tope con giro. There are two chairs with the small ladder laid on them. Psicosis and Manson in there with Psicosis going through the pile of stuff.

 

The referees help Manson set up the big ladder. Up he goes but a Viper kicks the ladder out and down he comes. Parkita and a Viper (I think Abismo Negro) fight on the apron with the Viper being powerslammed through a table in a cool spot. Another Viper sets up a table in the ring and kicks Octoganito in the head. Divina hits a baseball slide to take out someone that we couldn’t see.

 

The Viper puts Octoganito on the table as Divina climbs the ladder. Another guy is being carried out on a stretcher and I’d assume it was the Viper that went through the table. Octoganito gets a sunset bomb off the ladder to put the Viper through it. BIG pop for that and Octoganito is able to climb up and win the title. Sweet I had the right person!

 

Rating: C-. This is a very hard one to grade. The problem here is that it was more like a highlight reel than an actual match. There were a lot of people that I have no idea if I saw more than once or not. With only two people in the ring for the majority of the match I often forgot there were 9 in this. It’s certainly exciting, but there was little that got me into it. Also at less than ten minutes, how into it could I get?

 

Octoganito talks to the woman with the urn post match.

 

A Viper is put on a stretcher. It’s not Psicosis so I’d assume it’s Histeria. After some further research I’m right.

 

Sexy Star/Rain/Jennifer Blade vs. Cinthia Moreno/Mari/Faby Apache

 

So from what I understand, the first group of girls here are part of La Legion Extranjera, or the Foreign Legion. In short, it’s Konnan’s team and the top heel group. There isn’t a set lineup for them all the time as a lot of the time it’s just any foreign wrestler. This is the new Foreign Legion though and they have more of a concrete group of people. Whoever is pinned or submits here is the slave of the winning team for a month. Rain you might remember as Payton Banks in TNA. Faby and Mari are sisters.

 

The heels have American flags and are pretty hated. Star gets her own entrance apart from her partners. She’s women’s champion here, called the Reina de Reinas (Queen of Queens). Ok Cinthia is in black. Faby is in gold and Mari is in black and gold. Got it I think. They look like sisters so it helps. Konnan has something to say. It seems that there’s something up with the referee here and he might not be trustworthy.

 

Big brawl to start with I think Blade being triple teamed. No wait that’s Star. Cinthia and the sisters clear the ring as this has been a rout so far. More double teaming as I think Rain is double teamed by the sisters. There seems to be no tagging in this match. Star is in a mask. The heels take over now and the beating is on for Faby. Now the Foreign Legion clears the ring. This is rather back and forth stuff.

 

They beat up Mari now but there haven’t been any covers yet. Now they’re on Cinthia but a double team misses. Big double kick to the back of the head of Blade and the momentum shifts again. Ah I was right: the referee IS cheating and the non foreigners go after him. Ok now we get some regular tagging. Blade vs. Cinthia to start and a long Tumble Weed gets no count as the referee breaks up the pin attempt.

 

Implant buster by Fabi gets no cover as Star breaks it up. Star sends Fabi to the floor and Cinthia follows. Tope by Star takes out everyone in sight. Well everyone in her way on the floor on the other team. Mari drills Star and the champion is on the floor now as well. Mari beats the tar out of the referee but a broom stick from Blade to the back of Mari is enough for the pin and Mari is the slave of the Foreign Legion.

 

Rating: D+. This was kind of a mess but I think a lot of that can be blamed on me not really having any idea what was going on. If nothing else the girls look good and there’s a storyline of the evil referee going on in there. Decent match though and the celebration by the Foreign Legion is rather amusing as they’re nearly orgasmic over having Mari as their slave.

 

Rain says the thirty days start now. Mari says she’ll do the thirty days but she’s kicking their heads in right now. She and her partners get Blade down but some short fat guy runs in and the distraction stops that and Blade gets away. He yells at the referee who yells back. It seems that the guy that ran in is saying the loss wasn’t fair due to the referee cheating. The referee says it counts and Konnan comes in and grabs Mari, throwing her to the Foreign Legion girls, saying down with Mexico or something like that.

