Major League Wrestling has announced that they have signed Rush vs. LA Park for WrestleMania week next year, as the company revealed in a press conference held yesterday in Manhattan.

The match will main event MLW Fusion taping next year on Thursday, 4 April, 2019 from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York. Another MLW taping is going to be held on 5 April, the event being dubbed the Battle Riot II. You can order tickets here.

The two collided at Friday night’s MLW Fusion Live Special on beIN Sports after Rush had defeated Rich Swann when LA Park came out and the two went at it against each other and had to be broken up by security.

• MLW Fusion Live Results

This was the American live TV début for the leader of Los Ingobernables, his first taped match for MLW from November being against Sammy Guevara which was aired last week on Fusion. After the match, he had expressed his desire to face LA Park and that facing him was his reason for joining MLW.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1073760201432535045

Major League Wrestling’s held its first live Fusion episode on beIN Sports last night at the Scottish Rite Temple in Miami, Florida.

Below are the results and highlights from the event:

• Fatal four-way ladder match for the vacated MLW Middleweight Championship

The match featured Kotto Brazil, El Hijo de LA Park, Dezmond Xavier, El Ringo Loco as replacements for Jason Cade, Marko Stunt and MJF as they were unable to compete due to injury.

Teddy Hart was added as the fifth participant in the match and had attacked Dezmond Xavier before the match started. Hart went on to win the gold after Hart lungblower on Brazil.

Winner: Teddy Hart

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1073749803383824385

• Dragon Lee vs DJZ

Dragon Lee won with a knee strike and a modified falcon arrow to win in an impressive match-up of high-flying athleticism.

Winner: Dragon Lee

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1073753491397586949

• “Filthy” Tom Lawlor Gets Into A Brawl With World Heavyweight Champion Low Ki

Low Ki called out Lawlor and the two went at it when Lawlor came through the crowd.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1073759550082293760

• Rush vs. Rich Swann

The leader of Los Ingobernables in his American live TV début faced off against the former WWE cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann in a very competitive match.

Swann was going for the 450 Splash but Rush turned it into a piledriver for the win.

Winner: Rush

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1073758945326624768

LA Park came towards the ring after the match and the two engaged in a fight and had to be broken up by security.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1073760201432535045

It was recently reported that the WWE had secured a number of new trademarks, mostly for show names that related to their old rivals, WCW.

Though it wasn’t apparent at the time why the WWE had suddenly decided to lock down a number of show names – as well as a number of trademarks relating to NXT talent – it has been noted by the Wrestling Observer that it comes down to Major League Wrestling (MLW) and their recent War Games event.

The WWE weren’t happy about MLW’s ability to trademark and use such a recognized name and stipulation for one of their recent shows, which would explain the WWE’s sudden eagerness to gain the trademarks they recently obtained.

Recent Trademarks

WWE filed trademarks for the following names, which were almost all exclusively past WCW events:

• Saturday Night’s Main Event on 9/24
• WCW Saturday Night on 9/24
• WCW Thunder on 9/24
• NWO New World Order on 9/21
• All Star Wrestling on 9/21
• WCW Monday Nitro on 9/21
• WWE Hidden Gems on 9/21
• World Championship Wrestling on 9/21
• Halloween Havoc on 9/21
• Fall Brawl on 9/21
• Starrcade on 9/14

Many NXT superstars also found themselves with newly associated trademarks with the WWE, including Angelo Dawkins, Montez Ford, Otis Dozovic, Tucker Knight, Adam Cole, Danny Burch, and Lars Sullivan.

Hello, wrestling fans! Let’s dive right into this week’s Fusion Report.

We open with a recap of Barrington Hughes’ fight with Sami Callihan’s Death Machines last week in the backstage area (he was protecting Shane Strickland). After that, we cut to Casey Lennox, who’s with Hughes. Hughes reports that during the melee, he was hit in the back of the head with a foreign object. He tells the Death Machines that he’s pissed and they “ain’t done rumbling.”

After the opening video package, Rich Bocchini and Tony Schiavone welcome us and run down the night’s card.

They replay Kotto Brazil’s victory against Vandal Ortagun from last week before going to Vanessa Craft, who’s standing by with Brazil. She asks about his victory and in the middle of his answer, the Death Machines attack him. Sami Callihan appears on screen and sings “Hot Crossed Buns.”

I hate this man.

Sorry. I seem to have a compulsion to express my dislike for Callihan whenever I have to mention him.

Anyway, he says that he and his Death Machines are paid to be entertaining but they don’t have to be. Well, they’re not, so I guess they’re stealing money from MLW. They kidnap Brazil hostage and Callihan challenges MVP to find him.

Ariel Dominquez vs. Jaye Skye in a Prospect Match

This is not a match. It’s a segment to introduce Su Yung and Zeda. The two men lock up before the house lights go dark. Red lights start to flash and the image of a Chinese woman holding a heart appears on the video screen. The two women walk down to the ring and beat the life out of the poor men. Imagine the outrage on the Internet if Stephanie McMahon did this to the male wrestlers on Raw instead of just slapping them in the face. The two ladies finish up and creep back up the aisle.

A video package plays of Shane “Swerve” Strickland. Low Ki does a voice over in which he says that Strickland has a lot of accomplishments, including becoming the Heavyweight Champion, beating Havoc, Pentagon, and King, and red racing Salina de la Renta. He asks if Swerve is confident that he can out run and outlast him. Then, we see de la Renta announce that the bounty on Swerve’s head is now $60,000 and it’s all Low Ki’s for the taking. Low Ki concludes by saying that he now has 60,000 reasons to burn down Swerve’s house. Geez, burn down his house? Why not just beat him in the ring and call it a day?

The Battle Riot report is next. This week’s entrants in the Battle Riot Match are Tom Lawlor, Jimmy Havoc, Low Ki, Leon Scott, Brody King, and Headshrinker Samu! Well, that just made my ticket worth it. The other matches announced include The Hart Foundation (Davey Boy Smith, Jr. and Teddy Hart) with Brian Pillman vs. ACH and Rich Swann, John Hennigan vs. Low Ki, and Maxwell J. Friedman vs. Joey Ryan for the MLW World Middleweight Championship.

Next, we see MVP searching for Brazil. He enters a boiler room and sees Brazil tied up. There’s a phone in the room. MVP picks it up and listens to the message recorded on it. It’s Callihan challenging him to a Boiler Room Brawl.

Sammy Guevara vs. Fred Yehi

Sammy Guevara is accompanied to the ring by his manager Salina de la Renta and her new bodyguard. In an inset promo, de la Renta says that Guevara has wrestle all over the world and trained with the best.

Backstage Yehi makes his way to the ring when he’s stopped by Team Filthy. They’re sorry about what happened in the Yehi/Lawlor match from a few weeks back and thank him for the match. They shake his hand before Yehi continues his walk to the ring.

The match starts with dueling slaps to the face. Yehi gets the early advantage before Guevara does a backflip over Yehi’s head and hits a dropkick. Guevara does a lot of showboating throughout the match, which is to his detriment. Yehi takes back control, stomps on Guevara’s hand, and executes his bike pedal kicks to Guevara’s chest and face. He hits a release German suplex and a basement dropkick. He charges Guevara in the corner but Guevara throws Yehi into the corner with a release belly to belly suplex.

Guevara showboats some more as he squats Yehi. Yehi escapes, slaps Guevara, double stomps him, and hits a powerbomb for two. Guevara is able to get Yehi up in an electric chair. Yehi escapes it and goes for a pin. Guevara kicks out but Yehi locks on a Koji Clutch. He punches Guevara while he’s got him locked in the hold and Guevara taps out.

De la Renta is not happy with the loss. Guevara whines that punches are illegal as he chases after his manager.

We see Lawlor and Simon Gotch walking backstage. They’re stopped by Low Ki. He mocks Lawlor for not getting his shot at the Heavyweight Title yet despite being the number one contender. In fact, Low Ki is getting his shot first. Lawlor grimaces at the news and walks away.

They show a recap of the events that have unfolded between Brazil and MVP and Callihan and his Death Machines. Callihan cuts a promo saying that what happened to Brazil was a warning for MVP and if MVP has balls, he should meet Callihan in the Boiler Room Brawl.

