Culture Clash 2026
Date: April 16, 2026
Location: Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: JD From New York, Jason Solomon

This is House Of Glory, a promotion I’ve watched a few times before and liked well enough to give it another shot. They have a good roster with some stars who you might not see elsewhere and that keeps things fresh enough. I’m not sure what to expect here as I haven’t seen any of their stuff in a few years but let’s get to it.

The ring announcer welcomes us to the show.

Ken Broadway vs. Raymond Bright

Broadway has a lot of money during his entrance and mocks Bright with it for a bit. Bright springboards up for an armdrag and even throws in some gold dust. Broadway is sent outside, where he comes back with a big boot to take over. Back in and a dancing elbow drop hits Bright, followed by a double arm crank. With that broken up, Bright slugs away on the ropes and even hits a Superman Punch.

A high crossbody gives Bright two but Broadway forearms him in the face. Broadway sends him into the corner and adds a Backstabber, only to miss a top rope elbow. Bright is back up with a quick standing moonsault but…I think misses a dropkick (commentary was just as confused). Bright misses a top rope splash and gets kicked in the chest, setting up Broadway’s top rope elbow for the pin at 9:35.

Rating: C+. Perfectly nice opener here and that’s all it needed to be. Broadway is someone who has been around House Of Glory for a good while and seems to be someone who has a nice place carved out. Bright got to show off some nice athleticism but that weird missed dropkick was quite the odd spot.

Raheem Royal vs. Kuro vs. JJP vs. Phumi Nakuta vs. JJ Doze vs. Angel Jacquez

Say it with me: scramble match. This is Kura’s debut and Nakuta is an MMA fighter (with a belt). Jacquez is basically doing the Lex Luger Narcissist deal, with a bunch of people holding mirrors for his entrance. The bell rings and Jacquez runs out to the floor, with Kuro trying to get him back inside. Kuro gets tired of the posing and pulls him over the barricade, triggering a series of dives.

That leaves Nakuta and Royal in the ring, with the latter hitting a quick dropkick. Jacquez comes back in for a heck of a backdrop to Royal but Nakuta gives him a great looking release German suplex. Doze is back in with a double missile dropkick and Jacquez gets planted as well. Jacquez is back up to muscle JJP up into a suplex for two. Doze’s hurricanrana is countered into a toss powerbomb onto the ramp for an awesome crash. JJP is sent over the barricade and a bunch of people go into the crowd as well, with Royal moonsaulting off a balcony for the big crash.

Somehow Royal lands on his feet, which is all the more impressive. Back in and Nakuta tries a tornado DDT on Royal but eventually spins around for the Canadian Destroyer (that looked good, albeit quite cooperative). Kuro is back in with a fisherman’s driver to Nakuta, with JJP making the save. JJP kicks Kuro down for two but Doze gives JJP a…I think it was supposed to be a 450 but wound up being closer to a stomp. Jacquez knees Doze’s head off, only for Nakuta to come in with a kind of pumphandle suplex to pin Jacquez at 9:50.

Rating: B. I didn’t know who these people were and I wanted to see who was going to win in the end, which is a good sign. They were doing some different stuff out there and it wound up being a heck of a match. This was a lot better than I was expecting and Jacquez stood out, with Royal’s moonsault being even better. Rather good stuff here.

Women’s Title: Shotzi Blackheart vs. Charlie

Charlie, better known as Dakota Kai, is challenging. They trade early rollups for two each until Charlie is shoved out of the corner. Blackheart hits a quick dropkick but gets caught with a kind of running Codebreaker dropkick. Back up and Blackheart suplexes her into the corner for two, followed by a leg choke over the rope. That’s broken up and Charlie fires off some clotheslines, followed by a belly to belly. Blackheart kicks her in the head for a trip to the floor though, meaning it’s a suicide dive to take her out again.

Charlie is back up to catch her with a Stomp on the way back in, with Blackheart reaching her foot over to the rope. Blackheart is back up with a rolling Liger Kick and they’re both down again. Back up and they just start throwing the rapid fire forearms, with Charlie getting the better of things. Blackheart is sat up top but knocks Charlie down for a top rope backsplash. That and a running kick finish Charlie to retain the title at 10:33.

Rating: B-. This was a nice, hard hitting match between two people with a history and they did well here. Charlie has been away from the ring for a good while now and it’s cool to have her back, even if it’s just for one night. I liked this well enough, as they made it feel like a pretty big showdown.

Post match Steph de Lander runs in to lay Blackheart out and holds up the title.

