IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #93
Date: January 18, 2020
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, AJ Kirsch, Byron Saxton

It’s time for a big one as we wrap up the Opera Cup with a Hart Foundation clash. In a match that is in no way inspired by the European Title Tournament final from 1997 between Davey Boy Smith and Owen Hart, we have Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Brian Pillman Jr. Other than that we’re on the road to Fightland which could be an interesting night. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the history of the Opera Cup, which hasn’t been awarded in 71 years. We also see how both Smith and Pillman got to the finals as they’re making this into a big deal.

Opening sequence.

Middleweight Title: El Lindaman vs. Myron Reed

Reed is defending and earlier today, he talked about being like Cassius Clay because no one can control him. Lindaman goes straight with the power by driving Reed into the corner and hitting a Downward Spiral for two. The chinlock goes on before Lindaman goes with the stomps to the back. A Boston crab is loaded up but the rest of Injustice offers a distraction.

Back up and a quick Stunner sets up a springboard cutter into a reverse sitout gordbuster for two on Lindaman for a change. Reed tries another springboard but gets dropkicked out of the air, setting up something like a standing Iconoclasm for another near fall. That’s enough for Reed, who snaps him throat first across the top. The running cutter into the frog splash (with chest protector) retains Reed’s title at 7:05.

Rating: C. Lindaman is a smaller guy but he wrestles a stronger style, which is a very weird combination but he’s making it work. I’m not sure if the Strong Hearts are going to become a big deal around here but they’re good for some one off matches like this. Injustice has gone from little more than a joke to a nice stable so well done on upgrading themselves.

Brian Pillman Jr. says he has a bad shoulder injury but he isn’t about to drop out of the Opera Cup. The final isn’t going to be about the Hart Foundation and Pillman is going to show that he belongs in there.

Video on Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc in a barbed wire match next week. Warner is ready to make Havoc bleed.

King Mo wants the winner of the Opera Cup. For now though, he wants Jacob Fatu and the World Title.

We look back at Gino Medina joining the Dynasty in beating down Konnan.

The Dynasty introduce Gino to the Gift Train and give him his official card. Gino talks about Konnan being the former Hulk Hogan of Mexico, which sends Hammerstone into a mini rant about how Konnan has no tan and is the Hogan of nothing. They do a four way Dynasty pinkie swear. These guys grow on me every week.

It’s the Fightland Control Center, including Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Jimmy Havoc, Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Erick Stevens and the return of LA Park.

Savio Vega vs. Gino Medina

Street fight so the weapons are already in the ring. Vega talks about fighting for Konnan because it’s time for some revenge. The bell rings and Vega starts swinging the kendo stick to put Gino outside early. Gino gets posted and trashcan lidded down but he kicks a chair out of Savio’s hands. A trashcan goes over Savio’s head and Gino kicks it down for two. Some pizza trays to the head get Vega out of trouble but Gino knees him in the back of the head.

A slap to the face wakes Savio up again so he chops Gino down for two. That’s not exactly a hardcore move but Vega can barely move so I’ll take what I can get. Vega knocks him out to the floor, only to have a chair wrapped around his neck and rammed into the post. That’s only good for two so Savio tries a spinwheel kick but connects with more of an elbow for two instead. Vega knocks a chair away from Gino but here’s the Dynasty for a distraction, setting up a low blow into an enziguri for the pin on Vega at 8:35.

Rating: D. This was a rough one as Vega just isn’t very good these days. Granted that might be due to his age and I don’t see much of a point to putting him in the ring. It also doesn’t help that we’ve now seen two matches from Gino and neither have been all that good. Maybe he needs better opponents, but my hopes aren’t exactly high so far.

We look back at Tom Lawlor jumping the Von Erichs last week.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. talks about how important it is to win the Opera Cup. He is a bit surprised that Pillman made the finals and they are family. For tonight though, it’s all about winning.

The Opera Cup will be back next year.

Injustice has been kicked out of the building.

Opera Cup Finals: Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

Pillman has a very bad shoulder coming in. After the Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. Feeling out process to start with Pillman teasing a chop but backing up before he does anything. Pillman’s headlock keeps Smith down for a bit with Smith not being able to roll his way out of escaping. Smith gets up and slams him down, setting up a double arm crank.

This time it’s Pillman getting up and spinning around to crank on the arms as well. Pillman sends him outside for a kick to the chest and a springboard splash crushes Smith again. Smith is back with a whip into the barricade and some chops of his own as the power is becoming too much to maintain. Back in and we hit the chinlock, followed by a suplex and another chinlock.

Pillman has to grab a rope, which isn’t normally how you would get out of something like that. Smith slams him to set up a legdrop, only to miss the top rope legdrop. They trade some near falls but Pillman’s don’t have a ton of energy behind them. Another pinfall reversal sequence gives us more twos so Pillman connects with a low superkick.

Air Pillman connects for two in the first good near fall. Pillman misses the spinning crossbody though and the running powerslam gives Smith his own two. Now the top rope headbutt connects for two and Smith is stunned. A powerbomb gets the same and the Crossface goes on to finally go after Pillman’s arm. Pillman rolls him up for two but can’t break the hold, meaning he has to tap at 17:14.

Rating: B-. It was kind of hard to believe that Pillman was winning here as Smith has seemed to be the obvious choice for the tournament since it was announced. You know, because the cup literally belongs to him and everything. It was fine for a short tournament and there was a nice near fall off Air Pillman but it was just pretty good for the most part.

Post match Smith celebrates with the cup and hugs Pillman. More celebrating ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This felt like a pretty big TV show and I’ll take what I can get out of any weekly episode. The tournament was the big focus here and it was nice to see them having a good final. It isn’t likely to mean anything, but moving Smith up higher in the MLW ranks is a good thing. He’s a pretty complete package in the ring and while his promos could use some work, the wrestling is hard to ignore. There are some issues with some of the stories around here but they’re in a nice enough groove to get by on the good things that they have.

Results

Myron Reed b. El Lindaman – Frog splash

Gino Medina b. Savio Vega – Enziguri

Davey Boy Smith Jr. b. Brian Pillman Jr. – Crossface

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

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

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

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

Some wrestling news this week doesn’t give me hope for the future of some companies.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-enjoy-them-while-you-can/

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #89
Date: December 21, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: AJ Kirsch, Rich Bocchini

It’s the second week of the Opera Cup and that means we should be in for some more good wrestling. That’s the kind of thing that makes this show shine, with a show built around the action instead of their stories. The stories aren’t bad, but the roster is talented enough to make a tournament like this work. Let’s get to it.

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

The Dynasty arrived earlier today but didn’t want to answer questions about having to face off in the Opera Cup tonight. They always have a plan b.

Opening sequence.

Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc

Prince of Darkness (blindfold) match. They take forever to put the hoods on as the stalling is going to be strong with this one. The bell rings and they spend the first minute circling the ring, albeit with Warner taking no time in using the crowd to help spot Havoc. Warner finds the referee so Havoc avoids a charge in the corner as the lack of contact continues.

Havoc finally pulls the hood up to get in a cheap shot before stomping away in the corner. An elbow drop misses though and Warner hammers away as the announcers talk about how unlucky the referee is here. Havoc escapes and the referee has to get out of a DDT attempt. The hood comes off again so the distracted referee misses Priscilla Kelly coming in to hit Warner low. The Acid Rainmaker gives Havoc the pin at 3:38.

Rating: D-. The only good thing here was that it was short, as tends to be the case with this gimmick. What in the world was the point of this anyway? Yeah they hate each other, so let’s have a match where they can barely do anything? At least Havoc didn’t waste time before getting to the cheating, but a terrible match as it was always going to be in a blindfold match.

Tom Lawlor announces that the Team Filthy Dojo is open for business again but here’s Ross Von Erich for the brawl. Lawlor runs away.

Zero Hour is coming.

Post break, here’s the same thing you saw before the commercial.

Alexander Hammerstone doesn’t want to hear questions about problems in the Dynasty. He loves MJF more than he loves his turtle Frankie (that nearly cracks the interviewer up) and here is the rest of the Dynasty to give him some juice. They make fun of the interviewer’s Canadian accent because they’re proper heels.