 

Tag Titles: Los Maniacos vs. Beer Money vs. Atsushi Aoki/Go Shiozaki vs. Nicho/Joe Lider

 

This is under elimination rules and Shiozako/Aoki are champions coming in. Los Maniacos are Silver Cain (Silver King from WCW who has lost his mask and Ultimo Gladiator). An interesting point here is that the champions are introduced by the wrong name with one guy not getting an announcement at all. Also from what I’ve read, only Konnan knew either their names or Beer Money’s names. Cain basically is something like Mr. America where everyone knows it’s Silver King but officially it’s a different guy as his name is different if that makes sense.

 

The wrong music plays for the champions as it’s Beer Money’s song instead. Ok here is Beer Money to the right music. They’re part of the Foreign Legion tonight. See how the group works now? In the back the final team is coming to the ring but some guy in a suit says Konnan is out there and not to go after them. That would be Nicho/Lider who are La Hermandad 187 (the 187 Brotherhood). Nicho is more famous as Psicosis without the mask. The Japanese guys and Lider almost get into it before the match.

 

No tagging here again it seems. This is going to take some getting used to. Roode and someone are on the floor. Also cut out the wide shots. I can’t see anyone specifically for the most part. Four in the ring and four on the floor at the moment. I think Beer Money is on the floor. It’s the Japanese guys and Los Maniacos in there at the moment. Nicho who is apparently a millionaire is down.

 

Only the champions (Japanese guys remember) are staying in the ring and on their feet the whole time. One hits a frog splash to I think Lider for two. Beer Money vs. Japanese guys at the moment. I know I’m saying Japanese guys a lot but it’s the best description I can give you in a short amount of time. Hermanadad gets in Konnan’s face with chairs but the champions jump them to save K-Dawg.

 

Beer Money works on Nicho with a wheelbarrow/Codebreaker combination. They set for the BEER MONEY thing but Hermanadad gets a pair of rollups for two each. Nicho vs. Aoki at the moment with the champion winning. Storm is ripping Cain’s mask and almost has it off. Nicho vs. Aoki in the ring at the moment and Aoki is sent to the floor. Tope con Giro by Nicho takes down Aoki.

 

La Hermanadad beats on Aoki now until Shiozaki comes in. A middle rope Backstabber out of nowhere to Shiozaki puts him out and the champions are gone! Konnan FREAKS as we’re down to three teams. Storm has a chair now and sets it up in the corner. Beer Money beats on the Hermanadad as we haven’t seen much from the masked dudes. Beer Money screws up and Roode head winds up in Storm’s crotch.

 

Los Manacos get into it again and go after 187 which is what I’m going to say instead of La Hermanadad. 187 is down but get up to hit stereo Downward Spirals to Beer Money. Storm takes what we would call a Mooregasm and then add….something which gets two on Storm. It was some double team move but it was hard to see what it was. Konnan distracts 187 again and a chair to the head of Lider by Storm ends them and we’re down to Los Manacos vs. Beer Money for the titles.

 

Tower of Doom spot doesn’t really work at all but it looked ok and got two for Roode. Nicho goes after Konnan with a chair but can’t hit him. The fans are completely behind Manacos. Cain misses a moonsault and the slingshot DDT kills Gladiator as it’s all Beer Money with the spinebuster to Cain. Heel miscommunication occurs though and it’s Gladiator vs. Storm.

 

There are two referees in the ring for some reason. Spear takes down Storm for two. Roode and Cain have gone off to find a Bingo game or something. Storm hits a powerslam for two. Superkick by Storm misses and Cain hits a Death Valley Driver for the pin and the titles. HUGE pop for that as they’re faces and Mexicans hold the titles again.

 

Rating: B-. This was a more fun match than the rest of them. While it was still hard to follow it was less difficult than the other matches. This lack of tagging thing is something I’m having issues getting used to. Either way, there was more of a flow here and I had a better idea of what was going on which is certainly a good thing.

 

Post match two guys come out and stare down the new champions. These guys are from a promotion called IWRG which is a rival company feuding with AAA. This had never been mentioned on a AAA broadcast until now. This challenge takes WAY too long as the invaders talk forever.