Brody King vs. Zilla Fatu

Fatu’s Crown Jewel Title isn’t on the line. King backs him into the corner to start before Zilla invites him to try some running shoulders. Those don’t get Zilla very far so King fires off the big chops. Fatu is knocked out to the floor and there’s the suicide dive from King to knock him into the barricade. King misses a charge into the post though, allowing Fatu to hit a diving headbutt in the Tree Of Woe.

The slingshot dive to the floor hits Fatu as these guys are laying it in to start here. After grabbing a drink from the crowd, Fatu heads back inside and misses a running hip attack. King Cannonballs him for two but the Ganso Bomb doesn’t really work as King can’t hold him up. Instead Fatu hits a Samoan drop, setting up the top rope splash for two of his own. Fatu goes up again but cue Lance Anoa’i (part of Fatu’s family and they’re not getting along) to shove Fatu off the top for the DQ at 9:48.

Rating: B-. I was getting into these two beating the heck out of each other as they were two big men trading shots. The ending pulled a lot of the energy out of it though and I’m not sure why they didn’t just make this a title match. Fatu was able to hang with someone as big and strong as King though and that’s not easy to do.

Post match King and Fatu beat Anoa’i up but seem to want to fight again. King leaves and Fatu hits a Superfly Splash.

Cruiserweight Title: Daron Richardson vs. Joey Silver

Silver is challenging and loves candy, which he throws to the crowd. Richardson even spits on some candy to start, which makes me think he has something wrong with him. Maybe he’s an angry dentist. Anyway Silver knocks him back and hits a dancing Old School but Richardson knocks him into the corner. Some stomping in said corner sets up a spinning kick to the face and Richardson hits a standing shooting star press for two.

Richardson teases stomping on him but goes with a slap instead. That brings Silver up to start the comeback, including a running hip attack for two. Silver loads up a People’s Elbow but instead puts a lollipop in Richardon’s mouth. The Starburster (fisherman’s driver) and a frog splash give Silver two each but Richardson grabs the belt. That’s just a distraction though as he hits Silver with the lollipop, setting up a running flipping cutter to retain at 6:52.

Rating: C+. As you might be able to tell, it doesn’t feel like there is much of a need for a cruiserweight title these days. So many wrestlers are out there flying around and are already on the smaller side. If that’s the case, why do we need a title for them in the first place? As for the match, Silver seemed more about making people laugh than winning the title and that didn’t have me wanting to see him win the title. Not a bad match, but probably the weakest on the show thus far.

Amazing Red vs. Bandido

Bandido’s Ring Of Honor World Title isn’t on the line (of course). They take a knee to each other to start as they both wanted this match. Red misses a kick to the head so they try dropkicks, only to flip up to their feet. They trade running shoulders with Bandido being sent outside, with Red hitting one of the hardest suicide dives you’ll ever see, going into the front row with Bandido following after.

Bandido is back up with a flip dive into Red, who is knocked into the front row for quite the crash. They wander around the building a bit, with Bandido climbing a balcony for a big dive. Red knocks him back and climbs onto the stage for a VERY fast flip dive (dang I miss Don West). Once we establish that Red is still alive, they get back inside, where Bandido lifts him up for a very delayed vertical suplex.

Bandido blocks the Code Red and grabs something like the Bang A Rang for two. Back up and they get some rather fast running starts to hit stereo clotheslines. Red is up first and grabs a tornado DDT, only for Bandido to come back with a one armed gorilla press. The frog splash gets two but Red escapes the X Knee.

A running step up hurricanrana drops Bandido and it’s time to chop the goodness out of each other. Bandido grabs his pop up cutter but the 21 Plex is somehow countered into the Code Red for two more. They trade some kicks to the head until Bandido scores with the X Knee. With Red on the mat, Bandido busts out the 21 Plex and get the win at 16:42.

Rating: A-. I absolutely loved this as I’ve grown to appreciate Red that much more over the years. The stuff at the beginning with Red flying all over the place was great and you could tell this meant a lot to Bandido. At the same time, you had Bandido being his usual outstanding self and this was one of the best matches I’ve seen in a good while. Anytime AEW would like to do something with Bandido, I wouldn’t be objecting.

House Of Glory Title: Michael Oku vs. Charles Mason

Oku, with Amira, is challenging, as is his custom, while Mason weighs in at “a f*** ton of money”. They stare at each other and then fight over a lockup, with Oku shoving him into the corner. Mason seems to approve and tries a sleeper, only to get taken down with a running hurricanrana. Back up and Mason avoids a charge to send him crashing out to the floor, where Mason drags Amira around by the hair.