Mance Warner isn’t happy with Priscilla Kelly so here are Jimmy Havoc and Kelly to jump him, this time with a chain. Havoc even stabs him in the head with some scissors. They’ll have a barbed wire match in Dallas.

Remember Zero Hour? Here’s the same ad for the show.

Gino Medina doesn’t want to answer questions but Salina de la Renta pulls him into a room.

MJF affirms his love for Hammerstone, who has the most important title in wrestling. So why does Hammerstone need the Opera Cup? Hammerstone doesn’t like the suggestion of throwing the match but here’s Holliday on the phone with his lawyer/father. This match is NOT going to happen.

The Strong Hearts are happy to be here but Contra jumps them.

We get the Zero Hour Control Center with only the barbed wire match being announced.

Opera Cup First Round: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Alexander Hammerstone

Non-title with Holliday at ringside. MJF says Hammerstone is going to lay down and even acts out the whole thing for an extra layer of realism. They exchange fingerpokes but MJF shoves him in the face, earning himself a hard shove. MJF is sent outside for the big dive with Hammerstone saying he’s the leader of the Dynasty. A missile dropkick sends MJF into the corner, only to have MJF send him face first into the buckle.

MJF throws on a bodyscissors and a knee to the ribs gets two. An abdominal stretch with a grab of the rope makes it even worse as the rather dense referee can’t figure out the cheating. He finally catches on and kicks the arm away, allowing Hammerstone to hiptoss his way to freedom.

There’s an overhead belly to belly to send MJF flying and a very delayed butterfly suplex gets two. Some pump kicks to the face stagger MJF but he gets in a superkick. One heck of a clothesline blasts MJF though and they’re both down. Holliday wants the match stopped and MJF gets in a low blow for two. MJF can’t hit a Cross Rhodes and it’s a sitout powerbomb (MJF: “OH S***!”) to give Hammerstone the pin at 8:14.

Rating: C. The wrestling wasn’t exactly the point here as it was all about Hammerstone breaking out on his own. That has seemed to be the endgame for a long time now and this was a step in that direction. They don’t need to split the team up just yet but dang it must be tempting to strap the rocket to Hammerstone’s back. The idea of him against Fatu has me salivating and that’s a nice feeling.

Post match MJF wants a handshake but collapses in a funny bit. Hammerstone leaves on his own.

Injustice doesn’t give a f*** about the Opera Cup but don’t think much of Stu Hart. They’ll take out someone in the tournament and do the New Day WHO WHO WHO bit until they realize that’s not their thing.

Von Erich and Lawlor fight on the streets of New York and the chase is on again.

Zero Hour. Again.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. says it’s cold here but it’s really cold in Calgary. He’s ready for Low Ki tonight. Stu Hart won the Opera Cup over seventy years ago and Smith is ready to live up to his legacy. Then it’s time for the World Title.

Opera Cup First Round: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Low Ki

They shake hands to start and we’re ready to go. Feeling out process to start with Smith going after the arm so Ki spins out and kicks his way to freedom. They go to the mat (you knew that was coming) and that’s a quick standoff. Smith takes him down with a headlock and gets a few near falls.

Ki fights up and snaps the arm across the top rope to take over. That just earns him a hard forearm off the apron though as there is little that works better than hitting someone in the face. A ram into the apron starts in on Ki’s back and we hit the chinlock back inside. The bearhug goes on instead as we get a better showcase of the power advantage.

That’s broken up and Ki kicks him in the face to get a breather. A running dropkick through the ropes has Smith in more trouble but he’s fine enough to send Ki into the barricade. Smith presses him back over the ropes and gets two off a powerslam. Some knees to the chest are shrugged off and Ki powerslams him for a change of pace. Ki grabs a choke from behind but Smith flips him forward into a cradle for the pin at 12:11.

Rating: B. This was the kind of technical match that you would have expected and a great showcase for Smith. He is someone who you could see being a top star if he can get the charisma going as he is just so good in the ring. The fact that it ended in a clean pinfall was a nice surprise as well, giving us a very solid main event.

Post match, Low Ki shows respect.

Ross chases Lawlor some more but Lawlor escapes on a train to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They did it the right way again this week with the wrestling being the focal point. If you get rid of that nightmare of an opening match, you have a heck of a show. As it is, you have a rather nice show and one that lets you see how bright the future can be around here. Just get rid of some of the weaker stuff and they’re in business. In other words, STOP HAVING HAVOC VS. WARNER ALREADY! But yeah, nice job this week for the most part.

Results

Jimmy Havoc b. Mance Warner – Acid Rainmaker

Alexander Hammerstone b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Sitout powerbomb

Davey Boy Smith Jr. b. Low Ki – Cradle

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling Fusion

Fusion #88
Date: December 14, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: AJ Kirsch, Rich Bocchini

It’s tournament time as MLW is dusting off the Opera Cup. Now you may not have heard of the Opera Cup but that could be because it hasn’t been around in about seventy years. Stu Hart was the most recent winner but Davey Boy Smith Jr. had possession of the trophy and is willing to put it up in this tournament. Tonight starts the opening round so let’s get to it.

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

We open with Injustice in the ring ranting about something but their microphone gets cut. Apparently they’re mad about not being in the Opera Cup tournament, though they are alternates. They have a seat in the ring in protest but here’s King Mo, scheduled for the opening match, to interrupt. With Mo’s manager Dan Lambert on commentary, Mo is ready to fight here’s ACH to even things up a bit and I think you know where this is going.

ACH/King Mo vs. Injustice

It’s Jordan Oliver/Kotto Brazil for the team. Injustice jumps them from behind to start in a hurry but ACH sends Brazil into Oliver as we settle down into something a little more structured. Some dropkicks have Injustice in even more trouble and a double hiptoss to Brazil makes it even worse.

ACH comes back in but gets pulled to the floor so Injustice can take over for the first time. Oliver holds ACH in the corner, setting up Brazil’s running shot to the face. A front facelock cuts off ACH’s charge to the corner and things slow back down a bit. Brazil grabs a Sharpshooter to send ACH over to the ropes and it’s a hard clothesline to drop Oliver. The hot tag brings in Mo and it’s time to clean house in a hurry.

Brazil is smart enough to cut that off in a hurry with a hurricanrana into an enziguri from Oliver. Not that it matters though as Mo spears both of them at once as everything breaks down. ACH kicks away, including a basement dropkick to Brazil. A Stinger Splash/enziguri combination sets up a sitout gutwrench powerbomb to Brazil. Mo slaps on a kneebar to make Brazil tap at 10:35.

Rating: C. I’ve never been a fan of Mo but he has looked great so far in MLW, mainly because he is coming off as a mixed martial artist who is learning to wrestle rather than a mixed martial artist who is doing wrestling between fights. ACH looked good as well, but that’s always the case when he’s in the ring and not ranting about various things.

Here are the Opera Cup brackets:

Davey Boy Smith Jr.

Low Ki

Alex Hammerstone

Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Timothy Thatcher

Richard Holliday

Brian Pillman Jr.

TJP

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Konnan and Gino Medina had a meeting.

The Dynasty has some coffee but it’s GIFT TRAIN time! They are ready for the greatest Hanukkah SLASH Christmas ever. MJF has actually gotten Holliday the giant Air Pods and Holliday is in tears. They’re not connected to Blu-Tooth but Holliday has a present for MJF: Max Mini, as in a miniature version of MJF (not a mini luchador cameo alas). MJF isn’t pleased and has Hammerstone get rid of him. These guys are still gold together.

Video on the Opera Cup.

Opera Cup First Round: Timothy Thatcher vs. Richard Holliday

Holliday shoves him in the face to start and that’s just not a good idea as he’s quickly suplexed down. Thatcher starts pounding away but a suplex into a swinging neckbreaker (the 2008, because it’s a recession for Thatcher) gives Holliday a breather. Thatcher shrugs off some shots to the head though and grabs a half crab. That’s switched into an ankle lock so Holliday rolls him into the corner.

