– Tonight’s episode of MLW Fusion on beIN SPORTS will feature Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Tommy Dreamer in a Singapore cane match. You can catch up on past (full) episodes of Fusion over at MLW’s Youtube channel. New shows are added Saturday nights at 6pm ET.
– Rey Horus has signed on to battle AAA star Aerostar at the February Superfight event from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. Horus is the cousin of Rey Mysterio. According to PWInsider, ticket sales for Superfight are strong and MLW is already looking at returning to Philadelphia in the coming months.
When Major League Wrestling invades the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on February 2nd, the Hart Foundation will look to win the MLW tag-team championships from the Lucha Bros.
MLW recently announced the title match for their Philadelphia Fusion tapings which will also include Tom Lawlor challenging Low-Ki for the MLW World Championship. Pentagon and Teddy Hart are scheduled to go one-on-one on Fusion tomorrow night as well.
“This is a big match,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “Fénix and Penta have practically cleaned out the division while the Hart Foundation have not just dominated but straight up decimated everyone we’ve thrown at them. Philly is in for something special when these four throw down.”
The Hart Foundation In MLW
Teddy Hart, Davey Boy Smith Jr, and Brian Pillman Jr make up the new incarnation of the Hart Foundation.
MLW locked up Teddy Hart to a deal last month. “I love a good comeback story,” said Court Bauer when speaking of Hart’s signing. “Teddy has lived up to his end and has brought it in every match. He’s hands down one of the most talented wrestlers of his generation and his commitment to MLW has been exceptional so we’re committing to him.”
MLW also recently signed Davey Boy Smith Jr. to a multi-year deal. “He’s been a part of MLW dating back to when he was just 18 and I know I speak for fans and the league when I say we’re very excited to see what the big guy does in 2019 and beyond,” Bauer said regarding Smith.
Second generation wrestler Davey Boy Smith Jr. has signed a multi-year deal with Major League Wrestling (MLW). The agreement allows for the Bulldog to continue working for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he’s a 3-time IWGP Tag Team Champion.
In a press release, league CEO Court Bauer called Smith a special talent. “He’s been a part of MLW dating back to when he was just 18 and I know I speak for fans and the league when I say we’re very excited to see what the big guy does in 2019 and beyond.”
Over the past year, Smith has been aligned with Teddy Hart and Brian Pillman Jr. as part of the Hart Foundation faction. Both Hart and Pillman signed with MLW in recent months, an indication the Hart Foundation will be a force to reckon with in 2019.
The Hart Foundation
Speaking of the Hart Foundation, MLW filed a trademark on the name back on December 19th, 2018. That trademark was previously held by WWE, but was canceled in May of 1999, the week of Owen Hart’s tragic death.
There have been many incarnations of the Hart Foundation over the years. The name was first used by 2-time WWE tag team champions Bret Hart and the late Jim Neidhart. During the Attitude Era, the Hart Foundation was a faction comprised of Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith Sr. and Brian Pillman Sr. Other wrestlers affiliated with other incarnations include Jack Evans, Natalya Neidhart and husband Tyson Kidd.
Back to MLW, Teddy Hart and Brian Pillman Jr. recently launched a new web series, H2tv. The first two episodes are at MLW’s YouTube channel. The third episode will be released tonight (1/3) at 8:15pm EST. You can catch the first two episodes below, each are about 2 minutes.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. signing with MLW bolsters their roster and is the latest development in the rapidly-evolving free-agent scene.
Despite riding a wave of success during his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), current Major League Wrestling (MLW) World Heavyweight Champion Low Ki never managed to find the same level of success during his tenure at WWE.
The company just didn’t seem to know how to utilize his talent, instead lumbering him in awkward storylines that didn’t highlight Low Ki’s abilities.
Speaking with WSVN-TV Entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet, Low Ki reflected on his time with WWE and his reason for leaving. He also explained why he doesn’t watch their product.
Toxic Environment
“[Leaving WWE] was the most healthy option,” Low Ki admitted. “It was a toxic environment. I don’t know how it is now because I haven’t been there and I don’t watch, so I can’t offer an opinion on that.