That’s way too far for Oku, who dropkicks him into the barricade. Back in and a PK hits Mason but he’s able to snap Oku’s throat across the top. A hard whip sends Oku into the barricade and Mason rakes the back inside. That just wakes Oku up and he slugs away, only to get knocked right back down, with Mason seeming to enjoy this. The sleeper out of the corner oddly wakes Oku up and he scores with a middle rope dropkick.

A tornado DDT gives Oku two and he dropkicks Mason outside for the required Fosbury Flop. Back in and Mason spits some water in the eyes, allowing him to hit a rolling Death Valley Driver for two. Oku is ticked off so they slug it out and trade running shots to the face. The half crab attempt is countered into a small package so Oku knocks him down and hits a moonsault for two.

An O’Connor roll is countered into Mason’s rear naked choke but Oku manages to get to his feet. They crash out onto the ramp, where Oku is back with a pop up Canadian Destroyer to leave them both down again. Mason throws him back inside but here is Amira to spear Mason down. Back to back frog splashes set up the half crab but Oku pulls back too far and gets caught in the choke to retain the title at 18:31.

Rating: B+. They started rolling there at the end as it because a question of how could Mason survive and that’s exactly what he did. He drove Oku so nuts that Oku wanted to pull back too hard on his best hold and Mason got the choke as a result. Oku was selling the hatred here and it worked very well overall as this show is on a pretty great roll.

Tag Team Titles: Good Brothers vs. Hardys

The Hardys are defending and this is a bit of an odd choice for a main event. Hold on though as here is the Mane Event (Jay Lyon/Midas Black) who seem to be part of a circus. They want their titles back and this is officially a triple threat.

Tag Team Titles: Good Brothers vs. Mane Event vs. Hardys

The Hardys are defending. Matt works on Lyon’s arm to start and Lyon roars at him a lot. Anderson comes in and gets armdragged down by Lyon so it’s off to Black. This works a bit better for Anderson, who gets taken into the corner for the tag to Gallows. Black kicks away at Gallows but Matt tags himself in and goes after Gallows’ arm. It’s back to Jeff for a basement dropkick and the Poetry In Motion clothesline.

Anderson gets sent into a bunch of buckles but Black tags himself in, much to the fans’ annoyance. A spinebuster plants Black and Gallows comes back in for the rapid fire elbows. The Magic Killer is broken up though and a neckbreaker makes Gallows DDT Anderson, because that spot has yet to die.

It’s back to Lyon, who dives through a ring for the suicide dive onto the Hardys and Brothers. Black and Matt brawl into the crowd and the other four head out there as well. Back in and Matt gives Black a Side Effect but Gallows is back in to boot Jeff in the face. The Magic Killer is teased…and here are the Righteous. The Brothers are distracted and it’s the Twist Of Fate into the Swanton to pin Black at 14:11.

Rating: C+. This was as good as the Hardys vs. the Good Brothers was going to be at this point, with the Mane Event being added to get it some HOG flavor. The problem is the fans didn’t want that flavor at all as they wanted the bigger name teams. It’s not in front of the main HOG audience and that hurt the Mane Event’s status. This wasn’t a bad match, but after some of the other things on the show, it was a bit of a letdown.

Post match Matt thanks the fans and kind of recaps the main event to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B. The good stuff on here is great while the worst is mostly just mediocre, which isn’t a bad place to be. What mattered here was having a bunch of wrestlers who might not usually be a part of House Of Glory being mixed in with the usual roster. I liked this show a good deal, with the Bandido vs. Red match being in contention for best indy match of the weekend. I could go for more of this promotion and that’s not something I often say coming out of these things.

Results
Ken Broadway b. Raymond Bright – Top rope elbow
Phumi Nakuta b. Kuro, Raheem Royal, JJ Doze, Angel Jacquez and JJP – Pumphandle suplex to Jacquez
Shotzi Blackheart b. Charlie – Running kick to the head
Zilla Fatu b. Brody King via DQ when Lance Anoa’i interfered
Daron Richardson b. Joey Silver – Running flipping cutter
Bandido b. Amazing Red – 21 Plex
Charles Mason b. Michael Oku – Reign Of Terror
Hardys b. Good Brothers and Mane Event – Swanton to Black

 

 

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Born To Die
Date: April 5, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentator: Joe Dombrowski

It’s back to the ECW Arena for Battleground Championship Wrestling, a local promotion which doesn’t seem to be the most well received. We’ll actually be looking at a pair of shows from them on the same day, with one of them being a bit different. This is their regular show and I have no idea what to expect here so let’s get to it.