 

AAA now has a videogame. Good to know. Why is the commercial in English? They couldn’t put Spanish text on there?

 

A bunch of guys in matching t-shirts that aren’t wrestlers come out and say they can do a lot of for this country. I think this is some charity thing.

 

We talk about the upcoming hair vs. hair match. It’s a six man match and each team is representing a referee. The referee of the losing team gets their hair shaved. Also, this is a cage match which from what I can find wasn’t announced at all prior to the show. The talking for this match takes way too long. Some people start a chant saying KONNAN OUT.

 

Alex Kozlov/Chessman/Hernandez vs. Heavy Metal/Octagon/Pimpinela Escarlata

 

Kozlov is a Soviet character that looks a bit homosexual. Yes it’s that Hernandez. Kozlov’s team is Team Hijo de Tirantes and the other is Team Pierro. I think you can only win by escape and it has to be all three team members. Team Hijo is of the Foreign Legion also. Escarlata is a transvestite. Ok then.

 

In the gimmick that will never die, Kozlov wants to sing the Russian National Anthem. He’s interrupted by Escarlata who puts what appears to be a g-string on his face. That starts the brawl and remember it’s all three out to win. Hernandez is a monster in this. The Foreign Legion dominates to start with a triple team on Escarlata. Now it’s Heavy Metal’s turn to get beaten down.

 

Konnan talks about the main event which is apparently a huge match. The evil referee cracks Escarlata in the head with a chair through the cage. The non-foreign guys have had zero offence. We talk about how awesome the Foreign Legion is for a bit which is true as they’re dominating here to put it mildly. Octagon wakes up all of a sudden, goes OFF on Chessman and dodges a diving Hernandez before Octagon climbs the cage, escaping easily. Gee what a nice guy. “My team is getting destroyed. I’m out people!”

 

Escarlata and Kozlov go up at the same time so Escarlata kisses him to slow him down. Escarlata gets rammed into the cage and Kozlov is out, making it 2-2. Now Escarlata is kissing Hernandez which lets the gender confused one climb the cage. After kissing the evil referee he escapes to make it Hernandez/Chessman vs. Heavy Metal.

 

Hernandez gets the Border Toss into the cage to Heavy Metal which isn’t a big move in Mexico I guess. With Chessman beating down Heavy Metal, Hernandez starts to bail. Then he channels his inner Jimmy Snuka and FLATTENS Metal with a splash. Hernandez escapes easily but the good (I think) referee stops Chessman, knocking him back to the mat.

 

The problem is that Heavy Metal is still completely dead. Chessman goes up for the escape but instead tries a moonsault. With the key word there being tries as Heavy Metal rolls out of the way and Chessman is down too. Escarlata plays cheerleader outside and the race is on. The evil referee smacks Chessman with a chair and Chessman escapes for the win and the head shaving of the good referee.

 

Rating: B. Pretty easily the best match of the night so far. There was a clear story going on in there with the Foreign Legion being far more talented but they got overconfident and the AAA guys were able to fight them off for a bit. The two huge spots helped it also with them bringing the crowd to its feet. I liked this and thought it worked rather well. Not sure why the cage stipulation was just thrown on but it probable made the match better.

 

Post match the good referee’s hair is shaved to evil laughter in a kind of disturbing moment. They keep telling him to raise his head so he smacks the evil referee and cracks him with the chair he had to sit in.

 

The announcers argue while we take down the cage.

 

Cibernetico/Abyss vs. El Zorro/Vampiro

 

Cibernetico is one of the top faces in the company (or was at this point). Abyss and Vampiro I think you know. El Zorro is a heel and part of the Foreign Legion and after this show would win the world title. This is a hardcore match. Despite being a foreigner Abyss isn’t part of the Foreign Legion for some reason.

 

Cibernetico’s entrance is in a word, epic. I think he’s supposed to be a cyborg or something. He’s clearly one of the most popular people in the company. This is that odd kind of hardcore where you have to tag in and out. Yeah I know just go with it. Cibernetico and Zorro start us off.