We are reminded of the beatdown that Team Filthy gave Jimmy Havoc outside the Gilt Nightclub and the gloating that Team Filthy did in the aftermath. Then, we see Jimmy Havoc for the first time in weeks. He’s sitting next to the hot tub that Team Filthy was in when they gloated over the beating. Havoc says he’s watching and following Lawlor. He declares that the nighttime is when he plays. He says blood looks black in the moonlight and the next time he sees Tom Lawlor, he’ll show him what he means. I really want to see Havoc beat Lawlor badly.

Casey Lennox attempts to interview Team TBD, but they’re having a fight in their dressing room and Jason Cade storms out.

Rich Swann vs. ACH

Lawlor is on commentary with Bocchini and Schiavone for this one.

Swann and ACH have complete some chain wrestling to start. Swann dropkicks ACH and goes for a handspring, but ACH catches him and chops him. ACH gets a side headlock. Swann escapes and they trade waistlocks. ACH hits a backbreaker and a release Germany suplex, stomps Swann’s hand, chops him, covers for two, and straps on a chinlock. Swann tries to get out of it, but ACH is able to lock it back on every time.

Eventually, Swann frees himself. He hits a headscissor, a step up back leg kick, a step up enziguiri, and a standing hurricanrana. ACH answers back with a leg sweep, a double stomp, a basement single leg dropkick, a discus lariat into the corner, a frogsplash, and a one-armed dead lift German suplex into bridging pin (he has to use one arm because his left shoulder is injured).

ACH tries three times for a vertical suplex but fails. Swann hits a handspring cutter. He tries to lock in a double underhook, but ACH back drops him. They execute dueling forearms before Swann hits a roundhouse kick. ACH blocks a standing 450 attempt. He misses a frogsplash and goes for a crucifix pin, which gets two. He tries a la magistral cradle, but ACH halts the pinning attempt midway through it, gets Swann’s shoulders on the mat, and covers for the win.

Next week, Swerve will address de la Renta and Low Ki and we will see Callihan vs. MVP in the first Boiler Room Brawl in 20 years.

Another good show this week. A lot of time was spent on recapping past issues and setting up future programs, including Callihan and MVP’s match next week. I’m excited to see what happens down in the boiler room. Until then, have a great week, wrestling fans!

The Midnight Express. The Rock and Roll Express. The Road Warriors. Deuce and Domino. At one time or another, these were tag team champions, and on this week’s episode of MLW Fusion, one duo will join the ranks of championship teams that tag each other in.

One of the teams competing for such a distinction is The Dirty Blondes, who open the show with the rest of Stud Stable. Colonel Rob Parker is having a strategy meeting for the Tag Team Championship match. There’s a picture behind him of a ring with north, south, east, and west marked on each side of it. I love the Stud Stable. Those were five words I never thought I would say back in 1995 watching WCW Saturday Night.

After the title sequence, Rich Bocchini and Tony Schiavone welcome us. They run down the night’s card and announce MLW Battle Riot, which will take place in New York City on July 19 (yours truly will be there).

They play a video from MLW.com of Heavyweight Champion Shane “Swerve” Strickland talking about how he’s not worried about the $20,000 bounty that Salina de la Renta has placed on his head. Out from behind him comes Brody King, who beats Swerve down in his attempt to earn the bounty.

After that, we go to Casey Lennox, who’s backstage with MVP. He says his opponent for the first match, Maxwell J. Friedman, is going to “reform school.” He moves on to Sami Callihan and states that whenever he and Callihan meet, it’s bloody and painful. I know where he’s coming from. It’s always painful when I have to see Sami Callihan on my TV.

MVP vs. Maxwell J. Friedman

Ring announcer Tim Barr informs us that Friedman has a “summer residence” in Southampton, NY, kind of like the Million Dollar Man back in his heyday. Unfortunately, the chyron lists Friedman as being from “South Hamptons.” Seriously, production team, double check that you spell the towns right.

Friedman cuts a promo where he runs down MVP. Apparently, one of MVP’s nicknames is the “Ronin” (which according to Wikipedia is a samurai without lord or master during the feudal period of Japan). Friedman calls MVP a “jabronin’ ronin.” Um…okay.

