This week’s episode of MLW Fusion included two match announcements for the promotion’s first pay-per-view.
The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) will defend their MLW Tag Team titles against Ross & Marshall Von Erich in a Texas tornado tag match at Saturday Night SuperFight. Mance Warner will also face Jimmy Havoc in a Stairway to Hell match at the PPV.
Barbed wire will be hanging above the ring in the Stairway to Hell match. Promos from Warner and Havoc aired on Fusion this week, with Warner issuing the challenge for SuperFight and Havoc accepting.
Warner and The Von Erichs both missed MLW’s television tapings with The Crash in Tijuana earlier this month. Warner missed the tapings due to a punctured lung, while Ross & Marshall Von Erich had passport issues.
In storyline, The Dynasty have to defend their titles against The Von Erichs after Holliday’s father/lawyer got them out of the match happening in Mexico.
Saturday Night SuperFight is taking place at Cicero Stadium in Cicero, Illinois on November 2. Here’s the updated card for the PPV:
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu defending against LA Park in a no DQ match
MLW Middleweight Champion Teddy Hart defending against Austin Aries
Tom Lawlor vs. Timothy Thatcher
MLW Tag Team Champions The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) defending against Ross & Marshall Von Erich in a Texas tornado tag match
MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone defending against Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc in a Stairway to Hell match
Gringo Loco, Puma King & Septimo Dragon vs. Injustice (Myron Reed, Jordan Oliver & Kotto Brazil)
MJF & Richard Holliday defeated LA Park Jr. & El Hijo de LA Park to retain their MLW Tag Team titles.
The Crash Heavyweight Champion Rey Horus defeated MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone by DQ.
Jimmy Havoc will be in charge next week as he presents “Jimmy Havoc’s Slaughterhouse,” with two matches booked so far.
Oraculo defeated Black Danger and Ricky Marvin.
Full Recap —
MLW Fusion was in Mexico this week — the Auditorio Fausto Gutierrez Moreno in Tijuana to be precise. This was a collaborative show with one of their newest partners: The Crash Lucha Libre. AJ Kirsch was also debuting on commentary alongside Rich Bocchini.
Fusion opened with a video from this past Friday. Salina de la Renta bumped into The Dynasty outside the arena. MJF, Richard Holliday, and Alexander Hammerstone were bad-mouthing Mexico and luchadores, saying all the wrestling in Mexico is terrible and all luchadores are ugly (that’s why they wear masks).
De la Renta then called out Holliday saying his father/lawyer stopped a scheduled match between The Von Erichs and The Dynasty, so she challenged them to face Los Parks tonight instead. Before MJF or Holliday could make up another excuse, Hammerstone jumped in and accepted on their behalf.
Oraculo defeated Black Danger and Ricky Marvin in a three-way match (6:23)
All three seemed to come out to the Karate Kid theme “You’re the Best,” which gave this a bonus point from me.
Danger and Marvin double-teamed Oraculo early, with Marvin hitting a step-up kick and a DDT. Oraculo fought back on the outside and had a brief chop battle with Danger, but Marvin was soon back to regain the numbers advantage.
Marvin accidentally rocked Danger with a flying kick when Oraculo dodged the incoming attack. Oraculo rallied with a springboard Ace Crusher, a flying headscissors takedown, and an Asai moonsault to the floor. But he wasn’t done. Back inside, he hit a springboard hurricanrana on Marvin for a two count.
Marvin and Danger’s alliance disintegrated as Marvin took over control. He attacked the knees of both his opponents and then flattened Oraculo with a spinning cutter.
Danger hit a double underhook piledriver on Oraculo, but somehow Oraculo rallied moments later with a Canadian Destroyer and then caught Marvin coming off the top with a kick to the head.
Oraculo then hit a poison rana on Danger and finished him off with a 450 splash for the win.
