IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #22
Date: September 14, 2018
Location: War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Rich Bocchini

And then, WarGames. I’ll give MLW a lot of points for not wasting time in getting to something like this. They’ve built up some characters and a feud so they’re hitting the ground running with what they have. That’s better than wasting time on matches that people don’t want to see when you can do something big like this to make an impact. Or it’s wasting a huge match early on. Let’s get to it.

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

The ten people involved tonight all talk about being ready for war. Sami Callihan says his team is going to hurt Shane Strickland and his team because this isn’t about wrestling anymore.

Shane says his team is ready to be the angels to Sami’s demons. John Hennigan says they seem like douchebags instead of demons. The rest of the team is better too, with Tommy Dreamer citing Martin Luther King of all people. I really don’t think he’s like WarGames Tommy.

Opening sequence.

The double cage is being constructed. That never gets old.

Salina de la Renta and Low Ki yell at reporters in Spanish and don’t seem impressed when they run into Dreamer.

We look at the Hart Foundation attacking Kevin Sullivan two weeks back.

The Hart Foundation knows they won’t be suspended because that’s MLW is a bunch of cowards. You can’t stop them and the fans are already talking. The family has taken a lot over the years and they’re not going to take it anymore. They’ve been fined lately, but they’re ready to make more money to pay it off. Brian Pillman Jr. talks about the media lying to you because the Hart Foundation is now the cash cow. Pillman’s smile is perfect.

Fury Road rundown.

The construction continues and there are weapons included inside. You really don’t need those in WarGames. There is also no roof, which isn’t the worst thing in the world.

Team Callihan vs. Team Strickland

Shane Strickland, Tommy Dreamer, John Hennigan, Barrington Hughes, Kotto Brazil

Sami Callihan, Sawyer Fulton, Leon Scott, Abyss, Jimmy Havoc

WarGames, featuring the classic rules. One wrestler from each team will fight for five minutes. After that there is a coin toss with the winning team getting to send in its second man for two minutes. When those two minutes are up, the team that lost even things up. Two more minutes go by and the team that won the toss goes up 3-2. You alternate every two minutes until all ten are in and then it’s first submission wins.

Brazil and Fulton start as apparently Team Strickland won the coin toss. Um, what? The heels are always supposed to win that thing. They better have a good idea of how to get out of this. Brazil is tired of waiting and dropkicks Fulton through the door and through a table to get things going but Fulton catches him coming off the top once they get inside. Some running elbows in the corner have Fulton in some trouble until he throws Kotto into the cage.

Kotto gets LAUNCHED from one ring to the other and there’s a missile dropkick to rock him again. With the pain increasing, Brazil spits in his face and gets tossed into the cage wall for his efforts. Kotto gets his face rubbed against the cage with Fulton talking trash about how no one is going to save him. They manage to get the timing right (almost no one can pull that off) and it’s Hennigan in to make it 2-1.

A standoff lets Hennigan forearm Fulton in the face and Brazil gets up to really start the double teaming. Brazil gets thrown into the corner but Hennigan dives onto Fulton to take over again. Jimmy Havoc (with Hawk face paint0 is in fourth to tie things up and he goes straight to the paper cut on both of Hennigan’s hands. Brazil’s face gets cut and this is actually far main painful than it might sound. Havoc holds up a sign so Fulton can throw him face first into it and there’s a stop sign to Hennigan’s back.

Strickland is in next but Callihan attacks him from behind and tosses him onto (not through) a table. Callihan slams the cage door on Hennigan’s head and gets in the cage to make it 3-2, giving us the way around the coin toss. Kind of an unnecessary detail but not the worst idea. Hennigan gets sent through a table and Fulton drops Callihan onto him for bad measure. A running Razor’s Edge into the cage makes things even worse for Brazil and it’s Dreamer in next, of course complete with a trashcan full of weapons.

Dreamer cleans house and the TOMMY DREAMER chants start up, which make sense in a town ECW ran back in the day. Hennigan is back up to slug away at Fulton and Havoc is busted open (well duh). Now it’s Scott coming in to “even” things up and the weapons have Team Strickland in even more trouble. Hennigan gets caught in a trashcan and pummeled with sticks but Brazil suplexes Havoc as Hughes is in for Team Strickland. He can barely make it through the ropes before getting into a fight with Scott.

Havoc hits Hughes in the head with a wet floor sign and gets glared at for his efforts. Callihan’s stop sign to the head works a lot better as we’re told that Strickland is done for the night. The other good guys get up and take over with Brazil even having time to enjoy some water. Abyss finishes Team Callihan and the Match Beyond begins, meaning submissions are now legal. The monster cleans house until Dreamer hammers away with the Flip Flop and Fly, earning himself a Black Hole Slam.

Hughes and Abyss have the big staredown until everyone gets up for the big brawl. Brazil gets up top for the BIG corkscrew dive, though the camera cuts to a wide shot for some reason. They show a regular version on the replay so I’m not sure I get that one. Havoc takes a Canadian Destroyer and Brazil cranks on a reverse Rings of Saturn, leading to a double Human Centipede of submissions.

That’s broken up as well and it’s Hughes splashing Abyss in the corner. Abyss is right back with a clothesline to knock Hughes down for the first time ever. Scott sends himself through a table (CRUNCH) but Hennigan gets dropped by a Rainmaker. Callihan tells Abyss to get the tacks but Brazil bites his hand to escape a chokeslam.

An Asai DDT (a running Salida Del Sol) sends Abyss into the tacks instead, leaving Callihan to accidentally take a Rainmaker. Dreamer adds a cutter and it’s barbed wire time. Brazil and Dreamer wrap barbed wire around Hughes and I don’t see this ending well. The splash “hits” Fulton’s back and a regular splash makes things worse. Hughes and Brazil wrap the wire around Fulton’s face for the tap at 30:45.

Rating: B. This was about all you could ask for in a WarGames match and I’m assuming Strickland was actually injured or it’s a good angle to keep things going for a future match. They came up with a good way to use Hughes here as there’s not much someone his size can do. The rest of the guys did fine and the right person took the fall, so there isn’t much to complain about here. They had a good level of violence and nothing really dragged, though having the captain out did lower the stakes a good deal.

The winners leave and Callihan and company blame Havoc for the loss. A big beatdown ends the show.

Overall Rating: B+. The angle at the end and the recaps from earlier in the night helped this a bit and the show was a lot of fun overall. There’s something about WarGames that makes it feel that much more special and that’s exactly what we got here. Good show with the one match being all that mattered, which is pretty hard to pull off actually.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw 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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #20
Date: August 31, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Rich Bocchini

It’s the go home show for WarGames and they’ve gotten better about setting things up for the bigger shows. The big main event this week is Tom Lawlor vs. Jake Hager as part of the Team Filthy vs. Stud Stable feud, which has been about as one sided you can get while still calling it a feud. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the Stud Stable vs. Team Filthy feud, which has been put together fairly well. They’ve certainly done something better than just having the same matches over and over.

Striker runs down the card.

Vandal Ortagun vs. Teddy Hart

The fans certainly like Hart. Ortagun decides to pose on the ropes to start so Teddy pulls him down for a stomping as the announcers talk about the referee being biased against Canadians. It’s off to something like a Rings of Saturn but Hart fishhooks him for a bonus. Back up and Hart yells at the referee a bit, as is his custom. An electric chair backstabber looks great and Ortagun is in big trouble. Hart puts on an armbar but turns it into a hanging DDT. Project Ciampa finishes the squash at 3:43.

Rating: D+. Total and complete squash here as Hart looked great. I know he doesn’t have the best reputation in the world and it’s a good idea to follow up on that. When you have a story and character handed to you, why not run with it? WWE has a bad habit of doing just the opposite and I’ve never understood why.

Simon Gotch vs. Angel Pierce

This is Gotch’s Prize Fight Challenge with the prize up to $500. Pierce is a boxer, complete with corner man and gloves. Gotch takes him down with ease and the cradle piledriver is good for the pin at 26 seconds.

Abyss is happy to be part of the cocktail of pain that is Team Callihan at WarGames. He loves war and loves games so he can’t wait to get his hands on every member of Team Strickland.

Low Ki narrates a video about Konnan coming to MLW and stealing Salina de la Renta’s talent. That puts a bounty on his head and it’s time for Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix to pay for Konnan’s actions.

WarGames rundown, including an explanation of how WarGames works. Also announced for the show: Joey Ryan/Taya Valkyrie vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Aria Blake.

Jason Cade vs. Jimmy Yuta

They used to be partners but couldn’t get along. Yuta is tired of hearing Cade run his mouth and is ready to shut him up before going after the Middleweight Title. Cade says the only thing to be determined is how bad he destroys Yuta. A cheap shot from Cade doesn’t go well as Yuta knocks him to the floor and hits the suicide dive.

Back in and Yuta hits a top rope chop to the head as the announcers talk about how hard it must have been for Cade to make Yuta angry. Cade uses the referee as a shield and kicks Yuta in the face to take over. Some standing on Yuta’s head lets Cade talk trash and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Yuta hits a springboard missile dropkick, followed by something like a Blue Thunder Bomb for two.

The STF goes on but Cade crawls over to the ropes for the save. A reverse Death Valley Driver gives Cade two but he gets caught on top. Yuta grabs a HARD top rope superplex, throwing Cade so hard that he lands before Yuta, making the crash even worse. A slugout goes to Yuta and Cade seems to be out with the referee throwing up the X. Cue Rhett Giddins from behind to clothesline the heck out of Yuta, allowing Cade to pop up for the pin at 9:56.

Rating: B-. I liked this one better than I was expecting to as the story coming into it hasn’t been the most intriguing but the match was rather good. Both guys are starting to get somewhere and that’s been lacking from either of them. They came in as the run of the mill face team but now they’ve got an actual feud going here and the ending should let it keep going. Nicely done as the storytelling worked.