Keep in mind I do not follow this promotion at all so I apologize in advance for anything I miss involving storylines or character information.

Juicy Finau vs. Wrecking Ball Legursky

We’re starting with the hoss fight as the rather large Legursky can’t move the far bigger Finau. Legursky yells at him and they collide a few times to no avail. A crossbody finally sends Legursky out to the floor and they brawl outside, with Legursky being sent into the barricade. Back in and Legursky hits a crossbody for a knockdown of his own, with Finau rolling outside this time.

A chair to the back has Finau in more trouble but he knocks the chair into Legursky’s face for a change. Back in and Legursky splashes him into the corner, setting up a hip attack. Finau isn’t having that and hits one of his own for two, with frustration setting in. Back up and Legursky manages a World’s Strongest Slam for two more but Finau plants him with a Samoan drop. A middle rope moonsault finishes Legursky at 10:34.

Rating: C+. This one is going to depend on how you feel about hoss fights so it was only going to be so strong in the first place. Finau is a huge guy and some of the things he can do are impressive but I’ve never gotten the big appeal out of him. I’ve liked the things I’ve seen from Legursky over the years, though a lot of that might be due to having an awesome name.

Lance Anoa’i vs. Rich Swann

For a shot at the Battleground Championship Wrestling Title. Anoa’i is billed as representing the Bloodline (son of Samu, cousin of just about everyone else) and has a nice look. The fans however seem to prefer Swann, as dancing often gets positive reactions. Anoa’i shoves him down without much trouble to start but the alternating hands on a test of strength attempt sets off the dancing.

That just earns Swann a rather hard Samoan drop and they head outside, with Swann whipping him into the barricade for a needed breather. A whole lap around the ring sets up a running boot to Anoa’i face but a second takes too long, meaning Swann gets dropped. Back in and Swann fights out of a nerve hold but gets dropped hard on his back for his efforts. Swann is fine enough to hit a clothesline into a frog splash for two but Anoa’i superkicks his head off. The Superfly Splash finishes Swann off at 7:35.

Rating: C+. I don’t remember seeing Anoa’i before but beating a fairly big name like Swann is a good sign for his future. Granted being part of the Anoa’i Family helps and he had a solid look and some size. I could see him going somewhere someday, as he’s only 32 years old and looked fine enough in there. Swann still feels like someone who was on the verge of being a bigger start and then just stopped moving up the ladder for some reason. Maybe it’s being such a long time TNA star, but he should be better than what he is at the moment.

Sex With Your Next Ex Express vs. Nu Backseat Boys

That would be Alvin/Kristian Ross/Philadelphia Playboy vs. Johnny Kashmere/JP Grayson/Tommy Grayson. Joel Gertner is with the former team, and if they win, they all get one year contracts. If they lose though, they’re completely out of the promotion. Gertner, looking rather old and depressed, actually doesn’t say anything before the match. The Express jumps them to start but get knocked away with the Boys firing off the kicks to the rather large Alvin. Kashmere tries to slam Ross but gets clipped and pinned 1:56.

Gertner announces the winners and says it didn’t have to be this way. He didn’t need to come here for the low money he’s receiving….but he paid off the referee to win here. Gertner talks about how people he cares about are going into various Halls of Fame and now HE is going into the Intergalactic Hall Of Fame Of Life!

Crowbar vs. Facade

Crowbar (yes the WCW guy) has a large bodyguard named Percival and a masked woman named Vanessa who come to the ring for him. Facade on the other hand is in rather bright colors and is billed as the Neon Ninja. Crowbar hides in the corner to start before getting caught in an early headlock. That’s broken up and we have a standoff as commentary talks about the various shows that have taken place in this venue.

Back up and Crowbar chops away in the corner, only for Facade to show him a better version. Some springboards into a dropkick put Crowbar on the floor but he’s right back in, where Facade drops him with a suplex. Crowbar heads outside again but this time Percival press slams Facade onto the barricade. Facade gets dropped onto a chair to make it worse and they head back inside for some near falls.

A running crotch attack against the ropes rocks Facade again and a legdrop gives Crowbar two more. Ye olde chinlock doesn’t last long but Crowbar pulls him out of the corner for another near fall. A Swanton misses for Crowbar though and Facade hits a running kick to the chest for a breather. The kick works so well that Facade can hit a springboard spinning version to the face for two more.