 

Cibernetico tights say Main Man. At least there isn’t a target saying “goes here” underneath it. The partners just come in for no apparent reason with Abyss going off on Vampiro. This is during Abyss-A-Mania but it doesn’t seem to be that bad at this point. Zorro has a kendo stick as the announcers argue some more. Zorro beats on Cibernetico with a chair in the ring while the other guys are out on the floor.

 

Vampiro sets up a table but can’t get a moonsault through it. Abyss can’t get his powerbomb through it either so it all evens out. Cibernetico hits the floor and now it’s turning into a regular hardcore match. Vampiro and Konnan point at each other for some reason but the wasted time lets Abyss get his hands on Vampiro. Abyss is thrown at the table which collapses but doesn’t break.

 

Konnan gets in Vampiro’s face again for no apparent reason. Everyone but Abyss is in the ring now and it’s a 2-1 beatdown. I’m not sure what the deal is with two referees. Maybe Gorilla Monsoon is secretly commissioner here or something. Cibernetico dumps Vampiro (to be with Abyss I guess) but has a kendo stick tossed into his leg.

 

Abyss is back in now but can’t get a double chokeslam. He settles for a double clothesline instead and down goes the Foreign Legion. Abyss……moves……very……very……slowly. The Foreign Legion hits the ring, in the form of Christopher Daniels, Kozlov, Chessman, Nosawa (Japanese guy) and Hernandez. Cibernetico is like screw that and beats them up on his own.

 

Zorro takes him down and hammers away with the kendo stick. Cue Abyss who hits Shock Treatment and Zorro is more or less dead. Hernandez misses a chair shot and hits Vampiro by mistake. Konnan grabs Vampiro and throws powder in his face. A chokeslam from Cibernetico ends this.

 

Rating: C+. Not bad here. They got rid of the tagging after about a second and things got a lot better. Decent little match here and the Foreign Legion losing is a good thing for a change tonight. Cibernetico is a guy that it’s easy to get behind so I can see why he’s one of the most popular there. Decent match all around but a bit rushed.

 

The Foreign Legion beats down the winners post match. Konnan and Vampiro stare each other down but La Hermanadad 187 runs in for the save and the beatdown is on with Foreign Legion being left laying.

 

Konnan rants about that for awhile.

 

Cruiserweight Title: Jack Evans vs. Nosawa vs. Extreme Tiger vs. Christopher Daniels

 

Elimination again and Tiger has the title. Evans is the epitome of a guy that likes flippys. Also in this company they have what sounds like a whistle instead of a bell. That takes a lot of getting used to. Tiger and Daniels hit the floor almost immediately as Evans flips a lot to attack Nosawa. Konnan lists off a lot of cruiserweights that are awesome while Nosawa takes over.

 

Tiger vs. Nosawa now in the ring as they don’t have to tag again. AAA really doesn’t like to have to do that do they? Tiger gets a seated senton to the balls of Nosawa. Now that’s just not nice at all. Daniels vs. Tiger now with Daniels in control. Tiger has a mask if I didn’t mention that. Daniels is sent to the floor so it’s down to Nosawa vs. Tiger now. And yes I know it’s Extreme Tiger but I’m not writing both words every time.

 

Daniels pulls the rope down and Evans hits the floor. Big clothesline and Evans does a 360 on the floor. Daniels beats down Tiger in the ring and is joined by Nosawa for a double flapjack. Nosawa and Daniels are Foreign Legion teammates so they’re working together here. Daniels sets Tiger for a Death Valley Driver while Nosawa adds a superkick to the head for a nice double team move.

 

Evans comes in and it’s more or less an unofficial tag match now. Tiger and Evans get Daniels down and double team Nosawa. A double cover after a rather contrived spot gets no pin for either good guy. Someone is bleeding as there’s blood on Daniels’ face. Evans kicks Daniels to the floor and does a huge flip onto him. Tiger throws Nosawa to the floor and hits a 450 out to the floor! You don’t see that often at all. Naturally that only gets two back in the ring. A springboard double stomp to Nosawa is enough to eliminate him through and we’re down to three.

 

This referee counts SLOW. The two good guys beat on Daniels for awhile and they have a chop off. I think it’s Daniels that is bleeding actually. It looked like blood on him earlier but not his own. Daniels tries to leave but Tiger is like get back here baldie. Rollup by Evans gets two on Tiger. Elevated double arm DDT by Tiger gets two on Evans. This referee stops for a long time after two.