Teddy Hart is with the Hart Foundation when Kevin Sullivan comes in to praise Teddy for being innovative, but Hart doesn’t want to hear it. Smith doesn’t want to hear about it and Hart tells Pillman to pick a side already. Hart yells at Sullivan for not doing anything in the ring but Pillman says it’s about protecting him. That’s enough as Smith and Hart beat Sullivan down and bust him open. Hart tells Pillman to pick a side so Pillman hits Sullivan with the cane. He respects Sullivan but doesn’t like him.

Tale of the tape on the main event.

Tom Lawlor vs. Jake Hager

Feeling out process to start with Hager taking him up against the ropes and then down to the mat. Lawlor’s rear naked choke is broken up with a ram into the corner, followed by a good looking beal across the ring. Another beal continues the dominance and it’s off to a headlock. Lawlor is back with a belly to back suplex and a spinwheel kick but Hager powers out. Some right hands in the corner have Hager in trouble so he throws Lawlor off the top and out to the floor.

The fans aren’t pleased with Hager (Really?) as he stomps away back inside and cranks on both arms at once. Lawlor fights out but falls down, allowing Hager to get a quick two. A chinlock keeps Lawlor in trouble but he fights to his feet and scores with a discus lariat. The fans are behind him but he charges into the Hager Bomb, with Hager being stunned on the kickout.

Lawlor gets sat on top, only to catch Hager in the triangle choke over the ropes as you might have seen coming. Another armbar is broken up as Hager rolls into the ropes but they head outside with Lawlor in full control. Hager’s arm gets caught in a chair with Lawlor kicking him in the chest (wise to avoid a DQ), followed by an exploder suplex back inside. There’s a pumphandle suplex but Hager blocks the rear naked choke.

Colonel Parker is LIVID over a choke being allowed (fair enough) so Lawlor switches to an incomplete cross armbreaker. Hager reverses that into the ankle lock but Lawlor rolls out again. That’s enough for Hager, who unloads with right hands to the head. The referee gets shoved away so Lawlor pokes Hager in the eye and grabs a rollup for the pin at 13:45.

Rating: C+. That should be the end of the feud and Tony mentioned as much in the commentary after the match. Team Filthy has dominated the feud from start to finish and there’s not much reason for the two sides to keep going. On the other side though, you have Lawlor turning face, partially just due to how awesome he is in this role. That’s going to get you cheered, which can create a problem when you’re a natural villain like he is. I know it works for a lot of villains, but I’m really not a fan. Lawlor is great, but I don’t exactly want him as the anti-hero that the fans seem to want him to be.

One more WarGames promo ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty solid effort here and I’m more interested in seeing WarGames than I was coming in. This is an interesting promotion with the TV getting most of the build but the bigger shows not getting a ton of attention. They’re doing a better job than they did with Battle Riot, but it’s still very different (not necessarily a bad thing) way of setting things up. Still though, another good, and very easy to watch show.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #19
Date: August 24, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schaivone

We should be running out of matches from the New York tapings but tonight we’ve got something big. This week it’s Fenix and Pentagon Jr. defending the Tag Team Titles against ACH and Rich Swann. That should be a heck of a match, even though Swann and ACH lost to the Hart Foundation last week. Let’s get to it.

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

We recap last week’s Dojo Fight with Tom Lawlor defeating Parrow but having to save his trainer Seth Petruzelli.

Lawlor swears vengeance. Tonight the Dirty Blonds face Team Filthy and next week, Lawlor will send Colonel Parker’s stud Jake Hager to the glue factory.

Opening sequence.

The Stud Stable is really not happy with Parrow. Colonel Parker is proud of the rest of his team though. Hager is ready for Lawlor next week.

Dirty Blonds vs. Team Filthy

That would be Fred Yehi/Simon Gotch for the ones in need of bathing. Yehi starts with Patrick and knocks him around with little to no effort. It’s off to Brien, who gets kicked into a good looking belly to back suplex as the early control continues. A neck snap across the top rope puts Gotch down though and it’s Scott coming in to hammer him upside the head. Yehi gets suckered in so a double suplex can drop Gotch. The referee is yelling at Brien so Lawlor hits Patrick in the back with a chair, which he throws to Parrow. Gotch grabs a small package for the pin at 3:07.

Rating: D. Nothing to the match due to the time, but it does keep the feud going. That being said, I’m not sure why the feud is continuing. I don’t remember the Stable winning a single match in the story yet, which makes me wonder why it’s still going. At least the better team is winning, though it’s not like the Stable is horrible or getting squashed.

ACH and Rich Swann complain about the heat but they’re ready to be Tag Team Champions.

Tommy Dreamer is ready for WarGames and goes over the history of some of his career in Florida. WarGames has been around before the Elimination Chamber or Hell in a Cell and you lay it all on the line out there. He’s ready for Sami Callihan, who has done everything imaginable to him before. Dreamer’s idol Dusty Rhodes (who invented WarGames) is going to have the best seat in the house when Dreamer becomes the Innovator of Violence in his first WarGames. Good stuff.

Matt Striker goes over the rules of WarGames and plugs the rest of the card. I’m looking forward to that show.

Ricky Martinez vs. ???

Martinez is Salina de la Renta’s (sweet goodness this week) newest client. The unnamed jobber bows to Martinez to start but has his kick to the head shrugged off. A backbreaker sets up a belly to back faceplant to give Martinez the pin at 1:01. It was a little sloppy, but that’s how you make someone look like a star.

Video on Low Ki vs. John Hennigan from last week.

Low Ki says he told us so and he’s accepting challengers from anywhere, including a Club or from the Underground.

Clip of Team Strickland getting jumped last week.

Sami Callihan doesn’t care about Dreamer being on the team because he’s ready to do whatever it takes.

Abyss promises to bring the violence to WarGames. That’s why you bring him in.

We look back at the opening match.

Lawlor wants his World Title match but can only see the Stud Stable. He wants Hager next week and the match has been set.

Salina, now in a different outfit, has no comment on the lawsuit from Fenix and Pentagon Jr. Low Ki is going to make short work of Fenix because no one is going to cut his plans short. The interviewer being intimidated by Salina continues to be a good little story.

Tag Team Titles: ACH/Rich Swann vs. Lucha Bros

Fenix and Pentagon are defending. Pentagon and Fenix handle their own introductions because luchadors introduce luchadors. The champs get knocked to the floor to the start and Swann declares himself the best in the world. He and ACH take their time getting ready to dive though and Fenix rolls back in for a double cutter. A powerbomb/top rope double stomp DESTROYS Swann for two as a suicide dive sends ACH into a bunch of chairs in the crowd.

Back in and Swann’s chest is ripped apart by some chops, followed by a running kick to the leg. Fenix puts on the chinlock to keep Swann in trouble as the announcers debate whether Konnan made up all the issues with Salina to steal her talent. ACH comes in and gets kicked in the leg again, followed by the big chop against the ropes. A springboard headbutt (looked like it was going to be a springboard hurricanrana but Fenix pulled up) rocks ACH instead but he’s right back with a sliding kick to Fenix’s head.

ACH slingshots down onto Pentagon and a Rock Bottom backbreaker into a snap German suplex gets two on Fenix. The champs are right back up though as Swann gets on the apron to see ACH send them into each other. Swann comes in with a hurricanrana to Fenix and a superkick to Pentagon. Fenix gets caught on top and Swann hurricanranas him onto Pentagon for two as it’s time to get fired up.

Stereo tiger bombs get two on the Bros but Pentagon is back up with a Sling Blade. The Codebreaker into the top rope double stomp has Swann down and ACH gets superkicked out of the air. ACH is fine enough to send the champs together and fireman’s carry them both at a time. Fenix slips off so ACH throws Pentagon onto him before collapsing. Swann and Pentagon set up the big showdown and slug it out but the Pentagon Driver (good one) is only good for two.

Somehow Fenix is back up and rolls into a cutter for two on ACH, only to have Swann hit a quick middle rope 450 for the same. Everyone is spent so they shout a lot and chop around in a circle until everyone is down again. Fenix and ACH forearm it out and Swann knocks Pentagon down with one shot. Stereo handspring cutters from ACH and Fenix both miss and it’s another group knockdown. ACH gets caught on top but he catches Fenix on top just as quickly. Swann goes after him and gets sunset bombed back down. ACH is knocked outside and it’s the spike Fear Factor to retain the titles at 16:18.

Rating: B+. This was all about four guys beating each other up and doing a bunch of flips and kicks in the process. That’s all it needed to be too and I had a blast watching them do these painful looking things to each other. There was no logical way to put the titles on Swann and ACH after last week’s loss but egads they made it a fun match on the way. Really good stuff here and a ton of fun.

Quick video on LA Park, who will face Pentagon at WarGames.

Overall Rating: C+. The rest of the show wasn’t great but the main event eats up about a third of the time and that’s all awesome stuff. Other than that though, things are looking up towards WarGames and I’m actually looking forward to the show. Just keep things going strong as we get closer to the big show and build it up well, which is all you can hope for with a wrestling show.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Fusion #17
Date: August 10, 2018
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Rich Bocchini

Things are already starting to get interesting around here all over again, just after Battle Riot. We still have Black Friday Management and Promociones Dorado hooking up to make things that much more dangerous, but there are several stars who could rise up to challenge them. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier this week, Kotto Brazil, Barrington Hughes and Shane Strickland challenging Sami Callihan and the Death Machines to WAR GAMES. Well this just got a lot more interesting.

The ten man WarGames, with two more partners for each team to be announced, is confirmed for September 6 in Fort Lauderdale.

Barrington Hughes vs. Leon Scott

They slug it out and Hughes is rocked less than ten seconds in. A release Rock Bottom plants Scott and there’s the big elbow to draw in Sawyer Fulton for the DQ at 37 seconds.

Post match Hughes fights back but Sami comes in with a baseball bat to the head to cut him down. Brazil runs in and takes the bat for the save. Kotti is tired of that and wants Sami RIGHT NOW. He wants to show Sami that Kotto can and Kotto will.