– Kaci Lennox was backstage with Brian Pillman Jr. and Low Ki. Ki was talking to Pillman about his emotions and said that is why Pillman failed against Austin Aries last week. He said what Pillman has got himself into isn’t checkers, it’s chess. Pillman stormed off telling Ki he knows nothing about him.
– MLW cameras caught up with The Dynasty again. This time it was from earlier in the day and they explained why they were not wearing their suits. Holliday: “the poverty line would be lined around the corner trying to get some money from us.” MJF: “I don’t want to get stabbed… It’s Tijuana!”
They then heavily implied that Hammerstone had just bought steroids — legally — from the pharmacy, shouting “I can never have enough!” when MJF told him he had enough already.
– De la Renta then had some words for Jacob Fatu. She said both Fatu and LA Park were undefeated but it would be Park who will take Fatu’s MLW World Heavyweight Championship when they meet at Saturday Night SuperFight on November 2.
Josef Samael interrupted and said she has intelligence, beauty, and she craves power, before offering her a spot in CONTRA. De la Renta considered but chose violence instead. Speaking of violence, in walked Jimmy Havoc — who is the executive producer of next week’s MLW Fusion “because of Halloween or some bollocks like that.”
Havoc booked a Tijuana street fight between a member of CONTRA and a member of Promociones Dorado. Samael picked himself, and de la Renta told him she has “the right person for him.”
The Crash Heavyweight Champion Rey Horus defeated MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone by DQ in a title vs. title match (13:34)
The Dynasty caused the DQ in this great little match when it looked like Horus was moments away from walking away with both belts.
Hammerstone ordered MJF and Holliday to the back before he started overpowering Horus in the early going. On commentary, AJ Kirsch said Hammerstone was built like a “Shick Brithouse” moments before Hammerstone hit a stalling pumphandle fallaway slam.
On the outside, Hammerstone dropped Horus face-first on the ring apron but took too much time getting back into the ring and ate a suicide dive for his troubles. Horus then hit a leg drop from the middle rope for a close two count.
But — moments later — Hammerstone nearly took Horus’ head off with a huge lariat that turned the Crash Heavyweight Champion inside out.
Horus kept fighting. He fought out of a stalling suplex and then baited Hammerstone in as he toppled to the floor. Horus then brought the crowd alive again with an amazing somersault plancha over the corner ring post right down on top of Hammerstone. He then hit a slingshot splash and a high crossbody off the top for a close two count.
Horus went up top again for his 450 splash, but Hammerstone caught him and slammed him off the top. In very quick succession, Hammerstone hit a bicycle kick, a German suplex, and a sit-out powerbomb for another very close near fall.
Hammerstone missed a spear in the corner and ate a step-up kick. Horus then hit a springboard DDT for a two count. He shoved the ref for the apparent slow count, and as they were jaw jacking in the corner, Hammerstone came charging and squashed the ref by accident.
Hammerstone then got the visual three count after he hit a big boot and The Burning Hammer — a reverse/face-first Death Valley Driver — but the referee was still down. Hammerstone then realized the ref was down and brought a chair into the ring and clobbered Horus over the head with it. The referee groggily counted a slow one…two… but Horus got his shoulder up at the last minute.
Horus reversed a powerbomb into a Code Red for another close two, then KO’ed Hammerstone with a drop toe hold into the chair. He went up top and hit his 450 splash, but MJF and Holliday had run down to ringside. They dragged Horus out of the ring and put the boots to him for the disqualification.
– Video packages for Jimmy Havoc’s Slaughterhouse next week and Gino Medina’s upcoming debut later this fall aired before MLW hyped up the Saturday Night SuperFight matches for their PPV on November 2.
MLW Tag Team Champions The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) defeated Los Parks (LA Park Jr. & El Hijo de LA Park) w/ Salina de la Renta to retain their titles (8:54)
A good lucha rules tag match was this week’s main event, but the finish seemed rushed as it came out of nowhere.
MJF got on the mic before the match and had tremendous heat without saying a word. He told the Mexican crowd that he couldn’t wait until Donald Trump built the wall. Hijo then came back at them in Spanish to the delight of the crowd.