But, at least for me, it was a toxic environment that served no further purpose, and it was best for me to go. And because of that, I was able to thrive in other areas and with other opportunities but usually the opportunities that they had available to them and they chose not to use them.”
“We’re Not Insulting The Intelligence Of Our People”
When speaking about WWE and their current product quality, Low Ki confessed he has no interest in what WWE is doing. He emphasised that he feels this way as WWE is “very difficult to sit through.”
“I’m a fan of skill, I’m a fan of stuff that’s intriguing, I’m a fan of stuff that’s cleverly done and there’s thought behind it,” he said. “A lot of the times it’s like a conveyor belt of the same stuff and that’s difficult to do because there are so many people who are wanting to enjoy this, but it takes them away if it becomes a repetitive pattern and they can recognize that and it takes away their ability to have fun.
Again, I’m not knocking them, because I don’t watch their product and I don’t know enough to comment on them but from the feedback that I get from other people, what we’re doing at MLW is much more interesting than others because it seems like we’re offering something the others aren’t. The way that I see it is traditional values. It’s very traditional values, but we’re not insulting the intelligence of our people.”
A controversial angle played out this week on MLW: Fusion. Just two weeks after the company presented its first live special, MLW Champion, Low-Ki, assaulted Konnan with a shank (homemade knife often used in prisons) to close out this week’s episode.
53-year-old Konnan was challenging Low-Ki for the title but the match disintegrated into a series of run-ins early. The match was eventually declared a non-contest after numerous members of Salina de la Renta’s Promociones Dorado attacked Konnan.
Low-Ki then stabbed Konnan in the back with the shank. The incident takes place in the closing moments of the MLW Fusion episode below:
MLW To Add Women’s Division
In other MLW news, Court Bauer announced the promotion will be adding more women to the roster in 2019. Plans are also in place to introduce a title for the division.
“Yes! It’s very important part of the next phase to me,” Bauer said when addressing a potential women’s division on Twitter. “Just saw the first wave of designs for a women’s title… but before we can talk about that I want to hear from everyone who we should be looking at for the division.”
MLW Fusion airs Friday nights on BeIN Sports. Full episodes of Fusion are uploaded to YouTube on Saturday evenings.
Major League Wrestling presents matches from their recent Miami shows tonight on Fusion. Tonight’s main event features an MLW World Championship match pitting champion, Low-Ki, against Konnan.
2 other matches are scheduled for tonight.
MLW Fusion 12/28 Preview
Simon Gotch $20,000 Prize Fight Challenge
Last week on BeIn Sports, Gotch lost in the main event to Tom Lawlor. While Lawlor will shift his focus to his MLW title shot at SuperFight, Gotch will be back in action tonight. Eager to prove he is still a dominant force in MLW, Gotch will bring back his Prize Fight Challenge tonight. He’ll offer someone a $20,000 prize if they can defeat him on tonight’s episode.
Andrew Everett vs Ariel Dominguez
Andrew Everett defeated Dezmond Xavier on last week’s episode. He’ll look to make it two in a row against middleweight competition this week when he takes on Ariel Dominguez, a wrestler trained by Afa the Wild Samoan and Lince Dorado. Dominguez is aligned with Tom Lawlor’s “Team Filthy”.
MLW World Championship
Low-Ki (c) vs Konnan
Salina de la Renta’s Promociones Dorado would love to get Konnan out of MLW. They’ll have that chance tonight when Konnan challenges MLW World Champion, Low-Ki. The current champion has taken out Shane Strickland, and Konnan’s allies, Fenix, and Daga. Tonight, Konnan will have a chance to write the comeback story of the ages. The 54-year-old will attempt to win one last championship in his long and storied career.
Also tonight:
An update on Kotto Brazil, who was assaulted recently at a nightclub.
Tommy Dreamer comments on his match against the Hart Foundation from last week.
Speaking of the Hart Foundation, the faction debuted H2tv recently, a YouTube series following Teddy Hart, Brian Pillman Jr., and Harry Smith/Davey Boy Smith Jr.
MLW recently announced that their middleweight champion, Teddy Hart, has signed a new deal with the promotion.