 

Some guy comes out in an Extreme Tiger mask and pulls it off to reveal….another mask. The distraction allows Daniels to be able to get a rollup to make it Evans vs. Daniels for the title. Oh great: a Christopher Daniels match. Can’t you hear the excitement in my voice over this turn of events? Four straight backbreakers without dropping Evans by Daniels. Now off to a half crab as just Daniels being in there is putting me to sleep.

 

Spin out powerbomb gets two for Daniels. He’s been on offense the entire time since Tiger was eliminated. Evans is sent to the apron and hits a springboard double knee strike for no cover. Big running knee strike gets no cover again. Instead he tries a 630 but eats knees to the back. Best Moonsault Ever gets two. Daniels tries a belly to back off the top but gets knocked backwards to the mat. A big corkscrew splash gives Evans the title. The referee looks around for help and stops at two as I guess he was crooked also.

 

Rating: B-. Fun match but at 25 minutes or so it’s a bit long. This whole show is over 4 hours so it’s a bit much to sit through when you’re not familiar with a lot of these guys. Still though, this was rather good for the most part. The long period before the first pin and then another crooked referee was too much though which is what’s holding it back. That and the time.

 

Dr. Wagner says he’ll win and be #1.

 

AAA World Heavyweight Title: Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Electroshock

 

Electroshock is defending champion here. This has apparently been a well built match and is supposed to be a war. Keep that in mind. Electroshock has no mask. Got it. That belt is huge. Fans are completely behind Wagner. They shake hands and here we go. LONG stall to start as we wait for them to actually do something. Two minutes without anything until they finally lock up.

 

Oh wait false alarm as we’re waiting again. And now, another lockup. Electroshock is muscled and Wagner is kind of stocky but well built. Rather technical stuff so far to start and we have a standoff. Test of strength results in Electroshock completely outmaneuvering Wagner and getting him down in a leg lock. The fans aren’t exactly pleased here.

 

And it’s another standoff. This is more like a badly written ballet/dance routine than a match. Back to that stupid test of strength for like the third time so far. And now Electroshock hits the floor out of boredom. Back and it’s another wristlock. There has been a total of one strike, a kick to the back, in this whole match and we’re about 8 minutes into it.

 

Short arm scissors gets neither guy anywhere. They trade some WEAK chops as I’m bored out of my mind here. Where are Gorilla and Jesse to make subtle jokes when I need them? Konnan seems to be praising this match as we’re in leg lock #8475 so far. A lot of hip tosses and arm drags set up a kick to the head by Wagner in the biggest move of the match. We get a replay of it in slow motion and it shows the kick must have missed by four inches. Nice job guys.

 

Wagner is sent to the floor so Electroshock hits a big dive to FINALLY get something going here. Fans are still cheering for Wagner. These guys are really bad about covering up that their strikes aren’t hitting. Electroshock grabs a Fujiwara Armbar and Wagner is in trouble. And then he just lets it go because I guess he wanted to go find an enchilada. Superplex by Electroshock gets two.

 

Can someone do something interesting? The match hasn’t been good from an entertainment standpoint, it’s decent from a technical standpoint, and it’s killed the crowd in general. WAY too much time without them doing anything in particular. The fans cheer for Wagner. Wagner sits there. Rana gets two for Wagner. Abdominal stretch by the champion which is the setup for his finisher but he cheats with the ropes and the hold is broken.

 

It’s 4:45am so excuse me if I nod off for a bit. Hey look: MORE STANDING AROUND! Victory Roll by the Doctor results in about 8 rolls in slow motion and Electroshock gets two out of it. The Dr. hits a front flip off the apron and both guys are down. Maybe they’re taking a nap while they’re out there. I wouldn’t blame them if they did.

 

Electroshock gets his hold which is a kneeling abdominal stretch with a leg lock. Yep that goes nowhere as Wagner reverses into a rollup for two. Wagner’s finisher, a Michinoku Driver, gets two. Medium boot by Electroshock gets him nowhere as Wagner hits an enziguri followed by the second Wagner Driver for the pin and the title. Dude….seriously? That’s the ending? Oh well at least it’s main event time.