With that kind of exhausted, Facade whips out a door and bridges it on the timekeeper’s table at ringside. A springboard off the barricade doesn’t work as Facade slips, allowing Crowbar to hit a chokebomb for two back inside. There’s a super hurricanrana into a northern lights suplex onto a chair for two on Facade. Back up and Facade puts him down, setting up a triple jump twisting moonsault for two.

Percival tries to interrupt but gets kicked in the head, which is enough for Crowbar to leave. That doesn’t work for Facade, who hits a big springboard flip dive and then sends Crowbar through the door. Back in and Crowbar grabs a chair, which is kicked into his face for two with Vanessa pulling the referee at two. Percival gets involved again, this time catching Facade on top, allowing Crowbar to grab a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 19:05.

Rating: C+. Well that was….long. I’m not sure if they needed to go on for nearly twenty minutes but I was kind of stunned that it ran as long as it did. Facade is quite good at the high flying stuff and I’m not sure I would have recognized Crowbar if commentary hadn’t pointed it out. The fact that he’s still going is impressive enough and the match wasn’t bad, but they probably could have cut about five minutes out to make it a good bit better.

Post match Facade goes after Vanessa but Crowbar says he shouldn’t do that because he’s a babyface. Crowbar wants to sit down and talk with Facade in the back and tries to get a NEON NINJA chant started. Facade isn’t sure and leaves on his own.

VSK vs. La Estrella

They fight over wrist control to start until VSK grabs a headscissors into a dropkick. Estrella is right back up with a hand walk into a headscissors of his own, with VSK being sent outside. Back in and VSK sends him outside, with a dropkick through the ropes sending Estrella flying up the aisle in a nice visual. They get back inside again and VSK catapults him to the floor as you might be noticing a pattern emerging here.

Back in again and Estrella sends him to the floor this time (ok we get it), setting up a springboard dive to drop VSK again. Estrella grabs a spinning DDT for two back inside but gets crotched on top. VSK’s Cradle Shock gets two but Estrella is back with a springboard headbutt for two. Not that it matters as VSK is grabs a sunset driver for the pin at 8:11.

Rating: C. They were doing well enough, though the constant trips to the floor hurt it a good bit. I shouldn’t be rolling my eyes and saying “again?” about five minutes into a match. VSK is someone who has popped up in a few different promotions now and has done well enough, though I’m not sure how far he could realistically expect to go. Not a bad match, but it felt like they weren’t sure what they were doing to start.

Tim Embler, the owner of the company, is here for a chat. First up, he brings up the Joel Gertner situation, which he will address at the next show. That will be on July 6, when there will be three events in one day. The day will include an all women’s show called Who Runs The World, a meet and greet with Jim Ross, and then a show called United We Stand. As for Gertner and company, they will be facing three ECW Originals, as managed by Tod Gordon and Bill Alfonso.

Also on that show, James Storm and Fuego del Sol, but more importantly, we have the debut of the Battleground Street Fight Championship. That title will be available to anyone who has spilled blood in this building for any promotion. There will be a tournament held, with Necro Butcher as the first name announced, but cue Drake Younger (as in the former WWE referee who had some….interesting thoughts on various issues) to interrupt. He talks about what he has done in this building and wants in on the title. Works for Embler.

Intermission, which is thankfully edited out of the streaming version.

Fallah Bahh/Beastman vs. Brian Myers/Swoggle

Beastman is from deepest, darkest West Virginia and Myers has his TNA Tag Team Title. Myers and Bahh (who weighs about 400lbs) start things off but Swoggle wants in instead. A bite to the back of the tights doesn’t do much to Bahh, who knocks Swoggle down and then rolls over him to make it worse. Myers, thinking Swoggle is a bit destroyed, comes in to drag him over to the corner for a tag.

Beastman comes in as well and it’s a double elbow to put Myers down, leaving Beastman (probably pushing 400lb himself) to do something of a Worm. A trip to the floor goes well for Myers, as he grabs an implant DDT for two on Beastman back inside. Swoggle comes in and rakes Beastman’s eyes for two before telling Myers to give him a boot. A bite to the back drives Beastman into said boot, with Myers telling Swoggle to give him a boot this time well.

That earns Myers a toss into the corner, meaning Bahh can come back in to clean house. A big legdrop gets two on Myers, who charges into a swinging Boss Man Slam from Beastman. Everything breaks down and Beastman misses a charge out to the corner. A low blow staggers Bahh and it’s a Roster Cut (running clothesline) into a Shining Wizard from Swoggle to pin Bahh at 8:05.