Hijo hit a backstabber on Holliday before he and his brother steamrolled Holliday in the corner with forearms and dropkicks one after another.
The Dynasty then took control for the majority of the match. They wore down Hijo with armbars and chinlocks. Holliday beat him down before MJF came in for an eye poke, a double suplex, a double Ric Flair strut, and a high-fiving tandem elbow drop.
The Dynasty were gyrating in front of de la Renta too long as Hijo was able to crawl and tag in his brother, LA Park Jr., who ran wild on the tag champs. He kicked MJF out of the ring, and with a little help from Hijo, basement dropkicked Holliday in the mouth. MJF then broke up a pin after a big splash.
The Parks’ double-teaming continued with a Samoan drop/rolling neckbreaker combo. The Dynasty were outside taking a breather when the Parks hit them with a pair of suicide dives.
But MJF tripped LA Park Jr. coming back into the ring, slamming him face-first on the apron and then head-first into the guardrail, while Holliday kicked the ropes low on Hijo behind the referee’s back. Holliday then hit The Market Crash — a gut-wrench powerbomb — onto Hijo and picked up the win out of nowhere with an MJF-assisted jackknife cover.
Next Week —
Jimmy Havoc is in charge as he presents “Jimmy Havoc’s Slaughterhouse.”
Due to some interference from Austin Aries, The Dynasty retained their MLW Tag Team titles after defeating The Hart Foundation two falls to one.
Injustice’s Jordan Oliver defeated Zenshi as their feud continues.
Two big matches are booked for next week: Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc in a Bunkhouse Brawl and Timothy Thatcher vs. Douglas James.
Full Recap —
Fusion opened with a recorded message from Josef Samael (not so) fresh and bloodied from the War Chamber match last week. He said the war with the Von Erichs isn’t over and he will take them all out once and for all.
Jordan Oliver defeated Zenshi (7:11)
Fellow Injustice members Kotto Brazil and Myron Reed accompanied Oliver and were interfering throughout.
Oliver kept up with Zenshi’s rolling and lucha-style arm drags and reversals in the opening moments, but he was finally halted with a standing Shooting Star Press.
Zenshi had to deal with Injustice’s interference early as he kicked Reed away as he climbed the turnbuckle. Oliver met Zenshi up the turnbuckle and looked to have caught him with a hurricanrana off the top, but Zenshi landed on his feet after a full rotation and rolled to his apparent safety in the opposite corner. However, Injustice’s numbers game played to their advantage in that corner as Brazil was waiting to trip him behind the ref’s back — and Oliver followed in with a basement dropkick to the face.
Zenshi fought back with a slingshot headscissor takedown and then took out Reed with a Shooting Star Press to the floor. He then hit Oliver with a slingshot DDT and slingshot twisting senton (both from the apron), but Oliver kicked out at two.
Zenshi hit a Sliced Bread neckbreaker, but Brazil pulled the ref out before he could count to three, pulling his shoe off in the process.
Inside the ring, Oliver hit a cutter as the referee was throwing Brazil out. Reed — complete with a D’Lo Brown chest protector for his apparent broken ribs — interfered again with a beautiful 450 splash that let Oliver cover Zenshi and pick up the win.
After the match, Injustice put the boots to the official until Gringo Loco ran out with a chair to make the save. This feud continues.
– A video hype package for “The Bone Collector” Dominic Garrini aired. He will be coming to MLW this fall.
– Mance Warner challenged Jimmy Havoc to a Bunkhouse Brawl match. He said he is going to bust Havoc up.
– A good recap and hype video played for tonight’s main event between The Dynasty and Hart Foundation, which led into Lifestyles of the Rich and Dynastic with Richard Holliday in the gym. He had a message for us “consumers” and said tonight we will see that there is only one Dynasty in MLW, not the Hart Foundation, The Dynasty.