 

Rating: D-. Oh my. Oh my indeed. This may have been the least interesting main event I have seen in a very long time. It runs 22 minutes and they were in first gear for about 20 minutes of that. There is, I kid you not, probably seven combined minutes of just standing around doing nothing. This match was very boring and sucked the decent life out of this show. Absolutely terrible and the fans booing in parts was something I’d have done too. Totally boring for the most part and the ending came out of nowhere.

 

Mesias, a former champion hands Wagner the belt and hugs him. Wagner and Electroshock shake hands too.

 

Between replays and the celebration we kill off almost ten minutes.

 

La Parka says he is the real La Parka and will prove it tonight.

 

LA Park vs. La Parka

 

Now this is an interesting one. LA Park is the original La Parka and the one from WCW. He was a major star in AAA but left 14 years ago to go to WCW. The thing was the original owner of AAA, and the guy whose ashes are in that urn, kept the rights to the gimmick and gave them to the guy known as La Parka. LA Park is the new name that the original La Parka used to continue the gimmick without continuing the gimmick. He returned in a shocking moment and said he wanted his name back. This match is for the official rights to the name and gimmick. In short, this is a big match that no one thought would happen.

 

Both come out to Thriller and look almost identical. I’ll try to remember who is who here. Out first is La Parka with the boss of the company, Joaquin. Ok this should be easier: Park has the skulls on his shoulders. That’s easier. Park also has the son of the president with him, Dorian, as the president and his papa are in a power struggle. The fans are behind the heel Park here which is interesting.

 

There’s a chair in the ring which is the signature weapon of both guys. Park dominates to start and grabs the chair for a big shot maybe a minute in. Another chair shot as this Parka (Park for the original, Parka for the new if that helps at all) guy is kind of getting his head kicked in. To the floor now as Park is yelling at Konnan and cuts a quick promo before the third chair shot. Is it the Rock in disguise?

 

Joaquin, the president, gets in his face until Parka saves him. By saves I mean he stands up so Park can get beaten up even more. Park rips at the mask and you can see Parka’s forehead. They’re in the crowd now as this has already had more action than the world title match and we’re not even five minutes into this. Park goes to the back and gets a table. I guess there aren’t table making leprechauns under the ring in Mexico.

 

Parka has not had a single bit of offense that I’ve seen. There’s a fire extinguisher at Parka who is just trying to cover up at this point. Table and chair in the ring now. The fans are totally behind the original Park here and it’s kind of funny since he’s the heel through and through. The table is set up in the corner but Park settles for just beating on Parka a bit more instead.

 

Dorian whispers something to Parka and his dad shoves him away. The referee gets involved and Parka charges to try to tackle Park through the table. Park steps to the side and Parka goes sailing through it. Belt comes off and it’s whipping time. This has literally been one sided the entire ten minutes so far. Park rams Parka’s head into the pieces of the table and the chair.

 

Park busts a piece of the table over Parka’s head to a big reaction. Here comes table #2. Park sets it up in the ring and puts the chair on top of it and goes up. OH MAN IT’S OFFENSE FROM PARKA!!!!!! He gets a few punches in and suplexes/slams Park through the table and onto the chair. The crowd is awake now. Parka is bleeding from the head it seems which makes sense.

 

BIG chair shot from Parka and momentum has completely shifted. Parka rips at Park’s mask as Joaquin is like do it! Parka’s mask is covering maybe half of his face at this point. Into the crowd again goes Park while Parka’s mask looks rather weird. Oh man Parka is busted BAD. Park’s mask is barely staying on too. Back in the ring now and Parka has the belt now so he lays in some HARD shots.

 

A slam gets a pop. Between two guys of relatively average size when do you hear that? Parka goes up but gets crotched by Park. The fans aren’t sure who to cheer for here. Park jumps into the boot of Parka and the new guy has control again. Park goes to the floor again and it’s a too short suicide dive by Parka. The mask is hanging on like a Post-It at this point.

