Ring of Honor legends are set to face off in a tag team match at WrestleCon’s Mark Hitchcock Memorial SuperShow during WrestleMania week.
WrestleCon has announced that The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) vs. The Rottweilers (Low Ki & Homicide) will take place at the Mark Hitchcock Memorial SuperShow on Thursday, March 31. The Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas is hosting the event.
Second match announcement for the Mark Hitchcock Memorial / Wrestlecon Supershow. Briscoes v Lo Ki / Homicide. pic.twitter.com/I1Y6sAsTT6
This is the second match to be announced for the WrestleCon SuperShow. It’s also been confirmed that Minoru Suzuki will face Biff Busick (formerly known as Oney Lorcan in WWE) at the event.
The Briscoes are the current ROH Tag Team Champions. They’re set to defend their titles at ROH Supercard of Honor in Garland, Texas on April 1, but the team that they’ll be facing has yet to be revealed. The Briscoes have recently been feuding with FTR on social media.
This year’s WrestleCon convention is taking place from March 31 to April 2. Atsushi Onita, Jonathan Gresham, Bandido, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson), and “Speedball” Mike Bailey have also been announced for the SuperShow.
The first round of MLW’s Opera Cup tournament will conclude on next week’s episode of Fusion.
MLW has announced that both remaining first round matches in the Opera Cup tournament will air on Fusion next week. The matches are: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Low Ki and ACH vs. Laredo Kid.
The Opera Cup began with “Filthy” Tom Lawlor defeating Rocky Romero and Richard Holliday defeating TJP on this week’s Fusion. Lawlor will face the winner of ACH vs. Laredo Kid in the semifinals. Holliday will face the winner of Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Low Ki.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. was the winner of MLW’s first Opera Cup tournament, defeating Brian Pillman Jr. in last year’s finals. Smith Jr. defeated Low Ki in the first round of last year’s tournament.
“Held annually for nearly 50 years at various turn-of-the-century opera house locations from New York City to Boston, the Professional Wrestling Opera House Cup was a grueling multi-day tournament,” MLW wrote about the Opera Cup. “The best of the day competed in the tournament and would often be an entree to more success, including the World Heavyweight Championship of the day. After a 71 year hiatus, the Opera Cup returned in 2019. Soon thereafter, the league confirmed the ‘classic’ would be an annual tournament hosted exclusively by MLW.”
Gino Medina, Jordan Oliver, Hijo de LA Park, King Mo, Dominic Garrini, and Daga were announced as alternates for this year’s Opera Cup.
MLW Fusion premieres on the fubo Sports Network and YouTube at 7 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesdays. The show is also made available on-demand via DAZN. It airs on beIN Sports at 10 p.m. Eastern on Saturdays.
MLW’s Anthology series hit the streets of New York this week as we saw the Lone Wolf of Brooklyn battling Homicide in his MLW debut from 2004 and then Shane Strickland in 2018 for the MLW world heavyweight title.
Show Review:
Homicide defeated Low Ki (15:24)
Orlando, Florida | January 2004
Low Ki showed his athleticism early on by nipping up before wrapping Homicide up in the ropes with an armbar. They both then had the same idea by going for an arm drag before dodging kicks and coming to a stalemate which got an ovation from the crowd.
Low Ki then hit a crossbody and took control. He hit a nice butterfly suplex and a handspring overhead kick to the back of the head. Homicide fought back after taking one stiff chop too many and flew out the ring with a tope, ending up over the barrier and into the crowd.
Homicide then took over with suplexes of his own and a surfboard submission. He then dropped him on the top of his head with a hurricanrana off the top rope, but Low Ki still kicked out at two. Homicide then missed a diving headbutt and this gave Low Ki the chance to fire up. He hit a barrage of chops, a clothesline, and kicks to the chest followed by soccer kicks to the head. He slipped out of the Cop Killer and hit a rolling kick to the back of Homicide’s head. He then deadlifted Homicide up and planted him on his head with a German suplex, but Homicide got his foot on the rope to break the count.
Homicide caught Low Ki springboarding off the ropes and hit a dragon screw followed by another one off the top rope. He locked on an STF but let go when he thought Low Ki tapped out. Low Ki then slipped out the back and locked in a dragon sleeper but Homicide again got to the ropes.
Low Ki’s leg gave out on a suplex attempt, but he was able to come back with a kick to the head. Homicide fought back with a big clothesline, but Low Ki again slipped out of the Cop Killer but struggled to lock in the dragon sleeper once again. Homicide fought and fought and in the scramble, he was able to roll Low Ki onto his shoulders just long enough for the ref to count to three and get the win.
Jerry Lynn jumped Homicide after the match, but Low Ki saved his teacher from a beatdown which brought out Gary Hart. He instructed both Homicide and Low Ki to make an example of Lynn. They pummelled him and put the boots to him before a fan started badmouthing Hart at ringside, so he instructed Low Ki to confront him. Hart had a mystery man with him and he was (maybe strategically) blocking the camera’s view of Low Ki and the fan, but we did see a drink get smashed and then Low Ki trying to drag the fan over the guardrail.
Chaos ensued as Homicide also got involved. The fan tried to run, but Low Ki chased him and clobbered him with a right hand. A security guard tried to shield the fan but it took road agents and staff (including Court Bauer) to separate them. Hart was still on the mic and got in Bauer’s face, but the MLW founder was blindsided by Homicide and shoved to the ground. Hart sarcastically thanked Bauer for bringing him to MLW and promised to end Terry Funk’s career the next night. The situation looked to be calmed, but as Bauer was getting to his knees, he was hit over the head with a broomstick by Homicide.
— We saw a video package that helped introduce the next match, showing Low Ki in his “professional” persona being hired by Salina de la Renta to take out Shane Strickland.
Low Ki defeated Shane “Swerve” Strickland to win the MLW World Championship (13:19)
Orlando, Florida | July 2018
Ki’s title win came after a stiff and exciting match against the current NXT standout now known as Isaiah “Swerve” Scott. Sitting at ringside, alongside our JJ Williams, was Salina de la Renta who had put a $60,000 bounty on the champion’s head and hired Low Ki to take the title from him.
Strickland tried an armbar very early, but Low Ki was able to get to the ropes. Ki began chopping Strickland and that continued throughout the title fight. Low Ki beat him down early on, looking for the knockout with stiff kicks to the chest and one springboard version that knocked Strickland down.
After Low Ki jawjacked with the crowd in the direction of Strickland’s girlfriend, who was in attendance, the champion fired back but Ki was able to roll through and hit a double foot stomp to stay in full control of the contest.
Strickland was able to dump Low Ki to the outside and then hit a superkick when he tried to re-enter the ring. Strickland then hit a handstand flip over the top rope into a hurricanrana at ringside. Back inside, he hit a big overhead release belly-to-back suplex but only got a two count. Low Ki then took a powerbomb and a catapult, but stopped himself on the middle rope. While Strickland was on his back from delivering the move, Low Ki launched off and hit another double foot stomp, this time from the middle rope.
Strickland had another flurry of kicks, but was favoring his right knee. He eventually hit his rolling cutter, but took his time climbing the ropes due to his injured knee. Low Ki moved and Strickland landed on his feet, but his knee buckled. He then blew a kiss to Strickland’s girlfriend as he lined up a switchblade kick to the back of the head to pick up the pin and the title win to the shock of the crowd.
A video package from back in the early years of MLW ran featuring the trifecta from the first match: Ki, Homicide and the late Gary Hart. Hart was hyping them both up by talking about Ki using his martial arts and Homicide using his street mentality to protect Hart’s legacy.
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To close the show, we had this week’s montage of updates featuring current MLW stars. The Blue Meanie was outside the 2300 Arena, Jordan Oliver was drinking in the park, Gino Medina was saying “no comment” to his status with Dynasty, LA Park challenged CONTRA to any match they want, Mance Warner had some words for CONTRA if they think they can tell him what to do, Richard Holliday wants to buy MLW and then sell it for a profit, Savio Vega is going to remove Holliday’s moustache with a sidekick, Tom Lawlor and Dominic Garrini were talking online dating profiles, Konnan called out Josef Samael for ruining the end of the MLW/AAA Super Series, Myron Reed explained what Injustice means to him, the Von Erichs talked about the true meaning of champions, and Alexander Hammerstone wants to win the heavyweight title.
LA Park finished the montage but at the end of his challenge to CONTRA, he was blindsided and attacked by someone just off camera. CONTRA then interrupted the feed and Samael gave a warning to MLW saying that the infidels are rising.
King Mo declared himself the new MLW King of Knockouts as he defeated Low Ki with a little help from some new Team Filthy teammates.
Alexander Hammerstone retained his National Openweight title in a hard-fought match against T-Hawk.
Dominic Garrini choked out Dr Drax in quick fashion.
The planned Jordan Oliver vs. Brian Pillman Jr. match was cancelled when Pillman didn’t show up due to a reason we learned about later in the show.
**Show review**
We saw a recap from the ending of last week’s eight man tag that saw King Mo attack Killer Kross with a bat, injuring Kross in the process and aligning himself with Team Filthy. We were told that Mo had been suspended by MLW, but his cornerman Dan Lambert told Alicia Atout that they have appealed the suspension so he will be able to compete against Low Ki tonight.
Atout had interview time scheduled with Brian Pillman Jr. but told us he had not arrived at the building yet.
Dominic Garrini (w/ Kit ‘Rip Von Erich’ Osbourne) defeated Dr Dax in a $1000 Prize Fight Challenge (1:05)
“Filthy” Tom Lawlor and Team Filthy (joined by Mo and Lambert) cut a promo on Killer Kross backstage. Garrini announced his Prize Fight Challenge and Mo said he was the only King around here.
Dax overpowered Garrini early but missed a corner splash, which led to Garrini taking the big man down and locking in a chokehold for the quick win.
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MJF was backstage with Gino Medina and Alexander Hammerstone and had a message for Mance Warner. He called him trailer park trash and said it wasn’t his fault “he was born to be an outlaw sh*tty little indie prick who should have never stepped foot in a major league company.” He got worked up and left saying he will f*ck him up next week.
Atout gave us another update regarding Pillman and said his match with Jordan Oliver was off as no one could track him down.
**********
MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone defeated T-Hawk to retain (12:17)
Hammerstone used his power early on with a hard shoulder block, but Hawk fought back. Even though he was outweighed by Hammerstone, he showed his own power with a suplex of his own. T-Hawk hit a pair of hard chops and also caught the champion with a sit out powerbomb for a close two count. This early exchange looked to have Hammerstone a little off his game, so he went for a test of strength but booted Hawk in the gut to take back the advantage.
Hammerstone caught Hawk coming off a baseball slide and hit a big pump kick from the floor while Hawk was draped over the apron. He then ragdolled him into the guard rail and threw him back inside but Hawk soon fought back with another chop. The comeback was short lived as Hammerstnoe knocked him down with another power move. The champion then stood and took another chop that left its mark, but got sent tumbling to the floor when Hawk caught him with another hard chop while he was perched on the top rope.
Back inside, they exchanged running and jumping knees. Hammerstone rallied with a dropkick, but Hawk no sold and roared to his feet, catching Hammerstone with a running knee to the back of the head. Hawk went for another suplex, but Hammerstone slid out the back and hit a pump kick, German suplex, power bomb, and then rolled into a Boston crab.
They exchanged forearms and T-Hawk fired up more and more with every shot. Hammerstone eventually hit a T-Bone suplex, but Hawk was back to his feet and dumped Hammerstone face first for a close two count. The champion then hit Hawk with a dropkick while he was on the top rope followed by a superplex off the top, finishing him off with the Nightmare Pendulum to retain the title.
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Mance Warner then had some strong words for MJF and the Dynasty. He said all they did was make him crazier and that he wasn’t a loser and he isn’t leaving town next week. He said MJF is about to answer for everything he has done.
Alicia is backstage with yet another Pillman update but she was interrupted by Injustice. Jordan Oliver showed her some footage from his phone, apparently of Pillman being beaten up and the reason he was not at the building.
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King Mo (wDan Lambert) defeated Low Ki (w/Ross Von Erich) (9:43)
This was dubbed a “King Of Knockouts” match but with traditional wrestling rules and finishes. The background was that Low Ki had knocked out 60% of his MLW opponents in the last year and Mo had knocked out 62% of his MMA opponents. The referee gave the intense face-to-face instructions over the mic before instructing both back to their corners.
They grappled early, but Mo overpowered Ki and dumped him over the top rope onto the apron. Ki landed hard on the apron and sold it in what would be the story throughout the match. Upon his return to the ring, Mo went after the legs again with knees before dumping him on the floor once more and flipping him off for good measure. Mo hit some stiff knees in the corner that floored Ki again and started laughing as Ki stumbled and fell into the ropes moments later.
Ki powered up from a leglock/chinlock combo, but Mo just used his weight to put him back on the mat. Ki briefly fought back again, but Mo took him out with a vicious looking chop block. The referee started the 20 count and it took Ki every second to pull himself back up into the ring.
Mo mocked Ki with jumping jacks as Ki stumbled and struggled to pull himself to his feet. Out of nowhere, Ki hit a leg kick followed by a great rolling koppu kick right on the top of the head that stumbled Mo for a moment. Mo went for a takedown, but Ki dodged it and locked in the same standing chokehold that nearly put away Davey Boy Smith Jr in the Opera Cup.
Dominic Garrini and Erick Stevens made their way to ringside and got in Ross Von Erich’s face which distracted everyone including the referee. Ross’ brother Marshall ran down to even the odds for his brother, but inside the ring and behind the ref’s back, Tom Lawlor ran through the crowd and hit Ki with Mo’s umbrella, knocking him out.
