MLW Fusion results: LA Park vs. Sami Callihan falls count anywhere

The Big Takeaway —

Kotto Brazil made his return, but Ricky Reyes is not done with him. Barrington Hughes and Ace Romero were supposed to face off against each other, but ended up being a new tag team. Teddy Hart booped his cat’s nose. The build to the Low Ki and Tom Lawlor MLW title match continued as Low Ki cut a great promo on Lawlor. LA Park and Sami Callihan had a wild brawl that was a ton of fun.

The Recap—

The show opened with a memoriam for Rex Bacchus. A recap aired about all the events leading to LA Park vs. Sami Callihan, as Callihan failed to take out Tom Lawlor.

Kotto Brazil defeated Vandal Ortagun

Brazil made his return from injury, but was sent to the floor quickly by Ortagun. Brazil was wearing a patch over his eye, but has not slowed down as he managed to drag Ortagun to the outside and hit two suicide dives and then a tope con hilo. Brazil went for a Destino, but Ortagun managed to avoid it. Ortagun pulled the eyepatch way out and snapped it back into Kotto’s eye which had to suck.

Vandal nailed a big chop and then sent Brazil to the corner. Vandal got the heat for the next few minutes with some classic heel offense, including rope chokes. After a chop, Brazil fired back with a few, but Vandal went for the eyes and cut him off. Brazil hit an Eat Da Feet and then a few German suplexes, and ended with one with a bridge after a few counters. Brazil used a springboard to hit a headbutt, and then nailed a series of strikes.

Vandal went for a powerbomb, but Brazil countered into a hurricanrana and then hit a Code Red, but Vandal kicked out. Brazil hit a cutter and then a Destino and got the pinfall. This probably went a little too long, but it was a good match. Ricky Martinez attacked Brazil after the match and took his eyepatch.

— A recap aired of Tommy Dreamer vs. Brian Pillman Jr. Dreamer was on the phone, cutting a promo about how Pillman was crazy to let Dreamer choose the match when it was going to be in the 2300 Arena.

Barrington Hughes and Ace Romero went to a no contest

Romero started with some forearms and big strikes. Hughes hit a Vader-like attack, and then Romero did a running dropkick. As both men were getting ready to keep going, Col. Rob Parker came out and cut a promo on both guys about their size. The Dirty Blondes ran out and attacked, and the referee decided it was time for a tag team match.

Barrington Hughes and Ace Romero defeated The Dirty Blondes 

Romero and Hughes immediately responded to the Blondes by squashing them, literally and figuratively, when they hit stereo powerslams. It seems there is a new tag team in MLW.

— A video aired hyping Mance Warner coming to MLW.

— H2tv interrupted Tony Schiavone. Pillman Jr. and Teddy Hart cut a promo on Pentagon and Fenix where they called them cowardly for hiding behind their masks. Hart forced Pillman to drink a protein drink and run down the hallway. The segment ended with Hart booping his cat on the nose.

— Matt Striker ran down the rest of the MLW Superfight card, a significant downgrade from Schiavone.

— Sami Callihan cut a promo about how LA Park was going to leave in a body bag.

— Low Ki cut a promo against ‘Filthy’ Tom Lawlor, applauding him in a very sarcastic manner for overcoming all of Low Ki’s associates. This was a really good promo.

LA Park (w/ Salina de la Renta) defeated Sami Callihan in a falls count anywhere match 

LA Park lives up to his name of being the chairman as he brought a chair into the ring. Both men started exchanging chops and Park pointed at Callihan’s protective vest and asked him to remove it. Callihan did and begged Park to chop him. Park chopped him so hard it brought tears to Callihan’s eyes. Park then hit a clothesline and they went to ringside. Park nailed Callihan with a trash can lid after setting him on a chair. Park then hit a suicide dive, knocking Sami off the chair.

Park removed his belt and started beating Callihan with it. Park went for another suicide dive, but Callihan destroyed him with a garbage can and then hit him a second time once on the outside. Callihan hit Park with a pylon, and then with Park’s own belt. Callihan chopped Park, grabbed a beer, and smashed it into Park’s head. Callihan ran at Park, but Park dumped him into the front row and then nailed Callihan with a garbage can. Park took apart a guardrail and set the garbage can on it. Park suplexed him on the garbage can and the guardrail.