“I love a good comeback story,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer in a company press release announcing Hart’s signing. “Teddy has lived up to his end and has brought it in every match. He’s hands down one of the most talented wrestlers of his generation and his commitment to MLW has been exceptional so we’re committing to him.”
If you missed it, MLW released a special Christmas Day special on YouTube only featuring previously unaired matches from their Chicago tapings.
Major League Wrestling was in Miami, FL at the Miami Scottish Rite Temple on Friday night for a live episode of their Fusion live episode and holding taping as well.
Matches on this show were taped for the weekly MLW Fusion TV series on beIN SPORTS. The first episode from this taping is expected to air in the coming weeks, with the replay being uploaded to MLW’s YouTube channel every Saturday. The following spoilers were taped before and after the live episode, which in case you missed, a full recap of the special can be seen here.
MLW Fusion Results
– Ricky Martinez defeated Fred Yehi.
– Ace Romero defeated Simon Gotch to win his Prize Fight Challenge.
– Ariel Dominguez defeated Andrew Everett
– Brian Pillman Jr. & Davey Boy Smith Jr. defeated The Dirty Blondes.
– LA Park defeated Gringo Loco,
– Barrington Hughes & Ace Romero defeated The Dirty Blondes.
– Brian Pillman Jr. pinned Tommy Dreamer.
– MLW Champion Low Ki defeated Konnan in a DQ match. The finish saw Ki break a bottle over Konnan’s head. This led to Tom Lawlor saving Konnan from being beaten by Salina de la Renta’s crew after the match.
MLW Middleweight Championship (Ladder Match)
Kotto Brazil vs Andrew Everett vs El Hijo de LA Park vs Dezmond Xavier
Other matches scheduled to take place tonight which will air at a later date include:
MLW World Championship
Low-Ki (c) vs Konnan
Singapore Cane Match
Tommy Dreamer vs Brian Pillman Jr.
Ace Romero vs Barrington Hughes
The show gets going at 8 PM tonight on BeIN Sports. For those who do not get the network, the full show will be posted to YouTube tomorrow at 6: 05 PM.
Major League Wrestling Miami Fusion Tapings
Tonight will also be the second night of back to back shows for MLW. They taped “Never Say Never” from the Scottish Rite Temple in Miami last night.
Court Bauer spoke to Sports Illustrated recently about the importance of MLW producing live television.
“There is an energy and sense of expectation to live TV, and with only one or two other companies on live, it puts us in rarified air,” said Bauer to SI.com. “We have now exceeded every milestone we had mapped out in our business plan within our first 13 months of operation. Once again, we now find ourselves in unchartered territory, but it’s very exciting.”
The end of 2018 has been the most contentious free-agency period in wrestling since the Monday Night Wars. As multiple promotion scramble to lock-up talent to their promotion, allegations of talent-raiding and contact interference are rampant.
Admittedly, what is likely a frustrating time for wrestling promoters is also an exciting time for wrestling fans.
According to MLW’s Court Bauer, a promotion recently tried to sign talent already committed to MLW. He made the following comments on Twitter:
MLW, Impact Wrestling, and Lucha Underground all shared talent throughout 2018.
Ring of Honor recently signed PCO and Brody King from MLW. Neither of them was officially locked-up to the company, however, and King had been upfront with MLW about wanting to go to ROH because of the NJPW talent-sharing relationship.
MLW presents a live edition of Fusion tonight from Miami. The following matches are scheduled to take place on the show:
Rush vs Rich Swann
Dragon Lee vs DJZ
MLW Middleweight Championship (Ladder Match)
Kotto Brazil vs Andrew Everett vs El Hijo de LA Park vs Dezmond Xavier
2018 Talent Raids
This is not the first time this year MLW has complained publicly about other promotions attempting to negotiate with their contracted talent. Court Bauer had the following to say recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“I had guys at WaleMania approached by WWE people backstage in the green room about signing,” Bauer said. “I’m like ‘you can’t do that, I’ll give you a freebie, don’t do it again’. Boom, they do it again. I had to send a cease and desist to WWE, that’s called tortious interference.”
Bauer also sent out the following Tweet regarding two luchadors blowing off MLW in order to negotiate with WWE.
Major League Wrestling was in Miami on Thursday night for MLW: Never Say Never. Matches on this show were taped for the weekly MLW Fusion show on beIN SPORTS. The first episode from this taping is expected to air next Friday night, with the replay being uploaded to MLW’s YouTube channel the following night.
MLW Never Say Never Results
Tom Lawlor defeated Simon Gotch in a no ropes/no holds barred match. After the match, Lawlor cut a promo about how Low-Ki has been ducking him for months with the MLW World Title. However, they will battle at Superfight in February.
Salina de la Renta cuts a promo in the ring with Ricky Martinez about the city of Miami because it’s Konnan’s city. This led to Konnan coming out and stating that he’s in Low-Ki’s head and will be the next champion.
The Hart Foundation (Brian Pillman Jr. & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) defeated Tommy Dreamer & Barrington Hughes
Kotto Brazil defeated Vandal Ortagun. After the match, Ricky Martinez would leave Kotto laying
El Hijo de LA Park defeated DJZ
Dezmond Xavier defeated Andrew Everett
Ricky Martinez defeated Gringo Loco
Dragon Lee defeated Rich Swann
Ace Romero defeated Ariel Dominguez. After the match, Barrington Hughes came to the ring in order to have a face-to-face with Romero
Rush defeated Shane Strickland. After the match Rush cuts a promo about wanting to get his hands on LA Park. He stated that he will bring Los Ingobernables to the USA in the process
LA Park defeated Sami Callihan in Falls Count Anywhere match.
Low-Ki retained the MLW World Heavyweight Title over Fred Yehi
Major League Wrestling debuts in Miami tonight (Thursday) with MLW Never Say Never from Scottish Rite Temple. This will be a television taping for the weekly MLW FUSION show on BeIN SPORTS.
If you’re in the Miami area, there are still tickets available. The promotion will also be airing a live TV taping, MLW FUSION Live, on Friday which marks their first live special on BeIN Sports. You can visit MLWTickets.com to purchase tickets with a Holiday combo offer of $20 GA for both shows.
Several big matches have been announced for this show including Pentagon Jr. vs. Teddy Hart, Sami Callihan vs. LA Park in a Falls Count Anywhere in Miami match and much more.
MLW Never Say Never Final Card
Pentagon Jr. vs. Teddy Hart.
Sami Callihan vs. LA Park in a Falls Count Anywhere in Miami match.
Tom Lawlor vs. Simon Gotch in a no holds barred match.
Dragon Lee vs. Rich Swann.
Rush vs. Shane Strickland.
DJZ vs. Hijo de LA Park.
Dezmond Xavier vs. Andrew Everett.
As a reminder, you can watch MLW’s weekly television show FUSION on Youtube, if you don’t have the BeIN SPORTS cable channel. New episodes of MLW FUSION are uploaded toMLW’s YouTube channel every Saturday night at 6:05pm ET.
While Natalya Neidhart is defending her father’s legacy on Raw in a controversial angle, other Hart family members are preparing for MLW’s trip to Miami this week.
Teddy Hart, Harry Smith/Davey Boy Smith Jr, and Brian Pillman Jr. are currently a top stable in the promotion. The trio recently filmed a segment at Chicago’s Pro Wrestling Tees.
Pillman is scheduled to face Tommy Dreamer in a Singapore Cane match this Friday in Miami.
Major League Wrestling will present a live edition of Fusion this Friday night from Miami on BeIN Sports. The promotion has promised more live specials will air in 2019 as well.
A 4-Way Ladder match has been scheduled for the live show to crown a new MLW Middleweight ChamThe former champion, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, was forced to vacate the title recently due to a broken elbow. Dezmond Xavier, Andrew Everett, Kotto Brazil, and El Hijo de LA Park will be the competitors vying for the title.
“The fans are paying for a title match and the league will deliver on the promise of one next Friday,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer in a press release. “When MJF is medically cleared by his doctor and league physicians, he will have an opportunity to reclaim the title.”
Also on Friday, DJZ will take on Dragon Lee. Rush will also take on Rich Swann.
Court Bauer’s MLW is having a tough time getting WWE to stop negotiating with their talent. Bauer recently appeared on Wrestling Observer radio and discussed what appears to be a widespread issue in 2018 for wrestling promotions.
“I had guys at WaleMania approached by WWE people backstage in the green room about signing,” Bauer said. “I’m like ‘you can’t do that, I’ll give you a freebie, don’t do it again’. Boom, they do it again. I had to send a cease and desist to WWE, that’s called tortious interference.”
Bauer also recently mentioned on Twitter that luchadors Garza Jr. and Ultimo Ninja were supposed to be brought into MLW but ended up ditching his company to negotiate a deal with WWE.
Former MLW Champion, Shane Strickland, is expected to sign with WWE. The terms of his Lucha Underground contract will likely dictate when he signs with the promotion, however. Recent ROH signees, PCO and Brody King, were not under MLW contracts when they signed deals. King was upfront with MLW about wanting to go to ROH because of their relationship with NJPW when asked as well.
WWE Allegedly Negotiating With Wrestlers Contracted To Other Organizations
There have also been reports from various outlets stating WWE has contacted wrestlers contract to NJPW about signing. Tetsuya Naito told Tokyo Sports he rebuffed a deal from WWE this summer. This week, a report from the Wrestling Observer indicated WWE has interest in Kushida, who is also under contract with NJPW until 2019.
MLW To Air Live On Fusion This Friday
MLW will air live this week on BeIN Sports. The move to airing live specials is something which could up the value of Bauer’s company. Live programming is as valuable as it ever has been to advertisers and networks at the moment.
“There is an energy and sense of expectation to live TV, and with only one or two other companies on live, it puts us in rarified air,” said Bauer to SI.com. “We have now exceeded every milestone we had mapped out in our business plan within our first 13 months of operation. Once again, we now find ourselves in unchartered territory, but it’s very exciting.”
A Falls Count Anywhere match between LA Park and Sami Callihan will take place on December 13th in Miami. The match has been booked as part of MLW’s Never Say Never event the night before their live special on December 14th for BeIN Sports.
Park had previously been booked to wrestle PCO that night. PCO has signed with Ring of Honor, however, and has since pulled out of the event.
An MLW press release explained PCO’s departure as follows:
“PCO has withdrawn from his December 13th Falls Count Anywhere in Miami bout and has suspiciously vanished from the league. ”
LA Park vs Sami Callihan
“As league officials worked through the weekend on a new opponent for LA Park,” An MLW press release reads. “Rumblings about a falling out between Salina de la Renta’s Promociones Dorado and their hired mercenary Sami Callihan began to surface. Some claim Saline de la Renta was furious with Callihan failing to take out Lawlor last month in Chicago. Another source claims LA Park was disrespectful towards Callihan backstage and it triggered Callihan into demanding a match. While details are sketchy, one thing is for sure: there is bad blood between Callihan and Promociones Dorado.”
The match will be taped as part of the promotion’s Fusion tapings. Fusion airs Friday nights on BeIN Sports and full episodes are posted to YouTube the following day at 6:05 PM.
As announced earlier, Major League Wrestling’s first-ever live special will be taking place on Friday night, December 14th. MLW Fusion Live will broadcast live on beIN SPORTS from Miami, Florida. In a press release sent in to SEScoops.com, MLW revealed the 1-hour special will feature a double main event.
The first bout will see Los Ingobernables leader RUSH taking on Rich Swann. The other blockbuster contest will be a 5-Man Ladder Match for the MLW World Middleweight Championship. MJF will put his championship on the line against Kotto Brazil, Dezmond Xavier, Andrew Everett and Jason Cade.
MLW CEO Court Bauer spoke with Sports Illustrated about the promotion’s first live special. “There is an energy and sense of expectation to live TV, and with only one or two other companies on live, it puts us in rarified air,” said Bauer. “We have now exceeded every milestone we had mapped out in our business plan within our first 13 months of operation. Once again, we now find ourselves in unchartered territory, but it’s very exciting.”
Bauer also commented on MLW’s “roster reload initiative,” which includes the recent additions of RUSH And Dragon Lee. Visit SI.com to read the full interview
MLW Fusion airs every Friday night on beIN SPORTS. Full episodes of MLW Fusion are uploaded to MLW’s YouTube channel the following night.
Major League Wrestling has announced the Friday, December 14th episode of MLW Fusion will be a live broadcast on beIN SPORTS. MLW FUSION LIVE, a 1-hour special, will emanate from Miami, Florida at the Scottish Rite Temple.
As we’ve been covering, MLW will be holding two shows in Miami on December 13th and 14th. It’s unknown at this time what matches will be part of MLW FUSION LIVE, but the card includes:
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Low Ki vs. Konnan (No Disqualification)
Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Tommy Dreamer (Singapore Cane Match)
5-Way Ladder Match for the MLW World Middleweight Championship
RUSH vs. Rich Swann
There are reportedly plans for more live specials next year, a sign that MLW’s relationship with beIN is strengthening as we head into 2019.
MLW Fusion airs every Friday night on beIN SPORTS. Full episodes of MLW Fusion are uploaded to MLW’s YouTube channel the following night.
Major League Wrestling continues to roll out big announcements for next month’s shows from Miami, Florida. MLW Never Say Never and MLW Zero Hour take place on December 13th and 14th from the Miami’s Scottish Rite Temple Miami.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Dragon Lee will make his MLW debut in Miami and Pentagon Jr. vs. Teddy Hart will headline Never Say Never (12/13).
We now know that Tommy Dreamer will face Brian Pillman Jr. in a hardcore Singapore Cain Match in the main event of MLW Zero Hour (12/14).
If you’re in the South Florida area, these shows are can’t-miss. Visit MLWTickets.com for details on how you can attend Never Say Never and Zero Hour. For just $20, fans can attend both shows as part of a holiday combo-ticket offer.
Signed thus far for MLW’s December double-shot debut in Miami:
MLW NEVER SAY NEVER (December 13th):
MAIN EVENT
Pentagon Jr. vs. Teddy Hart
FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE IN MIAMI
PCO vs. LA Park (presented by Salina de la Renta)
NO HOLDS BARRED
“Filthy” Lawlor vs. Simon Gotch
Plus: Rush, the debut of Dragon Lee, Rich Swann, Shane “Swerve” Strickland.
ZERO HOUR – December 14th:
NO DQ WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE FIGHT
Konnan vs. Low Ki (c)
4-WAY WORLD MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP LADDER MATCH
MJF (c) vs. Kotto Brazil vs. Jason Cade vs. ???
SINGAPORE CANE MATCH
Tommy Dreamer vs. Brian Pillman Jr.
More matches and wrestlers will be announced in the coming weeks at MLW.com.
Pierre Carl-Oulette has revitalized his career in 2018. Now known as PCO, he is one of the biggest names on the independent circuit. Much of his new found fandom has come through is bizarre and often disturbing YouTube videos.
In his latest video, PCO bites the head of a dead fish. He is accompanied in the video as always by Destro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1Vl019lDnc
PCO in 2018
The 50-year-old native of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. He made his professional debut 31 years ago in 1987. By 1993, Oulette was in WWE as one-half of the Quebecers. By 1995, Oulette was repackaged as Jean-Pierre LaFitte, a decedent of real-life pirates. He would head to WCW in 1996 where he would team with Jaques Rougeou as one-half of the Quebecers.
He returned to WWE and WCW in minor roles in the early 21st century but largely kept to the independent scene after the 90s came to a close.
Largely due to his YouTube videos and a stellar performance for Game Changer Wrestling, PCO ascended to the top of the indies this year. This summer, he then signed a deal with Major League Wrestling.
“It’s been my greatest run ever in the pro wrestling business,” PCO described 2018 to the Pro Wrestling Torch this summer. “This is the best. This year has been really, really intense. It’s organic. It’s been a crazy run, and it’s also the run where I’m having the most fun and I enjoy the most.”
Dragon Lee is the latest wrestler to be announced as part of MLW’s 2-night set of Fusion tapings in Miami next month. Court Bauer made the announcement earlier today on Twitter.
The “tough few days” Bauer mentioned is in reference to the numerous injuries which have occurred recently. Top MLW star, Tom Lawlor, broke his hand in an MMA fight this weekend. He was scheduled to face Simon Gotch in Miami but there is no word on if his injury will prevent him from competing in Miami.
Joey Janela was involved in an angle with middleweight champion, MJF, up until he suffered an injury in late September. MJF has since announced he broke his elbow and is also off MLW’s Miami shows.
Dragon Lee in MLW
Dragon Lee is perhaps best known for his long-running feud with Hiromu Takahashi. The pair began their rivalry in CMLL and then continued it around the globe for various promotions. Unfortunately, in their last match, Takahashi was injured after landing on his head after a suplex spot. Takahashi finished the match but collapsed backstage. As of this writing, there is concern he’ll never wrestle again.
Dragon Lee was voted the rookie of the year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in 2014. He unmasked Hiromu Takahashi (who was wrestling as Kamaitachi) the following year in a mask vs mask match. PWI ranked him at #125 in their PWI top-500 list in 2018.
MLW Middleweight Champion, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, will be on the injured list until early 2019. MJW revealed on Twitter recently that he will be out of action for 4-to-6 weeks as a result of the injury. He doesn’t appear to be feeling too down about his upcoming time on the injured list, however.
I’ve fractured my elbow.
Recovery time 4-6 weeks.
The good news is I get a break from having to make eye contact with you poor fat slobs.
“I’ve fractured my elbow. Recovery time 4-6 weeks. The good news is I get a break from having to make eye contact with you poor fat slobs.”
He wasn’t pleased with what a fan wrote in response to his injury:
I wrestle in nearly every top promotion in the world. I am the most entertaining part of every show I’m on. Nobody can touch me on the microphone or in that ring. I’m a story teller in a league of my own who is forced to wrestle infront of mindless poor sheep like you. SAD.
“I wrestle in nearly every top promotion in the world. I am the most entertaining part of every show I’m on. Nobody can touch me on the microphone or in that ring. I’m a story teller in a league of my own who is forced to wrestle infront of mindless poor sheep like you. SAD.”
Joey Janela, MJF’s rival in MLW, tried to wish him a speedy recovery.
MJF began his career in 2015 and found his way into CZW later that year. He has continued to wrestle for top indies throughout 2018 but also signed with MLW. He is the promotion’s inaugural middleweight champion, defeating Joey Ryan for the honors this summer.
MLW’s Tom Lawlor broke his hand in an MMA fight last night. Lawlor dropped a decision to Deron Winn for Golden Boy MMA’s PPV debut. The bout was the semi main-event behind Chuck Liddell vs Tito Ortiz III. Multiple sources are reporting Lawlor suffered the injury sometime in the second round.
It was Lawlor’s first fight since March of 2016. He was suspended for 2 years after dropping a decision to Corey Anderson in his last UFC fight.
Lawlor was scheduled to face Simon Gotch at MLW’s Fusion tapings in Miami next month. As of yet, there is no word on if Lawlor’s injury will impact any of his wrestling bookings.
Tom Lawlor MMA/Wrestling Career
Lawlor did some pro-wrestling before beginning his pro MMA career in 2007. He returned to wrestling recently during his 2.5 years away from MMA. Lawlor stopped wrestling when he signed with the UFC in 2008, however. At one point Lawlor was a ranked middleweight but the promotion released him following his USADA suspension.
Since returning to wrestling, Lawlor has made a big impact for Major League Wrestling. He won the promotion’s first ever Battle Riot and is scheduled for an MLW World Title shot at their first annual Super Fight in Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena.
It was only a few months ago that the internet was rife with rumors and speculation over where the Lucha Bros. (Rey Fenix and Penatgon Jr.) would end up.
Unfortunately for Rey Fenix, it appears the answer for him is: at home, healing.
Taking to Instagram, Rey Fenix updated his fans on his current situation, explaining that he would be taking the rest of 2018 off in order to heal and rehab his body. The luchador suffered an unfortunate injury, straining his groin, at a recent CMLL event.