Some forearms to the chest rock Holliday again but he scores with a quick DDT. A backbreaker and spinebuster give Holliday two more and he’s getting frustrated. Thatcher grabs a spinning butterfly suplex for two of his own and he takes Holliday up. That means a spinning 2008 to drop Thatcher….but he pulls Holliday into a Fujiwara armbar for the fast tap at 10:03.

Rating: C+. This took some time to get going but what matters is Thatcher winning while Holliday also looked good. I know MJF has the talking abilities and Hammerstone looked great with all the power, but Holliday is a very polished performer of his own. I could go for more of him on his own, along with more Thatcher wins.

Salina de la Renta talks to Gino Medina as well.

Mance Warner wants a Prince of Darkness (blindfold) match with Jimmy Havoc. Fine, just END THIS already.

Zero Hour ad, featuring Jimmy Havoc vs. Mance Warner in a barbed wire match. So yeah we have at least two more matches.

The Von Erichs vent to their dad about Tom Lawlor. Kevin says he’s been there with a bunch of people turning on him over the years and it’s always about money. Go get revenge in the ring.

Josef Samael says Ikuro Kwon is on a special mission in Japan so Contra soldiers around the world are rising up.

The Strong Hearts are coming from OWE and want Contra. Remember when these people were supposed to be a big part of AEW?

Opera Cup First Round: TJP vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

Pillman works on the arm to start so TJP spins around a lot and grabs an anklescissors to take over. A headlock takeover works a bit better for Pillman, so TJP gets on his own shoulders….and crawls out to make Pillman look a little foolish. They both miss big kicks to the head and that means a standoff for some applause from the crowd.

A headscissors puts Pillman on the floor and a springboard slingshot dropkick knocks him silly. Back in and TJP starts some rapid fire kicks to the chest, setting up a Muta Lock to make it worse. That’s quickly countered into a chinlock so TJP lets go in a smart move. TJP slips out and cranks on the arm but Pillman grabs a powerslam for two of his own. A tornado DDT plants Pillman but TJP can’t follow up.

Air Pillman is broken up with a kick to the floor and the kneebar has Pillman in even more trouble. With Pillman getting too close to the ropes, TJP switches over to an STF but that’s broken up as well. Some kicks to the arm and ribs have Pillman rocked again so he comes back with a superkick. TJP grabs the Detonation Kick but Pillman ducks, setting up the Dire Promise for the pin at 13:24.

Rating: C+. That’s one of Pillman’s best singles matches to date, though some of that is likely due to being in there against TJP. What matters is the fact that he had the match he needed to have and it looked pretty good in the process. Pillman is still very young in his career and getting in ring time against quality competition like this is the best thing that he can do. The athleticism is there and if he can get everything else going for him, he’s going to be more than fine.

Overall Rating: B-. This is one of those matches where they set things up and just had some nice wrestling throughout. Yeah it helps when you have a tournament, but in addition to the wrestling, you also have various factions and groups lining up. Some of them seem interested in going after Contra too, which is the point of a show: going after the World Title. I know that sounds simple, but sometimes going simple is the best thing they can do. Nice show here, and one of the better they’ve had in some time.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #85
Date: November 23, 2019
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: AJ Kirsch, Rich Bocchini

We’re still in Orlando tonight but things should be interesting as the main event is Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc in a Falls Count Anywhere match, which very well may go anywhere. I’m not sure what to expect from the match but hopefully it can live up to the hype. Let’s get to it.

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

Marshall Von Erich has been attacked by a masked man. That’s quite the epidemic in wrestling.

Opening sequence.

Tom Lawlor has signed a new deal to end all of those issues.

Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc

Falls Count Anywhere. Mance jumps him during the entrance and slams a chair into Havoc as they fall down the steps. A beer can to the head has Havoc in trouble but Warner’s chop hitting a steel post evens things up a bit. Jimmy grabs a pair of chairs but Mance hits him in the head with one of them before loading up various pieces of plunder.

Alex Hammerstone and Richard Holliday are by the pool with Hammerstone working on his Hogan tan. Holliday still wants to know what the big present is, with guesses of a big egg (Hammerstone: “No one would give a big egg on Thanksgiving!”) and giant Air Pods. Whatever it is, Holliday gets it on Thanksgiving.

Zeda Zhang vs. Spider Lady

There is no info on Spider Lady, who wears a mask and has big eyes. We’re not getting a handshake to start so Spider goes for the eyes to take Zhang into the corner. Zhang glares her back and hits some strikes to the chest as we hear about Spider sending harassing phone calls to Zhang over the week. A half crab takes Zhang down but she’s in the ropes in a hurry. The leg gets wrapped around the rope as this is already not going well. The Mandible Claw of all things goes on with Zhang in the rope and that’s a DQ at 4:37.

Rating: D. Yeah this really didn’t work and that was clear about a minute in. It was a match that was happening and just happened to have women involved with nothing interesting. I know they’ve waited a long time to get to the women’s division and I’m just not sure if this company needs it. Not a good match and hopefully that is going to get a lot better in the future.

Post match the Spider Lady unmasks as….Priscilla Kelly, who puts the Claw on Zhang again and beats up the referee.

Warner pulls up to Havoc’s apartment complex and goes inside, with an exchange of cookie sheet shots to the head. They fight into the bathroom where Warner puts Havoc’s head in the toilet for a flush. Havoc is back with some frying pan shots and a shoe to the head but the chase is on again. The fight goes outside again with the car chase starting for a second time. Of note: Havoc’s apartment is perfectly normal, which even commentary noted as being a surprise.

Marshall Von Erich is out of next week’s title match, with his brother Ross replacing him.

Here are the brackets for the Opera Cup:

Davey Boy Smith Jr.

Shinjiro Otani

Alex Hammerstone

Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Timothy Thatcher

Richard Holliday

Brian Pillman Jr.

TJP

Priscilla Kelly is here to shock people, as only she can do. She is here to get inside all of the women’s heads and question their sanity.

National Openweight Title: Alex Hammerstone vs. Douglas James

Hammerstone is defending and Holliday is on commentary. James goes with some early rollups for two each before hitting a dropkick. A cutter gets two and it’s time to kick away at Hammerstone’s chest. Hammerstone powers him into the corner though and starts slugging away, setting up a very delayed butterfly suplex.

Another kick to the chest gets James out of trouble for a second but Hammerstone kicks him in the face to stop that in a hurry. We hit a quickly broken bearhug, followed by a good looking overhead belly to belly for two on James. Hammerstone’s superplex is countered into a German suplex off the top, setting up a running flip DDT (cool….I think) for two more. A running Meteora gets two more as the fans are getting into this one.

Hammerstone slams him off the top though and it’s a bicycle kick into a release German suplex. The Batista Bomb gets two and a reverse FU gets the same as Hammerstone is getting frustrated. For some reason James slaps him in the face, setting up the Nightmare Pendulum to retain Hammerstone’s title at 9:30.

Rating: C. This had no business to be good and while the title change wasn’t ever a real possibility, it was nice to see Hammerstone showing off everything that he could do out there. He’s an athletic freak and has the look to back it up so seeing him get to bust out all those big moves was a rather good use of him. James looked fine too and takes a good beating, which can keep you around for a long time.

Havoc and Warner arrive at….Full Sail University. This could go in a variety of ways.

We run down the Thanksgiving show.

Tom Lawlor says he re-signed to get the World Title back. Oh and the Von Erichs are great.

The fight is on in the Full Sail parking lot, with the driver of the car Warner stole, apparently his uncle, throwing moonshine in Havoc’s eyes. Warner rolls him up for two but Havoc is back with some bites to the ears. Havoc gets thrown into Warner’s uncle’s car and Warner chokes away in the backseat. Havoc: “THIS IS KIDNAPPING!” Warner: “I KNOW BABY! I DONE IT A COUPLE OF TIMES BEFORE!”

MLW is working with AAA. And yes, we did just jump from kidnapping to this with very little transition.

Warner wedges a chair into the corner but gets sent face first into another one. A Death Valley Driver through the board and another onto the thumbtacks give Havoc two. Havoc drives a fork into the head but misses the Acid Rainmaker, allowing Warner to roll him up for the pin at 44:56 (going by the timer on YouTube as this whole show hit some time warp).

