Japanese wrestling legend Minoru Suzuki is now a champion in MLW.
At Summer of the Beasts in New York City on Thursday night, Suzuki and his Contra Unit partner Ikuro Kwon defeated Satoshi Kojima & Okumura to win the MLW Tag Team titles. After Kwon blinded Okumura with mist, Suzuki pinned him with a Gotch-style piledriver.
Contra Unit’s Mads Krugger and Janai Kai joined Suzuki and Kwon as they laid out Kojima in a post-match angle. Krugger will challenge Kojima for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship next month at Fightland.
Kai also holds MLW gold as the Women’s Featherweight Champion.
Since debuting for the promotion in October 2023, Suzuki has made regular appearances for MLW. He’s currently working as a freelancer in Japan and the United States.
Summer of the Beasts saw former WWE wrestler Donovan Dijak make his MLW debut, promising to bring destruction and devastation. He mentioned Kojima, Suzuki, Matt Riddle, and Timothy Thatcher as targets and vowed to become the next MLW World Heavyweight Champion.
Team Hammerstone and Contra Unit are going to war at November’s MLW television tapings.
MLW has announced that Alex Hammerstone, Richard Holliday, EJ Nduka, and a partner will face Contra’s Jacob Fatu, Mads Krugger, Ikuro Kwon & Josef Samael in a War Chamber match at next month’s TV tapings in Philadelphia. The tapings are being held at the 2300 Arena on Saturday, November 6.
Hammerstone defeated Fatu to win the MLW World Heavyweight Championship at Fightland last week. On this Wednesday’s episode of Fusion: Alpha, Samael said Fightland wasn’t the end and the final battle between Hammerstone and Contra is in sight. Samael challenged Hammerstone to face Contra in a War Chamber match. Hammerstone responded by accepting the challenge.
Later in the episode, Kwon tried to attack Hammerstone but was taken out by Nduka. Nduka said he’s tired of Contra’s nonsense, and Hammerstone offered Nduka a spot on his War Chamber team.
The War Chamber is MLW’s version of a War Games match. It features a cage with barbed wire on top of it.
Here are the rules for the War Chamber match:
A coin toss determines which team enters first.
1-on-1 for 5:00 in stage 1 of the War Chamber.
The winner of the coin toss comes out for 2-on-1.
Alternating teams have wrestlers enter every 2 minutes.
Once all combatants are in the War Chamber, victory is won by submission, surrender or pinfall.
The #StrongHearts from OWE (CIMA, El Lindaman and Shigehiro Irie) took on MLW World Champion Fatu, Simon Gotch, and Josef Samael in an action-packed six-man battle.
Fatu defended his title against the then-holder of the Battle Riot golden ticket: the Mexican legend LA Park.
CONTRA Unit (Jacob Fatu, Simon Gotch and Josef Samael) defeated #StrongHearts (CIMA, Shigehiro Irie and El Lindaman) (11:01)
CIMA and Gotch had a chopfest to kick us off. They started at 100 mph and the StrongHearts quickly had Gotch in the corner eating a dropkick to the back. CONTRA fought back and singled out Lindaman after a quick flurry by the 5’3” OWE star. Fatu hit Lindaman with a superkick to the temple, but Lindaman fired up and even got Fatu off his feet with a slam attempt but the MLW champion’s size power was too much as he flattened Lindaman to the mat.
Irie tagged in and hit Gotch with a splash after springing back first off the top rope. He then reversed a Gotch piledriver and instead piledrove Samael on top of Gotch. Fatu came in and they met with clotheslines, but neither budged. They collided with crossbody attempts, but Fatu got to his feet almost immediately as Irie writhed in pain on the ground. Fatu hit his handspring moonsault, but CIMA broke up the pinfall attempt.
The action then broke down into a six-way brawl on the outside. Fatu chopped a ring post and was sent to the guardrail before he and Irie traded suicide dives onto each other. All three StrongHearts then teamed up and got Fatu back inside. They chopped him but Fatu fought back with right hands. CIMA hit him with double knees from the top, Irie hit a rolling senton while he was draped on the middle rope, and Lindaman hit a bridging delayed German suplex for the close near fall only to be broken up by Gotch. Lindaman then took out Samael with a somersault plancha to the outside. But inside, Fatu caught CIMA with a pop-up Samoan drop and a top rope moonsault with 300 pounds behind it to pick up the pin and the victory for his team.
– There was a short video package recapping the big moments from the buildup to our next match: LA Park’s Battle Riot win, Fatu winning the title from Tom Lawlor, and Salina declaring the cash in.
MLW Champion Jacob Fatu defeated LA Park (19:56)
This match was from MLW’s SuperFight PPV.
This was a battle of the monsters and had a big fight feel to it, and the match itself was as wild as you would imagine it to be.
They opened with a forearm exchange and then a parade of German suplexes before Park took Fatu down with a combination of running clotheslines. Park’s athleticism for his age is still incredible. He hit an early suicide dive to the outside that had Fatu’s cornerman Josef Samael worried. Salina de la Renta, who accompanied Park to ringside, unintentionally distracted the referee which let Samael freely enter the ring and use a spike to bust Park open. Fatu had also ripped his mask in half so the blood was visibly pouring out of the Mexican legend’s forehead.
They brawled around ringside as the fans got an up close and personal look at the carnage in front of them. Back in the ring, Fatu continued the beatdown as we were told that de la Renta had recently been spending time in Mexico looking for contracts for reality programs instead of spending time preparing for the title match with her team, Promociones Dorado.
Park’s insane athleticism was on display again as he pulled out another amazing maneuver when he hit a twisting springboard senton off the top rope. On the outside, Park threw a table at the champion and then broke the timekeeper’s bell across Fatu’s forehead, busting him open as well.
Fatu later retaliated with a springboard twisting senton of his own, but then the move of the night came when Fatu ran and launched himself from inside the ring over the top rope to the floor and hit Park with a Fosbury flop. He then tried to put Park away inside the ring with his moonsault, but Park moved at the last minute. Park then slowly crawled to make the cover, but Samael came in and broke the count by throwing a fireball at the referee.
This brought de la Rena in to confront Samael but she ended up taking a spear from Park through a table in the corner when Samael moved at the last moment. Fatu then hit a superkick to Park, an elevated Samoan drop, and a double jump springboard moonsault to retain his title.
I previewed this match last week and described it as organized chaos. It was exactly that and more. Both warriors were bloodied, we had a referee on the floor burned by a fireball, de la Rena was crushed under a destroyed table in the corner, and Fatu barley staggered his way to the back with his title draped over his bloody and battered shoulder.
**********
The modern day MLW stars gave their fans an update of what they’ve been up to as this week’s instalment of Pulp Fusion rounded off this episode of Anthology:
“Filthy” Tom Lawlor was channeling his inner Eminem with his own rendition of “Stan” by writing a letter to his dad, but of course, turning it into a rant about the Von Erichs.
Low Ki and King Mo continued their war of words ahead of their inevitable return match.
The Parks (LA Park, El Hijo de LA Park, and LA Park Jr.) told CONTRA Unit to eat pork skins and choke on them.
Savio Vega was in Carolina, Puerto Rico, outside of the Estadio Roberto Clemente. He challenged Richard Holliday to come to Puerto Rico, bring Vega’s Caribbean championship, and face him for it.
Holliday politely declined the challenge while he was searching for his golf ball. He had hit a wayward shot because he is stressed about an FDA investigation into tainted supplements in his Dynastic coffee.