Kotto Brazil vs. Sami Callihan

Before the bell, Sami gets dropkicked off the apron and Kotto hits a big flip dive onto both him and the Death Machines. A 619 underneath the bottom rope has Sami in more trouble but he’s right back with a powerbomb to take over. The bell rings and it’s Sami chopping away in the corner to rip some skin off Kott’s chest. Sami takes him to the floor and chokes with a boot, followed by some wild rights and lefts back inside.

A chinlock slows things down for a few moments but Sami stops to spit. You never spit when you have the chance and Brazil is back up with some dropkicks. A hanging Sister Abigail cuts him off in a hurry though and Sami demands a standing ten count. You don’t get that very often and it fits Sami well. Kotto gets up and it’s right back to the chinlock. This time the counter is a heck of a tornado DDT but Sami is up with a heck of a clothesline.

With the wrestling not working, Sami loads up a pile of chairs on the floor, with the legs of one sticking up. Tony can’t handle the idea of Sami trying to impale Kotto with a running Razor’s Edge so thankfully Brazil slips out and gets two off a Code Red. Kotto takes him up top for a super hurricanrana but Sami counters into a super Jackknife (FREAKING OW MAN!). Get Outta Here is good for the pin on Brazil at 10:17.

Rating: B-. I’m getting more and more impressed by Kotto every single week. He’s gone from the guy who couldn’t win a single match to a guy you could see getting the big upset here. Brazil actually fits into the WarGames match and hopefully he gets a big run out of this push.

Brian Pillman Jr., Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Teddy Hart are in Calgary and really don’t care to answer any questions from internet media while dropping various Brian Pillman references (including a pencil reference). Davey refers to them as the new Hart Foundation and threatens the cameraman. I could go for this, if there isn’t as much Teddy.

Konnan says there’s nothing up with him talking to Rey Fenix and Pentagon Jr. because they’re just friends. Low Ki comes in and says he doesn’t buy it. It would be in Konnan’s best interest to mind his own business. They start speaking Spanish and tensions are high.

Middleweight Title: Joey Janela vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Friedman is defending and this is Falls Count Anywhere, meaning Janela can jump him in the back for two before they’re ever in the arena. Janela drags him into said arena by the scarf (nice touch) but Friedman drops him face first onto a table for two. Tony thinks the violent nature of the match benefits Janela. Rich: “Why’s that?” Tony: “Because he’s nuts!”

Friedman’s arm gets sent into a chair and Joey knocks it into a chair for good measure. Janela’s girlfriend Aria Blake smiles a lot as Friedman gets superkicked into a pile of chairs. Back up and Friedman hides behind her, which of course is enough for him to sucker Janela in. They get inside for the first time with Friedman stomping on the arm and slamming him into the mat for two.

We hit the chinlock so it’s time to plug WarGames. Janela’s comeback doesn’t last long as Friedman knees him in the ribs and we take a break. Back with Janela hitting a double stomp off the apron onto a chair for two and dragging Friedman up the aisle. One heck of a low blow cuts Janela down again but he’s fine enough to backdrop Friedman. Janela stops to ask Aria for a kiss though and she clocks him with a bottle, giving Friedman the retaining pin at 10:19.

Rating: C-. The ending was set up last week and was the kind of thing that the match needed. I’m still not sure I get Janela but I’m starting to get the idea behind him. Friedman needs some wins to establish himself as champion and there’s a good chance that this is going to be continuing for a good while.

Post match Friedman kisses Blake, much to Bocchini’s distress.

Callihan has hijacked a camera and says he knows who he wants on his WarGames team. It’s Jimmy Havoc, who, after agreeing to never talk about Mexico again (not sure what that means), wants to be sold on the match a bit. Sami explains the match by saying there will be five other people locked in a cage for him to hurt. Havoc is open to negotiations over drinks. He would be the right call for a spot like that.

The Stud Stable comes up to Team Filthy to talk about them ruining Colonel Parker’s hat. Parker wants a match set for later, though Team Filthy wants to make sure the Stable will be wearing pants. Lawlor warns them to Google Team Filthy and find out what they’re all about. Apparently the match will be a Dojo Challenge, with details to be announced.

Konnan talks to Pentagon Jr./Rey Fenix, who rip up their Promociones Dorado contracts and leave with him. As usual I don’t think wrestling knows how contracts work.

Havoc is official for WarGames. Those must have been some good drinks.

Kevin Sullivan tells Brian Pillman Jr. to not associate with Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr. Pillman says he likes those guys but Sullivan throws the cameraman out.

Teddy Hart vs. John Hennigan

The winner gets a World Title shot. The fans are behind Hart during the entrances but seem pleased with John (dang it another last name to remember) as he poses. Feeling out process to start and we hit the dueling chants. Johnny spins out of a wristlock but you don’t ask Teddy to get into a flipping contest. A springboard moonsault into a wristlock gets Teddy out but Johnny lands on his feet because his balance is incredible. Johnny sweeps him down into a chinlock but Teddy rolls him down into a legbar.

Hart bails to the floor and steps to the side before Johnny can try a flip dive. Back in and Johnny scores with a superkick to send Teddy outside. Of course that means a big corkscrew dive, followed by a slingshot elbow to give Johnny two. A super Samoan drop connects as the fans think Johnny sucks. Johnny: “Don’t tell me what your mama does for money fat boy!”

Teddy flips over Johnny in the corner, walks on his back (of course he does) and gets two off a sweet Code Red. A super Canadian Destroyer gets two more so Teddy springboards into a moonsault to the floor. Johnny is sat in a chair and one heck of an uppercut knocks both him and said chair backwards. Back in and a slingshot piledriver (exactly what it sounds like) sets up an Arabian Press but Johnny gets the knees up.

The slugout goes to Hennigan and a super Spanish Fly is good for two more. Hennigan’s sliding German suplex drops Teddy on his head and Starship Pain gets a very close two. Countdown to Impact misses so Teddy plants him with an implant DDT. A top rope corkscrew Lionsault connects for the same, with Tony chastising Hart for not hooking a leg. How Monsoon of him. Now the fans are more behind Johnny, including as he sits down on a sunset flip for the fast pin at 14:56.

Rating: B-. They weren’t going for any kind of technical masterpiece here and that was the right idea. This was kind of a spot fest dream match and what we got was more than entertaining enough. Hennigan winning makes much more sense as he’s a far bigger star and someone you could market as a bigger opponent. That being said, Hart showed off a lot here but never went too insane that it got ridiculous. I mean, some of the kickouts aside as usual.

Overall Rating: B+. Two quite good matches, the big WarGames match being set up and an angle that is starting to grow on me in the middle. You can get somewhere with this kind of booking and it’s a very good sign to have them doing something like this, as it was the perfect balance between wrestling and storytelling. Very strong show this week and one of the best they’ve done in a long time.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #16
Date: August 3, 2018
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Matt Striker

We’re past Battle Riot and that means things are back to normal around here. Tom Lawlor won the big event and has what is pretty much a Money in the Bank contract. Other than that we have some stories coming out of the Battle Riot which could make for some interesting TV. You never know what to expect around here so let’s get to it.

Here are the Battle Riot results if you need a recap.

Note that this is listed as episode 16, meaning Battle Riot was 15. Normally I’d go in order but that would drive me nuts as time went on so I’ll go with what they say.

We look at the footage of Shane Strickland being attacked. Sami Callihan has admitted to being behind it due to bringing Shane out of the horrible places in wrestling and making him a star. Now he’s doing it for the money because Shane believes that he’s a bigger star than he really is. That means it’s time for a match. Makes enough sense.

Opening sequence.

The announcers run down the show.

Brody King vs. Jimmy Havoc

This could be interesting. King shoves the much smaller Havoc so Havoc does it right back. A missed charge puts King on the floor and Havoc goes after him with a suicide dive DDT. Havoc stops for a beer and apparently it charges him up enough that he avoids a chop, sending King’s hand HARD into the post. King’s hand is fine enough to send Havoc head first into the post and a clothesline gets two.

A standing backsplash gets the same and the rocked Havoc rolls to the floor. Back in and Havoc slaps away at the legs, eventually wrapping the leg around a rope for a chop. King comes back by smacking him upside the head for two. Havoc fakes a poke to the eye and grabs a DDT to put King down. A rolling Death Valley Driver (impressive given the size difference) and a kick to the head gives Havoc two but King sticks him with a piledriver.

One heck of a gutwrench powerbomb gives King two more and frustration has set in. A Fire Thunder Driver (the Go Home Driver, a great name) plants Havoc again and King can’t believe the kickout. With nothing else working, King grabs a chokeslam, which is countered into a rolling cradle to give Havoc the pin out of nowhere at 10:06.

Rating: C+. This was all about beating the heck out of Havoc and making King look like a power monster in the vein of Luke Harper. Havoc on the other hand gets the big win as you can imagine him facing Tom Lawlor again now that Lawlor is the Battle Riot winner. It’s a fun match with some big spots and that’s the kind of way to make both guys look good.

Brian Pillman Jr. is in the back when Kevin Sullivan comes in to talk about how great Pillman Sr. is. Sullivan offers him support and advice but Brian says he has a lot of work to do. We can’t just give Sr.’s accolades to Jr., even though Sr. respected you “Bookerman”. Sullivan seems fine with this and shakes Pillman’s hand.

Earlier today Salina de la Renta was with Sami Callihan when Low Ki came in. Low Ki pays him off and they agree to keep working together, as long as the money keeps coming.

Video on Lawler winning the Battle Riot.

Lawlor celebrated at Fenway Park.

Jake Hager vs. Simon Gotch

Hager jumps him before the bell and the referee is fine with starting the match, with Striker not being pleased. Gotch gets sent shoulder first into the post and Hager slowly stomps away until the referee tells him to let up. The delay lets Gotch score with some forearms and clotheslines but a gutwrench powerbomb plants him for two. Gotch spits in Hager’s face, earning himself a boot to the head for the pin at 3:05.

Rating: D. Kind of a weird match with a heel vs. heel setup and the announcers not getting very into the ending. Hager vs. Lawlor could be good, though we just saw it in the end of the Battle Riot. Lawlor, despite being banged up and worn down, managed to beat Hager so I’m not sure how much interest there would be in a big time match between them.

Joey Janela’s girlfriend Aria Blake is excited about his Middleweight Title shot next week but here’s Maxwell J. Friedman to be annoying. He and a buddy of his have a bet about whether or not Aria is interested in a better life than living in Joey’s grandmother’s basement. Aria says no and walks away, but I think you know where this is going.

Here’s the newest Top Ten:

10. ACH

9. Rey Fenix

8. Teddy Hart

7. John Hennigan

6. Jake Hager

5. Sami Callihan

4. Pentagon Jr.

3. Jimmy Havoc

2. Shane Strickland

1. Tom Lawlor

Konnan tries to sign Fenix to a contract but a ticked off Salina comes in to tell Konnan to mind his own business. Pentagon Jr. doesn’t look happy.

LA Park is coming.

Jimmy Yuta and Jason Cade get in another fight, this time with Cade punching him.

Preview for next week’s show with Friedman defending against Janela and John Hennigan vs. Teddy Hart.

Teddy Hart thinks Rich Swann and ACH are laughing at him but they deny everything and leave.

Shane Strickland vs. Sami Callihan

Sami has the Death Machines with him. After a long entrance, Sami does the thumbs up/thumbs down thing, only to charge straight into a kick to the head. They go outside with Sami kicking him in the head as well but Shane pops him again. Back in and Sami hides behind the referee, allowing a low blow to cut Shane down. The double underhook shoulder breaker gets two and it’s time for Sami to go after Shane’s bad knee.

A kick to the leg has Shane in trouble and Sami mocks the WHO’S HOUSE chant. We hit a modified Indian Deathlock and then a pretty bad Figure Four to keep Shane in trouble. He turns it over to force the break and Sami tells offers him an open jaw. Instead Shane hits a combination clothesline and palm strike and kicks Sami into the corner but the running boot bangs up the leg again. Shane is fine enough for the rolling cutter but Sami’s slingshot swinging neckbreaker gets two.

Sami switches over into an STF, with Tony thinking it’s fortunate to not be on the bad leg. Some fishhooking is enough to make the referee break Sami’s hold so Shane is right back with a short armscissors. The Death Machines get on the apron for a distraction though but Sami’s Cactus Driver is countered into a pinfall reversal sequence. A kick to the bad knee is enough to set up the Cactus Driver for the pin at 15:50.

Rating: B. The time helped here and made this feel like a bigger deal. Shane isn’t the champion anymore but is still one of the biggest stars the show has. He has that presence to him and that’s one of those things you either have or you don’t. Having him lose and then rise back up the ranks would be a good story and something they could do long term, especially with Shane still having a rematch whenever.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was packed with a bunch of stuff going on, a good chunk of which has me wanting to come back. I’m interested in seeing where the stories go, which is the case a good sign for a wrestling company. They’re now feeling like an established place, a hard accomplishment to have after just a few months. Fun show here, and I’m digging the vibe around here.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Battle Riot
Date: July 27, 2018
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Matt Striker

I’ve been watching Major League Wrestling since it was brought back after a fifteen year hiatus (in other words, when it was a new company with a name that was used before) and it’s already time for a big special. In this case that would be Battle Riot, featuring forty man Royal Rumble style match, albeit with pinfalls and submissions to go with over the top eliminations. Let’s get to it.

The opening video explains the idea of the namesake match, which is good for the equivalent of a Money in the Bank contract. A few names are listed but I’ll save them for the actual match.

Opening sequence.

Stephen DeAngelis, the former ECW ring announcer, is handling introductions tonight. The set looks pretty much the same, though with a big Battle Riot graphic and the camera a bit closer and slightly elevated.

Myron Reed vs. Kotto Brazil

Reed is making his debut. They flip around without much contact to start and it’s a double nipup. Reed kicks him in the face out of the corner and knees Kotto down for two, giving us some very early frustration. Brazil takes him down into something like a kneeling YES Lock as the announcers talk about MMA taking over wrestling style. Very true indeed. Neither can hit a belly to back suplex and it’s stereo crossbodies for a double knockdown. They’re certainly mirroring each other so far and that’s perfectly fine.

Kotto drapes him over the ropes for a kick to the floor, followed by a pair of suicide dives. Being a bit greedy, Kotto tries the third but Reed runs back in for a dropkick to send Kotto outside this time. A big dive over the top (looked good) as Striker asks if Reed’s bleach blond hair is a tribute to Butch Reed, sending Tony into a short fit of laughter. Kotto grabs a suplex and puts on a modified Sharpshooter (he leans down on the back instead of stepping over) but Reed is too close to the ropes.

A nipup gets Reed out of the way of a standing Lionsault and he plants Kotto with a cutter. The 450 hits knees and gets reversed into a small package as the fans are rather pleased. Back up and Reed’s Stundog Millionaire (not a cutter Striker) doesn’t do much good as Kotto hits a running Sliced Bread (definitely not a cutter Tony) for the pin at 9:05.

Rating: C. Both guys need some polishing and it should have been a minute or two shorter but this was the right way to go for an opening match. You get the fans going with some fun high flying and let everyone have a good time out there. Brazil is starting to become a nice player and I could see him getting a shot at the new Middleweight Title before too long.

Maxwell J. Friedman isn’t concerned about facing Joey Ryan tonight because he’s too excited about being in New York City. It’s his hometown and he’s going to become the first Middleweight Champion. Why? He’s just better than Joey.

Konnan is ready to come out of retirement in the Battle Riot. He’ll be on point like a decimal.

We get a vignette of skulls saying the dead will rise. LA Park is coming.

Joey Ryan had to drop five pounds to make weight, meaning he had to drop all lollipops and baby oil. No one is holding Friedman’s wealth against him but Ryan is rich too. The difference is Ryan made it in a wrestling ring, meaning he’s really good at this. He’s bringing sleazy back and he’s bringing the Middleweight Title with it. This was completely different than most Ryan promos I’ve seen and it worked very well. He can do serious (with a little sleaze thrown in) and that’s always nice to see.

Team Filthy draws their numbers (sweet) and Tom Lawlor doesn’t want to talk about his loss to Jimmy Havoc. He let the match end for the sake of Havoc’s health you see. He’s filthy, but he’s a thoughtful filthy.

Middleweight Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Joey Ryan

This is for the inaugural (good looking) title and Ryan has only wrestled once for the promotion, which was last year in a loss to Friedman. Joey brings a lollipop with him and hands it to a fan. Tony: “Now that we’ve got that out of the way.” The oil goes down the trunks and we’re ready to go. Maxwell’s waistlock is broken up by Joey reaching his hand towards the crotch and that’s not cool.

They fight over a far less gropey wristlock until Ryan again tries to get him to touch it. Friedman agrees to touch it if they shake hands. Striker: “If you build it they will come. Pardon me.” Tony: “I’ll never be able to watch that movie again.” I really wouldn’t mention movies after saying that line Tony. Friedman misses a right hand but scores with a flying armbar, followed by a regular armbar to get us away from the odd stuff for a change. Tony equates this to the Andersons, but I don’t remember Arn giving fans lollipops.

The hold doesn’t last long as Ryan comes back with a reverse t-bone suplex as Matt goes into a weird rant about millennials. Tony: “I’m getting hot just listening to you talking about it.” Friedman stomps on the arm and spits at Ryan, who actually seems to be offended. They ram heads and Friedman is very wobbly, eventually falling head first into Joey’s crotch.

Joey pops up and no sells an atomic drop, which hurts Friedman’s knee. Striker: “WHY WOULD THAT HURT???” He also thinks there might be something in there. I’m not touching that one (no pun intended) and it’s a lollipop being pulled from the trunks. It goes into Friedman’s mouth but he pokes Ryan in the eye instead. The package shoulder breaker gives Friedman the title at 7:55.

Rating: D+. This is a situation of knowing what you’re going for and I don’t think it hit. The match was for the inaugural title and they just had a comedy match instead of fighting hard to become champion. They cut good, serious promos coming into the match but that didn’t match the tone here. It was nice to have the arm stuff and there was a story going on but it was fighting with the comedy stuff for time.

Post match Friedman spits out the lollipop and brags about how awesome he is. After calling the interviewer a dollar store Oprah, he says you can cut the line when you’re this good. He’s a supernova and everyone needs to get in their Honda Civic and get more bags of Cheetos while they watch someone better than them.

Sami Callihan and his cronies pick their names. Sami stops the tumbler, hands them their numbers and draws his own.

We look back at Low Ki winning the World Title last week.

Swoggle is underneath the tumbler to draw, even though Sami and company were said to be the last people picking. The interviewer says she hopes it’s a lucky one. Swoggle: “Because of the leprechaun thing. I bet one of the WWE writers gave you that one.” And I’d bet that you probably wouldn’t be here without those writers. He looks at his number and says it’s the old Bushwhacker Luke. That sounds like something a WWE writer would have booked in the first place.

Video on Shane Strickland having issues with Salina de la Renta and eventually losing the title.

Salina is proud of Low Ki for forming a partnership with his Black Friday Management. Low Ki is ready to fight anyone from any company. He was in the original MLW and part of Gary Hart’s Black Friday Management. Low Ki has had to survive in New York City and no one can ever deny his ability to fight.

Battle Riot

It’s a forty man Royal Rumble with pinfalls, submissions or over the top eliminations with one minute intervals. The winner gets a World Title shot anytime anywhere. Pentagon Jr. is in at #1 and Fenix is in at #2 for a guaranteed hot start. They fight over some rollups to start and trade kicks to the head for a double knockdown and it’s Brody King in after about 75 seconds (no company can get these clocks right). King hits some clotheslines but the brothers get together and double team him down in short order.

Ken Doane (Kenny of the Spirit Squad) is in at #4 and the SPIRIT SQUAD chants begin. Tom Lawlor is in at #5 to crank up the star power. A rear naked choke gets rid of King in a hurry Lance Anoa’i (son of Samu) is in at #6 but the Bros are ready with chops. Rey Horus (El Dragon Azteca Jr. from Lucha Underground) is in at #7 and a bunch of people start kicking each other in the head. Fenix misses a double stomp to Doane on the apron but the ramp saves him, which is another unique way of doing things.

Kevin Sullivan of all people is in at #8 and he wastes no time in using the golden spike. Lawlor chokes him out in less than thirty seconds, which Striker puts over as a huge deal. I get the idea but he’s 68 years old. The huge Fallah Bahh is in at #9 and crushes Horus with a crossbody but there’s no elimination. Swoggle is in at #10 (Bushwhacker Luke never had that number) and starts biting some people’s tights. That gives us a grouping of Pentagon, Fenix, Doane, Lawlor, Lance, Horus, Bahh and Swoggle.

A series of German suplexes (Striker: “He’s small so let’s call it an Austrian suplex. Do you get it?”) have almost everyone down until Lance kicks him in the head. Samu, as in Lance’s father, is in at #11 for a series of headbutts. Father and son headbutts put Bahh down but Lance dumps his dad. ACH is in at #12 as the ring is getting pretty full. That goes nowhere so it’s Konnan in at #13 (to a big pop). An STO into the Tequila Sunrise takes Lawlor down with ACH making a save.

Barrington Hughes is in at #14 for the big man showdown with Bahh, as Pentagon Backstabs ACH for the elimination (not mentioned or shown but you can hear the three count). Bahh and Hughes bang into each other for the old monster battle. Tony: “IT’S THE BELLY BUMP!!!” Swoggle interrupts and Lawlor chokes him out for an elimination. Jimmy Yuta is in at #15 as Lance and Doane get crushed in the corner for a double pin, even though Lance’s shoulders weren’t down.

Konnan gets knocked down and pinned as well, followed by the Bros backdropping Bahh out. The momentum takes the two of them out as well as we lose six people in about ten seconds. Kotto Brazil is in at #16 and hits Yuta with a slingshot spear. Horus takes another splash in the corner and it’s Richard Holliday (pretty standard looking guy who is described as marketable) in at #17. A few stomps to the back are cut off with a Hughes chop in the corner.

Fred Yehi is in at #18 and slugs it out with Brazil, who gets planted with an Alabama Slam into a faceplant (that’s a new one). Lawlor adds a powerslam for two with Horus not being able to make a save in time. Jason Cade is in at #19 and immediately gets in a fight with Yuta. That goes nowhere so everyone goes after Hughes, who tosses Horus as an appetizer. They get him out, but he takes Yuta, Cade and Holliday with him, leaving Lawlor alone in the ring. Teddy Hart is in at #20 for what could be an interesting showdown. Well at least it could be if Hart didn’t go up and moonsault onto the pile of people outside to eliminate himself.

Vandal Ortagun is in at #21 and a cross armbreaker gets rid of him in about thirty seconds. Mikey Mondo (also of the Spirit Squad) is in at #22 and gets choked out just as fast (though he never stops blowing the whistle, even after being knocked out). PCO (Pierre Carl Ouellet is in at #23 and I’m curious about this as I’ve heard so many great things about his newest run. Lawlor’s Crossface doesn’t work so he punches PCO in the face. A chokebomb plants Lawlor for no cover as LA Smooth (son of Afa, brother of Manu and Samu) is in at #24.

PCO gets knocked down in the corner for the Umaga hip attack but pops back up with a clothesline to get rid of Smooth. Simon Gotch is in at #25 and slugs away at PCO, who knocks him down without much effort. Team Filthy beats on PCO until Homicide is in at #26. Lawlor and Gotch stand back and let him work over PCO until Davey Boy Smith Jr. is in at #27. With everyone other than PCO in a Tower of Doom, the Blue Meanie of all people is in at #28 for some dancing.

Homicide joins him for a bit before tossing him out without much effort. Team Filthy gets rid of PCO (I can get why he’s hot right now as he’s huge and has a good look. I’ve also heard very good things about his Frankenstein inspired promos.) Michael Patrick of the Dirty Blonds is in at #29 and stands in the middle of the ring so everyone can bring it. Sami Callihan is in at #30 and gets rid of Homicide, giving us Lawlor, Gotch, Smith, Scott and Callihan. Everyone gets knocked down with Sami alone on one side (good visual) and Sawyer Fulton is in at #31 to give Sami some help.

Shane Strickland is in at #32 and goes right for Sami, which isn’t the most surprising thing in the world. Fulton cuts Shane off with a low blow until Leon Scott (Sami’s other crony) is in at #33. A double clothesline gets rid of Davey (fans are NOT happy) and Drago is in at #34. The ring is getting full again as everyone chops away. Leo Bryan (Wasn’t that spelled Brien before?) is in at #35 but the Blonds can’t get rid of Gotch. Joey Ryan is in at #36 and gets Sami all the way to the apron (Tony: “One is sick and the other is sicker.”).

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is in at #37 and goes right after Ryan to keep up their earlier issues. Team Lawlor gets together to dump both Ryan and Friedman and Jake Hager is in at #38. Hager knocks Scott out and saves himself from Sami and Fulton. John Hennigan is in at #39 and dives over the top with a clothesline to Sami in a sweet entrance. Hennigan dumps Patrick and Hager/Bryan get rid of Gotch. It’s Jimmy Havoc in at #40, giving us a final grouping of Lawlor, Bryan, Callihan, Fulton, Strickland, Drago, Hager, Hennigan and Havoc.

Drago is out first to get us down to eight. Shane’s top rope double stomp hits Bryan and that’s enough to get rid of him. Hennigan saves himself from Sami and rolls Fulton up for an elimination. Shane tosses Havoc and saves himself from being eliminated by Sami. That’s not good enough for Sami, who piledrives Shane on the apron to get rid of him. Lawlor chokes Sami out on the apron to get us down to Lawlor, Hennigan and Hager. Not bad for a final trio and certainly three of the bigger names. The Moonlight Drive is broken up and Hager shoves Hennigan out to give us the final two.

A powerslam plants Lawlor for two but he’s back with a triangle choke over the corner. The fans are behind Lawlor (the underdog here in a bit of a twist on the booking), even as he’s powerbombed out of the corner. Hager gets caught in a German suplex but Lawler can’t follow up due to exhaustion.

Rating: C. This was a tale of two matches with the first half not being much and the second half being a lot of fun. I get why they bumped it up to forty (it did have a great ring to it) and the match was perfectly fine, but it would have flowed better with thirty people instead of forty. Still though, for their first big event, this was far from bad and the ending made Lawlor look like a star.

Post match Lawlor says he’s earned what he deserves whenever he wants it. The L in MLW now stands for Lawlor.

Overall Rating: C+. While not great, it’s a strong enough first special and I could see them doing even better when they have more experience. Lawlor looked great, we have a new title, and it’s easy to build some feuds off of the main event. This show has done more than a lot of other promotions can’t do: establish a strong baseline that you know they won’t go underneath. Things are good around here at the moment and I want to see where things go from here.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

MLW One Shot
Date: October 5, 2017
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 200
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

So every week, I’ve been covering the MLW TV show called Fusion. The thing is, the TV show wasn’t the first iteration of the (reincarnated version of the) promotion as they also had a bunch of stand alone events. I might as well knock off that handful of shows as well, starting here with their return event. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence, which is just a bunch of clips.

Tama Tonga vs. Martin Stone

Stone is NXT’s Danny Burch. Tonga (of Bullet Club) jumps him during the referee’s weapons check (points for having one of those) and pounds away, only to have Stone come back with a quick suplex. Tony mentions Stone mocking the Bullet Club with some hand gestures, which just makes me confused about Tony knowing what the Bullet Club is. An armdrag gets Tonga out of trouble and he pulls Stone off the apron to make things even worse. Some forearms to the face put Stone on the floor where Tonga grabs a fan’s beer for some refreshment.

Back in and Stone gets driven hard into the corner but comes right back out with a middle rope dropkick. Stone starts striking away as well but makes the mistake of headbutting a Tongan. Something like a reverse Cross Rhodes gives Tonga two and they botch what looked to be a lawn dart into the corner. An Alabama Slam gets two more (shades of Cody for a nice touch) and the Gun Stun (RKO) finishes Stone at 6:48.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here as it’s really just a match between two international guys that you might have heard of. Stone is an NXT guy but it makes sense to have the New Japan guy win here. The Bullet Club is the biggest deal outside of WWE in wrestling at the moment and giving them a win, even if it’s just in a one off appearance, it makes sense.

Stone gets a nice ovation.

Mike Parrow/Saieve Al Sabah vs. Seth Petruzelli/Rhett Giddins

Parrow is a monster, Petruzelli is the NXT striking coach and a former MMA fighter and the others are unknowns. Giddins, a big old guy in his own right, stares Parrow down to start and punches him in the jaw for good measure. Parrow tells him to bring it and we’ve got an old fashioned hoss fight. A Rough Ryder puts Parrow down so he German suplexes Giddins near the ropes in a crash that could have looked better. Al Sabah comes in and gets hit in the face as well, meaning it’s off to Seth (Like I’m typing that last name over and over.) for a running knee to the face.

Parrow isn’t cool with this standing still and powerbombs Seth into the corner to take over. The heels keep working Seth over as the announcers are trying to find something to talk about here as there’s no story and we don’t really know anything about anyone in the match. Seth kicks Al Sabah away and hits something like a Sliced Bread on Parrow, allowing the hot(ish) tag to Giddins. A cutter gets two on Al Sabah and everything breaks down. Al Sabah misses a moonsault and gets pulled into a cross armbreaker to give Seth the submission at 5:35.

Rating: D+. All four looked fine but there was no chemistry and not much of a story going on. In other words, it felt like a tag match that was thrown onto the card as a way to get everyone on the card and there’s nothing wrong with that. The four of them could be fine with some better direction but there’s only so much you can get when no one has a character or any sort of a character.

Post match Parrow powerbombs Al Sabah for a great looking bounce.

The announcers plug the MLW Radio network.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Jimmy Yuta

Friedman is a less toned and tanned EC3. Before the match, he has a speech for us in case we’re deaf, dumb blind or poor. I’m not sure what the point of this is if they’re deaf but wrestling heels have a tendency to be stupid. Yuta, a pretty standard looking cruiserweight, grabs a rollup for an early two and they wrestle to the mat for a standoff. That’s enough to make Friedman want a handshake but Yuta is smart enough to be ready for the kick to the ribs. Friedman: “PUT THE FOOT DOWN!”

Yuta obliges and goes with a springboard armdrag instead. The nitwited referee gets in Yuta’s way though and Friedman forearms him in the face to take over. Friedman starts in on the arm with an armdrag of his own but stops to yell at the fans a bit. Yuta fights up for a nice high crossbody and a double springboard hurricanrana sends Friedman face first into the middle buckle in a good looking crash.

They head to the corner but Yuta’s arm gives out again, allowing Friedman to come off with a hard stomp to bang it up even further. A pumphandle driver (ala Pentagon) gets two and Friedman freaks at the kickout. Yuta takes him down for some terrible right hands so Friedman claims a broken jaw. The goldbricking allows a low blow and the small package gives Friedman the pin at 6:41.

Rating: D. Friedman is a good heel character but everything else about him is kind of a stretch. He doesn’t have a great look and while his talking is fine, it’s not exactly a complete package. Then again, anything would be better than more of Yuta’s right hands, which really did look terrible. I mean, not Shane McMahon but still not exactly acceptable.

UFC fighter Tom Lawlor is ready to face Olympic wrestler Jeff Cobb. As usual, Lawlor is a rather solid talker.

Barrington Hughes vs. Markos Espada

Hughes is well over 400lbs and barely fits in his singlet. A corner splash before the bell is good for the pin on Espada at 7 seconds.

We see the replay of the full match multiple times.

Ricochet knows Shane Strickland is good, but he’s not Ricochet good. Strickland doesn’t like the lack of respect from Ricochet, who he’s known for a long time. Ricochet said “who” when asked about Strickland on Twitter and Strickland wants to kick him in the mouth. Not bad for an angle for a one off show actually.

Darby Allin vs. Jason Cade

Allin has half of his face painted white for a demonic look. He sits in the corner ala Raven before the bell but pulls himself up ala Diamond Dallas Page to start things off. A springboard out of a lockup (that’s a new one) takes Cade down so he hits Allin in the face instead. Allin takes him down by the arm and flips over into a Fujiwara armbar. Back up and a high angle springboard armdrag keeps Cade in trouble as Allin is doing some nice high flying to start.

Cade’s comeback puts Allin on the floor and there’s the required big flip dive. Back in and we hear about Norman Smiley’s amazing training abilities, unfortunately with the hardcore stuff included. Allin shows off again with a springboard off the bottom rope into a crossbody to a seated Cade. A Codebreaker gets Cade out of trouble but Allin just dives at him to knock Cade off the apron in a big crash.

Tony brings up the apron being the hardest part of the ring, but this is different: theirs is EVEN HARDER than most aprons! Well what in the world are they supposed to do now? How could they possibly survive??? Back in and Cade gets two off a fisherman’s buster and a Death Valley Driver into the corner gets the same. Those are some big moves to only get two each. Cade’s Five Star hits knees and Allin grabs something like a twisted Figure Four but spins around and lays back on Cade (the Last Supper) for the pin at 8:33.

Rating: C+. Allin felt like someone who is trying to be revolutionary and does have a bunch of unique looking stuff but it wasn’t anything that blew me away. The face paint made me think more “another one of these guys” than anything else, which isn’t the best thing in the world. Cade was a fine high flier but I’ve seen him do far better than this.

Video of Ricochet….shopping? He’s a big shoe fan and apparently this show is a fan of vignettes instead of more wrestling. Strickland on the other hand is training more and more.

Larry Zbyszko is in the crowd.

Mia Yim vs. Santana Garrett

Santana is in the Wonder Woman style gear, which is starting to lose some of its charm. A headlock takeover is countered into a headscissors to give Mia some control for a good two seconds. Some rollups get one each as it’s a fast paced technical start. Double nipups give us a standoff and Mia is looking impressed for the first time. A Russian legsweep gives Garrett two but Mia cranks it up a bit with a kick to the head.

Mia goes full heel here, despite the fans seemingly being behind her, by raking the eyes and then kicking Garrett in the back. Garrett gets in some forearms but another kick to the back puts her down all over again. Yim slaps on a surfboard for some painful looking stretching and Garrett can barely sit up after the hold is broken. The cockiness sets in though and it’s Garrett getting back up, with stereo kicks to the face giving us a double knockdown.

Back up and Garrett wins a slugout, followed by a tornado DDT for a pretty close two. A handspring elbow into a horrible bulldog gets two more with commentary acknowledging that it wasn’t going to be enough. Yim is right back up with a German suplex but Garrett pulls her off the top. A handspring moonsault is enough to give Garrett the pin at 12:28.

Rating: C. Both of them are very talented and that made for a good match here. Yim going heel here was the better way to go as she can play the role naturally, even if the fans were read to cheer for her. Garrett is someone who could be a big star in one of the major promotions but for some reason it has never quite clicked. It’s not like she doesn’t have a lot of time to go somewhere though.

We look at Hughes’ win again, this time with a clock. That’s a gimmick that has worked before and it can work again here.

MLW will be back with Never Say Never.

Tom Lawlor vs. Jeff Cobb

Lawlor is a former UFC fighter and has a pair of goons with him. Cobb (better known as Lucha Underground’s Matanza) on the other hand was an Olympic wrestler who has put on about 70lbs of muscle since his amateur days. They go to the mat to start with Lawlor being outwrestled, which seems to come as quite the surprise.

Cobb takes him to the mat again but this time Lawlor reverses into a front facelock. They get up and Lawlor starts boxing, which is way beyond Cobb’s abilities and a rather smart idea. Cobb goes back to what works with a heck of a suplex and then puts Lawlor on top for an impressive dropkick. A very delayed superplex gets an also delayed two on Lawlor so Cobb hits a moonsault but his standing shooting star is pulled down into a guillotine.

Lawlor switches into a cross armbreaker but Cobb is too close to the ropes. A suplex puts Lawlor down as Cobb is bleeding from the nose. They both get up and it’s Lawlor winning a slugout before trying the cross armbreaker again. Cobb powers out again, but Lawlor reverses into a rollup for the pin at 9:27.

Rating: C+. The more I watch this promotion, the more I’m getting behind the concept of their TV show. The show is called Fusion, with the name talking about all the different styles coming together. That’s what we saw here, with a wrestler against an MMA fighter, which made for a fun match. Lawlor has been the highlight of the promotion since it came back and this was a great starting point. Cobb is a talented guy who hasn’t gotten the big break yet, at least outside of Lucha Underground.

A replay shows Lawlor either raking the eyes or rubbing something on Cobb’s face like a good cheater should. Post match, Team Filthy gets in the ring to hold up a poster of Lawlor’s sponsors, including a condom company. Lawlor says that he won the match so the fans can keep their mouths shut. He’ll be looking for the top challengers and wants to face the top UFC name around here in Matt Riddle.

Sami Callihan has no comment. The interviewer acts like it’s a surprise to see Callihan, even though the announcers said we were going to him. Eh chalk it up to a first show mistake.

Sami Callihan vs. MVP

Sami is in jeans and throws some chairs into the ring to start. During MVP’s entrance, Callihan sits in a chair at ringside and throws a beer at him. Sami tries a cheap shot during the entrances so MVP kicks him to the floor and hits a dive. So he doesn’t respond well to being jumped from behind.

Back in and MVP crossfaces him a few times but Sami gets in a clothesline to take it back outside. The required suicide dive takes MVP down again and Sami buries him underneath a pile of chairs. They both have a seat in some of the chairs and slug it out for a little twist on the trope. A suplex puts MVP onto the chairs and Sami shouts a lot, followed by a pull of the ear.

MVP is back up fast enough to send him head first into a chair and boots him in the face for good measure. Another boot with Sami in a chair has him down as I wonder how high the referee’s count should be at so far. Sami pulls the referee in front of another kick and gets in a chair shot….before telling the referee to start counting. There’s something funny about counting after they’ve been brawling for five minutes.

MVP rolls back in so Callihan tries a Ballin splash but hits knees. Another slugout goes to MVP and now the Ballin elbow connects. Callihan’s knee to the head looks to set up the Stretch Muffler but MVP is next to the ropes. MVP slaps away and grabs a fisherman’s suplex for the pin at 11:59.

Rating: C. The ending was a little flat with such a simple wrestling move ending the brawl but the intensity on the way to the finish makes up for the problems. It makes sense to have Callihan stick with the brawling instead of trying to have a match and this was very well suited to his style. Not a great match, but a good fight.

Post match MVP is in the back being happy with his win when a woman comes up and offers him a business card.

One more video on Ricochet vs. Shane Strickland, including some praise for Ricochet from Dave Meltzer. They both want to push each other but they might not be friends after this match.

Ricochet vs. Shane Strickland

I know Ricochet is the bigger star but Strickland carries himself like a star in his own right and that makes for a special feeling. We get the Big Match Intros and the announcer actually gives a description of their appearance. Good idea if the people don’t know these guys. Ricochet takes him into the corner for a friendly slap to the chest, suggesting that they have a lot of time to work with here.

Strickland tries to do the same thing but Ricochet slips out to the apron in a pretty smart move. Back in and Shane takes it to the mat by tying up Shane’s legs. That’s reversed into an armbar as Tony talks about JR teaching him to strive to be the best, which is true of wrestlers as well. Ricochet pulls him by the long hair (not the best feature for a wrestler to have) and they get up, with Shane untying his hair.

The tie is flicked at Ricochet and you KNOW it’s on now. They hit the “you can’t touch me” sequence with a series of flips and misses, including the Benadryller (fireman’s carry into a kick to the head) being dodged off a nip up. Ricochet is stunned so Shane sits down and tells him to bring it. Back up and Shane punches him in the face as the match shifts gears in a hurry.