Rating: C. I have no idea how to rate something like this as it wasn’t a match and there was a lot of stuff going on throughout the entire thing, but then the time mess took me out of a lot of it. That being said, they were creative with the apartment and the Full Sail deal thankfully wasn’t a disaster, so I’ll put it right in the middle. This is one where your mileage is going to vary quite a bit, but it could have been FAR worse.

Post match Havoc attacks him with the fork, because THIS IS GOING TO CONTINUE.

Contra is ready for Thanksgiving and have something special planned for the Von Erichs.

Overall Rating: C-. I’m not sure what to think about this show. You have the big, show long angle, the bad women’s match and the rather nice Hammerstone match, plus the Von Erich attack. It wasn’t a bad show, but it was the kind of show where it felt like they were trying something different and it didn’t quite work. What they did was different though, and that’s the kind of welcome change that you need around a wrestling company every now and then. Points for trying, but not so many for execution.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Saturday Night SuperFight
Date: November 2, 2019
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: AJ Kirsch, Rich Bocchini

So this is a big deal as MLW is having its first pay per view. This is something that is a long time in the making and the card actually looks pretty good. The main event is LA Park challenging Jacob Fatu for the World Title in a match that could be anywhere between a disaster or a blast. Other than that, all three titles are on the line and we should be in for some good stuff.

Since we have to have more wrestling all the time, there is an hour long pre-show, which basically serves as this week’s Fusion but isn’t listed as such.

We open with a long recap of the big stories, which is always a good way to start.

Pre-Show: Leo Brien vs. Savio Vega

Feeling out process to start with Savio’s hammerlock being the big thrill of the first minute. They fight over said hammerlock and then yell at each other a bit, followed by a trade of slaps. Savio’s jumping kick to the…..chest I guess, sends Brien outside. That goes nowhere and it’s Brien hitting a knee in the corner to take over. A suplex sets up a chinlock for a short while until Savio fights up, only to get kicked in the face. There’s a spear to drop Vega again but Brien misses a middle rope elbow. Vega fights back but the referee gets distracted, allowing Brien to get in a bell shot. The big elbow finishes Vega at 6:57.

Rating: D+. I know Vega is a name and is working backstage but that doesn’t mean he should be in the ring. He certainly wasn’t a disaster but there really wasn’t anyone else they could have put out there? It’s not like he has a lot of value so the win doesn’t exactly mean much for Brien. They’re pushing someone new though and that’s a good sign.

Post match Brien goes after him again but gets spinwheel kicked down. Vega gets in some kendo stick shots and stands tall. Well tall enough at least.

Video on Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc in the Stairway to Hell match. Havoc has gone all violent so Warner whipped out a chainsaw and wants barbed wire hanging above the ring this time. And we’ll throw in Bestia 666 in just for a bonus.

Gino Medina is….here tonight actually.

Gino Medina vs. Air Wolf

Gino is billed as a Latin heartthrob. They go to the mat to start and get a grand total of nowhere early on. A rollup gives Medina two and he shoves Wolf down by the mask. Wolf gets in a headscissors and a dropkick for his own two so Medina comes back with an enziguri. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Wolf sends him into the bottom corner for a 619. An exchange of kicks to the head goes to Wolf but Medina hits a running knee in the corner. Eat Defeat (with a wide gap between the foot and the jaw) finishes Wolf at 4:17.

Rating: D+. Medina didn’t showcase himself very well here while Wolf looked like a future star, as has been the case multiple times now. That being said, you can’t judge someone off of one match but this was pretty disappointing, especially after all of the weeks of vignettes about Medina. Hopefully the next one is better, which is certainly a possibility.

MJF gives Richard Holliday his sunglasses.

SuperFight rundown.

Cue Injustice to protest….or maybe advertise….the fact that they are on the pay per view.

Hijo de LA Park vs. Zenshi

Salina de la Renta is here with Park. Zenshi starts fast and flips in for a hurricanrana to put Park on the floor. That means a crazy high dive but Salina grabs Zenshi’s leg, allowing Park to score with an enziguri. The suicide dive drops Zenshi and Park gets in a chair shot as Salina yells at the referee….who can see the chair shots. Zenshi gets crotched on the barricade as I continue to wonder why this referee exists.

That’s good for a very delayed two and it’s time for some stomping. Zenshi kicks at the legs and hits a 619 over the top into a neckbreaker for two. Salina breaks up another springboard attempt but this time Zenshi is fine enough to sweep the leg into a slingshot corkscrew hilo for two more. Park is right back with a running corner dropkick and a Code Red gets two.

They head up top with Park hitting a super Spanish Fly, only to get enziguried right back down. Just to show off, Zenshi hits (ok with with me here) a crazy long flip dive coast to coast diagonally across the ring. It only grazes Park’s leg but dang that was almost incredible. Park is back with another kick to the head though and a belly to back package piledriver is good for the pin on Zenshi at 7:53.

Rating: C. Zenshi is another one of the names around here who could become something if they are given a bit of a push. Park may not be for everyone but he has the cool costume like his dad but minus about 50lbs. His matches have been fine enough though and he could become something as well, given how his stuff with Salina is going fairly well.

Post match Salina addresses the ladies and gentlemarks and naturally switches from English to Spanish because that’s what you do in a promo if you speak both languages. Cue Contra for their match, but Salina of course won’t get out of the ring because she’s rather stubborn. Thankfully she gets the hint and bails before getting killed.

Contra vs. Douglas James/Dominic Garrini vs. Spirit Squad

That would be Kwon/Gotch for Contra and Ken/Mikey for the Squad. Before the opponents come out, Gotch pounds a chair against the floor for no logical reason. The Squad is from the University of Parts Unknown (the Dean better be named Douglas) and they are JACKED. Ken and James start things off with the former grabbing a headlock, allowing him to take James down and strike the pose.

Some elbows keep James in trouble until Kwon tags himself in and gets a hard dropkick from James. Mikey gets in a hair pull from the apron and everything breaks down in a hurry with the fight heading to the floor. James and Kwon chop it out in the ring until Kwon dives onto the pile. Back in and Garrini pulls Mikey down into a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up and Ken gets in a cheap shot of his own from the apron to take over again.

A snapmare faceplant gives Mikey two on Garrini and it’s Gotch coming in to stomp on Garrini as well. Garrini gets in a suplex to drop Gotch and it’s Kwon coming in to face Ken. James tags himself in and starts kicking people in the face, one of which makes Ken DDT Kwon. Everything breaks down and Garrini break sup whatever the Squad had planned and grabs a choke on Ken. The referee breaks that up and Kwon mists Mikey, setting up the piledriver from Gotch for the pin at 6:43.

Rating: C. Contra should NOT be having this much trouble against the Spirit Squad and a thrown together team. I’m not sure why they needed to take this long for what should have been a squash. Their teammate is the World Champion and the team as a whole was in the main event of the most recent major show. It wasn’t long or bad but it was set up wrong.

The announcers preview the card one more time to wrap up the preshow.

The opening video is your standard, yet well done, preview.

Opening sequence, complete with graphics identifying the wrestlers in each match. How nice that is for a change.

Tag Team Titles: Dynasty vs. Von Erichs

The Dynasty is defending and this is Texas Tornado. Hold on though as MJF grabs the mic to tell the fans that they need to shut up and that the Von Erichs suck, plus a mocking of the Claw. Richard Holliday calls the Von Erichs fake Texans who live in Hawaii and you know those are fighting words.

The Von Erichs hit the ring and send the champs outside with some fast double dropkicks, only to be sent into the barricade on the floor. MJF tears up a sign and hits Marshall in the head with the bell as the beating continues. Ross gets taken inside and a lifting swinging neckbreaker gets two. A double armbar makes things even worse until Ross sends the champs together.

Marshall comes back in with a double clothesline, setting up stereo Cannonballs in the corner. Something like a double powerbomb gets two on Holliday but he’s fine enough to superplex Ross down. MJF’s top rope splash connects for two with Marshall having to moonsault in for the save. The Claw/belly to back suplex combination finishes MJF at 9:46.