Rating: C. I’m thinking we can write this one off as “goofy fun” and that isn’t a bad thing. It was the freak show aspect with the small Hornswoggle, the two giant opponents, and Myers as the one in the middle. That worked out well enough, with Swoggle being incredibly talented and far better than what he is often expected to be given his size.

PCO vs. Matt Riddle

This is billed as a three way dance before the ring announcer corrects himself (as Jacob Fatu was originally advertised but apparently signed with WWE around this time). Riddle tries some grappling to start and gets nowhere so he strikes away instead. An overhead suplex sets up the Broton for two but PCO catches him with a superplex for two.

Riddle hits his own suplex, setting up the Floating Bro for two more. PCO isn’t having that and knocks him outside for the big suicide dive. Back in and a guillotine legdrop gets two on Riddle, followed by a chokeslam. The PCOsault misses but PCO is right back with a Codebreaker out of the corner for two. Riddle pops back up and strikes away, setting up an RKO for the pin at 5:26.

Rating: C. This was fun while it lasted but the match barely going five minutes is rather disappointing. These are the two biggest names on the show and they were barely out there for very long. I was interested in seeing these two have a match I hadn’t seen before and while they did, I was hoping for a lot more.

Women’s Title: Dani Mo vs. Miranda Gordy

Mo is defending and they fight over wrist control to start. With that going nowhere, Mo grabs a headlock takeover and then armdrags her out to the floor. A dropkick through the ropes staggers Gordy, who sends her into the barricade a few times. Gordy clotheslines her over the barricade and rams her into various things, only to be sent into some chairs.

They head back inside where Gordy hits a running corner splash for two, leaving her with a smile for some reason. Mo strikes away and hits a running dropkick for two, followed by a basement Downward Spiral. Gordy suplexes her way out of trouble but the powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana. Back up and….two women run in for the no contest at 9:04.

Rating: C+. They were starting to roll near the end but then the ending brought it right back down. Gordy is someone who has the kind of power that you do not often see in women’s wrestling and she was wrestling enough like her dad to make that work. Mo was more of a plucky star who fought against the bigger challenger, which was starting to work before everything was cut off.

Post match the beating is on and the women…..are not identified by commentary, who says he doesn’t know who they are (even though they have their own title). How do you screw that up? Or how do you think that’s a good idea?

Battleground Title: Brian Kendrick vs. Lince Dorado

Kendrick is defending. They trade takedowns to start and Kendrick makes it over to the ropes. The threat of an early bulldog choke has Dorado escaping as well and he strikes away to take over. A middle rope anklescissors sends Kendrick to the apron and a dropkick puts him on the floor. There’s another anklescissors, this time from the apron, to drop Kendrick again as the champ is in trouble early.

Dorado chops away against the barricade but gets launched face first into a metal post. Hold on though as Kendrick doesn’t want to win via countout and throws him back inside. Dorado is back up with a chair for a step up leg lariat in the corner. A high crossbody connects but Kendrick rolls through into the bulldog choke. That’s broken up as well so Dorado superkicks him into a sitout powerbomb for two. The shooting star press misses for Dorado so Kendrick grabs Sliced Bread #2 for…well two more actually. They trade rollups until Kendrick gets a sunset flip (and lays backwards for some reason) to retain at 7:43.

Rating: B-. Just like the Riddle vs. PCO match, I was expecting a good bit more here, especially for a title match. How much can you really get out of a main event title match when you only have that much time? Both of them are more than good enough in the ring to have a better match, but they didn’t have the time to make it work as well as possible.

Post match Juicy Finau and Afa Jr. come in to say the title is coming back to the Samoan Dynasty on July 6. Kendrick leaves and Afa hypes up the crowd, but does stop to yell at one fan like a villain should.

Overall Rating: C+. This was just about the pure definition of “eh, it was ok”. The wrestling was mostly adequate and it felt like they were setting things up for later in a lot of ways, but there is absolutely nothing worth going out of your way to see here. They didn’t try to tie this into ECW very much, but the few times they did made it stand out at least a bit better.

On the more positive side, the production values were quite good and better than most of what you’ll see in independent promotions. There was nothing bad on the show and even the worst match was completely watchable. Throw in a rather laid back attitude and I had a good enough time, though the bigger matches need to feel more important. You’ll be fine if you watch this, but it’s VERY low on the list of shows you’ll want to see.

 

 

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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:

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