“Heavyweight Hustle” Calvin Tankman is officially in MLW and can’t wait to prove he is one of the best in the world against Hammerstone, Fatu, or anyone MLW has to offer.
Speaking of Hammerstone, he was benching in the gym and challenged everyone to the first-ever Hammerstone Bodybuilding Invitational.
The bear that Mance Warner got a hold of to fight inside his triple cage was set free and was roaming in Old Mancer’s house.
Jordan Oliver checked off a goal for turning 21: to be better than Simon Gotch.
Salina de la Renta told us we will find out what she has when the time suits her.
However, Konnan let us know that she owes the “wrong people” some money.
CONTRA then finished off their own Anthology episode with their usual propaganda video, promising world destruction and to abuse their power.
Next week:
The MLW Anthology series wraps up with a focus on tag team champions Ross & Marshall Von Erich.
Los Parks got some revenge on CONTRA Unit as LA Park and El Hijo de LA Park defeated Simon Gotch and Josef Samael in a lumberjack match.
Jordan Oliver and Kotto Brazil of Injustice picked up a big win over Zenshi and Laredo Kid.
Richard Holliday, Alex Hammerstone, and Gino Medina beat Logan Creed, Mance Warner, and Savio Vega in an impromptu six-man tag.
We continued the build toward several programs including the inevitable Marshall Von Erich vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor match.
***Full Review***
This week’s show comes to us from Philadelphia, PA, as part of their Fightland TV taping.
CONTRA Unit opened up the show with a video package hyping up tonight’s main event, also highlighting their various ongoing feuds with Brian Pillman Jr., Davey Boy Smith Jr. and the returning Los Parks.
AJ Kirsch was in the ring and called out Mance Warner for an interview but the Dynasty (Richard Holliday, Alexander Hammerstone and Gino Medina) interrupted instead. Holliday had Savio Vega’s Caribbean title belt with him and he wanted to educate everyone with his segment called “Rich Talk.” Hammerstone insulted the fans about being fat and ugly and tried to get Medina to bad mouth Konnan. Before he could, Konnan himself interrupted.
He said the last time he was in Philadelphia was 25 years ago with La Parka, Juventud Guerrera, and Rey Mysterio, and said Philly has the best wrestling fans in the world. He turned his attention to Medina and brought up their family history as part of Los Gringos Locos. The trio then circled Konnan but Warner, Vega, and Logan Creed came out to even the odds. Warner said no one came here to listen to the Dynasty’s bullsh*t. He then challenged them to a six-man tag but Holliday refused. Warner called Hammerstone a punk ass b*tch which was enough to change their minds.
The Dynasty (National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone, Richard Holliday, and Gino Medina) defeated Mance Warner, Logan Creed, and Savio Vega (6:01)
Creed and Holliday started in the ring as the rest brawled around ringside. Hammerstone then tried a pump kick to Creed, but the big man no sold it and slapped Medina in mid-air as he came off the top. They finally got the advantage with a 3-on-1 beatdown and went to work grinding the big man down. Hammerstone hit a big German suplex but Creed popped up to his feet and knocked Hammerstone down with a clothesline.
Vega got the hot tag on Holliday and hit a spinning heel kick. Creed hit a double chokeslam on Hammerstone and Medina followed up with a suicide dive onto the pair outside the ring. On the other side of the ring, Holliday hit Vega with his Caribbean title belt and picked up the fluke win.
After the bell, Konnan ran in and hit Medina with a loaded sock and he, Warner, Vega and Creed had a beer bash.
Creed, Warner, and Vega disappeared and as Konnan was still in the ring, Injustice (Jordan Oliver, Kotto Brazil and Myron Reed) made their way out. Oliver mocked him for being old and threatened to slap him out the ring. Things looked like they were getting heated until Brian Pillman Jr. came running down with a steel chair in hand to make the save.
Kotto Brazil and Jordan Oliver (with Middleweight Champion Myron Reed) defeated Laredo Kid and Zenshi (6:41)
Pillman stayed ringside and joined Kirsch and Rich Bocchini on commentary. This was a great, fast, and spectacular match filled with high spots, dives, and flips throughout. Kid hit a plancha and Zenshi hit a shooting star dive to the outside early on, but Injustice double teamed Kid and crotched him onto the ring post. Oliver came off the top with a stomp to the head and Brazil followed with a German suplex for a close two count.
Zenshi got the hot tag and hit a handspring backflip kick to Brazil that knocked him off the apron. A standing shooting star press on Oliver got a two count, but Brazil fought back and hit a sunset flip bomb for a near fall of his own. Oliver got hit with a pair of tornado DDTs, and a moment later, Zenshi jumped and hit both Injustice members with kicks at the same time.
But, it was Injustice who picked up the win moments later when Brazil held Zenshi in a standing crucifix leading to Oliver hitting his springboard stunner and Brazil keeping a hold on the crucifix to roll him up for the pinfall win for his team.
After the bell, Injustice got in Pillman’s face but Laredo Kid came off the top rope and took out the trio with a big plancha. Reed got in the ring but Laredo Kid hit him with a Celtic cross, “pinned” Reed, and posed with his MLW middleweight title belt.
— Alicia Atout then caught up with Tom Lawlor, Dominic Garrini, and Erick Stevens. They explained why he degraded the Texas state flag last week: Lawlor had an itch between his legs, Garrini had excess saliva after his match, and Stevens had a cold. They said they didn’t like Texas or Texans, and that Stevens is a mercenary and has formed a bond of hatred for the Von Erichs. Lawlor called them boys who are all hat and no cattle.
— Injustice had a message for Brian Pillman Jr. Reed called him out for not making the 205 weight limit. They said he should be focussing on Jimmy Havoc who Pillman will face next week, a match they’ll be at ringside for.
— Priscilla Kelly and Havoc had a message for Pillman, too: In the ECW Arena, Havoc will give Pillman a dose of acid rain.
— Atout then caught up with the Von Erich brothers. Ross said the Texas flag is sacred, and Marshall warned Lawlor that a reckoning is coming for them.
— Cameras caught up with King Mo who said Low Ki walks around and acts tough. “F*ck Low Ki”, he finished.
Los Parks (LA Park and El Hijo de LA Park) defeated CONTRA Unit (Simon Gotch and Josef Samael) in a lumberjack match (9:03)
CONTRA jumped Los Parks as they posed for the fans. The Parks had brought chairs with them, but it was CONTRA who used them in the opening exchanges. CONTRA was in firm control until the Parks hit a pair of dropkicks that sent Gotch and Samael into the lumberjacks.
After a brief beatdown on the outside, CONTRA’s troubles continued on the inside as Hijo hit Gotch with a crossbody and a meteora in the corner. Samael brought his spike into the ring and he used it on Hijo behind the referee’s back. Injustice tried to put the boots to Hijo when he fell to the outside, and the lumberjacks threatened to start fighting.
Inside, LA got the hot tag and took out Samael with a spear. Hijo hit a dropkick off the top onto Gotch and took Samael’s spike and used it again behind the referee’s back. Hijo went to the top, but decided to hit a moonsault to the floor onto the lumberjacks. LA then hit a springboard corkscrew senton onto Samael in the ring to pick up the win.
On Wednesday, Major League Wrestling announced they will host their first-ever lumberjack match as part of their upcoming Fightland Fusion TV taping in Philadelphia, PA.
In the match on February 1st at the 2300 Arena, Los Parks (L.A. Park and El Hijo del L.A. Park) will face two members of CONTRA Unit in Josef Samael and Simon Gotch.
CONTRA Unit and Los Parks have been feuding for months with Samael getting involved in L.A. Park’s world title opportunity against Jacob Fatu at November’s Saturday Night Superfight.