Park grabbed several chairs from the front row and threw them into the ring. Park nailed Callihan with a chair and a cookie sheet, but Callihan kicked out of a pin attempt. Park and Callihan brawled out into the lobby, and outside of the building onto the street. After brawling on the outside, they made their way back in a different door and the entire ringside area was torn apart.

Callihan was rolled back into the ring by Park, but Callihan accidentally took out the ref’s leg while rolling in. Park tried to pin Callihan, but Callihan kicked out. After Park hit a powerslam, the ref couldn’t complete the count. Park hit the ref with a cookie sheet. Callihan hit a low blow, and the ref went to make the pin, but Park kicked out. Callihan went to powerbomb Park on a series of chairs, but Park countered and ran to the corner. Callihan charged, but Park dodged and then speared Callihan into all the setup chairs and he pinned Callihan.

That was fantastic. A five star classic? Definitely not, but it was a great, fun brawl.

MLW Fusion results: Tommy Dreamer vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

Quick recap:

  • Dragon Lee defeated Rich Swann
  • Brian Pillman Jr. defeated Tommy Dreamer in a Singapore cane match
  • Low Ki defeated Fred Yehi to retain the MLW world title

This week’s episode opened backstage where we saw ‘Filthy’ Tom Lawlor outside of Promociones Dorado’s dressing room listening in to an ongoing argument. Inside, we heard Sami Callihan shouting that he wants his money owed to him. Salina de la Renta responded by screaming that he gets what he has earned, and that he has not done anything around here to deserve it.

Her words were much more non-PG and were bleeped out, but let’s just say Callihan, in Salina’s eyes, has not had a smash hit in MLW yet. Tony Schiavone tells us it sounds like Salina is demanding that Callihan take out Lawlor tonight.

Schiavone and Rich Bochinni welcomed us to the show from Miami and hyped up tonight’s Singapore cane match between Tommy Dreamer and Brian Pillman Jr. tonight, along with Dragon Lee vs Rich Swann.

We cut backstage to Low Ki who said has gone through all the word class athletes MLW has thrown at him. He said he is going to ride off into the sunset and retire as the best MLW world heavyweight champion ever.

Dragon Lee defeated Rich Swann (10:43)

Schiavone told us that Lee is considered by some as one of the best high flying luchadores in the sport, but he was unable to show off a lot of his talents as Swann dominated most of this match from the start. He passed by the fans as they tried to high-five him and was extra cocky making his way into the ring. He blew kisses to the fans before telling them all to kiss his ass.

Lee went for a handshake but Swann refused and ran his hand through his hair. We were told this was Lee’s first match in four months as he has been filming a reality TV show in the Dominican. They exchanged arm ringers and arm drags before Swann attempted a headscissor takeover but Lee evaded it with a cartwheel. Lee hit his own headscissors as both then hit double dropkicks, double kip ups and a stand-off much to the delight of the Miami crowd.

Swann’s apparent heel turn was really showing through as he took the advantage again after a cheap shot and landed a barrel load of right hands to the head while Lee was grounded. Lee got a bit of revenge when, on the outside, Swann went for a chop but Lee moved and Swann smacked his hand off the lighting grid.

Both fighters fought up to their knees where they exchanged right hands, they gradually made their way to their feet to exchange some knees to the head. They stumbled to the corner to exchange some step-up kicks to the head. Lee was then on the top rope but Swann kept up his control of the match by bringing Lee to the mat with a jumping hurricanrana. Swann missed his Phoenix splash and was caught with Lee’s sit out powerbomb, the Dragon Driver, out of nowhere for the win.

Swann acknowledged and raised Lee’s hand after the match in what could keep his face character alive for future matchups.

— Backstage, we see Callihan brandishing a hammer and running into Ace Romero. He asked if he has seen Lawlor and if he does, let him know that he is looking for him. He pushed past an old man, who thought he was looking for Tom and Jerry, and stole his sunglasses. Classic bad guy routine.

— We cut to a social media video from Pillman Jr. who told Dreamer that he is tired of him and he said MLW is his field and his playground. He said he was tired of Dreamer politicking him and his father’s legacy, and he is not afraid of him and not afraid of using his own cane in their match later on. He calls Dreamer a phony and said he is bringing his own cane to the fight.

 – Backstage, Lawlor tells a guy to tell Callihan that he is warming up in a side room by the kitchen.

Brian Pillman Jr. defeated Tommy Dreamer in a Singapore cane match (9:29)

Pillman came out by himself without the rest of the Hart Foundation and was brandishing a Singapore cane. Dreamer also had his own cane and received a good reaction.