MVP comes out next. The match isn’t anything special. Towards the end, Friedman mocks the Ballin’ Elbow, but MVP gets his knees up and blocks the move. He throws Friedman with a release overhead belly to belly suplex followed by his own Ballin’ Elbow. He hits the Playmaker before Callihan and his army try to interfere. MVP takes each man out and then planchas to the outside on Callihan and Leon Scott. When he tries to get back in the ring, Friedman kicks the second rope into his balls, stacks him up (with feet on the ropes for leverage) and gets the 1-2-3.

Schiavone hypes Battle Riot and explains the rules. There are 40 men. A new man enters every minute. Eliminations occur by pinfall, submission, or by throwing an opponent over the top rope and to the floor. There are no disqualifications. Some of the men announced are Jake Hager, Barrington Hughes, Jimmy Yuta, and Pentagon, Jr. MLW has announced some other participants on Twitter, including John Morrison and the freakin’ “Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan! I am very much looking forward to this.

Casey Lennox is backstage with Barrington Hughes. She asks for his thoughts on de la Renta’s bounty and Brody King’s attack on Swerve. Hughes asks Lennox how she’d feel if she saw one of her own friends going through what Swerve’s going through and proclaims that de la Renta is a terrible human.

TBD, another team in the Tag Team Championship match, cut a promo. Jimmy Yuta speaks but is interrupted by Jason Cade, who says he’s the captain of the team. Furthermore, he’s going to lead them to victory because they’re the best duo.

Simon Gotch Prize Fight Challenge

Team Filthy come out in their usual conga line, which I find pretty funny. Gotch lays down the challenge for someone to get his “filthy money.” He says “filthy money” like an evil villain, which makes sense because he was a Vaudevillain.

This week, Mike Parrow of Stud Stable answers Gotch’s $250 challenge. Parrow dominates in the beginning, shoulder tackling Gotch to the outside. After some scuffling on the floor, the match heads back into the ring. Parrow goes for a chokeslam but Gotch reverses it into a leg submission. Parrow makes it to the ropes, but while he tries to pull himself up to his feet, Tom Lawlor hits Parrow with a foreign object (Gotch was distracting the ref). Gotch gets the pin and keeps his $250. The Dirty Blondes come out and chase Team Filthy off.

Brody King cuts a promo where he tells Swerve that he left him laid out in the parking lot and challenges him to a match next week.

They show the footage of King’s attack again while Schiavone interviews MLW CEO Court Bauer, who is calling from Swerve’s home. He doesn’t want to sanction a match between King and Swerve, but Swerve wants the match, so he’s going to give it to him.

Anything Goes Elimination Match for the MLW Tag Team Championship: The Dirty Blondes (Michael Patrick and Leo Brien) vs. Team TBD (Jimmy Yuta and Jason Cade) vs. Lucha Brothers (Pentagon, Jr. and Rey Fenix)

All three teams enter the ring before the classic ring introductions. I like when wrestling promotions do this. It makes the match feel bigger.

It’s clear by the response that each team gets from the crowd that Lucha Brothers are the favorites, and who could blame them? These guys are awesome.

Everybody is fighting at the same time. THANK YOU. If this were WWE, we might be subject to people having to tag in and out- in an anything goes match. Or we might have two guys in the ring at a time and have the possibility of two partners having to face each other. In a match like this, having all the guys fight at one time makes the most sense and makes for a better match anyway.

The match started with Yuta getting superkicked by Fenix while Yuta was distracted by Pentagon’s “Cero Miedo” taunt. From there, the action never lets up. There’s all sorts of dives in the beginning, even a senton off the apron by Michael Patrick.

The Blondes are the first team eliminated after a flying elbow drop from Yuta and a top rope splash by Cade.

The match kicks in to an even higher gear. At one point, Team TBD are both trapped in the corner (Cade on his butt, Yuta in the tree of woe) and Fenix monkey flips Pentagon into both of them.

TBD comes back and looks like they are on the verge of victory when Yuta German suplexes Fenix. However, Cade is showboating and not paying attention to Pentagon, who breaks up the pin.