“Hello everyone. Today I don’t have a good news. Yesterday night, I wrestle one of the most important matches in CMLL #LaLeyendaDePlata. Like every match I wrestle my 100% excited and passionate. Unfortunately, last night I ended up with a muscular strain in my groin. Everything is good! Just the bad thing, I need cancel every show in December, I will keep every promoter and you guys informed abut my recovery. Thank you, everybody! Thank you for your messages and your love, I wish that people in attendance returned with a smile after the show. My apologies to all people who were waiting for me in their city soon.”
With a schedule that has seen him extensively travel the world throughout 2018, wrestling for promotions such as CMLL, AAA, MLW, Impact Wrestling, and Lucha Underground, Fenix has been on an undeniable run this year.
We wish Rey Fenix a speedy recovery and look forward to what he achieves come 2019.
Former MLW Champion, Shane Strickland, will be finishing up with the company next month. There is rumored interest from WWE for Strickland as well. WWE is expected to announce several new signings in January and Strickland could potentially be one of them.
According to a report from PW Insider, Strickland’s last shows with MLW will be the 2-night Fusion tapings in Miami on December 13th to 14th.
WWE’s interest in Strickland was first reported in August. “Shane Strickland is another name (WWE) are looking at and will be coming in for a future look,” Dave Meltzer wrote this summer. Low-Ki defeated Strickland for the MLW World title just weeks before the report was published on July 12th.
Shane Strickland To WWE?
The 30-year-old Strickland’s first breakthrough in wrestling came as a member of the CZW roster in 2012. He later joined the Lucha Underground roster under the name “Killshot” in 2015. While in Lucha Underground, he took part in a well-reviewed angle with AR Fox that culminated in a Weapons of Mass Destruction match.
In 2018, Strickland has debuted for MLW, AAA, and EVOLVE earlier this year. He’s a former CZW Champion, MLW Champion, EVOLVE Champion, and was ranked #221 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated this year.
Strickland faced Low-Ki in a rematch for the MLW title at MLW: Fightland. The match will air in the coming weeks on Fusion.
Joey Ryan took to Twitter to give an update on the severity of his recent injury.
We reported from the outset that Ryan’s injury was a torn pectoral. Ryan confirmed that fact by posting a screenshot that revealed the full extent of the damage, as confirmed by an MRI.
The tweet also includes a link to Ryan’s Pro Wrestling Tees store. If you are looking for a way to lend some support his way while he is unable to wrestle a full schedule, you can visit the store here.
And if you watched MLW Fusion on YouTube Live Friday, no, you weren’t seeing a ghost.
Ryan, torn pectoral and all, teamed with Hornswoggle on Fusion, in an episode that was recorded on November 8.
Ryan’s torn pectoral was the second such injury to befall a high profile wrestling star in recent weeks. Triple H suffered a torn pec as well at Crown Jewel.
Neither star currently has a firm timetable for when they might return to action.
Joey Ryan in 2018
It has been an interesting year so far in 2018. Ryan spent much of the summer competing on the independent scene all the while there were concerns he had been murdered by Adam “Hangman” Page. Eventually, it was revealed Ryan had been nursed back to health by his hot wife and had not actually died. Hopefully, said wife we’ll help him recover from this pec surgery as well.
MLW World Middleweight Champion Maxwell J. Friedman will have his hands full when MLW debuts in Miami next month.
Major League Wrestling has a ‘double shot’ booked for Miami on December 13th and 14th at the Scottish Rite Temple arena. Both shows will be television tapings for MLW Fusion, which airs Friday nights on beIN SPORTS.
MJF’s opponent for MLW Never Say Never on 12/13 will be none other than Rush. The leader of Los Ingobernables made his MLW debut last week in Chicago at Fightland. El Toro Blanco and looks to climb the ladder in MLW next month.
Speaking of ladders .. MLW Zero Hour the following night (12/14) will feature a 4-way Ladder Match for MJF’s World Middleweight title. The participants in that match will be MJF, Kotto Brazil, Jason Cade and Marko Stunt.
Tickets are now on sale for both MLW Miami shows at MLWTickets.com.