MLW has been rounding out the Fightland card in recent weeks as the show approaches:
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu vs. CIMA
Tom Lawlor vs. Killer Kross
MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone vs. T-Hawk
Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Erick Stevens
Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Jimmy Havoc (w/ Priscilla Kelly)
Injustice (Jordan Oliver & Kotto Brazil) vs. Puma King & Gringo Loco
Los Parks vs. CONTRA Unit
MLW has yet to announce matches for tag team champions Ross and Marshall Von Erich, middleweight champion Myron Reed, Mance Warner, The Dynasty, Dominic Garrini, El Lindaman, Douglas James, and more.
Before they face off next month in Philadelphia, CIMA and Jacob Fatu captained opposing teams as CONTRA Unit took on Strong Hearts in an action-packed 6 man tag main event.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. made his way to the final of the Opera Cup at the expense of the Dynasty’s Alexander Hammerstone.
“Filthy” Tom Lawlor made a mockery of the Von Erich family when he choked out “Rip” Von Erich in his own special exhibition and later challenged Ross and Marshall to put their belts on the line next week on Fusion.
** Full Review **
— Mance Warner opened this week’s episode of MLW Fusion with a message for Jimmy Havoc. He recapped their rivalry and focused on his busted open forehead. He warned Havoc about their upcoming no rope barbed wire match in Texas and that he would be hitting the pay window this time.
— Rich Bocchini and AJ Kirsch welcomed us to the first Fusion of the decade and hyped up the Opera Cup and tonight’s semifinal between Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Alexander Hammerstone.
“Filthy” Tom Lawlor defeated Rip Von Erich in an exhibition match (3:20)
This was announced as an unsanctioned match as Lawlor came to the ring with a Von Erich t-shirt. He took the mic before “Rip” entered the arena and said everyone just wants to talk to him about the Von Erichs and called them all dumbasses. He didn’t think Marshall and Ross are real members of the family anyway. He announced his opponent as “from the loins of Lance Von Erich” to which the announcers correctly reminded us that Lance was not a real Von Erich.
Lawlor outpowered and weighed much more than his much smaller opponent. He got him in an airplane spin and choked him out with a chin lock paired with an Iron Claw to the forehead for good measure. Lawlor acted relieved his match was finally over and called for the ring announcer, who he called Joe Rogan, to give him a mic. He told “Rogan” to go do his podcast as he snatched the mic and told us he was undefeated against the Von Erichs and called them Hawaiian hillbillies.
This brought out Marshall and Ross but before they could get their hands on Lawlor, the Spirit Squad ran down and jumped them from behind. Lawlor took Marshall’s cowboy hat and paraded around the ring with it on. The Team Filthy cornerman also got involved in the beatdown.
— We saw a recap from two weeks ago when the Strong Hearts were attacked by CONTRA Unit during their interview.
— Richard Holliday and Alexander Hammerstone were backstage earlier in the day talking about how Gino Medina could become the newest member of the Dynasty. Salina de la Renta then joined them and said there was nothing they could give Gino that she couldn’t. Hammerstone told her to stop cockblocking them.
— Alicia Atout then interviewed Davey Boy Smith Jr. and asked him who the true power in MLW was between him and Hammerstone. Smith said he shines in the technical and submission wrestling division, and that when the fatigue sets in, he will lock in a submission and make Hammerstone tap like the bitch that he is.
In a non-title match, Davey Boy Smith Jr. defeated MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone (w/Richard Holliday) in the semifinals of the Opera Cup (8:56)
MJF was on commentary and brilliant throughout. They hyped this match as two powerhouses but they started chain wrestling and sizing each other up. Hammerstone hit a back elbow behind the ref’s back but then ate one himself moments later. Holliday then grabbed Smith’s ankle and distracted him so Hammerstone could hit him with a bicycle kick to the face. Hammerstone hit a belly to back suplex on the outside guardrail and got a two count back inside.
Hammerstone then started beating down Smith. Holliday shouted that the ref should ask Smith in Canadian “if he gives up, eh?” and MJF called Hammerstone a bald eagle as he flew through the air to connect with a dropkick. MJF asked Kirsch on commentary if he thought that dropkick was “tough enough”.
Smith Hulked up and hit the ten punches in the corner, a big back body drop, a big boot and the leg drop of doom but Hammerstone amazingly kicked out. Smith then hit three rolling Germans for another close near fall.
Hammerstone landed on his feet off a back suplex and went for the Nightmare Pendulum but Smith reversed it into a crossface. Holliday distracted Smith and got up on the apron, but Hammerstone accidentally knocked him off when he missed a big boot. Smith then hit a running powerslam and a diving headbutt to pick up the win.
Smith will face the winner of next week’s Timothy Thatcher vs. Brian Pillman Jr. Opera Cup semifinal. Smith offered a handshake after the match and it looked like Hammerstone was going for it, but Holliday pulled him away and sent him to the back.
— Pillman Jr. was then interviewed by Atout about his Opera Cup match against Thatcher, but was interrupted by Kotto Brazil. Brazil was fed up with everything being about the Hart Foundation in MLW. He said Injustice were undefeated and warned Pillman that he might not make it to next week’s semifinal.
— We then got a CONTRA Unit propaganda video. Josef Samael warned everyone that you never see them coming. They called out the Hart Foundation and said Strong Hearts will also find out that they should not mess with the global dealers in violence.
— They ran the debut hype video for Erick Stevens.
CONTRA Unit (MLW Champion Jacob Fatu, Simon Gotch and Josef Samael) defeated Strong Hearts (CIMA, Shingehiro Irie and El Lindaman) (11:00)
CIMA and Gotch met with a chopfest to kick us off. They started at 100 mph and the Strong Hearts quickly had Gotch in the corner eating a dropkick to the back. CONTRA fought back and singled out Lindaman after a quick flurry by the 5’3” OWE star.
Fatu hit Lindaman with a superkick to the temple but Lindaman fired up and got Fatu off his feet with a slam attempt. But, the MLW champion’s size powered him over and he flattened Lindaman into the mat.
Irie tagged in and hit Gotch with a splash after springing back first off the top rope. He then reversed a Gotch piledriver and instead piledrove Samael on top of Gotch. Fatu came in and they met with double clotheslines but neither budged. They then collided with double crossbodies but Fatu got to his feet almost immediately as Irie writhed in pain on the ground. Fatu hit his handspring moonsault but CIMA broke up the pinfall attempt.
The action then broke down into a six-way brawl on the outside. Fatu chopped a ring post and was sent to the guardrail before he and Irie traded suicide dives onto each other. All three Strong Hearts then teamed up and got Fatu back inside. They chopped him but Fatu fought back with right hands. CIMA hit him with double knees from the top, Irie hit a rolling senton while he was draped on the middle rope, and Lindaman hit a bridging delayed German suplex for the close near fall only to be broken up by Gotch.
Lindaman then took out Samael with a somersault plancha to the outside. Back inside, Fatu caught CIMA with a pop-up Samoan drop and a 300-pound top rope moonsault to pick up the pin and the victory for his team.
Before we went off the air, Lawlor had a message for the Von Erichs. He said they were too dumb, stupid, and idiotic to see what is coming next. He challenged them to face his two star students next week with their tag team titles on the line.
** Next Week **
Timothy Thatcher vs. Brian Pillman Jr. in the second Opera Cup semifinal.
Tom Lawlor’s open challenge to the Von Erichs for their MLW tag team titles against two of Team Filthy’s top students.