Fenix makes a big save late in the match as Yuta hits a Samoan driver on Pentagon and goes for the pin, only two be broken up by a springboard dropkick that earns a “this is awesome” chant.

Cade and Pentagon fight in the center of the ring. Cade goes for a handspring codebreaker but Pentagon dropkicks him mid-spring. What a spot!

A funny verbal botch takes place when Cade has Pentagon in a fireman’s carry and yells “Cero Mero, huh?” Good for Marc Mero. Finally, he’s getting some respect.

Cade finally gets the handspring codebreaker on Pentagon and then sends him to the outside, where he executes a suicide dive.

The Brothers get the upper hand and go for a superkick/Fear Factor combination, which I thought was the end but only garners a two count.

Cade and Yuta come back. They try to finish the match with the flying elbow/splash combination on Fenix, but he kicks out. Then, the seeds of dissension in TBD are sown even further. Yuta holds Fenix in a full nelson. Cade goes to hit Fenix, but Fenix escapes Yuta’s clutches and Cade ends up hitting his partner, calling him “stupid” after the mishap.

The Brothers take advantage and send Cade to the outside. Yuta is impaled on the mat by a double stomp spike Pentagon Driver. Pentagon gets the three count, and Lucha Brothers are the first MLW Tag Team Champions.

The celebration begins as the Brothers’ manager, Salina de la Renta, brings in a bottle of Patrón for each man. They start pouring it into their mouths before Pentagon graciously gives fans in the front row a sip. I love this team and everything about them.

The match between Strickland and King is announced for next week and we’re done.

Final Thoughts:

• I still can’t believe I thought MVP was going to be a world champion ten years ago. What a shame. I wonder why he fell out of favor with WWE. Regardless, I’m still glad to see him doing his thing.
• I was shocked by how easily Parrow was beaten by Gotch. I mean, it did take interference to do it, but I just thought Parrow was going to dominate and collect the $250. I wonder where this is all leading to. Havoc and Lawlor are in the middle of a feud right now. Are we also going to start seeing faction warfare between Team Filthy and Stud Stable?
• For a guy who calls himself the Caramel Colossus, Hughes talks like a normal guy. I thought he would be some kind of character like Mark Henry back in the “Sexual Chocolate” days. Right now, I don’t see him anything more than Swerve’s obese friend.
• What can I say about the tag match? You just have to watch it. Nothing I write can do it justice. I remember thinking a while back that The Blondes would be the first champs, but once Lucha Brothers were announced, I should have just gone with my gut. Fenix and Pentagon are the two best wrestlers in MLW right now.
• Rich Bocchini was really good on commentary during the main event. He sounded invested in who would become the first champs and brought even more drama to the match.

That’s it for this week. Follow me on Twitter (@CliffofDoom). I have to go mow my lawn now. Have a good one!

It’s finally here. After five weeks of anticipation, Pentagon, Jr. is challenging Shane “Swerve” Strickland for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship. It’s the first MLW title defense and I hope both men deliver.

Watch this week’s episiode of Fusion right here!

The show opens with Swerve and Barrington Hughes rolling up to the arena in an expensive red convertible. Strickland gets out and is flanked by reporters and photographers. Salina de la Renta approaches him and says that his car and his title are both rentals. She walks as Hughes calls her a “broomstick,” which he explains means she’s a “witch.” Swerve is about to say that she’s more like a “bitch,” but he gets cut off by the opening title card. That was pretty funny.

Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini welcome us and hype the big title match.

Santana Garrett vs. Chelsea Green

Winner: Santana Garrett with a jumping DDT

Thoughts and Highlights

• I believe this is the first women’s match on Fusion.
• These two started off as friends and then Green slapped Garrett, which turned the match into more of a stiffer brawl.
• After the slap, Green went into crazy woman mode, smearing her lipstick all over her mouth.
• One interesting move by Green was when she had Garrett on her knees and held her arms back. Then, she pushed Garrett into the middle turnbuckle with her foot a few times. Garrett hit the turnbuckle like someone hitting their face into a car dashboard during a sudden stop because they weren’t wearing a seatbelt.
• One awkward spot in the match was towards the end where Garrett went for a kick. Green dodged it. Garrett just turned her back on Green like she was just waiting for the next move to happen, which ended up being a lungblower. I guess Green should have gotten the move off quicker but it made Garrett look like a dope for just standing there.
• The two hugged after the match. I thought Green was going to turn but she turned off the crazy once the bell rang. Not a bad match.