Mo’s cornerman Lambert then threw in Ki’s towel that Ross had dropped during the pull apart and as the referee got back into the ring, he saw the towel and called for the bell to awarded the match to Mo.
Atout met Team Filthy on the stage. Lambert called Philadelphia morons and instructed them to cheer for their new King of Knockouts. Mo wanted them to bend the knee. Lawlor started a “King Mo” chant as we jumped the footage from Jordan Oliver’s phone from earlier on. It showed Oliver and Myron Reed (while Brazil filmed it) jumping Pillman in the parking lot and then finishing with Reed giving him a curb stomp through a concrete block that broke on impact.
**Next Week**
Loser leaves MLW empty arena match: MJF vs. Mance Warner
In what is being billed as a match to determine the “true knockout king”, retired MMA fighter turned pro wrestler “King” Mo Lawal will face former MLW champion Low Ki at Fightland in Philadelphia, PA.
The event is scheduled for Saturday, February 1st and will be a TV taping for their Fusion TV show.
American Top Team founder and famed wrestling belt collector Dan Lambert will corner Lawal for the match. Lambert was heavily involved in the Impact Wrestling vs. ATT angle that lasted from late 2017 through early 2018 which saw him defeat James Storm in a career vs. career match.
Lawal retired from MMA in November after being knocked out in a bout for Bellator MMA. The 38-year-old walked out to the cage with an MLW t-shirt and shorts on and the following morning, they announced he had signed a deal with the organization to wrestle that night.
That match joins a card that includes:
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
Alexander Hammerstone and Davey Boy Smith Jr. advanced in the Opera Cup by defeating MJF and Low Ki respectively.
Jimmy Havoc and Priscilla Kelly teamed up to take out Mance Warner first in a blindfold match, then later backstage.
The full episode is available to watch below:
Full Recap —
We opened with The Dynasty outside the arena earlier today. The cameraman asked MJF and Hammerstone who they thought would win when they face each other in the opening round of the Opera Cup. Richard Holliday said his lawyer/his father would be making sure the match wouldn’t be taking place — and that The Dynasty always win.
Jimmy Havoc defeated Mance Warner in a Prince of Darkness Match (3:40)
This was a blindfold match that had been alluded to in the prior weeks when both competitors mentioned “an eye for an eye” in their promos. The match ended up finishing with the formation of a new alliance between Havoc and Priscilla Kelly.
Havoc chugged a beer while he contemplated going through with the match, but he eventually got in the ring and he and Warner both dawned their hoods.
They circled. Warner swung a wild right and Havoc ducked. Warner got the crowd involved and reacted to their cheers and boos when he pointed around the ring. Warner got his hands on the referee and tried to wrestle him to the ground, and Havoc got excited and ran across the ring and slammed himself into the corner.
Havoc lifted his hood and took a peek, which allowed him to knock Warner down and stomp him in the corner. He then re-hooded, climbed the ropes, and went for a flying elbow drop, but missed by a mile. The referee got involved again when Havoc threw him into Warner, who then tried to DDT him, but Havoc clocked Warner with a clothesline.
Havoc lost his hood again during the referee melee, and Priscilla Kelly ran down to the ring and gave Warner a low blow behind the ref’s back. Havoc then hit the Acid Rainmaker to pick up the win. Havoc and Kelly left together.
– The cameras then caught up with Tom Lawlor entering the building. He said the Team Filthy Dojo is back up and running, but just as he got to the front door he was met by Ross Von Erich, who greeted him with a right hand to the face. They brawled outside for a moment before Lawlor scampered off into the New York night.
– Alicia Atout was backstage with Alexander Hammerstone and asked if everything was okay within The Dynasty, as she saw MJF and Holliday talking earlier on about Hammerstone and MJF’s match. Hammerstone started explaining but was interrupted by Holliday and MJF. They were carrying a large bottle of orange juice and debating the benefits of vitamin C.
MJF told Atout not to worry about The Dynasty and gave Hammerstone the OJ, to which Hammerstone replied: “Thanks, you know I love being on the juice.” They then mocked Atout’s Canadian accent and told her to say “sorry” in it.
– Warner was backstage and was just starting to cut a promo on Havoc and Kelly when he was jumped by them both and strangled with a steel chain. Havoc then brought out a pair of scissors and cut Warner across the forehead and warned him about their upcoming barbed wire match.
– Gino Medina was backstage and the cameraman wanted answers about The Dynasty and Konnan. He said no comment to them all, but this ended with Salina de la Renta dragging him into a locker room and shutting the door behind them.
– A camera then caught Hammerstone backstage. MJF came out to meet him and tried talking him out of being in the Opera Cup because he already has his National Openweight title and doesn’t need the Opera Cup.
They were quickly interrupted by Holliday, his AirPods, and his conversation with his lawyer/father. Holliday was threatening to fire his father if he can’t get this match called off.
– OWE’s Strong Hearts (CIMA, El Lindaman & Shigehiro Irie) cut a promo on CONTRA Unit in Japanese, but they were quickly jumped by Jacob Fatu and the rest of CONTRA before the camera feed cut.
Alexander Hammerstone defeated MJF (w/ Richard Holliday) in the opening round of the Opera Cup (8:15)
A very entertaining matchup between stablemates. MJF warmed up and posed for the crowd before they both went for the Fingerpoke of Doom at the same time, playing up the storyline of them trying to throw the match for each other.
MJF then acted out the spot because Hammerstone has “big muscles but a tiny brain.” He tried it again, but Hammerstone didn’t move. Hammerstone then retaliated with his own finger to the chest, but MJF didn’t move either. In fact, he got enraged and screamed at the crowd that he was the leader of The Dynasty and turned around to eat a dropkick to the face.
MJF stumbled to the outside and Hammerstone hit a rope-assisted Fosbury flop to the floor! He threw MJF back in and hit a humongous missile dropkick too.
Holliday then distracted Hammerstone by shouting “he is your friend” — and this let MJF take control. He got Hammerstone to the mat and locked him in a leg vice and then later used the old school abdominal stretch and grabbed the ropes for assistance behind the referee’s back.
The ref finally caught him and MJF shouted “what are you going to do about it tubby!?” The ref kicked his hand off the ropes, and MJF ate a hip toss for his trouble.
Hammerstone fired up and hit a big butterfly suplex slam and called for the Nightmare Pendulum. MJF dragged himself up to his feet but then spat a disgusting glob of spit right in Hammerstone’s face and neck. He then thumbed Hammerstone’s eyes but ate two big boots and a big clothesline that nearly took his head off.
Holliday was having a terrible time at ringside, pacing up and down, not knowing what to do or what side to pick. He got up on the apron and pleaded with the referee to stop the match, and as he inadvertently distracted him, MJF hit a low blow behind the ref’s back and tried a small package, but Hammerstone kicked out at two.
MJF then teased the Cross Rhodes, but Hammerstone fought out and hit a sit-out powerbomb for the win. Hammerstone advances in the Opera Cup and will face the winner of Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Low Ki.
After the bell, MJF and Hammerstone eventually shook hands. MJF face planted, exhausted after taking a beating.
– Injustice (Myron Reed, Jordan Oliver & Kotto Brazil) had a recorded message for us all. Reed told us that — after months of winning and months of hard work — Injustice were left out of the Opera Cup. Oliver said that if “that man” was alive today and in the locker room he wouldn’t shake his hand, he would piss in his suitcase.
Injustice then said someone is not making it to the Opera Cup. They teased a New Day-style “Who, Who, Who” but then said “we don’t do that.” Kotto Claus is coming to town and he is bringing presents of ‘Justice.
– The cameras caught up with Ross Von Erich and Lawlor as they were fighting on Queens Boulevard. They brawled around a gas station and Lawlor poked Ross in the eye and ran off again.
– Alicia Atout was then backstage with Davey Boy Smith Jr. He said the pride of Stu Hart that runs through his blood and veins will make him victorious against Low Ki. Smith said he has already won the MLW Tag Team titles. The next step is winning the Opera Cup — and the last step is winning the MLW World Heavyweight Championship.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. defeated Low Ki in the opening round of the Opera Cup (12:12)
A handshake opened and closed this excellent contest. They slowly sized each other up early. Smith gave a clean break, but soon enough they hit the mat and Smith used his size and strength to keep Ki down.
Ki snapped on an armbar in the ropes and had Smith rocked, but a stiff forearm quickly turned the tide back in Smith’s favor. Smith slammed Ki and kept in firm control until Ki got the few seconds he needed to hit a double foot stomp while Smith was caught in the middle rope. Ki went for a slam of his own, but Smith was just too big and elbowed Ki directly in the kneecap.
Smith missed a few strikes and Ki retaliated with a kick to the face. Ki followed up with a dropkick through the ropes and chops around ringside. Smith used his strength to gorilla press Ki back into the ring, but Ki landed on his feet and hit Smith with a rolling kick while he was on the apron.
Ki then rolled through on a double stomp off the top rope but was caught with a powerslam. Smith hit a powerbomb that knocked Ki’s mouthguard out. He went for a second, but Ki blocked it and reversed into a scoop slam of his own.
Ki went to the top rope, but Smith met him there and drilled him with a pair of headbutts. Smith then turned him into a running powerslam position, but Ki kneed him in the head and slid down his back into a choke position and locked in the same modified triangle choke that took out Brian Pillman Jr. at Saturday Night SuperFight.