Rating: C. This was a pretty basic match that seemed designed to protect the still very green Von Erichs. That is the right play too as you don’t want them going out there and looking terrible in one of their biggest matches to date. Just let them get in, do their stuff, and win the titles for the feel good moment, as they did here.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. fires up Brian Pillman Jr. for his match against Low Ki.

Injustice vs. Gringo Loco/Septimo Dragon/Puma King

Lucha rules but hang on as we need to check Injustice for weapons. With that out of the way, the big brawl is on and everyone heads to the floor. Back in and Loco and Oliver trade misses before heading outside again. Dragon and Reed come in with Dragon hitting a running Spanish Fly. It’s King with a few superkicks and a faceplant to Kotto and a reverse powerbomb makes it even worse.

Double moonsaults from Dragon and Loco and a double reverse gorilla press slam puts Oliver back down. The dives are on and the fans certainly seem to approve. Back in and it’s King and Dragon being sent outside so Injustice can suplex Loco down. Brazil’s Sling Blade gets two but Oliver’s top rope hurricanrana is countered into a sitout powerbomb for the double knockdown.

Everything breaks down again and Dragon’s top rope double stomp crushes Reed. Loco’s Tombstone gets two on Reed and it’s some very hard dives from Injustice. Reed hits his running jumping over the top cutter on Loco, setting up the standing Sliced Bread on Dragon. Brazil adds the springboard 450 for the pin at 10:16.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure how smart of an idea it was to have the first two matches both be wild fights but Injustice is getting somewhere as a midcard heel stable. Some of the dives and flips looked really good here and I was getting into the match by the end, which I wouldn’t have expected from Injustice. Nice addition here and a good way to keep the crowd going.

We recap Austin Aries vs. Teddy Hart for the Middleweight Title. Hart has been champion for a long time but Aries is here to show that he is the greatest middleweight in the world. He gave Hart a brainbuster onto the apron to knock him cold so Hart is here to retain the title and get some revenge.

Middleweight Title: Teddy Hart vs. Austin Aries

Hart is defending and has Mr. Velvet the cat with him. Aries hits the suicide dive before the bell (common theme tonight) and we’re ready to go in a hurry. Well Hart isn’t ready but that’s kind of the point. Aries can’t hit a brainbuster on the floor but he can hit a missile dropkick for two inside. They’re already back on the floor with Hart hammering away but barely being able to stand.

Back in and Hart hits his springboard spinning legdrop for two to send Aries outside again. Aries grabs the Death Valley Driver onto the apron to mess up Hart’s head even more, setting up the slingshot hilo for two. It’s off to a leglock of all things, though Aries does put a foot on Hart’s head to make it worse. A middle rope elbow to the jaw gets two and the Last Chancery goes on.

That doesn’t last long either so it’s Hart coming back with shots to the face and a Backstabber. A belly to back gets two but Hart hits his head again. Aries scores with the discus forearm to take right back over but spends too much time talking trash, allowing Hart to hit a Project Ciampa out of the corner. Hart puts him on top, only to come back with the sunset bomb for two.

The Last Chancery goes on in full, sending Hart on the slow crawl to the rope. Hart’s super Canadian Destroyer is countered with a crotching and now the brainbuster connects….for two. Aries freaks, as he probably should given how protected that move really is. Hart rolls outside and ducks the suicide dive to send Aries face first into the barricade. Aries has to be muscled back inside and he grabs a quick rollup for two, only to get caught with the Canadian Destroyer to retain Hart’s title at 18:32.

Rating: B. They took their time here and set up a good story with a better match to make it the best thing on the show so far. Hart was fighting through his injury and still managing to pull off the win, which was arguably an upset, in the end. I’m rather surprised that Aries lost, mainly because I have no idea who is supposed to take the title off of Hart now.

Josef Samael congratulates Hart on his win but says he has a target on him. So that’s what’s next for Hart. Anyway, Jacob Fatu will retain the World Title tonight.

The women’s division is coming.

Low Ki vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

Ki offered some advice to Pillman and got blown off, setting this up. Pillman starts fast with the chops in the corner and hits the running slap for a bonus. They head outside with Pillman striking away as they walk around ringside. Ki gets the better of the striking (well duh) and it’s a kick to the chest to set up the Figure Four necklock back inside.

Some kicks to the face set up a chinlock on Ki, followed by a spinning chop to the back of the neck. A powerslam gives Pillman two but the double arm neckbreaker is broken up. Ki kicks him in the head a few times and the referee might want to stop this. Pillman fights up and wants to fight so it’s the rolling Liger kick to knock him cold for the stoppage at 8:12.

Rating: C. This was shorter than I was expecting and it was just ok. It felt like a big TV match more than a pay per view one but at least they are getting something with Ki being all angry and violent. Pillman is still pretty green and needs ring time, but one of the good things about this place is being able to have him in there with a bunch of different styles. It certainly wasn’t bad and while it could have had more time for the story to develop, it went the way it should have.

MLW is partnering with AAA. That’s a good thing for MLW as the star power and more variety are nice additions.

Tom Lawlor vs. Timothy Thatcher

They’re both shoot style guys and Thatcher challenged him for the fight. Thatcher also has Douglas James with him. They slug it out to start with Thatcher being knocked outside and the fight heading out there as well. Lawlor’s guillotine is countered with a ram into the barricade and they head back inside for some attempts at pulling on limbs.

Thatcher kicks him in the head and gets a bow and arrow hold, only to be reversed into a blocked cross armbreaker. The half crab works better on Lawlor but he’s out in a few seconds, setting up a seated strike off. Lawlor gets in a Figure Four but Thatcher rolls over into the ropes pretty quickly.

We go old school with an airplane spin to make Thatcher dizzy, though he’s fine enough to pick the ankle. Lawler gets to the ropes to save his arm and it’s time to slug it out again. Thatcher hits a belly to belly so Lawlor hits one of his own for the double knockdown. They head outside again with Thatcher being sent into the barricade this time and then getting chopped around ringside.

Back in and some YES Kicks have Thatcher in more trouble but he’s right back with a butterfly suplex. The Fujiwara armbar goes on but this time Lawler reverses with a German suplex. Thatcher gets in his own suplex so Lawlor grabs a Tombstone for two. They both grab arms with Lawlor hitting a pumphandle suplex for two. That’s enough for Lawlor as he unloads with strikes to make Thatcher cover up, meaning it’s time for the rear naked choke to give Lawlor the win at 15:27.

Rating: B. That’s the kind of match that they were supposed to have and it was rather entertaining. These guys beat each other up with strikes and submissions until one of them won. They even told a nice story with Thatcher being the one who believed he could hang with Lawlor, only to find out that he was in over his head because Lawlor was a professional fighter who knew exactly what to do in this situation. Heck of a fight too.

Post match Thatcher is busted open but Lawlor says he can do anything he wants around here because MLW is going to stay filthy.

We recap Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc….and vs. Bestia 666, who is here after Havoc attacked his father in a bit of a forced addition. Anyway this is Stairway to Hell with barbed wire above the ring and anything goes, with wins coming by pinfall or submission.

Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Bestia 666

Warner and Bestia start brawling on the floor to start with Warner getting the better of it, only to head outside to poke Havoc in the eye. Bestia’s dive is cut off by a trashcan to the head, followed by the staple gun to Havoc’s crotch. Mance goes outside and gets some dollar bills from the audience to staple to various parts of Havoc. You know, like Thesz used to do to Gotch.

It’s Warner up first to get the barbed wire but a double teaming takes it away. Havoc rips up Warner’s face and it’s time for the barbed wire to be put on a trashcan. A suplex sends Warner through both of them but Havoc sends Bestia into the announcers’ table (Rich: “ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? HOW MANY TIMES???”). Back in and Bestia backbreakers him onto the edges of two open chairs, only to have Havoc get up and slam him off the ladder onto the same edges in your HOW IS HE MOVING spot of the march.

Warner comes back in and takes the wire to the head, followed by the wire going into Bestia’s crotch. Back up and Warner’s lariat hits Havoc but Bestia superkicks Warner down. Bestia mocks the kneepad up, kneepad down before bridging a door between two chairs. You don’t mock kneepads though and Warner superplexes Bestia through the door for the pin at 14:02.