The Hart Foundation got one over on CONTRA Unit when Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Brian Pillman Jr. defeated Ikuro Kwon & Simon Gotch.
The Dynasty’s newest recruit/Alexander Hammerstone’s huge gift Grogan won a battle royal.
Savio Vega defeated Leo Brien in a Swamp Fight.
We heard from Filthy Tom Lawlor after he betrayed the Von Erich family last week.
The episode is available to watch below:
Full Recap —
We opened with a recap video from last week’s Thanksgiving episode and the shocking conclusion to the Jacob Fatu vs. Ross Von Erich MLW World title match that saw Filthy Tom Lawlor turn on the Von Erichs.
Grogan won a 17-man battle royal (9:17)
Participants included: Kotto Brazil, Jordan Oliver, Myron Reed, Richard Holliday, Leo Brien, Gringo Loco, Timothy Thatcher, Dominic Garrini, Douglas James, Savio Vega, Zenshi, Ricky Martinez, Barrington Hughes, Dr. Dex, and two members of American Top Team.
Alexander Hammerstone was on commentary and was hyping up Grogan throughout the match. Hughes was out first when the whole ring ganged up on him to dump him out. Zenshi skinned the cat a few times early on to stay in.
Grogan then eliminated Martinez and Oliver at the same time, then Reed ran but was launched out too. Brazil was next as Grogan press slammed him out to the already eliminated at ringside.
Brien and Vega toppled out together and continued brawling to the back. Grogan then KO punched an ATT member out to thin the field down.
Douglas James eliminated a wrestler who the commentators didn’t know or didn’t tell us who he was. Holliday then reversed a hurricanrana into a powerbomb and eliminated the other ATT member. He got another elimination quickly by throwing Zenshi out, but then Garrini dumped Holliday when his back was turned. Garrini then turned into Grogan — who tossed him too.
The final four were Thatcher, Gringo Loco, James, and Grogan. They tried a three-on-one beatdown with no luck. Grogan eliminated Loco and then James and it was down to him and Thatcher.
Thatcher’s chops and uppercuts had little effect on the giant. Thatcher evaded elimination and landed on the apron, but Grogan hit him with a big boot to knock him off and win the battle royal.
Throughout the match, the commentators and ring announcers called Grogan “Gorgan” so there may be a name change coming soon.
– Tom Lawlor then joined Rich Bocchini via satellite and told us that friendships are usually mutually beneficial, however his friendship with the Von Erichs only benefited them.
Lawlor reminded us it was his war with CONTRA when he brought them in to fight on his side, but the Von Erichs made it all about them. He said he isn’t loyal to anyone. Not CONTRA, not the Von Erichs — the only person he is loyal to is himself.
Savio Vega defeated Leo Brien in a Swamp Fight (4:36)
This took place “earlier this week” and was outside in the swamps of Florida. Brien swung his cowbell immediately when the referee started the match. He choked Vega with the rope moments later too.
Vega used a large piece of wood to knock Brien up against a chain link fence and tried to hang Brien from the fence with the rope around his neck. Brien fought back and knocked Vega down with the cowbell again for a two count.
Vega eventually hit Brien with a spinning heel kick to pick up the win and added insult to injury by choking Brien with his cowbell rope again.
– Kaci Lennox caught up with the Von Erich brothers. Ross said he was heartbroken after what Lawlor did to him last week. Marshall said he was pissed off and he told Lawlor he hoped he didn’t see him in the ring because this was a fight Lawlor won’t be able to finish.
– We then had a hype video for ACH.
The Hart Foundation (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Brian Pillman Jr.) defeated CONTRA Unit (Ikuro Kwon & Simon Gotch w/ Josef Samael) (10:06)
Pillman had a nice escape from Kwon when he feinted a nip up with an up-kick instead, but he then tripped into the ropes and gave control over to CONTRA. Gotch locked in an arm breaker and rolled through into a kneebar, but Pillman escaped with a chinlock. It wasn’t for long as Gotch suplexed him over onto his head.
Pillman fired back and regained control for his team. Quick tags with Smith followed as the Hart Foundation beat down Kwon. Smith hit a 30-second delayed vertical suplex — but when Pillman tried the same, Kwon slipped out the back and tagged in Gotch as CONTRA took control again.
Smith got the hot tag after Pillman fought up from a chinlock. Smith knocked CONTRA’s heads together, slammed Kwon down, and hit Gotch with the 10 punches in the corner. Smith then hit the Hogan big boot and leg drop on Gotch, but Kwon broke up the pinfall attempt.
Pillman smacked Kwon with a superkick, then he and Smith hit Gotch with the Hart Attack with an Air Pillman clothesline to pick up the win.
Next month’s Opera Cup event will see CIMA make his MLW debut.
MLW announced this morning that Strong Hearts (CIMA, El Lindaman & Shigehiro Irie) will face CONTRA Unit (MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu, Ikuro Kwon & Simon Gotch) in a six-man tag match at the Opera Cup television tapings. In storyline, the match was set up after an incident that CONTRA Unit got into in Japan.
CIMA is signed to AEW, where his Strong Hearts stable has also been featured. Lindaman & T-Hawk vs. The Young Bucks will air on this week’s episode of AEW Dark.
Strong Hearts vs. Contra Unit is the first non-tournament match that’s been announced for the Opera Cup. The tapings are taking place at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York on Thursday, December 5 and will feature a one-night, single-elimination tournament.
TJP vs. Brian Pillman Jr., MJF vs. Alexander Hammerstone, and Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Shinjiro Otani have been announced for the Opera Cup tournament. There will be four opening round matches, with the final one yet to be announced.
LA Park got one over on CONTRA Unit when he speared and pinned Josef Samael in the main event six-man tag.
Low Ki vs. Brian Pillman Jr. was made official for Saturday Night SuperFight, and Bestia 666 was added to the Stairway to Hell match between Mance Warner and Jimmy Havoc.
The Hart Foundation picked up a win against hometown favorites Dragon Lee & Extreme Tiger.
Terror Azteca picked up the win in a special featured Crash Lucha Libre tag team match.
The full episode is available to watch below:
Full Recap —
CONTRA Unit opened up this week’s episode of Fusion with another of their propaganda videos. Josef Samael said that Promociones Dorado was looking for another member to fight tonight as El Hijo de LA Park was injured last week in the Tijuana Street Fight. MLW Champion Jacob Fatu said that his match with LA Park won’t be a “superfight…it will be a “f*cking massacre.”
MLW is still south of the border in Tijuana, Mexico, with The Crash Lucha Libre. AJ Kirsch and Rich Bocchini welcomed us as The Hart Foundation were making their entrance for their match.
The Hart Foundation (Brian Pillman Jr. & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) defeated Dragon Lee & Extreme Tiger (12:31)
This was a good little tag team opener here. The match got a good amount of time and told a nice story between the bigger Harts and the smaller and quicker Lee and Tiger. A miscommunication on a dive gave the Hart Foundation the 2-on-1 advantage and they finished Tiger off with a modified Hart Attack.
As Lee and Tiger were making their entrance, we heard that Pillman vs. Low Ki has been booked for Superfight next weekend. Pillman mocked Lee’s brother Rush with a Tranquilo pose at the start. Lee responded with one of his own after a swift early exchange between the two. Smith and Tiger then tagged in and had a brief chop battle that Smith, being the much larger of the two, got the better of. He then offered a handshake, which Tiger accepted, but Smith turned nasty and grabbed him, launching him across the ring with an overhead belly to belly as Pillman also ran and knocked Lee off the apron.