Smith’s eyes were rolling in the back of his head as he fell to a knee, but — at the last moment before collapsing — he tucked his chin, grabbed the back of Ki’s head, rolled through, and ended up on top of Ki and pinned his shoulders to the mat for the three count, giving Smith the victory as he advances in the Opera Cup.
– Before Fusion went off the air, the cameras caught up with Ross Von Erich and Lawlor again. Lawlor was sprinting up the steps at the 11th Street subway station in New York. He got onto a train that just pulled away before Ross could get his hands on him.
Ahead of the tapings taking place tomorrow, there’s been a change to the lineup for MLW’s Opera Cup tournament.
MLW announced today that Shinjiro Otani has withdrawn from the tournament. He was scheduled to face Davey Boy Smith Jr. in the first round.
With Otani off the show, it will now be Smith Jr. vs. Low Ki in the opening round.
The Opera Cup is a one-night, eight-man tournament. MJF vs. Alexander Hammerstone, Timothy Thatcher vs. Richard Holliday, and Brian Pillman Jr. vs. TJP are the other first-round matches.
The Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York is hosting the Opera Cup tapings tomorrow night. Here’s the updated lineup for the event:
Opera Cup tournament semifinals and finals
Strong Hearts (CIMA, El Lindaman & Shigehiro Irie) vs. CONTRA Unit (Jacob Fatu, Ikuro Kwon & Simon Gotch)
Opera Cup tournament first-round match: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Low Ki
Opera Cup tournament first-round match: MJF vs. Alexander Hammerstone
Opera Cup tournament first-round match: Timothy Thatcher vs. Richard Holliday
Opera Cup tournament first-round match: Brian Pillman Jr. vs. TJP
Prince of Darkness match: Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc
Exhibition match: Tom Lawlor vs. a member of the Von Erich family
The build to Low Ki vs. Pillman began earlier this month with a backstage segment where — after Pillman lost to Austin Aries — Low Ki tried to give him advice about keeping his emotions in check. Pillman said Low Ki knows nothing about him. The next week, Pillman mocked Low Ki on an episode of H2tv.
A change to one of the bouts for Saturday Night SuperFight has also been announced, with Bestia 666 being added to Mance Warner and Jimmy Havoc’s Stairway to Hell match.
Saturday Night SuperFight will be available via traditional PPV and Fite TV. The one-hour pre-show starts at 7 p.m. Eastern time and will air for free on beIN Sports, MLW’s YouTube channel, Fite TV, inDemand, DirectTV, and Dish.
Here’s the updated lineup for the event:
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu defending against LA Park in a no DQ match
MLW Middleweight Champion Teddy Hart defending against Austin Aries
MLW Tag Team Champions The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) defending against Ross & Marshall Von Erich in a Texas tornado tag match
Tom Lawlor vs. Timothy Thatcher
MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone defending against Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Bestia 666 in a Stairway to Hell match
Low Ki vs. Brian Pillman Jr.
Gringo Loco, Puma King & Septimo Dragon vs. Injustice (Myron Reed, Jordan Oliver & Kotto Brazil)
Pre-show: Contra Unit (Simon Gotch & Ikuro Kwon) vs. Dominic Garrini & Douglas James vs. The Spirit Squad (Kenn Doane & Mike Mondo)
A second match has been confirmed for MLW’s Blood & Thunder television tapings.
MLW announced today that Low Ki vs. Timothy Thatcher is set for the tapings. They’re taking place at GILT Nightclub in Orlando, Florida on the afternoon of Saturday, November 9.
MLW is hyping that this will be the first time Low Ki and Thatcher have faced each other in a singles match.
Thatcher made his MLW debut this July. Low Ki is a former MLW World Heavyweight Champion, having held the title from July 2018 to February 2019.
The Blood & Thunder tapings are being held a week after MLW’s Saturday Night SuperFight pay-per-view. The PPV is taking place at Cicero Stadium in Cicero, Illinois on November 2. Thatcher defeating Douglas James aired on last weekend’s episode of MLW Fusion. After the match, Thatcher was interviewed and issued a challenge to Tom Lawlor for Saturday Night SuperFight.
Lawlor vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. was the first match to be announced for the Blood & Thunder tapings.
“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.
Low Ki has officially been confirmed for MLW’s War Chamber match.
MLW has announced that Low Ki will team with Tom Lawlor, Ross Von Erich & Marshall Von Erich as they take on Contra Unit (Jacob Fatu, Josef Samael, Simon Gotch & Ikuro Kwon) in a War Chamber match at this Saturday’s television tapings. The tapings are taking place at the NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills, Texas.
Kevin Von Erich will be in Lawlor, Ross, Marshall & Low Ki’s corner for the match.
The show-closing angle on this week’s MLW Fusion episode saw Low Ki make a save for Lawlor, Ross & Marshall and even the odds against Contra Unit. That came after Samael helped Fatu retain the World Heavyweight Championship against Lawlor in the main event.
The War Chamber match has War Games-style rules and can be won by pinfall, submission, or surrender once everyone has entered.
Here’s the updated lineup for Saturday’s War Chamber tapings:
Tom Lawlor, Ross Von Erich, Marshall Von Erich & Low Ki (w/ Kevin Von Erich) vs. Contra Unit (Jacob Fatu, Josef Samael, Simon Gotch & Ikuro Kwon) in a War Chamber match
MLW Tag Team Champions The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) defending against The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) in a two-out-of-three falls match
Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc in a Bunkhouse match
Austin Aries vs. Brian Pillman Jr.
LA Park & El Hijo de LA Park vs. Septimo Dragon & Magnus
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.
Dan Severn will be wrestling for MLW for the first time over WrestleMania week.
MLW announced yesterday that Severn will be an entrant in their 40-man Battle Riot match that’s taking place at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York on Friday, April 5. The match is airing on beIN Sports as part of a two-hour live special.
The Battle Riot is a Royal Rumble-style no disqualification battle royal. Eliminations can occur via pinfall, submission, or being thrown over the top rope. The winner receives a future MLW World Heavyweight title shot.
Tom Lawlor won last year’s Battle Riot and went on to win the MLW title from Low Ki.
Severn is also set to face Frank Mir in a matchup of former UFC fighters at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport in Jersey City, New Jersey on Thursday, April 4. It will be Mir’s first professional wrestling match.
In addition to the live special, MLW has TV tapings at the Melrose Ballroom on April 4 and April 5. Low Ki vs. Daga has been added to Friday’s show. Low Ki and Daga will both also be in the Battle Riot.
Here’s the updated list of entrants for the Battle Riot match:
MLW’s third live special on beIN Sports takes place in the Chicago area tonight as Cicero Stadium hosts Intimidation Games.
After losing the MLW World Heavyweight Championship to Tom Lawlor at last month’s live special, Low Ki will get his rematch for the title tonight. This time, it will be Lawlor vs. Low Ki in a steel cage match.
Low Ki defeated Shane Strickland for the MLW World title in July 2018 before dropping it to Lawlor last month.
Prior to tonight’s event, MLW announced that Jim Cornette is the newest member of their broadcast team and will be doing color commentary. Cornette is calling tonight’s show with Rich Bocchini, and MLW also has television tapings taking place at Cicero Stadium both before and after the live special.
The Intimidation Games live special will be an hour long and will begin on beIN Sports at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
**********
The Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr/Rey Fenix) beat Team AAA (Laredo Kid/Taurus)
Free for all to start with all four guys getting moves in. Laredo Kid took out Pentagon with an Asai moounsault to the outside. Then Taurus took both of them out with a flying corkscrew moonsault. And then Fenix hit a springboard top-rope moonsault onto Team AAA.
Pentagon hit a flying spin kick on Laredo Kid, followed by a superman punch from Fenix and then a double superkick. Then they did a whacky double Lucha submission spot but couldn’t get the tap. Action just kind of stopped after that, which was weird.
Crowd solidly behind the Lucha Brothers as Pentagon and Laredo Kid do the yay/boo spot as we go to commercial. Back from commercial and Taurus is working over Pentagon. Fenix comes in and eats some punches and kicks before taking over on Taurus. Fenix does the running rope walk and a double foot stomp to the back of Taurus. Laredo Kid and Fenix then trade vicious chops in the corner. Lared Kid with a springboard cutter for 2.
Taurus powerbombs Pentagon onto Fenix, who then hits a 450 splash but the Lucha Brothers kick out of a double pinfall attempt. Lucha Brothers hit superkicks on Taurus. Lucha Brothers hit a springboard stuffed package piledriver and Pentagon pins Laredo Kid for the win. A bit dijointed at times but a lot of fun.
Fans threw money into the ring when it was over. Fenix cut a promo in English putting over the crowd in Chicago and said they’ll be here for life.
Good video package for Jimmy Havoc aired next. “England’s most dangerous man”. And then a taped Hart Foundation promo from a poolside. They promised to add the MLW six man belts to their tag team titles and Teddy Hart’s middleweight belt they already hold. They also promised to defend the tag belts using Freebird rules.
Matt Stryker hosted the Battle Riot Control centre, which will take place over Mania weekend in NYC. Minoru Tanaka from NOAH was announced as competing in it, in addition to Pentagon Jr and Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Backstage interview with MJF, alongside Richard Holiday. They are known as the Dynasty and MJF asked for a tag team title shot. MJF and Teddy are also feuding over the middleweight belt. MJF is really playing up the Hart family disfunction over the years and claiming that he comes from a family that is respected in society.
Yet another backstage interview with Salina De La Renta. This is all to give them time to set up the cage for the main event. She promised that Low Ki would get vengance tonight.
MLW heavyweight title match:
Steel cage match – Tom Lawlor (c) beats Low Ki w/Salina De La Renta to retain the title
Cornette did his homework on Lawlor, pointing out all knds of stuff from his UFC career, including the many bonuses he won, in addition to winning a fight with a twisted knee. Lawlor the clear crowd favorite during the intros with a loud FILTHY TOM chant.
Low Ki attacks Lawlor before the bell to get the early advantage. Low Ki gets a takedown adn working for a D’Arce choke but Lawlor picks him up and slams him against the cage to break it. Lawlor setting up a Kimura and armbar attempt simultaneously before just gaining mount and pounding out Ki with punches in the corner. Lawlor attempts a standing rear naked choke but Ki slams him into the cage to break it. Salina hands Low Ki a high heeled shoe, which Ki james into the gut and then the head of Lawlor.
Low Ki with a series of kicks to the chest of a kneeling Lawlor but Lawlor asks him for more, before standing up. Lawlor catches a kick and hits strikes to the midsection before Ki slams him into the cage to get the momentum back. Announcers put over the fact that Low Ki watched Lawlor’s UFC matches to see how he lost and then using the same tactics his opponents did. Low Ki with an abdominal stretch, which highlights a cut on the midsection of Lawlor as a result of the high heeled show from earlier.
Lawlor briefly turns things around with punches before getting whipped into the cage by Ki again. Lawlor catches Ki and hits a nice suplex and both guys are down. Lawlor goes for a powerbomb but Ki hits elbows to the head to knock him down and then hits a double foot stomp to take control. Ki misses a springboard cross body and then Lawlor hits a spinning facebuster for two. The announcers point out that there will be no commercial breaks during this match, unlike what other companies do.
Lawlor with an ankle lock attempt but Ki makes it to the ropes and kicks Lawlor in the head to break it. Ki brings a roll of pennies into the ring but Lawlor gets it and nails Ki with a punch before breaking the roll of coins. Lawlor with the first attempt to escape the cage by climbining but Ki follows him up and then attempts a rear naked choke as Lawlor is standing on the top turnbuckle. Ki with elbows to the head knocks Lawlor into the tree of woe. Ki about to attempt the double foot stomp but Lawlor shakes the cage to knock Ki off the top.
Both guys trading punches while sitting on the top of the cage, doing the Yay/Boo spot. Lawlor attempts to climb down the cage and Ki follows him. Ki with elbows to the head and a head butt. Lawlor with his foot caught in the cage. Ki with more elbows to teh head. Lawlor recovers and landing kicks to the legs of Ki as he hangs off the cage. Lawlor with kicks to the back of Ki and then slams his head into the cage. Both are hanging on the outside of the cage and it’s very weird because either guy could fall off at any time.
As I typed that, both guys fell off the cage but Lawlor landed first and retains the title.
Lawlor is attached after the match by former partner Simon Gotch and two other dudes. They aren’t identified. One of them was Jacob Fatu. They throw Lawlor back in the cage beat him down. Fatu goes to the top of the cage and lands a splash onto Lawlor. Crowd chants HOLY SH*T after that. It was impressive. They then cover Lawlor in a flag labelled CONTRA, the name of their group.
After dropping the MLW World Heavyweight Championship to Tom Lawlor, Low Ki will be getting his rematch next month.
MLW has announced that Lawlor will defend his title against Low Ki in a steel cage match at Intimidation Games in Cicero, Illinois on Saturday, March 2. This will be the first time that Lawlor has defended the title.
Lawlor vs. Low Ki headlined MLW’s SuperFight live special on beIN Sports earlier this month. The finish of the match was Low Ki passing out in a rear-naked choke. Low Ki had been MLW World Heavyweight Champion since July 2018 before losing the title to Lawlor.
This is the second match to be announced for Intimidation Games. Pentagon Jr. & Fenix, who lost the MLW Tag Team titles to Teddy Hart & Davey Boy Smith Jr. at SuperFight, will face AAA’s Taurus & Laredo Kid in Illinois.
Intimidation Games will include a live special and television tapings.
Starting this week, MLW Fusion is moving to airing at 9 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday nights on beIN Sports.