We get a recap of Team Filthy’s beatdown on Jimmy Havoc followed by a promo from Lawlor. He apologizes for the beating and for the fact that Havoc can’t take a “vicious punch.” He mocks Havoc for being in British, saying that he’s probably in “London town” drinking tea and eating crumpets. After listening to some of Havoc’s promos, I think he likes to drink blood with his crumpets instead. Lawlor finishes by saying that Havoc can’t take him in the ring and he apologizes for that, too. Lawlor wasn’t the smoothest in this promo but he came across as an arrogant d—, which he’s pretty good at.

Simon Gotch Prize Fight Challenge

Winner: Simon Gotch (Duh- it’s his open challenge)

Thoughts and Highlights

• The “prize” in this open challenge is $250. What a cheap bastard.
• The first man to accept the open challenge was Danny Santiago. I was wondering if this guy was a jobber and he was. Three things confirmed this:

1. He didn’t even get his name displayed on the chyron.
2. He was wearing a white belt, which is the lowest level in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (I have to credit Bing with helping me on that one).
3. When he took off his jacket, his physique was…well…let’s just say unimpressive.

• Gotch won after a T-bone suplex and a Gotch piledriver.
• Gotch reached into the bag holding the money and pulled out an even smaller bag containing the $250. He waved it in Santiago’s face.

Kaci Lennox is outside Martin J. Friedman’s dressing room door, where she’s waiting for him to arrive. All of a sudden, Aria Blake and Joey Janela walk out of Friedman’s room. Janela is smoking a cigarette and drinking a Corona. Lennox asks why they were in there and Janela just says they weren’t doing anything bad.

After a commercial, Friedman arrives at his dressing room. Lennox is about to interview him when he smells smoke. He walks into his dressing room and it’s trashed. Cigarette ashes are all over his $3,000 shirt, there’s domestic beer cans all over the place, and there’s a condom on the floor (which was blurred out). Friedman is incensed and storms out of the room.

MLW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Shane “Swerve” Strickland (champion) vs. Pentagon, Jr. w/Salina de la Renta

We’re less than thirty minutes in and it’s time for the main event. A video package plays showing the events leading up to this match, including Pentagon’s mind games and the red mist attack from two weeks ago. We get a tale of the tape before heading out to the arena for the entrances. Pentagon is out first and spits his red mist at the top of the aisle. I hope he has enough left over to use for the match.

A mariachi band comes into the ring and plays the Mexican national anthem. The crowd was respectful for the most part. Nobody booed and nobody chanted “U.S.A.” while it was going on. In fact, they applauded after it was over. The whole crowd reaction was very 2018. If this were 1988, garbage would have been thrown in the ring and Jesse Ventura would have been talking about “Chico” Santana’s tacos.

Pentagon had the “Cero Miedo” hand sign over his heart during the anthem. Nice touch.

Swerve comes out next and I think there’s definitely some crowd sweetening. Some of the cheering just didn’t sound like it was live.

Winner: Shane “Swerve” Strickland after the Swerve Stomp

Thoughts and Highlights

• This was a slower paced match but it wasn’t boring.
• At one point, Pentagon tied Swerve’s hands to the middle rope using audio cables and began chopping him. The ref was admonishing Pentagon for this but then just kind of let Pentagon do his thing.
• Bocchini compared Swerve to a “young Jon Jones.” Let’s just hope Swerve’s career doesn’t take a left turn at cocaine use and hit and run accidents.
• The pace started picking up when both men booted each other in the face. The ref began a double 20 count as they lay on the mat and the show went to commercial. That was kind of a weird spot to give Blue Moon their ad time.
• Pentagon hit a Canadian Destroyer on the apron. I thought for a second that we were going to get a countout finish but thankfully Pentagon got Swerve back in the ring.
• Towards the end of the match, Pentagon brought a chair into the ring. I don’t like when heels bring foreign objects like chairs or title belts into the ring right in front of the ref’s eyes, especially if they’re the ones challenging for the title. Why would you get yourself intentionally disqualified? It makes “cero” sense.
• Before the Swerve Stomp, Pentagon attempted to spit red mist into Swerve’s face, but Swerve ducked and de la Renta ended up getting the spicy spit in her face instead. Now, whereas Swerve reacted like he was going blind when the mist ended up in his face two weeks back, de la Renta just looked annoyed and acted like someone had spilt cranberry juice on her nice white clothes. She didn’t even look like her sight was affected in any way. It made Swerve look like an overreacting wuss.