– Rich Bocchini asked the Von Erichs who they were pulling for in the main event. They said the Harts have the edge for them — but ultimately it doesn’t matter, as the Von Erichs are coming for Tag Team gold.
– Salina de la Renta was backstage with a message for Jacob Fatu. She said LA Park will take care of him, and before she could talk about Warner, Havoc appeared and said he has him sorted. He said Warner is screwed and he will end up drinking Warner’s blood.
MLW Tag Team Champions The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) defeated The Hart Foundation (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Teddy Hart) in a two-out-of-three falls match to retain their titles (22:54)
We were told there was an altercation between Teddy Hart and Austin Aries backstage as Aries thinks Hart has been shunning him since he announced he wants a shot at Hart’s MLW Middleweight title.
The Dynasty stalled early on with a game of rock, paper, scissors and added some jaw-jacking with the crowd. The Hart Foundation jumped them and they began brawling around ringside. The commentators took a good three minutes complaining about the referee saying that he didn’t start the match and didn’t call for the bell to ring. It clearly rang as you could see the timekeeper ringing it and we heard it ring. This wasn’t a passing comment either, they talked about it for minutes.
Oddly, a few minutes later Bocchini and Tony Schiavone brought up the bell ringing again. They questioned if referee Doug Markham was suffering from injuries at the hands of Injustice’s attack a few weeks ago. Given that we saw and heard the bell ring, this was all very awkward.
The match built up slowly with some good chain wrestling from Smith as you would expect. The action spilled to the outside again, with all four wrestlers briefly disappearing backstage. Back in the ring, The Hart Foundation hit a pair of symmetrical Northern Lights suplexes for two counts.
The Dynasty got the advantage when MJF clocked Hart from the apron and Holliday followed up with a big lariat. Smith got the hot tag and ran wild on Holliday. He hit a diving headbutt off the top rope, but Holliday kicked out at two. Smith hit a piledriver, but Holliday kicked out again. Fifteen minutes in and we were still 0-0.
A few moments later, we had our first fall that seemed out of nowhere with little crowd reaction. Smith had a sleeper on Holliday, but the Dynasty member dropped down to escape with a jawbreaker. He then ran off the ropes and knocked Smith down with an apparent shoulder block. Feeling the effects of the grueling match so far, Holliday fell back to the ropes to rest, but MJF reached up and pushed Holliday into the center of the ring, where he fell on top of Smith and the ref counted the pin. 1-0 Dynasty via Holliday’s jaw breaker/shoulder block combo.
A replay during the 30-second rest period showed that Holliday and Smith’s heads collided on the shoulder block.
After the rest period, MJF knocked Hart off the apron to focus on the groggy Smith. MJF helped him to his feet and hit him with a right hand, but that just woke Smith up. Smith hulked up and knocked MJF down.
Hart tagged in and hit a Canadian Destroyer. He then hit Holliday with a lung blower/Lumbar Check. Hart gave MJF a Canadian Destroyer from the top rope and a springboard twisting moonsault to pick up the fall and level the score. 1-1.
After the rest period, MJF was out, and the commentators were screaming at Hart to cover him. But strangely, Hart picked him up to his feet to hit his hammerlock DDT, but Holliday broke that up with a big boot. Smith then took Holliday out and brawled around ringside, which distracted the referee.
Out of nowhere, Aries appeared and hit Teddy Hart with the MLW Middleweight title belt. He then grabbed Hart and hit him with a brainbuster on the apron, knocking him down to the floor and knocking him out.
The referee began to count Hart out as Smith realized and desperately tried to lift him back into the ring in time. He got Hart up but couldn’t turn and drop him on the apron in time, so the referee counted to 20 (20 counts in MLW) and called for the bell and awarded the fall and the match to The Dynasty.
2-1 to The Dynasty via Teddy Hart countout.
Hart was helped to the back after the match, knocked out cold at the hands of Austin Aries.