Rating: C. This is another case where your mileage may vary but what matters here is keeping the violent insanity to one match instead of doing it over and over. This was your designated violence match and while it didn’t go as far as some others (that’s a good thing), it felt like a lot of violence for the sake of violence. I’m also not big on the feud continuing as Bestia was tacked on to take the fall, but that’s wrestling for you.

Post match Havoc jumps Warner and piledrives him onto a piece of the barricade. An Acid Rainmaker leaves Warner laying.

There will be a special Fusion on Thanksgiving. Just what the world was waiting for.

We recap Alexander Hammerstone vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. They’re the hoss monsters of their respective groups and this has been built for a long time. Hammerstone even hooked up with Smith’s sister to get in his head, which seemed to work well.

National Openweight Title: Alex Hammerstone vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

Smith is challenging. Davey shoves him away to start before headlocking Hammerstone down. The arm cranking begins with Smith working on one arm and then both at once for a bonus. Hammerstone can’t power out of it so it’s off to the ropes instead. The choking in the corner doesn’t get Hammerstone very far so he hits a delayed vertical suplex.

Smith pops right back up and waits for Hammerstone to turn around in a good visual. We see how it’s really done to send Hammerstone outside, setting up a ram into the barricade. Back in and Hammerstone pulls the turnbuckle pad off but Smith hammers away in the corner instead of eating steel. Hammerstone slugs right back and even hits a missile dropkick for two. He takes too long going up though and it’s a superplex, setting up a Swan Dive for two on the champ.

They take turns no selling release German suplexes so Smith rolls some German suplexes for another near fall. Smith can’t get the Crossface as the Dynasty comes out for a distraction. Hammerstone sends him into the exposed buckle for two and the shock is real. Smith is right back up but can’t get the running powerslam. Instead he tries an O’Connor roll but Hammerstone reverses into his own rollup and grabs the rope to retain at 13:29.

Rating: B-. I wasn’t feeling the ending but at least Smith was protected and didn’t lose clean here. Hammerstone is a genuine monster and whoever beats him is going to get a heck of a rub. I didn’t like the ending though as it felt out of place in the match after two guys beat each other up for so long. It was good while it lasted, but I could have gone with a hotter finish.

Post match Smith is ticked.

Quick recap of LA Park vs. Jacob Fatu for the World Title. Park won Battle Riot II to get a title shot so it’s time to cash in. This has turned into Promociones Dorado vs. Contra, which is quite the fight.

MLW World Title: LA Park vs. Jacob Fatu

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

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

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

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

Overall Rating: B+. This is a case of the show having nothing bad and being under some good circumstances. MLW has come a long way in about a year and a half and they gave us a good first pay per view here. Almost all of the wrestling was completely watchable to very good and the stories got to pay off in a logical way. On top of that we also got some stuff to set up the future. This was a really nice success and I hope people bought it to see what MLW can do.

Results

Von Erichs b. Dynasty – Claw/belly to back suplex combination to Friedman

Injustice b. Septimo Dragon/Gringo Loco/Puma King – Springboard 450 to Dragon

Teddy Hart b. Austin Aries – Canadian Destroyer

Low Ki b. Brian Pillman Jr. via referee stoppage

Tom Lawlor b. Timothy Thatcher – Rear naked choke

Mance Warner b. Jimmy Havoc and Bestia 666 – Superplex through a door to Bestia

Alex Hammerstone b. Davey Boy Smith Jr. – Rollup with a grab of the rope

Jacob Fatu b. LA Park – Double jump moonsault

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #78
Date: October 5, 2019
Location: Nytex Sports Center, North Richland Hills, Texas
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

It’s time to go back to the middleweight division as Brian Pillman Jr. is out for revenge after Austin Aries took out Teddy Hart last month. We seem to be gearing up for Aries vs. Hart at SuperFight in just under a month, which should be a heck of a match. Other than that, we could be in for a variety of things on this one. Let’s get to it.

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

Magnus/Septimo Dragon vs. LA Park/El Hijo de LA Park

Even Rich seems impressed with Salina and….well yeah. We get some respect shown before the match but the Parks turn on them in a hurry to start the beatdown. Septimo gets chaired in the back and Magnus is crotched on the barricade. Back in and Septimo gets whipped with the weightlifting belt, followed by some running splashes in the corner.

Magnus gets in a headscissors to put the Parks on the floor for the slingshot corkscrew dive. Septimo’s corkscrew springboard moonsault drops them again as Rich is trying to figure out who is who. Back in and a Swanton gives Septimo two and Salina is nervous. The Parks are whipped into each other but LA knocks both of them down with shots to the face. Hijo hits a super Spanish Fly for two on Septimo as everything breaks down again.

Park hits a heck of a dive off the top to crush Magnus, who somehow isn’t dead. A cutter gives Magnus two as we settle down into a regular tag match for a change. Hijo and Septimo come back in to strike it out and the latter hitting a GTS. A kick to the head drops Hijo but he’s right back up with a very fast Canadian Destroyer for his own two.

Park comes back in and goes shoulder first into the post, with Salina having to pull the referee out to break up a count. That leaves Hijo to hit a Backstabber on Septimo, who is right back up with a suicide dive onto Hijo. Back in and Magnus hammers on Park, who splashes the referee by mistake. Salina gets in a heck of a low blow on Magnus and the referee pops up to count the pin at 13:56.

Rating: C. There were some good looking dives and spots but it is almost impossible to take Park seriously with that huge gut. It also doesn’t help when Park is never going to lose and it gets a little hard to get into his matches. I know he’s a legend and all that but he wouldn’t be the one I would expect to be the star of the promotion.

Contra takes over the feed and airs a video on how Jacob Fatu is going to crush Salina and Park because Contra is a cause.

We look back at Austin Aries taking out Teddy Hart two weeks ago. Teddy has gotten his own doctor to clear him and he’s here tonight.

The Von Erichs are coming for the Tag Team Titles next week.

The Dynasty isn’t happy with the contract they have been offered.

It’s time for the SuperFight Control Center with Tom Lawlor vs. Timothy Thatcher and Alexander Hammerstone vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. for the Openweight Title added.

Dominic Garrini vs. Ariel Dominguez

This is Garrini’s debut and he is in a fighting gi. Garrini drives him into the corner so Dominguez goes to the let, meaning he has to fight out of a quick armbar attempt. A gutwrench suplex sends Dominguez down again and this is looking one sided. Something like a Bubba Bomb sets up a cross armbreaker to make Dominguez tap at 1:49. Exactly what it should have been.

Post match Garrini says that was a start so send him all of the grapplers, including Tom Lawlor and Timothy Thatcher.

Lawlor has blown off a media event this week but has no problem with Thatcher calling him out. He’ll knock Thatcher out.

Jimmy Havoc will be producing the Halloween special. Makes sense. It’s going to be called Slaughterhouse and we get a trailer.

MLW is raising money for Samu, who underwent a liver transplant.

Gino Medina is coming.

We look back at Injustice being cheated out of a win last week and attacking everyone as a result.

Injustice complains about everything that happened and promises to continue the fight. Jordan Oliver should never, ever be allowed to speak.

Austin Aries vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

The fans are behind Pillman here. Pillman tells Aries to slap him in the face so Aries spits in his hand but gets kicked in the ribs, allowing Pillman to put Aries’ spit in his own face. A clothesline puts Aries on the floor and Pillman hits an ax handle from the apron for a bonus. Aries sends him into the barricade though and the missile dropkick (good looking one too) gets one back inside.

Things slow down a bit with Aries picking his spots and striking away, including the hard shots in the corner. The brainbuster is broken up but Aries manages a neckbreaker across the middle rope for two. The chinlock goes on until Pillman fights up and snaps off a powerslam to get a breather. Aries is right back up with a suplex into the Last Chancery, sending Pillman into the ropes in a hurry. A superkick puts Aries on the floor but the suicide dive is broken up with an uppercut. The running corner dropkick sets up the brainbuster to finish Pillman at 8:10.

Rating: C+. The ending wasn’t shocking at all as Aries is just flat out better than Pillman at this point. Aries has been a very good in-ring performer for a long time now and Pillman is just a few steps removed from being a rookie. The good sign though is he hung with Aries here and put in a solid showing, even if he had no chance of winning.