The Harts then took control using Smith’s power against his smaller opponents. The Foundation were also taunting the crowd as they tagged in and out and kept Tiger isolated. Pillman was able to fight back from a brief explosion of chops, and Smith showed his strength again, this time with a gut wrench suplex and a powerslam.
Tiger eventually saw an opportunity to fight back and boy, did he take it. He hit a step up kick to Pillman and then launched himself off the top rope and landed on Pillman with a seated senton directly in the groin. Lee got the hot tag and ran wild. He hit Smith with a single leg dropkick from the outside in and hit Pillman with a snap German. After a chop battle with Pillman, he ate a superkick but retaliated with a ripcord knee and a running knee after kicking out of a package suplex driver.
Lee took out Pillman with a headfirst suicide dive through the ropes, but then while holding Pillman for Tiger to hit him with one of his own, Pillman slipped out and Tiger took out his partner.
Smith then gorilla pressed Tiger back inside and set him up in the Hart Attack for Pillman to hit a springboard clothesline. Smith then picked up the win for his team with the jackknife cover.
— Bestia 666 was officially added to the Stairway to Hell match at Superfight so it is now a three-way between him, Mance Warner, and Jimmy Havoc.
— Salina de la Renta then had a recorded message for CONTRA. She said she is the law and the constant in MLW. She said Promociones Dorado are taking back the MLW world title, and regarding the “war” between CONTRA and PD, she said, “the sh*t is on”. She added that LA Park will hang Fatu from the phone wires outside Cicero Stadium and told them to prepare to bow down and kiss her ring.
— LA Park then had a simple message for CONTRA after they took out his son last week: he is going to break their f*cking faces.
— Lifestyles of the Rich and Dynastic was next. They are still celebrating being back in the USA. Holliday wanted to rub disinfectant on his hands before putting his Louis Vuitton air pods back in, because “he was just in Mexico, of course!” While Hammerstone and MJF were having a drink and talking about how Hammerstone brought his Mexican pharmacy purchases back with him and didn’t get caught. They proposed a toast to winning, to America, and the Dynasty.
— The Von Erichs then had a message in response to the Dynasty. They questioned their partying and threatened a Superfight hangover once they were done with them next week.
— H2tv showed highlights of the Hart Foundation at a fan meet and greet in Mexico.
Terror Azteca & Proximo defeated Torito Negro & Toto (2:52)
This was a very quick Lucha rules tag match, mostly due to the Superfight commercial break in the middle of it. I assume this lasted longer live. When we came back from the break, Toto was dumped on the outside by Proximo who then climbed to the top turnbuckle and hit him with a splash off the top rope to the floor.
In the ring, Azteca hit a missile dropkick on Torito and then hit him with a running twisting headscissors spike for the win with a very quick three count from the referee.
— Another video package for Jacob Fatu and LA Park aired, this time from the stance of Salina de la Renta and Promociones Dorado.
Promociones Dorado (LA Park, Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf) defeated CONTRA Unit (Josef Samael, Ikuro Kwon & Simon Gotch) (15:51)
LA Park was the big star here as the Mexican fans had to wait all night to see the legend in action in the main event of the Tijuana tapings. He did not let them down and took out the remaining members of CONTRA on his way to his battle with MLW Champion Jacob Fatu next week.
A huge six-way brawl opened things up, but CONTRA were quick to take control. Gotch and Bestia, along with Wolf and Kwon, were on the outside as Samael beat down LA with fists and headbutts. Bestia 666 and Mecha Wolf are The Crash tag team champions but they didn’t fair too well in the opening sequences as CONTRA were in complete control.
They all got back into the ring and it wasn’t long before Bestia, Kwon, and then Mecha Wolf all hit dives to the outside with Wolf nearly spearing Kwon through the guardrail and into the front row. Gotch came off the apron with a clothesline, but then, to the absolute delight of the Mexican crowd, the incredible LA Park came off the top rope with a crossbody to the floor on top of everybody!
The hometown favorites then took control with chair shots on the outside. Inside, Bestia hit a doomsday clothesline on Kwon and took out Gotch with a soccer kick to the face.
After 10 minutes of all-out action, the match settled into a traditional tag match with partners on the apron. LA knocked Samael out with a running pair of basement knees but Samael kicked out on instinct. Samael fought back with a DDT for a two count of his own. The traditional tag rules were out the window two minutes later. Bestia and Wolf hit Kwon and Gotch with superkicks and then Wolf took out Gotch with another bullet-like flying headfirst suicide dive.
We then had a quick conveyor belt of a big move/pin/next one in to make the save. Bestia hit his muscle buster on Kwon, who was quickly followed by Wolf with a 450 but Gotch made the save for his team. Gotch hit Bestia with a ripcord big boot and a brainbuster, but LA made the save. LA then took out Gotch with a basement dropkick, but Samael came back in and took out LA.
Bestia and Gotch then had a staredown that ended in a musclebuster from Bestia, but when Wolf went for his 450 again, Kwon sprayed red mist in his eyes. Samael then threw a fireball at Bestia but turned straight into a spear from LA Park for the #1 contender to pick up the win.
Next Week —
Saturday Night SuperFight airs live on PPV. There will also be a one-hour pre-show airing for free on beIN Sports, MLW’s YouTube channel, Fite TV, inDemand, DirectTV, and Dish starting at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
“Filthy” Tom Lawlor, Low Ki, Marshall Von Erich & Ross Von Erich (w/ team captain Kevin Von Erich) defeated CONTRA Unit (MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu, Josef Samael, Ikuro Kwon & Simon) Gotch in the MLW War Chamber.
Leo Brien debuted a new look and gimmick.
LA Park will cash in his golden ticket for a shot at Fatu’s MLW World title at the MLW Saturday Night SuperFight PPV in the Chicago area on November 2.
Full Recap —
From the sold-out NYTEX Sports Centre in Texas, MLW Fusion opened with a video package hyping up the War Chamber main event.
Leo Brien defeated Brandon Banks (1:27)
Brien has a new look and gimmick: a wild, rough-house, cowbell-swinging throwback — he is even throwing in some Berzerker style barks to add to his crazed in-ring style.
The match was short, sharp, and to the point. Brien hit a big boot, used a biel across the ring by the ears, and followed up with a running powerslam called the Oklahoma Stampede to get the win.
Brien looked good here, and you could see him facing off against the likes of Mance Warner, LA Park, and Tom Lawlor in the future. Hopefully this restart will be the start of big things for him.
– LA Park and Salina de la Renta stormed the ring at the end of the match. They slapped Banks around and laid out the referee with a chair. Park set up said chair in the corner and rested his legs on the downed official to listen to de la Renta.
De la Renta introduced her destroyer, “the greatest wrestler in the history of Mexican sports, the greatest luchador in lucha libre,” LA Park. She announced that Park will cash in his golden ticket for a shot at the MLW World Heavyweight Championship at the MLW Saturday Night SuperFight pay-per-view. It’s taking place in Cicero, Illinois on November 2.
– Teddy Hart had a recorded message from a Calgary hockey rink. He said he takes wrestling seriously as a sport due to his upbringing in ice hockey. He said nothing gets him going more than the thought of going to Dallas to beat up MJF and Richard Holliday.
– We had a great recorded promo from the Von Erichs. It was intertwined with old archive footage of the Dallas Sportatorium and pictures of the Von Erich family. The family was at the site of the Sportatorium as Kevin Von Erich was talking about all his memories being back there. Ross & Marshall Von Erich said they had never been there before as they didn’t want to go without their dad.