The Hart Foundation are getting a Tag Team title rematch at next month’s MLW television tapings.
The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) will defend their titles against The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) in a two-out-of-three falls match at MLW’s War Chamber event next month. The tapings are taking place at the NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills, Texas on Saturday, September 7.
MJF & Holliday won the MLW Tag Team titles from The Hart Foundation at July’s Kings of Colosseum tapings. Teddy Hart & Brian Pillman Jr. were representing The Hart Foundation in that match. Smith Jr. and The Dynasty’s Alexander Hammerstone and Aria Blake also got involved.
Next month’s tapings in Texas will be headlined by a War Chamber match, which is a War Games-style match that can be won by pinfall, submission, or surrender once all participants have entered. Tom Lawlor, Marshall Von Erich, Ross Von Erich, and a partner will face Contra Unit (Jacob Fatu, Josef Samael, Simon Gotch & Ikuro Kwon).
The late Gary Hart will also be honored at the tapings.
We saw a second title switch in as many weeks as The Dynasty defeated The Hart Foundation to become the new MLW Tag Team Champions.
Mance Warner took out three more Promociones Dorado members as he focuses in on Salina de la Renta and LA Park.
Low Ki doesn’t get paid by the hour as he again made short work of an opponent.
Ace Austin and Air Wolf’s feud continued.
Full Recap —
After a recap video involving The Dynasty and The Hart Foundation leading up to tonight’s ladder match, we jumped straight into the opening contest of the night, a rematch between Ace Austin and Air Wolf.
Ace Austin defeated Air Wolf (7:18)
This was a very good outing for both as they traded wins after Austin picked up the victory by using an ace up his sleeve. Commentators played up Air Wolf’s recent MLW wins over Fenix and Austin himself and also that he has been training in Mexico with the best luchadors around.
We got some nice chain wrestling exchanges to open up. They countered quick pinning combinations, ending in a double down and a nice ovation from the Chicago crowd. Shortly after, Air Wolf hit a springboard arm drag after dodging some high kicks from Austin. He then planted a penalty kick to the chest but only got a one count.
They went to the outside, with Austin cartwheeling on the apron and landing a side kick to the head. The tone of the match then changed when Austin back suplexed Air Wolf onto the guardrail and posed back in the ring as the referee counted Air Wolf on the outside.
Air Wolf was met with a baseball slide as he tried to re-enter the ring, and Austin continued his heelish tactics by grabbing at Air Wolf’s mask.
Air Wolf fought back and ran up the turnbuckles, hitting a Pele kick to the back of Austin’s head. Air Wolf looked to be in control as he ascended the top rope, but Austin distracted the referee with a folded up playing card.
When Air Wolf leapt off the top, Austin’s cane magically appeared out of mid-air (or Austin’s tights) and he used it to crotch Air Wolf between the legs. Austin followed up with his running blockbuster finisher The Fold to pick up the win by dubious means.
– Salina de la Renta was backstage with Ricky Martinez. Martinez was wanting another shot at Low Ki when de la Renta got a phone call from Jimmy Havoc — or so she thought. She answered and it was Mance Warner on the other end.
Warner said Havoc was lying in a pool of blood and he has “the golden ticket” so was away to drink some light beers. De la Renta ordered Martinez to go get the ticket back.
– We got a dramatic video package highlighting last week’s title change when Jacob Fatu defeated “Filthy” Tom Lawlor to become the new MLW World Heavyweight Champion.
Low Ki defeated Ariel Dominguez (0:17)
Low Ki got a standing ovation from the Chicago crowd during his entrance as we were told he has officially moved down a weight division to middleweight. The MLW middleweight division has also gained Austin Aries in recent weeks.
Ki and Dominguez circled briefly, but Low Ki struck him with a knee to the jaw to pick up yet another very quick KO victory.
– We then had a pre-recorded Dynasty video filmed earlier this week from Martha’s Vineyard. Alexander Hammerstone was working out and getting a tan while Richard Holliday was reading the paper in his suit.