Post match Aries says he’s been calling out Teddy Hart because he wants the Middleweight Title. Unless Teddy is planning on sending out his army of cats, get out here and answer the challenge. Cue a ticked off Teddy for the brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Just a show here, but what matters is the set up for SuperFight. They’re making that seem like their biggest show ever and that’s exactly what it should be. The show is going to be on pay per view and they would be crazy to not put their biggest effort ever into it. The card is looking good too and that’s a good sign for the show, which needs to be a big hit.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #73
Date: August 31, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Rich Bocchini

This show is all about the World Title, which is the case for the first time in far too long. Tonight we’ll be seeing Jacob Fatu defending the World Title against Tom Lawlor in Lawlor’s rematch after dropping the title. Fatu hasn’t done much with the title since winning it in the first place so maybe they can get things back to normal tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Fatu promising to finish what he started with Lawlor and finish him for good.

Opening sequence.

Injustice vs. Zenshi/Air Wolf/Gringo Loco

Injustice would be Myron Reed/Jordan Oliver/Kotto Brazil, who promise to get justice. Oliver and Loco start things off with Oliver holding up one of his signs. Loco flips away instead before catching Oliver in a Regal Roll. A standing moonsault gets two and it’s Wolf coming in for the first time. Oliver sends him to the apron so Wolf chops him from there for a change.

Zenshi’s standing moonsault gets two and everything breaks down, allowing Wolf to slam Oliver. That lets Loco springboard off of the back of Brazil (in a fireman’s carry) for a Swanton. Injustice bails to the floor but pull most of the good guys outside. That lets Brazil hit a suicide dive onto Wolf and it’s time for the parade of dives. Back in and Zenshi’s slingshot splash gets two on Oliver but Reed and Brazil take Loco down.

It’s Wolf in trouble with Reed forearming him in the face, allowing the villains to keep taking turns. Wolf hits a Pele out of the corner though and it’s a hot tag to Zenshi to clean house. A 619 over the top rope sets up a double slingshot faceplant sets up a hard suplex on Reed. Brazil dives in way late for the save but thankfully the referee slowed down his count.

Oliver and Zenshi head outside and it’s Reed hitting a running cutter to the floor (sweet) to take Zenshi out. Back in and Reed pulls out some brass knuckles but Loco takes them away and gets in a shot of his own. Brazil kicks them away from Loco and hits a middle rope X Factor. Reed adds a slingshot cutter to Wolfe and it’s a standing Sliced Bread from Brazil for the double pin on Wolf at 10:03.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun with both teams doing a bunch of crazy stuff. It was the kind of entertaining cruiserweight match that you can almost always make work because the talented people are allowed to go out there and fly around. It helps when you have a bunch of people who aren’t huge stars as you can make some new stars with a match like this.

Mance Warner has been bailed out of jail.

War Chamber rundown. The main event will air the next week on TV.

Kevin Von Erich talks about his sons having the family heart, which they’ll do in Dallas. Ross and Marshall promise to dethrone Contra.

Dominic Garrini is coming.

Video on Alexander Hammerstone’s recent trip to Pro Wrestling Noah.

Hammerstone is training and isn’t worried if he might have a match against Davey Boy Smith Jr. at Super Fight. Georgia Smith is on a treadmill and says she and Davey lifted that much weight when they were kids. The weight is increased and muscles flare.

MLW World Title: Jacob Fatu vs. Tom Lawlor

Fatu is defending and Josef Samael handles his introduction. Whomever has the gold controls the league so Contra is in charge of everything. They slug it out before Lawlor can even get inside and it’s a high crossbody to put Fatu down. A superkick is blocked and Lawlor takes him down with a discus lariat. Fatu gets dropped with an enziguri into a belly to back for two as Lawlor is very fired up here.

The first Samoan drop gives Fatu two and it’s time for the slow beatdown in the corner. A running headbutt hits Lawlor in the ribs and Fatu bites him for a bonus. We get a lot of walking around from the champ, allowing Lawlor to hammer away in the corner. Fatu superkicks him right back down though and a handspring moonsault crushes Lawlor again. A running kick misses though and Fatu gets caught in the ropes, allowing Lawlor to hammer away.

Hold on though as Lawlor needs to go after Samael, allowing Fatu to hit a heck of a suicide dive. Back in and the pop up Samoan drop doesn’t quite work, allowing Lawlor to grab a sleeper. That’s switched into a choke so Fatu slams him into the corner for the break. Fatu tries to charge once too often though and goes head first into the post. Lawlor pulls him off the corner for an airplane spin into a Death Valley Driver and a near fall of his own.

Some YES Kicks….just wake Fatu up again so Lawlor hits a running clothesline to the back of the head but can’t quite follow up. An exploder suplex sends Fatu hard into the corner and a big boot makes it worse, only to have Samael get in a spike shot. The double jump moonsault to the back retains the title at 15:13.

Rating: B. These guys beat each other up and while the finish wasn’t clean, it did a very good job of making me think that Lawlor could pull off the upset. Fatu is the kind of monster we don’t see very often around here and it was good to see him destroy someone. At the same time though, it’s kind of awkward to go from a pinfall in the World Title match to the War Chamber in a week. Kind of weird booking there but it came after a good match.

Post match Samael and Simon Gotch come in for the beatdown, drawing out the Von Erichs for the big brawl. The Von Erichs come in for the save but Ikuro Kwon is out to beat the good guys down. This brings out Low Ki to make the real save, becoming the fourth member of Team Lawlor.

Overall Rating: A-. This was all that you could have asked for with a pair of rather good matches and a big reveal at the end. That being said, this one did seem to be a little less important, even with the World Title on the card. It has been devalued so much by everything else going on and while Fatu is still awesome, the whole thing feels like it was secondary to stuff like the Hart Foundation vs the Dynasty. Very good show either way though and that’s what MLW has been needing.

Results

Injustice b. Zenshi/Air Wolf/Gringo Loco – Assisted standing Sliced Bread to Wolf

Jacob Fatu b. Tom Lawlor – Double jump moonsault

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #69
Date: August 3, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

Things are getting wild around here with all kinds of things going on. That has made for some interesting setups and the nice thing is MLW has gotten a lot better at paying those things off. If they can do that again, we could be in for a nice setup as they head towards their first pay per view in the fall. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Bestia vs. Mance Warner last week as Mance loses another battle in the war against Salina de la Renta. The rather wild Von Erichs vs. Contra match gets a look as well.

Opening sequence.

Jimmy Yuta vs. Low Ki

Yuta drives him into the corner….and gets kicked in the head for the knockout at 30 seconds. Longer than usual for Low Ki lately.

Post match Low Ki says he’s got a lot of unfinished business.

Tom Lawlor is ready to go to war with Contra in the War Chamber.

Contra says bring it on, but it’s four on four. The match has since been confirmed as WarGames under a different name.

It’s time for the War Chamber Control Center. The only match set so far is the namesake match, meaning we hear the WarGames rules again, though you can win by pinfall or submission. That just sounds awesome no matter how you slice it.

We look back at Warner vs. Salina de la Renta and company.

Konnan has some demands for Salina. First up: he wants Jimmy Havoc vs. LA Park, loser leaves MLW. Both Salina and Havoc aren’t happy but the match is made. That sounds like writing Havoc off for AEW.

The Dynasty is at a car dealership and don’t like being told to wait. They like MJF’s watch and threaten a Yelp review for taking so long. It turns into a discussion of Teddy Hart failing the Wellness Policy, meaning he can’t cash in his rematch for the Tag Team Titles. Hammerstone freaks out over a Wellness Policy but they’ll get him some clean liquid.

MLW is going to be working with Pro Wrestling Noah.

Here are the Spirit Squad (Mikey/Kenny) to say they’re here because they earned it instead of their open name. That means an open challenge, which isn’t going to end well.