Tom Lawlor, Low Ki, Ross Von Erich & Marshall Von Erich (w/ team captain Kevin Von Erich) defeated CONTRA Unit (MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu, Josef Samael, Ikuro Kwon & Simon Gotch in the MLW War Chamber (30:19)
They followed the traditional War Games rules with two competitors starting and the coin toss winning team gaining the one-man advantage throughout the alternating entrances. The finish could only take place when all eight wrestlers were in the ring and you could win by pinfall, submission or surrender.
It was a single ring cage with no roof, but barbed wire circled the top of the cage to stop anyone from entering or exiting.
Simon Gotch and Marshall Von Erich were in first and fought for the first five minutes. Kevin Von Erich came out with Marshall and got a huge ovation from the Dallas crowd. Marshall had a quick start, but they slowed it down soon to pace themselves for the long match ahead.
Josef Samael was out for CONTRA next. After another brief flurry from Marshall, CONTRA used the advantage to break him down. They stayed in control until Tom Lawlor came out to even the odds.
Lawlor and Marshall immediately had the advantage — but after only two short minutes, MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu came in for CONTRA. Marshall and Lawlor went straight for him, but Fatu ended up catching Lawlor off the top with a Samoan drop and slamming Marshall with a big uranage.
Fatu hit his handspring moonsault on both his opponents, kicking and squashing Lawlor against the cage before moonsaulting on Marshall. Samael bit Lawlor’s ear for good measure.
Low Ki evened the odds next. On arriving, he slammed the cage door on Samael — a little nod to the Dallas history with the Freebirds and Von Erichs. In the corner, he slammed elbows to the top of Gotch’s head, but CONTRA soon took back control.
Their advantage increased with their fourth and final member entering the ring. Ikuro Kwon went straight to Low Ki and they exchanged kicks and strikes — hopefully we will see them facing off in the future. Low Ki can bring a freshness to this feud and create some new matchups.
We were told Ross Von Erich was suffering from the flu as the countdown to his arrival started. Ross entered like a house on fire as the Von Erich theme song blasted around the arena. He floored Gotch, Samael, and Kwon as Marshall Claw slammed Gotch. Samael was bleeding heavily from the door shot from Low Ki earlier.
Ross reversed a pop-up powerbomb with a hurricanrana on Fatu, but the champion came back and remained strong. He choked Ross with his wrist tape soon after.
With all competitors in there, the match broke down into a hard-hitting exhausting brawl. Lawlor eventually got the champion down in the corner and hit a basement dropkick for a two count.
Marshall slammed Fatu and then dropped Kwon on top of him for good measure. Samael mouthed off at Kevin through the cage but was battered by Marshall for his trouble.
Fatu had Ross up for a Samoan drop, but Marshall applied the Claw. It was only briefly though, as the champion fought out and spun Ross around so he kicked his brother in the head. Fatu then successfully hit his big pop-up Samoan drop.
Samael and Ki climbed the cage and Samael had his face rammed into the barbed wire. A masked CONTRA member tried to climb the cage on the outside, but Kevin pulled him off and applied the Claw to take him down.
Lawlor came close to being pinned: He had Samael in a rear-naked choke, but Samael broke the hold when he jabbed his spike into Lawlor’s hand. Kwon then sprayed mist into Lawlor’s eyes and Fatu hit him with a superkick and triple-jump moonsault. Low Ki made the save at the last moment with a double foot stomp on Fatu.
Marshall saved his brother from a Gotch piledriver. He applied the Iron Claw, then pulled Gotch to the corner. Ross went underneath and lifted Gotch on his shoulders. Marshall — still applying the Claw — went to the top rope and they slammed Gotch to the middle of the ring. They pinned Gotch and picked up the win to the delight of the Texas crowd.
Kevin Von Erich joined Lawlor, Low Ki, Marshall, and Ross in the ring to celebrate.
Next Week —
MLW Tag Team Champions The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) defend their titles against The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) in a two-out-of-three falls match.
LA Park’s Battle Riot golden ticket is back with its rightful owner as Bestia 666 defeated Mance Warner in a Mexican Death Match to return the ticket to Promociones Dorado.
Low Ki upstaged Ricky Martinez and Salina de la Renta again.
The Von Erich brothers defeated Contra Unit once again in anther wild red-hot brawl.
Full Recap —
Salina de la Renta opened up Fusion this week with an in-ring promo on Mance Warner. She said he has been running around with idiot’s luck, but his luck is about to run out. She brought out his opponent for this week — Bestia 666.
Bestia 666 (w/ Salina de la Renta) defeated Mance Warner in a Mexican Death Match (10:01)
Bestia victoriously represented Promociones Dorado here, which means that LA Park’s golden ticket is back with its rightful owner and Park can now cash in his title shot whenever he wants. Bestia picked up the win in this hardcore weapon-filled death match with a little help from de la Renta at ringside
The match began with a suicide dive from Bestia as Warner was making his entrance — and the wild action did not give up from there. They brawled around ringside, with Warner fish hooking Bestia with the ring bell hammer. De la Renta nearly had a collision with Warner when Bestia whipped Warner into the guardrail. A kendo stick was ruined over Warner’s back and Bestia’s head.
Warner hit a DDT on the ring apron before bringing out a wooden sheet and a pair of steel chairs. He put thumbtacks on the chair, but Bestia reversed him and threw him head-first into the tacks.
Inside, Warner had a trash can put over his head and was smacked with a steel chair a few times. He was then hit with the same can for good measure but was able to kick out at two.
Bestia set up the wooden board in the corner of the ring but ended up being speared through it. Warner then hit his running knee pad up/knee pad down but only got a two count.
As Warner was setting up his next devilish plan, de la Renta slipped Bestia something, then distracted Warner long enough for Bestia to throw powder in his eyes. A blinded Warner was then hooked up and driven through two seated folding chairs with a Muscle Buster, losing the match in the process.
– We saw a video of MLW correspondent Georgia Smith (Davey Boy Smith Jr.’s sister) and Alexander Hammerstone getting into a hotel elevator together and having a quick kiss before the doors closed.
– Kaci Lennox then met with Richard Holliday, Hammerstone, and Aria Blake of The Dynasty. She asked Hammerstone if the rumors of his relationship with Georgia were true, but Holliday changed the subject and Blake told her they had “no comment.”
– The MLW & Pro Wrestling NOAH working relationship was then announced via a video package.
– We then had a Contra Unit propaganda video. Josef Samael threatened the crowd by saying if he saw anyone try to start a riot like last time they were in that building, they will turn up the violence against the Von Erich brothers.
Low Ki defeated Ricky Martinez (4:17)
This was a rematch from a few weeks ago when Martinez let de la Renta down by being knocked out early in his match with Ki. Konnan was on commentary for this match, saying he has secrets involving de la Renta that she will not want out.
Martinez lasted longer here than in their previous match. He took Ki out early with a low dropkick and stayed on top for the opening moments.
Ki fought back and caught Martinez coming off the top with a rolling heel kick. Martinez came close with a facebreaker, but de la Renta began berating him, telling him to finish the job.
Konnan began taunting Salina with her cell phone that he has in his possession. Inside the ring, Ki got Martinez in the dragon sleeper, but de la Renta was screaming at him not to tap or she will end his career. Martinez ended up passing out, giving the win to Low Ki.
Angry at the outcome of the match, de la Renta left Martinez in the ring as she tried to get Ki back in her good books, but he left her high and dry.
– We then saw developments from Kotto Brazil’s online accounts showing that he is getting frustrated with MLW officials. We cut backstage to Brazil, Myron Reed, and Jordan Oliver cutting a promo on the referees and officials in MLW. They all say they want Justice.
– The cameras had caught up with “Filthy” Tom Lawlor earlier that day. He said he has been living a living hell. He isn’t happy that Fatu stole his title, but what Fatu didn’t steal was his soul. He wants a rematch with Fatu in New York City. He also challenged Contra Unit to a match inside the War Chamber in Dallas, Texas and told them to be prepared to be dismembered.
– Lennox then caught up with Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Teddy Hart and showed them the video of Georgia and Hammerstone. Smith Jr. was not happy and stormed off looking for his sister.
Marshall & Ross Von Erich defeated Contra Unit (Simon Gotch & Josef Samael) in an unsanctioned match (6:24)
Another wild tag brawl involving these four. There was a red hot crowd too that was firmly behind the Von Erich brothers as they defeated Contra Unit once again.
Contra tried their old tricks of instigating a riot with the crowd by inviting them over the barrier for a fight. Before they could, the Von Erichs entered and the fight was on.
The Von Erichs started the match off by coming off the top rope and applying stereo Iron Claw holds to Contra Unit. Contra fought out with eye rakes. Gotch was going after Ross’ knee while Marshall and Samael brawled and chopped each other on the outside.
Back in the ring, the numbers game played in Contra’s advantage as they started working over Marshall’s leg too. The Von Erichs fired up and hit a double dropkick on Gotch and a double running attack on both their opponents stacked in the corner.
Marshall then hit a huge moonsault off the top rope onto Gotch, but Samael made the save for his partner.
On the outside, Ross kicked a steel chair into Gotch’s face and brought it into the ring. He went to swing. Samael threw fire at the brothers — but Ross blocked it with the chair and then clobbered Samael over the head with his makeshift shield. Marshall made the cover and picked up the 1-2-3.
The fighting continued after the bell as Contra jumped the Von Erichs. Referees and officials came out to break up the fight, but it was to no avail. Riot police even came out to separate them, but the Von Erichs wanted to fight some more. Marshall & Ross’ music played throughout the post-match brawl.
Backstage at the gorilla position, Jacob Fatu took out some riot police with a steel chair and went after the Von Erichs as they came through the curtain. Tom Lawlor then appeared and began fighting with Fatu as the officials, referees, and police tried to break them apart again.
If you thought last week’s Sami Callihan vs.Mance Warner falls count anywhere match was crazy, wild, and chaotic — you ain’t seen nothing yet. The Von Erichs debuted and looked great, picking up the win for their team against Contra Unit in the main event.
Full Recap —
– We opened with a mock funeral for Sami Callihan and his MLW career, complete with a headstone in the middle of a graveyard. Narrated by Jimmy Havoc, he mocked Callihan for losing last week’s loser leaves MLW match against Mance Warner as we saw clips from the brutal match.
Havoc warned Warner that he will eventually end up the same too. At the end, the camera panned out to show Salina de la Renta and Havoc side by side, dressed in black like some modern version of the Addam’s Family. De la Renta ended with “Rest in peace… you warthog.”
Richard Holliday vs. Teddy Hart ended in a no contest
MJF joined Rich Bocchini and Jim Cornette on commentary for what seemed to be our opening contest. As Hart was making his entrance, he approached the announce table and confronted MJF. This led to Holliday blindsiding Hart and MJF and Holliday beating Hart down.
MJF hit Hart with Hart’s own Middleweight title belt, then MJF and Holliday ran off with said belt.
– We had a video recap of the Warner vs. Callihan match from last week, including the events leading up to the encounter with de la Renta. We then cut to a taped promo from Warner saying he was played like a fool and was used to get Callihan out of MLW.
Warner challenged Ricky Martinez, El Hijo de LA Park, and finally LA Park himself. Warner ended by calling out Jimmy Havoc, saying he has a head like a baseball and he is going to hit a home run and send it back to the UK. One-by-one Warner is going to take Promociones Dorado out.
Jordan Oliver defeated Isaias Velazquez (4:34)
Oliver is now paying homage to 1992 WWF by dressing in a full body orange “Nailz” jumpsuit. Luckily, he was rather more athletic than the Big Bossman’s prison foe and finished off Velazquez with a cutter off the middle rope.
Velazquez had a bright start, evading Oliver’s attacks, hitting a high dropkick, and connecting with a soccer kick off the apron. But Oliver then crotched him on the top rope and hit what initially looked like a springboard DDT, but he spun to make it a cutter — his first of many. Myron Reed appeared in the crowd with his #Justice sign that the commentators mentioned.
Velazquez came close with a springboard takedown out of the corner, but he then missed a double foot stomp from the top. That let Oliver hit a springboard stunner from the apron, then Oliver leapt off the middle rope for a cutter to pick up the win.
– We saw cell phone footage of Dynasty leaving the building, apparently with Teddy Hart’s Middleweight title.
Low Ki defeated Tom Coffey (0:10)
Ki picked up the KO win with the same running elbow to the face that knocked Ricky Martinez out last week.
After the bell, the cameras caught Ki coming through the Gorilla position. He told us that the top level athletes come here to MLW. He called out Contra Unit and told them the Pandora’s box that they opened is now coming for them. Ki said that they are now in the sights of “the professional.”
MLW World Heavyweight Champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, Marshall Von Erich & Ross Von Erich defeated Contra Unit (Simon Gotch, Josef Samael & Jacob Fatu) in a tornado tag match (7:42)
The Von Erich brothers made an excellent debut and looked outstanding in this wild and mental main event. The action was everywhere and was non-stop from the opening bell.
Contra showed their first signs of vulnerability as Lawlor and the Von Erichs matched them for brawling, brutality, and balls. Weapons were swinging, fists were flying, and Von Erich dropkicks were launching high into the air. Gotch took the pinfall loss after a back suplex assisted Iron Claw slam from the Von Erichs.
Gotch got nose-to-nose with a fan at ringside as Fatu tried to bait others to come over the rail and try their luck. Someone did try their luck, not a fan, but Lawlor as he gave them a taste of their own medicine and blindsided Contra and jumped them from behind. He was closely followed by the Von Erich brothers as the tornado six-man brawl got underway.
The Von Erichs applied the Claw holds to Gotch and Samael before Fatu made the save. Marshall and Fatu then went at it, with the Von Erich brother getting the better of the Samoan. Samael and Gotch joined in — and quickly the numbers game played in Contra’s advantage.
Lawlor had a rear naked choke on Fatu on the outside, but Lawlor ate the guardrail soon after. Fatu entered the ring with a chair, but it was bounced back off his skull with a Von Erich dropkick. Fatu was then sent flying with a double dropkick from the brothers.
The fast and chaotic start slowed down as the six brawled around ringside. Lawlor was suplexed on the apron multiple times and was then duck taped to the ring post.
Samael used a steel chair on the Von Erichs before getting them into the ring. Fatu hit his springboard jump-up moonsault off the top rope onto both Von Erichs as Marshall jumped on top of Ross to try and soften the blow.
A referee cut Lawlor loose and he appeared with a piece of wooden board and obliterated it over Fatu’s head. No hands up, no protection, full on exploding wood straight over the head. Fatu stayed on his feet, so Lawlor went “Filthy” and kicked him between the legs to take him out of the action.
Samael was taken out with wood to the gut from Lawlor and a dropkick from the barefoot Marshall, who sprang to his feet and called for the Claw. He applied the Iron Claw to Gotch, and with the help from his brother Ross hitting a back suplex, they Iron Claw suplexed Gotch down to the mat for the win in their MLW debut, handing Contra Unit their first official pinfall loss.