 

Parka celebrates but Park sneaks up on him and hooks in a choke that looks like he’s trying for a Backstabber but keeps Parka on the mat on his knees and pulls back on his chin. Looks great if you didn’t get that. Park starts going for the knees and adds a Backstabber for two. This is that slow counting referee again. Parka fights back and gets what was supposed to be a Codebreaker from the middle rope for two.

 

Big boot by Park gets a close two. Semi-botched DDT by Parka gets two and a ton of booing. They counter each other a bit until something resembling the Eye of the Hurricane gets two for Park. Both guys are gassed bad here. Park charges in the corner but rams the post instead. Park’s mask is more or less gone here. Leg lock by Parka right in front of Dorian.

 

There’s the rope but the referee has to break up the hold. Not often that you see that from a hold put on by a face. Park gets a rollup for two. Park for no apparent reason dives at the referee who was on the floor for no apparent reason. So there’s no referee and Park is more or less dead. Dorian has the chair and Parka gets a clothesline to put Park down again.

 

Parka sets for a tombstone which is illegal in Mexico but Joaquin stops him. An enziguri from Park puts Parka down again. Joaquin has the chair now but Park winds up managing to hit the Tombstone on the chair and Parka is out cold. Another chair in the hands of Park as Joaquin comes in.

 

Dorian says no don’t hit him but Park shoves Dorian down and clocks Joaquin with the chair instead. Dorian gets up and turns face, blasting Park with the chair a bunch of times to avenge his father. Then with both skeleton dudes down, Los Perros Del Mal, a group of invading wrestlers from a promotion of the same name, put Park on top of Parka for the pin to win the name.

 

Rating: B+. This was a WAR. They beat the tar out of each other and it’s only the ending and the exhaustion that is holding this back. It wasn’t a great match from a workrate standpoint or anything but there was a great story out there and the fans were into it. This was supposed to go on next to last with Wagner vs. Electroshock going here instead but this worked far better. Great match and a great way to end the show.

 

Los Perros Del Mal celebrate with a bunch more of them hitting the ring. Parka is taken out on a stretcher and the leader/owner of Los Perros Del Mal say they’re taking over AAA. A bunch of AAA guys and security come out while the fans chant for Los Perros. The leader of Los Perros (Perro Aguayo, Jr.) says wrestling needs a change and that change is Los Perros.

 

Also whether you like it or not, Park is the original and forever the real La Parka. Park says Los Perros will own AAA and Dorian doesn’t know what to do. Park runs down AAA, Dorian and Konnan. Take a guess who would be in a heel superstable in less than a month. If you guessed all three of them, WELL DONE YOU LUNKHEAD!

 

The woman with the urn says the original owner (Antonio Pena. The woman with the urn is apparently his sister and Joaquin is his the woman’s (Marisol) husband. Dorian is Antonio’s nephew/Joaquin’s son) is watching and all that jazz and that AAA will beat Los Perros Del Mal and what not to end the show.

 

In a little followup, later that night the Mexican Boxing and Athletic Commission said that the result of the main event was thrown out due to the interference. The next day AAA had a press conference where Dorian officially turned face (technico) again and said that Park was the official La Parka and that the loser of the main event would have to change his name. This was later dropped.

 

Two weeks after this, the Foreign Legion and Los Perros would merge. There would be a mini group added called La Milicia and then about two months later Los Maniacos, the tag champions, joined and the superstable was called La Sociedad. That feud has gone on since with Mesias fighting Perro Aquayo Jr. and Cibernetico making his own stable to fight Los Perros. Los Perros have a ton of titles now including the world title held by El Zorro. Granted this could be out of date very soon but that’s what Wikipedia is for.

 

Overall Rating: B. I liked this. I liked it quite a bit actually. This is the kind of show I could see myself watching on a regular basis. Now to be fair this is the Wrestlemania of this company but it felt like one of those. There’s a lot I didn’t get because this is my first time watching, but at the end of the day I’d like to see more of this which is exactly the point. Fun stuff, some bad stuff, but overall I liked this and would watch more of it if I had the chance. Good show overall with some bad spots (world title match for example).
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on the History of Starrcade from Amazon for just $4 at: