The first teams for the Crockett Cup have been announced, while a couple of new matches have been added to the card.
NWA announced today on their Circle Squared program that The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, Flip Gordon & Brody King, Rey Horus & Flamita, and Thom Latimer & Royce Issacs are the first four teams to enter the tournament. There will be three more teams announced.
Like last year, there will be a match that will determine the final spot in the tournament. The rules, however, will be different. It will instead be a gauntlet-style match where both tag teams and singles wrestlers will be eligible to enter. Two wrestlers will start, and every 90 seconds a new participant will enter the match. The last two participants remaining will be the last team to enter the tournament.
Tim Storm, Ricky Starks, and Zicky Dice have been announced for the gauntlet match.
It was also announced that Trevor Murdoch will get a chance at the NWA National championship, as he will face champion Aron Stevens.
The show will be headlined by Nick Aldis defending the NWA World’s Heavyweight title against Marty Scurll, who is putting $500,000 on the line.
This year’s Crockett Cup will take place on April 19 at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.
ROH has confirmed two more matches for this Friday’s 18th Anniversary pay-per-view.
Villain Enterprises stablemates PCO & Brody King will team against Rey Horus & Alex Zayne at the PPV. Eli Isom is also set to face Bully Ray in a singles match.
Bully Ray interrupted Isom vs. LSG at Bound By Honor on February 28. Isom then challenged Bully Ray to a match. Bully Ray won and went to attack Isom with a steel chair after, but Cheeseburger and Caprice Coleman came out to make the save.
At Gateway to Honor the next night, Isom made a save for Coleman and Cheeseburger after Bully Ray defeated Coleman. Isom went to put Bully Ray through a table, but Bully Ray low blowed him and powerbombed him through it.
ROH hyped that Bully Ray “has said that he’ll leave ROH for good if anyone can defeat him” and Isom is determined to rid the company of him.
Zayne made his ROH debut by defeating Bandido at Honor Reigns Supreme in January. The night before that, Bandido, Flamita & Horus won the ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles from Villain Enterprises.
Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas, Nevada will host ROH’s 18th Anniversary PPV this Friday and ROH Past vs. Present on Saturday.
Here’s the updated card for the Anniversary PPV:
ROH World Champion Rush defending against Mark Haskins
ROH Television Champion Dragon Lee defending against Bandido
ROH Tag Team Champions Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham defending against Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll & Flip Gordon)
The Briscoes vs. Dalton Castle & Joe Hendry
Villain Enterprises (PCO & Brody King) vs. Rey Horus & Alex Zayne
Dealer’s Choice match: Dan Maff vs. Kenny King vs. Shane Taylor vs. Bateman (winner gets a future title shot of his choosing)
Will Ospreay, Rocky Romero & Amazing Red are getting an ROH Six-Man Tag Team title shot at Supercard of Honor XIV.
ROH has announced that Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus will defend their Six-Man titles against Ospreay, Romero & Amazing Red at April’s Supercard of Honor event. It’s taking place at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, Florida on Saturday, April 4.
Bandido, Flamita & Horus won the Six-Man titles from Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll, Brody King & Flip Gordon) at Saturday Night at Center Stage last month.
Ospreay, Romero & Amazing Red also teamed up for Warrior Wrestling in December, defeating The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel).
This is the third match that’s been confirmed for Supercard of Honor. Scurll vs. Jay White is also set for the show, along with KENTA & Taiji Ishimori vs. Jeff Cobb & Dan Maff.
Supercard of Honor is going against NXT TakeOver: Tampa on the Saturday of WrestleMania weekend.
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.”
PWG’s 16th anniversary show took place at the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, California on Friday night.
– Trey Miguel pinned Andy Brown with a meteora off the top rope
Strong opener, particularly by Miguel. Brown is local and the crowd was hot for this.
– The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) defeated Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Barreta) by DQ
This was like a practice run for their All Out match on August 31. The match was very good. Great heat and a lot of cool moves.
It was very unlike a PWG finish. There was a strong face vs. heel dynamic and the Dark Order used low blows a few times when the ref was down. Trent finally used a low blow in retaliation — but the ref saw that and disqualified him. It’s probably building a program and PWG almost never does this type of finish.
– Darby Allin pinned MJF
MJF wore plaid trunks and a scarf which was in tribute to Roddy Piper since some people compare him to Piper. He got enormous heat in a way that nobody here gets. He ran down guys doing flippy moves and ran down the fans and said he was going to win with a headlock takeover. He tried it many times, including after a low blow, but Allin always kicked out.
Allin finally gave MJF a low blow and a headlock takeover and got the three. This finish worked huge. Great bout.
– Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus defeated Black Taurus, Laredo Kid & Puma King
Insane. People were saying this was the best PWG match since the famous Young Bucks & Adam Cole vs. Will Ospreay, Matt Sydal & Ricochet match a few years ago and I’d pretty much agree. So many dives and first time moves.
Bandido pinned Puma King with the 21-Plex. The place threw more money in the ring when it was over than I’ve seen thrown in a long time.
– Joey Janela pinned Jungle Boy with an elbow off the top rope
The crowd sees both guys as big stars now. Luchasaurus carried Jungle Boy to the ring on his shoulders. It was very difficult to follow the previous match but this was good.
– Brody King pinned David Starr with a ganso bomb
Good match but again once that six-man happened nothing was going to get the over-the-top reaction.
– PWG Tag Team Champions The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) retained their titles against LAX (Santana & Ortiz) in a ladder match
This was a great match. A lot of innovative stuff. Xavier climbed up the ladder and got both belts to win.
Tony Khan of AEW was at the show. He had been in town since midweek due to the Television Critics Association conference.
Flamita will make his MLW debut against Rey Horus at Saturday’s Fury Road television tapings. The show is taking place at the Waukesha County Expo Center in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
MLW noted that Flamita has signed on to be a regular with them and will return later this summer after a tour of Japan in July.
The Von Erichs (Ross & Marshall) and Australian wrestler Adam Brooks will also make their MLW debuts at Fury Road. 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, while Brooks is facing Austin Aries.
Fury Road will include both a live special and TV tapings. Middleweight Champion Teddy Hart defending his title against Jimmy Havoc, Alexander Hammerstone vs. Brian Pillman Jr. in the finals of MLW’s National Openweight Championship tournament, and Gringo Loco vs. Myron Reed are set for the hour-long live special. It’s airing on beIN Sports at 9 p.m. Eastern time this Saturday.
We opened with a video recapping Teddy Hart being attacked backstage by Richard Holliday and MJF last week, apparently breaking a rib in the process. We were told that we will be hearing from MJF and Holliday later on in the broadcast.
Rich Swann defeated Lance Anoa’i (7:07)
Swann had to use the ropes to leverage a win this week, making up for his disappointing loss the week prior. Anoa’i showed great potential and could be a really strong player for MLW.
Before Swann came out, we saw a recap from last week where Swann attacked Rich Bocchini and a referee. We heard that he has been fined for his actions but was allowed to compete by MLW management.
In an in-set promo, Swann told us he would like to thank the MLW faithful for standing by his side — because everybody knows, when the electricity flows, Rich Swann can keep the party going all night long.
Swann wanted to open with a test of strength and challenged Anoa’i with his arm in the air. Anoa’i displayed the size advantage he has over Swann by towering over him with his arm extended way over Swann’s. Swann began changing arms until sliding into his dance routine, complete with a twirl and the splits.
Anoa’i charged, but Swann leapfrogged, dropped down, and did another leapfrog. Swann then evaded with a running flip. He went for a crossbody, but Anoa’i caught him. Swann slipped out the back and hit a high kick to the head, but Anoa’i recovered and launched Swann across the ring with a back body drop, with Swann going the extra mile and landing on his face. A Samoan drop sent Swann to the outside. Anoa’i followed up with a big tope con hilo to the floor.
Back in the ring, Anoa’i took the advantage as another “Contra” image flashed across the screen. In the process, Swann got the advantage back and was able to hit a big kick to the head while on the apron.
Swann went after Anoa’i’s face by fishhooking his mouth and raking the eyes. He shouted at the referee that if he wanted illegal, he would show him illegal and pulled Anoa’i’s long hair.
Swann locked in an abdominal stretch, but Anoa’i was able to power out and hit a pair of clotheslines to bring back some momentum. A stinger splash and running hurricanrana followed as Swann tried to get a breather in the corner.
We were told that Anoa’i is the grandson of Afa the Wild Samoan, and we saw a bit of his family heritage as he ran across the ring and hip attacked Swann right in the face. A standing moonsault got a close near fall.
Anoa’i went for a uranage, but Swann fought out. They exchanged forearms and Anoa’i went for it again, but Swann flipped out this time. A combination of strikes and spinning back fists stunned Anoa’i enough and gave Swann the opportunity to perform a big handspring cutter, but it was only for a one count as Anoa’i powered out.
A strong kick to the face floored Anoa’i again, with Swann then missing a standing corkscrew. Swann rolled through a schoolboy attempt and connected with a spinning hook kick to the back of the head.
Anoa’i stumbled and Swann looked like he was going for another, but he hesitated and instead let Anoa’i stumble to the corner. Swann charged at him and missed but was able to stop himself with a headstand in the corner. This left his head and face exposed, so Anoa’i connected with a hard kick that floored Swann.
Anoa’i saw a great opportunity and went to the top rope. He leapt off but missed a somersault splash. Swann grabbed the advantage, literally, by rolling him up and using the ropes to get the three count.
– We cut to a pre-taped promo from MLW World Heavyweight Champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor. Lawlor said there has been a lot of rumors circulating about Low Ki: Where has he been training? Who has he been training with? Why the media blackout?
Lawlor says it doesn’t matter, because when they step into the cage, if Low Ki thinks he can go away and train for one month and come out on top in something Lawlor has been training his whole life for, Low Ki is more delusional than everyone told him he was.
Lawlor said that this isn’t a seminar, or a weekend retreat, a choreographed fight scene, or a fantasy camp at a monastery — this is his world. And he is going to perform his own blackout in Chicago when it comes to Low Ki.
– We then cut to MJF backstage in the arena. He called Teddy Hart a phony, a farce, and a paper champion. MJF called himself the real Middleweight Champion. He said Hart has a lot to worry about and that is why he beat him down last week.
MJF introduced Richard Holliday and called him the most marketable man in professional wrestling and said that neither he or Holliday come from a drug infested crazy family. He wants Hart to be fully aware that Stu Hart is spinning in his grave knowing that MJF is better than him, and Teddy knows it.
– Kaci Lennox was backstage with Mance Warner, who appeared with a light beer and a white board. He gave us a rundown of his booking ideas.
Number one: Light beers. Warner said he has had about 15 of them and he is going to rip someone up tonight. Number two: Eye pokes. Warner is the God of the Eye Poke. Number three: Knee pad up…dramatic pause…knee pad down. Someone’s head is going out into the crowd. Number four: Lariats. One lariat is all he needs for the win.
Warner then called out anyone in the back, but Low Ki and Jimmy Havoc in particular.
Mance Warner defeated Jimmy Yuta (5:32)
Old Mancer didn’t wait around. He backed Yuta to the corner and began following him around the ring with chops and right hands. Yuta got a big boot and a few right hands in, but that only seemed to fire Warner up. Yuta went for a tarantula submission hold and even got a pair of two counts from a sunset flip and a schoolboy.
Another hard open hand slap to the chest floored Yuta, but Warner was quickly knocked to the apron. Yuta went for a springboard but landed on his feet on the apron. Warner stopped him in his tracks and baited him to duck as he faked a right hand. Yuta obliged — and Warner planted him with a DDT.
Warner then got back into the ring went for a running dive — but wisely stopped himself as Yuta moved out of the way. Warner smartly, and safely, got to the apron. And when Yuta turned, he was met with a two-fingered eye poke from the Eye Poke God. Warner’s momentum was short lived as he soon ate a drop toe hold into the guardrail and a suicide dive from Yuta.
Back in the ring, Yuta came close with another roll-up and a modified Death Valley Driver, but both only gained two counts.
Warner got back into it with a headbutt as Yuta was coming off the top. He lined Yuta up as he brought his knee pad up…dramatic pause…and took his knee pad back down before connecting with a knee trembler and a big lariat to pick up the win in his debut match.
– We had another H2tv with Davey Boy Smith Jr. talking about the history of the Hart Foundation and their animals. Teddy Hart talked about being shooters and called Davey the best shooter in the world. He said Davey could choke out Brock Lesnar and he hopes to see that one day, mentioning Dana White in the process. Hart said he was grateful CM Punk stepped outside and did something different and it didn’t matter if he lost — he said Punk had balls for doing what he did.
Hart said the Hart Foundation are in MLW for the gold and they were not interested in running off to All Elite Wrestling.
Rey Horus defeated Aerostar (7:36)
They exchanged arm drags, headscissors, takedowns, roll throughs, and kip ups to start us off. Horus kicked Aerostar in the knee but quickly ate a head-first suicide dive for his troubles when he tried to escape to the outside.
Back in the ring, Aerostar sprung to the top rope and hit a corkscrew crossbody. Matt Striker told us that Aerostar’s spirit travels through time. Aerostar walked the ropes and hit a backstabber onto Horus, who was hung up sitting in the corner after missing a mid-air bronco buster.
It was soon Horus’ turn to go to the top as he hit a springboard arm drag, taking Aerostar to the outside. Horus then went corner-to-corner and launched himself onto Aerostar with a big tope con hilo. Back in the ring, Horus continued with a clothesline in the corner and a seated dropkick for a two count.
Aerostar evaded Horus by hanging in the ropes. He then leapfrogged Horus to the apron, hit a step-up kick, and then hit a middle rope springboard codebreaker for a two count of his own.
Aerostar tried to get the crowd going but soon didn’t need to as they rose to their feet in appreciation when he stepped up to the top rope and dove off with a trust-fall dive for another close two count. Horus then stopped himself on a whip to the corner, kicked Aerostar in the head, and followed up with a big overhead belly-to-belly into the corner when Aerostar rushed him.
Horus slammed Aerostar near the corner and went up top, but he took too much time as Aerostar knocked him to the outside. Aerostar followed up with another beautiful middle rope assisted step-up flip dive to the floor.
Back in the ring, Aerostar hit a springboard crossbody block. He continued on and hit a middle rope springboard cutter and went to continue his momentum, but Horus caught him in his tracks and planted him with a standing C4!
Horus ate a pair of boots as Aerostar was in the corner. Aerostar then leapt to the top rope, but Horus joined him. In an incredible finish, Horus sprung on the top rope, twisted in mid air, hooked Aerostar’s arms with his legs, rolled through, and planted Aerostar with a victory roll from the top rope! He amazingly held on for the pin in a really good showing for both competitors.
– We heard from Salina de la Renta as we were going off the air. She was in Puerto Rico and said that no one could interview Low Ki. She said Low Ki was training the hardest he has ever trained in his life. She warned Tom Lawlor that he has messed with the “wrong bitch” and that Low Ki is training with some cage fighters Lawlor has fought in the UFC, so be ready.
The interviewer asked if there was anyway they could talk to LA Park and she brushed them off by saying she couldn’t speak English — or Spanish — and walked away.
Next week, MLW Intimidation Games in Chicago —
MLW World Championship steel cage match: Filthy Tom Lawlor defends against Low Ki
The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix) vs. Taurus & Laredo Kid