Contra did not give up after the bell. Officials came out to break up the fighting as Lawlor and the Von Erichs held their own. During the melee, MLW producer Alex Greenfield fell and hit his head. When he eventually made it back to his feet, he was floored again and choked by Gotch to the disgust of Cornette and Bocchini.
Ring announcer Tim Barr also took a right hand from Fatu as the action and brawling was spilling everywhere. Lawlor reappeared and choked Fatu with one of Contra’s spikes. Bocchini made the call of the night to perfectly describe the scene: “This is nuts!”
Fatu put a referee through a table and Samael smacked the ref with a chair. They then went after Bocchini and Cornette on the entrance stage as Lawlor and the Von Erichs celebrated inside the ring.
The Von Erichs and Contra Unit are set to face off in an “unsanctioned match” at July’s MLW television tapings in Cicero, Illinois.
MLW has announced Ross & Marshall Von Erich vs. Contra Unit (Josef Samael & Simon Gotch) in an unsanctioned match for the tapings, which are being called “Kings of Colosseum” and will take place at Cicero Stadium on Saturday, July 6.
After it was announced in May that they had signed with the promotion, Ross & Marshall made their MLW debuts by teaming with World Heavyweight Champion Tom Lawlor and defeating Contra Unit (Jacob Fatu, Samael & Gotch) in a tornado tag match at this month’s tapings in Waukesha, Wisconsin. That match will air on this Saturday’s episode of MLW Fusion.
Lawlor will defend his MLW World title against Fatu at Kings of Colosseum. Dr. Wagner Jr. & El Hijo de Wagner Jr. vs. LA Park & El Hijo de LA Park has also been confirmed for the show.
Contra Unit took out Barrington Hughes, Ace Romero, Rey Fenix, Pentagon Jr., Low Ki and MLW World Champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor all in one night.
Show Recap
– A “Filthy” Tom Lawlor video package opened up this week’s Fusion, highlighting his title win against Low Ki, and previewing tonight’s challenge against “Avalanche” Robert Dreissker.
– Rich Bocchini and Jim Cornette hyped next week’s National Openweight title tournament final between Brian Pillman Jr. and Alexander Hammerstone. We cut to a backstage interview with Kaci Lennox, Richard Holliday, and Hammerstone where Holliday explained that MJF was away working out what they are going to do with all the extra money that Hammer will bring in when he wins the title next week.
He said they are the cornerstone of MLW and should be marketed as such. Hammerstone added he has a genetic advantage against Pillman and Pillman wont remember a thing when he is finished with him.
Contra Unit (Josef Samael and Jacob Fatu) defeated Barrington Hughes and Ace Romero (1:14)
This was the usual Contra Unit domination followed by a post-match beatdown. Hughes and Romero were announced as having a combined weight of 872 pounds, but it did not help them as Contra swiftly took them out in this unsanctioned fight. Samael used a spike to the back of the head of Romero to eliminate him from the action. They then doubleteamed Hughes until Fatu hit his triple jump moonsault for the win. Samael assaulted Hughes after the bell with his curl toed boot.
– Footage was aired from earlier on this evening showing Contra Unit attacking and assaulting Rey Fenix and Pentagon Jr. Samael shot a fireball into Fenix’s face and the feed was cut shortly after.
– After a Von Erichs video package, Lennox gave us a live update saying that when doctors attended to Fenix, his flesh came off with his mask after the fireball attack.
– “Filthy” Tom then updated us on his current situation. He said Contra Unit hasn’t rattled him and he is focused on the Avalanche. He said Bocchini should be questioning Robert Dreissker, LA Park, and Contra Unit on how they will get the world title off him.
– They aired a Teddy Hart vs. Jimmy Havoc hype package followed up by Mance Warner picking up his winnings from the pay window, followed by an Austin Aries hype graphic that has aired before.
Low Ki and Ricky Martinez (with Salina de la Renta) defeated Troy Hollywood and “The Hitman For Hire” Mr. Grim (1:34)
There was tension between Low Ki and de la Renta before and after the match as they argued walking down the ramp while the announcers talked up their tension throughout this short match. Hollywood was turned inside out by a Martinez clothesline. A Low Ki crossface, a Martinez knee to the face, and a double foot stomp from Low Ki followed which gave the former MLW Champion the easy pinfall victory for his team.
After the match, the announcers questioned if Low Ki was making a statement to de la Renta with the directness of his offense.
Contra Unit’s music then hit as Jacob Fatu made his way to the ramp. Martinez bailed and left Low Ki in the ring alone with him. They exploded into a brawl, but the rest of Contra Unit joined the attack and beat down Low Ki 3-on-1 as the announcers screamed that Salina and Martinez left him high and dry. Fatu flattened him with a pop-up Samoan drop. The announcers mentioned the mounting body count at the hands of Contra Unit.
– H2tv was next. This week, Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Teddy Hart talked up Pillman’s title match next week against Barrington Hughes. They told him to work on his stamina as Hammerstone will eventually blow up and run out of gas. Pillman said it’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, it’s about the size of the fight in the dog and that he’s doing this for his brother’s and his family’s legacy.
MLW World Champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor defeated “Avalanche” Robert Dreissker to retain (7:53)
Dreissker was compared to Otto Wanz by Jim Cornette throughout this hard hitting brawl. Lawlor picked up the win with his rear naked choke, but his war with the Contra Unit has only just got started.
After early fury from Lawlor, the match made its way outside where Dreissker slammed him into the ring post, slowing the champion down. Back inside, Avalanche hit a huge splash for a two count.
Lawlor fought back a few times, but Dreissker’s strength kept him in control each time the champ rallied. Lawlor eventually hit a German after sliding through the bigger man’s legs. He followed up with a forearm smash in the corner, but Dreissker retaliated with an avalanche splash and a Samoan drop.
Avalanche went to finish Lawlor off but missed a Vader bomb which was the opening Lawlor needed. He rammed Dreissker with a knee to the face and locked in the rear naked choke for the tapout win.
After the bout, Contra Unit added to their body count, bringing it up to six on this show alone. They attacked Lawlor 3-on-1 leading to Gotch hitting a piledriver and Fatu hitting his triple jump moonsault. They draped the Contra Unit flag over the fallen Lawlor who was still, just barely, grasping the World title.
– Backstage, Salina de la Renta was instructing LA Park to cash in his world title shot on Lawlor right this second, but out of nowhere, Mance Warner and Sami Callihan jumped him to prevent it. We went off the air with de la Renta furious at Callihan and Warner for ruining the opportunity.
Ross & Marshall will team with MLW World Heavyweight Champion Tom Lawlor against Contra Unit (Jacob Fatu, Josef Samael & Simon Gotch) in a tornado tag match at MLW’s television tapings in Waukesha, Wisconsin on Saturday, June 1. MLW had been hyping that Lawlor would be bringing partners to the show to continue his storyline against Contra Unit.
Lawlor has been feuding with Contra Unit since the group formed and attacked Lawlor in March.
Ross & Marshall signing multi-year deals with MLW was announced last week. They are the sons of Kevin Von Erich.
Teddy Hart defending the MLW Middleweight Championship against Jimmy Havoc, Sami Callihan vs. Mance Warner in a falls count anywhere match, Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs MJF, the debut of Adam Brooks, and the finals of the National Openweight Championship tournament are also set for the June 1 tapings, which are taking place at the Waukesha County Expo Center.
The National Openweight title tournament finals will feature Alexander Hammerstone facing the winner of the Rich Swann vs. Brian Pillman Jr. match that’s airing on this week’s episode of MLW Fusion.