They were talking strategy for the Tag Team title ladder match, which was aggravating MJF. MJF screamed that he was not afraid of heights, but Hammerstone didn’t believe him.
– De la Renta then had an update on Ricky Martinez and his search for the golden ticket. Martinez was on Facetime and he had found another one of Warner’s life-sized, wrapped-up presents.
Martinez took a sledgehammer to it — but it was all a ruse. De la Renta saw what was coming as Warner appeared from behind and beat him up. Warner took the phone and told de la Renta that was another one down, and that he still had her golden ticket.
– Konnan bumped into de la Renta backstage and wound her up by telling her that Dr. Wagner Jr. will be in MLW soon.
The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday w/ Aria Blake) defeated The Hart Foundation (Brian Pillman Jr. & Teddy Hart) in a ladder match to win the MLW Tag Team titles (17:26)
This was a great match filled with death-defying Hart stunts and good cowardly actions from MJF. All members of both factions got involved at one point, but it was the numbers game of The Dynasty that rang true as Holliday was able to grab the belts and the victory for his team.
A fan was pushed back off the guardrail by security as he mouthed off to MJF as The Dynasty entered ringside.
Before the match got underway, the cameras cut backstage with de la Renta, LA Park, and El Hijo de LA Park as they were trying to leave the arena. As LA Park left, Warner jumped in and locked the gate behind him, locking him out. He then jumped Hijo and knocked him out cold with a chain wrapped around his fist, taking out his third Promociones Dorado member of the night.
They teased dissension again in The Dynasty ranks as they discussed tactics at ringside. MJF could be heard saying, “Stick to the game plan, stick to the game plan” over and over while Holliday asked “Don’t you trust me?!”
They brawled around ringside — and Hart ate a ring post face-first. Inside, Pillman hit Air Pillman on MJF, then Hart reappeared to hit a Lumbar Check on Holliday. The Dynasty brought the ladders to ringside, but The Hart Foundation met them with a double baseball slide that knocked them down. Hart then hit a huge springboard moonsault to the floor that took out everyone.
Hart put a ladder in the ring but was pushed off and hung on the top rope by MJF. MJF then teased climbing the ladder and only got up one rung before demanding Aria Blake climb the ladder for him. The crowd chanted “a**hole” at MJF as Pillman reappeared, but Blake tried to take him out with a crossbody. Of course, Pillman moved and she landed on MJF instead.
The Hart Foundation double teamed MJF, which culminated in a slingshot into the underside of a ladder. Holliday reappeared and took them both out with a running ladder shot. Hart took a suplex onto the ladder resting in the corner as The Dynasty took control. Holliday back suplexed Hart onto a ladder and they both whipped Pillman rib-first into a ladder in the corner.
The Dynasty clashed and argued on who should climb the ladder. MJF slapped Holliday and told him to climb it, but Hart grabbed him by the tights, mooned the crowd, and slammed him to the mat. MJF then tried to climb, but Pillman superkicked him off and hit a Death Valley Driver.
Hart was in form with his inventions as he had both Dynasty members on the apron. He put MJF in the piledriver position and Holliday in the DDT position and hit a dueling see-saw piledriver/DDT combo on them. A slingshot, corkscrew elbow, and a tilt-a-whirl Canadian Destroyer followed as The Hart Foundation looked in complete control.
Pillman brought a table/door out and set it up on two folding chairs on which Hart slammed himself, squashing MJF through it with a death-defying high corkscrew moonsault from the top rope.
Hammerstone then came out and pulled Pillman off the ladder and powerbombed him into the corner. Hammerstone brought his own table out and set it up at ringside. He looked to suplex Pillman through it from the ring to the floor, but Davey Boy Smith Jr. came out, broke it up, and running powerslammed Hammerstone through his own table.
Holliday and Pillman then climbed the ladder and exchanged right hands at the top as Blake climbed up onto Pillman’s back. Pillman fought her off — but as this was going on, MJF handed Holliday a steel chair. Pillman turned and was met with a chair shot to the head, knocking him off.