Spirit Squad vs. Von Erichs

The fight is on in a hurry with the Von Erichs beating them down while the music is still playing. A double dropkick and the threat of the Claw send the Squad bailing to the floor. The music keeps playing as it’s a double noggin knocker on the floor. We take a break and come back with Marshall beating up the Squad on his own and dropkicking Mikey to the floor. There’s a powerslam and a good looking moonsault for two on Kenny, followed by a claw slam/belly to back suplex combination for the pin at 5:25. They needed a break in this match? The music played through the entire match.

Post match here’s Contra for the brawl, with the Von Erichs holding their own for a good while. Cue a mystery man to spray mist in Marshall’s eyes as Contra has a fourth member. What a great time to mention that Marshall has a newborn. It worked in Mid-South.

Gringo Loco vs. Zenshi

This is from the Chicago tapings due to Low Ki’s match going so short. They flip around to start with Gringo shoving him away and saying not so fast. Zenshi climbs the ropes and gets a sunset flip for no count. A shooting star misses and Zenshi says bring it. Loco misses an enziguri as Jordan Oliver and Myron Reed are protesting in the crowd.

With Loco on the floor, Zenshi flips over the top, handstands on the apron until Loco gets to his feet, and then headscissors him down. We spend a good while looking at a replay and then a crowd shot (I can’t imagine the botch in there) before seeing Zenshi hit a bottom rope 450 for two. Zenshi tries a moonsault but gets caught in the Tombstone for the pin at 3:50.

Rating: C. This was fine for a quick filler with some exciting flips and that’s all it was supposed to be. Sometimes you can have something that is little more than a popcorn match and that’s what we got here. Loco is popular with the crowd and it’s easy to see why. It did its job and didn’t try to do anything else, which is how it should have gone.

We look at Marshall being blinded again.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. doesn’t want to talk about Alexander Hammerstone and his Georgia. Instead he’s ready for Timothy Thatcher tonight and knows it’s going to be strong style catch wrestling. Smith’s technique is too strong for Thatcher and ignores a question about Georgia. Brian Pillman Jr. comes in and seems to have a plan.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

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

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

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

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

Georgia comes out to interview Davey, who is thankful to the fans. He knows Georgia wants to keep her silence on Hammerstone but Hammerstone is playing her. Smith promises to use a crossface chickenwing on Hammerstone to become Openweight Title.

Overall Rating: B+. There are times where you just get the Fusion concept and this was one of those nights. You got enough of everything to make for a fun show which absolutely flew by. It was a knockout, an energetic squash, a lucha match and a technical clinic. That made for a very easy show to watch while stories were advanced and stuff was set up for the future. Well done all around and one of the best put together shows they’ve had to date.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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 #68
Date: July 27, 2019
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Jim Cornette

We’re getting closer to the end of the summer and that means things are getting a little better around here. Things have been that much more interesting over the last few months and the shows have been getting better as a result. This week’s main event is Contra vs. the Von Erichs in an unsanctioned match, which could go several different ways. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Salina de la Renta to rant about Mance Warner being annoying, though he did get rid of Sami Callihan for her. Tonight though she has someone from the firey pits to deal with Warner.

Bestia 666 vs. Mance Warner

Death match. Bestia isn’t waiting around and suicide dives onto Mance to get things going before the bell. Warner pelts a chair at him and rips at Bestia’s face before fishooking his mouth with a turnbuckle. As in the hook from a buckle, which just happened to be at ringside. Bestia is back with a whip into a barricade and grabs the kendo stick to blast Warner over the back.

Warner headbutts his way out again and tries a chop, which hits the post at full force to make me cringe again. The hand is fine enough for a DDT onto the apron, which is the closest they’ve gotten to being in the ring. Warner pulls out some weapons, including some chairs, a board and of course thumb tacks. The tacks go onto the chair but Bestia sends Warner face first into them instead. They FINALLY get in the ring with Bestia putting a trashcan over Warner and blasting him with a chair. A trashcan to the head gets two with Cornette saying it shouldn’t count because it’s under a rope. Dude, come on now.

Warner is back with a spear through the board in the corner for two and it’s time to slap it out. A pop up headbutt rocks Bestia and it’s a piece of board to the head for a delayed two. Warner’s running knee gets two but Salina slips Bestia a red bag. Bestia gets tied into a chair but Warner spends too much time yelling at Salina, allowing Bestia to throw powder into his face. A MuscleBuster through a chair finish Warner at about 10:00 (I didn’t hear an opening bell).

Rating: C. This is one where your individual taste is going to vary as I’m not big on hardcore for the sake of hardcore. It didn’t go too far that it’s ridiculous, but Warner losing again isn’t the best idea if he’s going to be the one to go after Salina and company. I know it’s his signature thing, but they do these brawls a little too often and I’m getting numb to them.

Salina has the Golden Ticket back.

Opening sequence.

We see Georgia Hart and Alexander Hammerstone seeming to get rather close in an elevator. Oh dear.

The Dynasty dodges questions about Georgia and brags about how awesome they are.

MLW is going to have a working relationship with Pro Wrestling Noah. Fine enough.

Contra doesn’t want the fans throwing things at them again or they’ll hurt the Von Erichs even more.

Ricky Martinez vs. Low Ki

Salina is here with Ricky and has changed her clothes in the five minutes she has been gone. Konnan is on commentary. Martinez throws a jacket in Ki’s face and dropkicks his knee out to start things off in a hurry. An elbow in the corner keeps Martinez in control as Konnan talks about what he’s found in Salina’s phone.

Ki hits a palm strike for a breather and the Liger Kick knocks Martinez out of the air for a cool visual. Martinez manages to send him into the buckle and a middle rope Codebreaker gets two. Hold on though as Salina goes after her phone with the distraction letting Ki grab the dragon sleeper for the knockout win at 4:13.

Rating: C-. This was very hard hitting while it lasted but I’m having some trouble caring about Konnan vs. Salina as it has been going on for months now. The phone deal is at least something fresh instead of having the same stuff over and over again. Ki has surprised me as well as he has gone from someone I never cared for to someone solid in his role.

Post match Salina seems to offer Ki a spot back on the team but he walks away.

The Von Erichs are ready to bring Contra to justice, Texas style. Oh good grief.

Kotto Brazil is tired of all the interference around here, just like Myron Reed and Jordan Oliver. They say JUSTICE over and over.

Tom Lawlor’s life has been a nightmare lately but he loves the fighting. He wants his World Title back though and is getting his rematch at Never Say Never. That’s not enough though as he and the Von Erichs are coming for Contra in the War Chamber (seems to be WarGames).

We recap the Georgia Smith/Alexander Hammerstone deal.

The Hart Foundation sees the video for the first time and aren’t happy.

Contra Unit vs. Von Erichs

It’s Samael and Gotch for Contra here. The Von Erichs waste no time and go straight for the Claws but get thrown off in a hurry. Gotch dragon screw leg whips Ross as Marshall sends Samael into the barricade. Ross’ knee is fine enough to be sent into the ropes so Gotch can knee him in the ribs. What looks like a crossface chickenwing keeps Ross in trouble and it’s Samael and Marshall getting back inside.

Ross fights back to save his brother from the double teaming but gets sent outside again. That means Marshall gets to make the Texas comeback this time and it’s a double dropkick to Gotch. Marshall hits a moonsault for two with Gotch making a save. Samael and Marshall clothesline each other as Ross has a chair. As luck would have it, Samael busts out the fireball but Ross uses the chair to block it. A chair to the head gives Marshall the pin on Samael at 6:24.

Rating: C+. The action was better here and the wild brawl felt more appropriate here, mainly because it was different from the way the opener went. The Von Erichs are a nice addition to the roster and while they have a long way to go, they’re getting the ring time that they need here. Nice match too.

Post match Contra goes after the Von Erichs again and the riot squad comes out to break things up. The Von Erichs want to keep fighting and we cut to the back where Jacob Fatu is beating up the squad. Tom Lawlor comes in for the fight for a hot ending to the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show got better after the main event but it wasn’t their best effort overall. The problem here was having too much brawling on one show, which tends to be a problem around here. What did work though was the storytelling, as they’re coming up with some creative enough ways to keep things moving without feeling tired. That helps so much and it did so here. Just keep it up and give us the big payoffs, which they tend to do well enough. This wasn’t their best show, but it’s still an easy hour to watch.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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