Ricochet accidentally rolls into an armbar and Shane goes even harder by pulling Ricochet’s arm back with his leg. A stomp to the arm gives us a cringe inducing sound and we hit a modified Rings of Saturn. Ricochet gets up and grabs the rope so Shane kicks him in the bad arm to cut him off again. One heck of a running dropkick knocks Shane into the ropes, earning Ricochet a nice round of applause. A springboard flip splash crushes Shane and Ricochet bends him around his back for another painful looking hold.

Ricochet scores with a spinebuster and the People’s Moonsault (exactly what it sounds like) as Tony gives a good explanation of why Ricochet isn’t annoyed at the kickout (mind games instead of going for an actual pin). A short DDT sends Shane flopping around on the mat for two more but he’s right back up with the rolling cutter. Shane suplexes him into the corner for two but misses a 619 to the ribs.

Ricochet shows him how it’s done (to the face) and a springboard uppercut puts Shane down again. The fans are behind Ricochet now, despite him being the heel for twenty minutes plus so far. Shane double stomps him for two of his own but gets his head clotheslined off for a double knockdown. They trade some hard forearms to the jaw until Ricochet sends him flying with a release (maybe not intentionally) German suplex. Shane catches him on top and superkicks him into a spike DDT, followed by the top rope double stomp for a very close two.

They take some time to get up and Ricochet is right there with a reverse hurricanrana. The springboard 450 gets two and a reverse inverted DDT driver (it’s cooler than it sounds) does the same but Ricochet can’t follow up. With Shane on his knees, Ricochet spits in his face. That’s fine with Shane, who knees hi hard in the face to even things out. Something like a keylock goes back to the arm but Ricochet powerbombs his way to freedom. Shane pulls him right back into it though and Ricochet taps at 33:58.

Rating: A-. This was the best of both worlds: the great wrestling and high flying spots to go with the story of Shane trying to prove that he’s the better man. Ricochet is a top level guy (in NXT pretty soon thereafter) and having Shane go over him completely clean is the right idea. They were one upping each other over and over here until Shane capitalized on the one thing that held Ricochet back. Great match, and the kind of match that this show needed.

Ricochet nods at Shane as he leaves.

After the copyright, we get a video saying Jimmy Havoc is coming to Never Say Never Again.

Overall Rating: B. I had a really good time with this show and that’s the kind of response that this show needed. Nothing was bad (some wasn’t great but there’s a big gap between bad and not very good) and the show moved by quickly. There was a great main event to go with it and you can see the star power in Strickland. I’m already a fan of the promotion but this would have been enough to make me keep watching. The idea of the mixture of styles was on full display here, giving you the something for everyone vibe that you don’t get often enough. Well done, and they’ve already kept it going.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #14
Date: July 20, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

It’s the go home show for Battle Riot and if you listen to most of the wrestlers, you might not know that. I could go for a much harder sell this week and maybe that’s the case, but the vignettes and promos that they’ve had already have me interested in the card. That’s harder to do than it sounds so well done there. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at Shane Strickland’s rise to the top of the promotion. However, this last also caused him to be the target Salina de la Renta and her $60,000 bounty. Tonight Low Ki is trying to claim the money and the title. If nothing else, at least get get some more of Low Ki’s incredibly awesome voice.

Opening sequence.

Kiki Roberts vs. Kahuna Khan

This is a prospects match, meaning they’re trying to prove themselves. Kiki is rather flamboyant and Kahuna’s shirt says “I’m fat. Let’s party.” The bell rings and here are Su Yung and Zeda Zhang to lay them both out for the no contest at we’ll say 1:05.

The beatdown continues post match with Tony naming the team the Kodokushi (Lonely Death) Death Squad.

The Stud Stable comes up to Fred Yehi but Team Filthy comes in for the save. Lawlor hands him a shirt and Yehi accepts.

We recap Tom Lawlor vs. Jimmy Havoc, which started a few weeks ago (more than a few now actually) when Lawlor and company attacked Havoc. You don’t do that to a crazy man like Havoc, who has sworn revenge on Lawlor. That’s cool with Lawlor, who says bring it on.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Tom Lawlor

This is a grudge match, meaning No DQ. Havoc sends him straight to the floor for a suicide dive and grabs an early chair. Instead of taking it back inside though, Havoc sits him in the chair for a running eye poke in a funny spot. Havoc throws what looks like a piece of plywood at him and Lawlor is bleeding from the back. That sounds like a call for a cheese grater but Lawlor takes it away and carves up Havoc’s head instead.

Havoc throws him into the chairs to cut Lawlor off again as Lawlor is having trouble hanging in Havoc’s world. He can however find a staple gun to stab Havoc in the head, drawing even more blood. Lawlor even staples an envelope to Havoc’s head with Tony saying he’s digging this. Back in and Havoc grates Lawlor’s crotch so Tony starts giving recipes. I really shouldn’t be laughing at that but it got a nice chuckle. To be fair though, what other response are you supposed to have when someone runs a cheese grater over his opponent’s crotch?

Lawlor tosses him onto the chair with a release German suplex and Havoc has a good crimson mask going. A Death Valley Driver through a piece of plywood in the corner is broken up and Havoc pulls out a piece of paper to give Lawlor a paper cut. That’s….I think brilliant? Havoc does it again and then pulls out a lemon to make the cut burn.

Lawlor takes the pizza cutter away and carves up Havoc’s arm. Bocchini: “MAMA MIA!” Ok I chuckled. A backbreaker onto the side of a chair is a lot more serious and Havoc is down again. Havoc pops back up and hits the Rainmaker for the pin (with Lawlor looking up at the referee at two and putting his head back down) at 9:39.

Rating: B-. This is a hard one to grade as I’m not wild on the crazy violent matches but it suits Havoc quite well and they had more than enough unique spots to make it work. I can go for this a lot more when they surprised me with the ending. Lawlor was in over his head with someone this violent and while he’s been hot as of late, it didn’t make a lot of sense to have him beat someone ticked off and in their element. The blood was actually a bit refreshing too. If you’re going this violent, there are a few things you need and that’s at the top of the list.

Sami Callihan says he attacked Strickland last week. He’s not happy with what Shane has become because Shane has let the fans get in his head. Sami is coming for him.

Kotto Brazil and Barrington Hughes aren’t happy with Shane being attacked so often but Shane comes in to say he’s got this.

Quick Battle Riot preview.

Salina de la Renta has the money waiting for Low Ki. Low Ki is ready because he’s a professional.

MLW World Title: Low Ki vs. Shane Strickland

Shane is defending and coming in banged up. The champ’s entrance feels big and he’s coming off like a total star, which is exactly what they were going for with him. They have a lot of time here too, even after the Big Match Intros. A long staredown leads to Shane hammering away and taking Low Ki down with a judo throw. Low Ki goes with the kicks in the corner to take over and a headbutt has Shane in more trouble.

The pace slows a lot until Shane gets in a hard slap to the face to stagger Low Ki back a few steps. With the commentators comparing Strickland to John McClane (banged up but keeps fighting for more), Low Ki comes back with a vengeance by choking over the ropes. Shane chops away but a double stomp cuts him off again. Low Ki is doing more than the standard strikes here and that makes it so much easier than usual. The precision of the offense fits the Professional deal too.

Shane kicks him to the floor and hits a hurricanrana as he keeps fighting to hang in there, even while Low Ki is staying steady. The gear isn’t staying as steady though as Shane rips open Low Ki’s shirt and chops at the bare chest. A half and half suplex gets two on Low Ki but he counters a catapult into a middle rope double stomp. That was a sick landing. Shane kicks away and the rolling cutter gets two. The top rope stomp misses though and Shane’s bad knee is banged up even worse. A hard kick to the back of the head gives Low Ki the pin and the title at 13:17.

Rating: B. There was a great story here with Shane not being able to hang in there forever because Low Ki was too good and knew how to take Shane out when he was too banged up to properly defend the title. Low Ki picked him apart like a professional would and that made for a very good match with an even better story. I liked this a lot and Shane continues to look great.

Low Ki and Salina celebrate with Salina handing him the money to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. That’s pretty easily the best show they’ve had yet with two very good matches and a big moment to end the show. I still want to see where they go with Battle Riot, which really does seem to be getting a ton of focus. It was mentioned more here, but I don’t remember more than one or two wrestlers talking about the show. They had a very good TV show to build some momentum though and that’s a great sign. Solid show tonight and things are looking up.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #13
Date: July 13, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

We’re getting closer to Battle Riot and the build has been….I guess you could say unconventional so far. No one has really been talking about it but that might have something to do with the taping cycle, which would make sense. The good thing is I’m interested in the card because they’ve set up a nice cast of characters and I want to see where they go. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Before the show went on the air, Shane Strickland was attacked outside and taken to a hospital.

Stud Stable vs. Team TBD/Rhett Giddens

The Stud Stable (Dirty Blonds/Parrow here) has surprised me a lot on this show and Parrow is good for a resident midcard monster. The graphic messes up for Giddens, who stands 6’5 and weighs 260lbs by saying he weight 657lbs. Yuta and Patrick start things up with the former getting two off some rollups. An Octopus Hold (the Yuta Lock) doesn’t do much to Patrick so Cade tags himself in instead. Parrow comes in and Cade has the guts to go right after him, earning a toss into the corner.

Cade does the heelish crawl over to the much bigger Giddens so it’s time for the big forearm exchange. Parrow gets the better of it and drops a big backsplash but Giddens kicks him in the face. It’s back to Yuta to pick up the pace with some kicks to the head, only to have Parrow toss him into the air for a big crash. Brien comes in for a delayed suplex as the slow beating begins. Parrow grabs a torture rack (which should be a finisher for someone anytime soon) before Patrick comes back in for a chinlock.

Yuta sends Patrick into the corner though and scores with a high crossbody for the hot tag off to Cade. Everything breaks down in a hurry and we get more miscommunication between Yuta and Cade. Yuta goes up top while Cade is trying a backslide, making the confusion even worse. Brien breaks things up and powerslams Cade for the pin at 7:56.