Dreamer hit a few hip tosses and removed Pillman’s jacket and hoodie, only to reveal a nice, smart, patterned dress shirt that Pillman also chose as part of his ring attire tonight to help pad himself from the cane shots. He spat a beer in Pillman’s face as they brawled around the ring. They made their way into the crowd and Dreamer ripped open the dress shirt to reveal another t-shirt.

Pillman fought back and dropped Dreamer, of course, groin first on the guard rail. Back in the ring, Pillman hit Dreamer in the hand with the cane and continued his attack on the hand and fingers. Pillman hit a nice standing dropkick and took control of the cane again. He came off the middle rope with a big cane shot to the head for a two count before going back to Dreamer’s hand and fingers. Dreamer got in a cane shot of his own when Pillman came off the middle rope again but with no luck this time.

Dreamer fought back and got in his flip, flop and fly Dusty Rhodes elbow to the head before getting a two count after a powerslam. He took a chair from underneath the ring and pulled Pillman’s clothes up, revealing his back. He drilled Pillman with a cane shot while he was draped over the back of the chair.

Later, he set up the chair, two Singapore canes and Pillman’s own cane in a pile in the middle of the ring but while constructing this death mount, Dreamer gave Pillman enough time to recover. Dreamer picked him up and was looking for a Dreamer Driver onto the weapons but Pillman slipped out and used a cane for a low blow. He then drilled Dreamer with a DDT style swinging neckbreaker to pick up the three count and the win.

— We cut backstage to Callihan, still looking for Lawlor. He met the guy Lawlor spoke to earlier and he told Callihan he was in the room by the kitchen warming up.

— A promo video then aired for the debuting Mance Warner.

MLW World Heavyweight Champion Low Ki (w/ Salina de la Renta) defeated Fred Yehi (4:30)

It was a slow start as both fighters exchanged holds before Low Ki made his way to the corner where he wrapped up Yehi in an armbar over the top rope. Some good chain wrestling followed before Yehi hit a big slam, and Ki hit a shoulder block. Yehi then locked in a kneebar but Ki ended up reversing but Yehi managed to escape with little damage being done.

The tune of the match changed when Ki cheapshotted Yehi with five big shots to the gut and a stiff looking kick to the ribs. Yehi fought back with a nice looking combination of strikes, stomps, a trip and a dropkick to a seated champion. Yehi got a close two count but Ki escaped and ended up on the top rope. He cracked Yehi over the head with club to the side of the face that temporarily floored the challenger. This is all that the champion needed as he dove off and landed on Yehi’s back with a double foot stomp to pick up the three count and the win in a short but well executed match.

 — Backstage, we caught up with Callihan, his hammer, and the poor old man’s glasses, still on his quest to find Lawlor. This building must be huge. He kicked open the kitchen door and slowly made his way to the other side where the door would lead him to Lawlor. He entered the side room and closed the door behind him. We heard a fight ensuing inside and after the grunts, smacks, and clattering died down, the door opened and out walked Lawlor, victorious and brandishing Callihan’s hammer. After a menacing look to the camera he walked off with Callihan seemingly being taken care of by his own weapon.

MLW notes: Middleweight title, DJZ debut, Dreamer vs. Pillman Jr.

With MJF (Maxwell Jacob Friedman) recovering from a fractured elbow, MLW has announced how they’ll be handling their Middleweight title situation.

There will be a ladder match for the title at MLW’s television tapings in Miami, Florida on December 14. If MJF is cleared to return in time, it will be a five-way match with MJF defending against Andrew Everett, Dezmond Xavier, Kotto Brazil, and Jason Cade. If MJF isn’t cleared, it will be Everett vs. Xavier vs. Brazil vs. Cade to decide the new champion.

MJF tweeted on Sunday that the recovery time for his elbow injury is expected to be 4-6 weeks.

Marko Stunt was originally supposed to be in the ladder match before suffering a broken leg at Joey Janela’s LA Confidential earlier this month.

A Singapore cane match between Tommy Dreamer and Brian Pillman Jr. has also been confirmed for the December 14 MLW show.

MLW will be holding tapings at the Scottish Rite Temple in Miami on both Thursday, December 13 and Friday, December 14. MLW has announced that DJZ will be making his debut for the promotion in Miami, and Everett, Xavier, and Dragon Lee will also be debuting as part of the tapings.