That left Holliday alone at the top to unhook both title belts and win them for The Dynasty. Replays of the death-defying moves played as The Dynasty celebrated in the ring, holding all their gold as MLW Fusion went off the air.
Next Week —
We will hear from the new MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu and the rest of Contra Unit.
The MLW Tag Team titles will be on the line in a ladder match at Kings of Colosseum.
MLW has announced that The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart & Brian Pillman Jr.) will defend their Tag Team titles against The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) in a ladder match at the promotion’s television tapings at Cicero Stadium in Cicero, Illinois on Saturday, July 6.
In another Hart Foundation vs. Dynasty match, Davey Boy Smith Jr. is challenging for Alexander Hammerstone’s National Openweight Championship at the Kings of Colosseum tapings. Smith & Hart were the Hart Foundation team that won the Tag Team titles, but Hart & Pillman are defending the titles in the ladder match.
MJF and Holliday attacked Hart on the most recent episode of MLW Fusion and took his Tag Team title belt.
Hart also holds the MLW Middleweight Championship.
Here’s the updated lineup for Kings of Colosseum:
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Tom Lawlor defending against Jacob Fatu
LA Park & El Hijo de LA Park vs. Dr. Wagner Jr. & El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.
MLW Tag Team Champions The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart & Brian Pillman Jr.) defending against The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) in a ladder match
MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone defending against Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Ross & Marshall Von Erich vs. Contra Unit (Josef Samael & Simon Gotch)
– We opened with two thirds of Dynasty (Richard Holliday and Alexander Hammerstone) in the parking lot after finding MJF’s car. The Hart Foundation had given it their own makeover — complete with pizza boxes, empty drink bottles, and discarded condoms…what a party!?
– Rich Bocchini and Jim Cornette hyped up the new National Openweight Championship with the finals of a four-man tournament taking place on June 1 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The package included media clippings from around the world.
Jordan Oliver defeated Kotto Brazil (6:32)
Oliver made his MLW debut here and lived up to his nickname — “The real-life Spider-Man” — with some nice aerial attacks. He picked up the win after the ever-athletic Brazil was distracted by Ricky Martinez and Salina de la Renta.
Quick start from Brazil, but Oliver got the upper hand on the outside when Brazil missed a crossbody and collided head-first with the ring post. After a short amount of heat, Brazil came back by reversing a suplex with a hurricanrana, then hitting two big clotheslines and a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. He hit a blockbuster off the top rope and then a big frog splash for a two count.
Salina de la Renta and Ricky Martinez arrived at ringside and distracted Brazil long enough for Oliver to schoolboy Brazil, but he only got a two count. Another Oliver two count followed after a slingshot stunner. Brazil then hit a stunner of his own that knocked Oliver to the outside, so he followed up with two suicide dives — doing his best to drive over the guardrail and land in the front row each time.
On his attempt at a third, Martinez grabbed his ankle, but Brazil took him out with a big diving forearm. Brazil got back into the ring but was still distracted by Promociones Dorado, which gave Oliver the opportunity to hit a huge springboard cutter and pick up the surprise win.
– Avalanche Robert Dreissker from wXw in Germany has signed on for an MLW World Heavyweight Championship shot against “Filthy” Tom Lawlor. We saw a short promo from Avalanche hyping up the match.
– We then saw a recap of an injury angle from moments ago where Dynasty attacked Brian Pillman Jr. backstage and it looked like they separated his shoulder with a chair shot after trapping his arm.
Rey Horus defeated Ace Austin (14:12)
We heard that this is the first time these two have squared off and also that Horus is the cousin of Rey Mysterio Jr. We saw a lot of his families’ athleticism in this match. Horus picked up the win after a spectacular modified hurricanrana/victory roll off the top rope.