Rating: C. The Stud Stable continues to surprise me as I really wasn’t a Colonel Parker fan back in the day but this group of big guys is working for me. The other thing I liked a lot here was something commentary did. Cade and Yuta are having problems. I know this because I’m watching the show and it’s really obvious. Commentary is treating the fans like they understand this and building off that obvious premise rather than saying stupid things like “Do you think Cade and Yuta are having problems?” That’s really nice for a change as WWE tends to treat its fans like complete morons more often than not.

Yuta yells at Cade, who walks away.

Announced for Battle Riot: Fulton, Fred Yehi and Homicide.

Barrington Hughes vs. Jaye Skye

Hughes splashes him from behind and hits a delayed belly to back suplex for the pin at 12 seconds. I’m not big on Hughes but the completely casual look on his face when he covers someone, as if to say “yeah I know I won” is good.

Low Ki did NOT attack Strickland before the show as he was known to be elsewhere.

Joey Janela vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Janela has Aria Blake with him. Friedman attacked Janela a few weeks back to set this up. Janela wastes no time in scoring with a Thesz press and some right hands, drawing a BAD BOY chant. A running boot in the corner doesn’t get to launch though as Friedman heads to the floor, meaning a big dive takes him down instead. Back in and Janela gets sent through the ropes, bouncing head first into the announcers’ area for a sick thud.

We take a break and come back with Janela hitting a dive to send Friedman into some chairs. Janela gets two off a Swanton Bomb but takes too long going up top, allowing Friedman to hit a top rope superplex for two of his own. With Janela in trouble, Aria offers a distraction so Friedman can grab a chair. Janela superkicks the chair right back into his face though and gets the pin at 7:51.

Rating: C. I still don’t quite get the big upside for Janela but this was his best match so far. If nothing else it sets him up as the first contender for the Middleweight Title, which Friedman is likely to win as I don’t think Joey Ryan has actually appeared on the show yet. Janela looked good here and as hot as he is at the moment, it’s a smart move to have him around here.

Post match Janela leaves with Blake, not seeming to notice that she did something a little questionable. Friedman blames both Blake and the blind referee. It’s not Blake’s fault though because she’s been influenced by a bad boy. A real man could fix that so here’s Janela to jump him from behind. Oh yeah that’s your first title program and that’s a good idea.

The injured Strickland is cleared to defend the title against Low Ki next week. That’s a snappy medical evaluation.

Jimmy Havoc says he hasn’t forgotten what Team Filthy did to him and he’s coming back for revenge. He has the table sat for Tom Lawlor’s last supper.

Tom Lawlor vs. Jake Hager

This is billed as UFC vs. Bellator, which isn’t the worst idea in the world. Colonel Parker introduces Hager as the man who rules the world. Well it worked twenty five years ago. Feeling out process to start with the much bigger Hager driving him into the corner. A running shoulder puts Lawlor down again and Parker is talking more trash than I’ve ever heard from him.

The gutwrench powerbomb is countered into a choke to bring Hager down That earns Lawlor a hard powerbomb for the break and a belly to belly/spinebuster out of the corner. It’s too early for the ankle lock so Hager goes with a basic leg crank instead. That’s reversed into a heel hook and a Hennig necksnap puts Hager down again.

A missed charge sends Hager shoulder first into the post and Lawlor changes things up with the strikes. That’s a nice touch for someone like Lawlor, who should be well rounded with the MMA style. A running knee is countered into the ankle lock and Parker is thrilled with the idea of a broken ankle. Lawlor rolls through into a rear naked choke but cue the Dirty Blonds for the DQ at 8:12.

Rating: C+. I like that ending as Lawlor is a top star and it’s clear that Hager is going to be a player around here as well. They had something going here too with the counters and the submissions, which is what you would expect out of a match like this. Lawlor seems ready to move up the ladder in a hurry and this was another good performance.

Post match the brawl is on until Parker calls the guys off. Lawlor implies that Parker has a certain dysfunction and promises to win Battle Riot.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty good show here, though there wasn’t a ton of hype from the wrestlers for Battle Riot. There have been a lot of promos for it, but I could go for more of the wrestlers talking about how excited they are for it or how they want to win the thing. Lawlor talked about it and that’s a nice touch, but he seemed to be one of the few who were interested. As for a regular show, good stuff but as a hype show for a bigger event, not as much.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #12
Date: July 6, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

We’re getting closer to Battle Riot, but it’s not exactly clear how that’s going to go with this promotion. I mean, the fact that we’re only about three months into things might have something to do with that. There are several stories to pick from around here so hopefully things continue to be the solid hour of wrestling that I’ve gotten used to. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Sami Callihan and company attacking everyone, mainly focusing on MVP. Tonight it’s a Boiler Room Brawl between MVP and Callihan. That sounds like a really, really bad idea.

Opening sequence.

ACH/Rich Swann vs. Team Filthy

The fans are WAY behind Swann and ACH here, which makes sense as they’re a rather good choice for a team. Swann nips out of Gotch’s wristlock to start as ACH is dancing along the apron like a bit of a nitwit. A dropkick puts Gotch down as Tony thinks Swann and ACH are one of the top ten teams in MLW. I’m having trouble thinking of five of them so we’ll chalk this up to Schiavone being Schiavone. Lawlor comes in and knees his way out of an armbar as the announcers start talking about 80s tag teams, none of whom really have anything in common with the teams in the match.

Lawlor sits in the middle of the ring and offers ACH a chance so it’s a dropkick to the face for two. It’s off to Swann for some dropkicks on Gotch, who pulls him down by the arm for an attempted cross armbreaker. That’s blocked as well but here are the Dirty Blonds for a staredown with Team Filthy. Swann and ACH dive onto the four of them but since we don’t have enough going on, here’s Jake Hager to throw Lawlor into the barricade. Back in and ACH’s brainbuster into a frog splash from Swann is enough for the pin on Gotch at 7:14.

Rating: C. Now that’s a bit better job at setting up a tag division. You have three teams here, plus the champs and another one or two, which gives you a few options for feuds. That’s already more impressive and well put together than almost anything WWE has done in years. When you consider the amount of names WWE has by comparison, there isn’t much of an excuse.

Salina de la Renta arrived earlier today, insulted an interviewer, and wouldn’t talk about the bounty.

Colonel Parker and Hager aren’t happy with what Lawlor did to his hat. Revenge is sworn.

Announced for Battle Riot: Aerostar, Maxwell J. Friedman, Leo Brien, Michael Patrick, Rey Fenix, Vandal Ortagun, Simon Gotch, Drago. That’s going to be a heck of a match. Also announced: Shane Strickland vs. Sami Callihan, the Lucha Bros defending against Aerostar/Drago, Jimmy Havoc vs. Brody King and PCO (Why is he such a big deal all of a sudden?) vs. Homicide.

Salina isn’t happy with Sammy Guevara and fired him from her hot tub.

Next week: Hager vs. Lawlor.

Lawlor says he’ll win.

Low Ki vs. Ricky Martinez

Low Ki runs him over at the bell and throws some right hands, already making this a more diverse offense than most of his matches. Some elbows in the corner rock Martinez even more as the announcers talk about Salina. A running dropkick sets up a kick to the head to give Ki the pin at 2:29. Total squash, as it should be.

In the back, Low Ki says it’s not about a bounty but about an investment. Strickland needs to spend time with his family before the public execution.

Barrington Hughes wants Leon Scott (one of Callihan’s goons) for the brawl a few weeks back.

Here’s this month’s top ten:

10. Barrington Hughes

9. Teddy Hart

8. Jimmy Havoc

7. Maxwell J. Friedman

6. ACH

5. Rey Fenix

4. Sami Callihan

3. Low Ki

2. Pentagon Jr.

1. Tom Lawlor

Strickland isn’t worried about the bounty because being the World Champion always means there’s a price on your head. Everyone has attacked him and if Low Ki is the next one up, bring it on.

MVP vs. Sami Callihan

Boiler Room Brawl. The room is tiny and Sami looks scared but since there is barely any room to hide, they’re off to the eye gouging in a hurry. Sami gets a cage door slammed on him a few times with Bocchini saying it’s shades of the Freebirds and the Von Erichs. I’ll yell about that later. They hit each other with more metal objects and Sami leaves, defeating the purpose of a Boiler Room Brawl.

MVP follows him into the hallway but Leon Scott jumps him, only to be taken down in short order. Cue Sawyer Fulton to offer another failed save as MVP kicks Callihan low. Sami hits him with a chair but gets hit in the face as this is already not doing much for me. They’re already in the arena because there was nowhere near enough room in the Boiler Room to make the gimmick mean anything. The fight heads into the crowd with MVP being sent into a post for very little effect.

Sami gets hit in the head with a beer bottle to even less effect. He sends MVP into various things, including the ring, but stops to throw some chairs inside. A piledriver onto the chair is blocked and MVP hits the Playmaker onto the chair, which really should just hurt his own knee instead of Callihan.

Since that’s the worst finisher I can think of at the moment, Callihan pops up and sends the chair into MVP’s hands (not even close to the head) for two of his own. It’s baseball bat time but MVP spears him down and grabs the bat. Cue the goons again and the distraction lets Callihan take the bat away again. The shoulder breaker gets two so MVP spits in his face, earning a bat to the head for the pin at 11:32.

Rating: F. It was somehow worse than I was expecting as they hit each other over and over with the boiler room part taking all of four minutes. This feud isn’t interesting and hasn’t been since it started, which isn’t exactly thrilling when you get a boring match as a result. Tony kept hyping up the idea of this being the first Boiler Room Brawl in about twenty years. Maybe there’s a reason it wasn’t around?

Overall Rating: D. If Low Ki is the best part of a show, you know they’re not doing things right. This was pretty easily the weakest show of the series, all because of the main event. Battle Riot is looking better though because of how stacked the card really is. Everyone has to have a bad show and MVP leaving soon is going to help. I was never a fan of the guy and it makes things better to not have him around. Really bad main event here and the show suffered as a result.

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