They began with chain wrestling, which was a bit of a slower start than we are used to with these two. Bocchini said as much on commentary, but Cornette wisely said that you wouldn’t go running 100 mph into a guy that you had no knowledge of and you need to expect a feeling out process to take place. They hyped up the National Openweight tournament and speculated if the winner of this match would enter themselves into it.
The pace quickened but they stayed at a stalemate, matching each other with leg trips, kick outs, and dodges of superkicks. Austin hit a savate kick to the side of the head, then a soccer kick off the apron to Horus while he was on the floor. He stayed on top but kept a slower pace, trying to wear Horus down.
Horus had his mask ripped off him in the corner but quickly replaced it. Kaci Lennox gave us an inset update on Pillman Jr., saying it wasn’t looking good for him to compete later on. All the while Horus was making his comeback, hitting a big kick that knocked Austin out of the ring and landing a superb slingshot corkscrew crossbody for good measure.
Austin tried to cut Horus off the top rope, but Horus landed on his feet and hit a Spanish Fly for a two count. They traded chops, then different variations of kicks before Austin hit a twisting brainbuster for a close two count.
Horus cut Austin off on the top rope and finished him with a springboard victory roll off the top for the win.
– Salina de la Renta blew off Low Ki backstage when she didn’t have time to speak to him as she was on the phone with what sounded like LA Park.
– We caught up with “Filthy” Tom Lawlor. He said finally Jimmy Havoc — the only person to beat him in MLW — is out of the equation. Lawlor can now do what he wants to do — defend the MLW World title against all comers. He called out Avalanche and LA Park, and said he isn’t backing down from anyone.
Dynasty (Alexander Hammerstone, MJF & Richard Holliday) defeated The Hart Foundation (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Teddy Hart & Brian Pillman Jr.) in a tables match (11:56)
Only Smith and Hart (and his cat) came out for the Hart Foundation, with Pillman being absent after the earlier attack by Dynasty. Holliday and Hammerstone played up the friction between them as they couldn’t decide who should start the match, so they ended up getting jumped by Hart.
Smith superkicked Holliday, then gorilla press slammed Hart into Hammerstone and MJF, who caught him, but Smith followed up with a double dropkick to knock all of the Dynasty members to the outside.
They briefly brawled on the outside, but Teddy Hart then hit one of the highest moonsaults from the top rope to the floor that I have ever seen, taking out his three opponents in the process. They continued to brawl on the outside — complete with suplexes on the concrete floor.
In the ring, Hart hit Holliday with his delayed hammerlock DDT, then hit a combo pendulum piledriver/DDT to Hammerstone and MJF while they hung in the ropes. The Hart Foundation then obliterated MJF with a powerslam off the top rope (Smith), a moonsault off the top (Hart), a flying headbutt off the top (Smith), and finally a slingshot moonsault for good measure (Hart).
On the outside, Smith was taken out by Hammerstone, so the numbers game quickly escalated for the Dynasty as they were able to hit a double assisted spike tombstone on Hart. Smith fought back into the ring, where he and Hammerstone had a stare-off while holding up opponents in vertical suplexes. Holliday made the save for MJF, which let Hammerstone hit his suplex on Hart.
The numbers game played in Dynasty’s advantage again as they singled out Smith and set up a table in the corner of the ring, but Pillman made the save from the back and was a house of fire, taking out everyone with superkicks. The Hart Foundation hit a double assisted Canadian Destroyer on Hammerstone, then a Doomsday Canadian Destroyer on MJF (while standing on Hammerstone’s back in the corner) — amazing!
All seemed lost for the Dynasty, but their fortune turned in a blink of an eye. Holliday ran in and double low blowed Hart and Smith and took Pillman down with a shoulder drop. Hammerstone then powerbombed Pillman through the table in the corner for the win.
– Kaci Lennox was backstage with Salina de la Renta and she announced Gringo Loco vs. El Hijo de LA Park and Daga vs. Low Ki for next week. De la Renta is the executive producer of next week’s episode.