After the show goes off the air, we get a commercial for next week’s episode, where former WWE superstars Rich Swann and Jake Hager (Jack Swagger) will make their MLW debuts. We’ll also see Jeff Cobb (Matanza Cueto) on Fusion for the first time as he takes on Hager.

Final Thoughts

• I really dug this week’s episode. The comedy on the show was just the right amount and it didn’t feel forced. When I watch Raw or Smackdown, I think to myself that the comedy on those shows feels contrived, like Vince McMahon has a comedy quota that needs to be filled in each episode. The funny spots on this show were quick and didn’t overstay their welcome.
• I’m happy to see Simon Gotch featured in MLW. Not every guy’s career works out in WWE but he’s talented and I’m glad to see him spotlighted. His membership in Team Filthy and the open challenge gimmick are going to help him get over.
• I loved the segment with Friedman in the dressing room and can’t wait to see a Friedman/Janela feud play out. It seems natural- the refined one percenter vs. the sloppy degenerate.
• I was more impressed with Swerve this week than in his match with Jimmy Havoc.
• Rich Bocchini is irritating and comes off as a dunce to me. When Schiavone questioned why Pentagon would bring a chair into the ring, Bocchini’s response was “You have to use that chair to make it illegal.” DUH. That’s the whole reason why Schiavone was questioning it.

That’s it for this week. Follow me on Twitter (@CliffofDoom). If you live in the States, enjoy your long weekend and please remember all of the men and women who died to protect America. Have a good week!

We’re one week away from Shane “Swerve” Strickland’s first World Title defense on MLW Fusion. The question is, will it be Pentagon, Jr. or his brother Rey Fenix? Pentagon’s red mist attack on Swerve last week forced MLW officials to strip him of his title shot and put it on the line in a re-match between the two luchadores. We’ll find out who’ll be the #1 contender tonight.

We start with a video recap showing how this week’s main event came to fruition. Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini welcome us to the show and update us on the condition of Swerve, which includes seeing eyes specialists at John Hopkins University.

Kotto Brazil vs. Trey Miguel

Winner: Trey Miguel after a jumping double knee smash from the top rope.

Thoughts

• Miguel’s nickname is the “Fresh Prince of Mid-Air.” That’s pretty creative.
• This was a cruiserweight match with action so quick that it was hard to keep up.
• There were some pretty innovative spots, including a running Sliced Bread #2 from Brazil and a corner 619 from Miguel with Brazil’s head tucked into the top turnbuckle. I’m looking forward to seeing these two in action again.

They play a tape of an interview that Rich Bocchini had earlier in the week with Salina de la Renta from her palatial estate. She’s very arrogant and clearly likes the smell of her own s—. The interview ends when she pushes Bocchini in the pool.

That interview is immediately followed by another one backstage with de la Renta. This time the person holding the mic is Andrea Ocampo. De la Renta announces that she’s signed both Pentagon and Fenix, meaning that she’s guaranteed to get the MLW World Title in her faction.

We get a recap of last week’s main event between Jimmy Havoc and Joey Janela and the post-match beatdown outside the arena by Team Filthy on Havoc. A camera walks up to a jacuzzi occupied by Tom Lawlor and Simon Gotch. They say that Havoc deserved a beating and aren’t worried about the repercussions. After seeing some of Havoc’s handiwork, I’d be worried. Maybe when he’s done with them, they’ll be less sensitive to people bumping into them.

The Dirty Blondes vs. Team TBD in an Elimination Match

Winner: The Dirty Blondes

Order of Elimination

• First Elimination: Michael Patrick pinned Jimmy Yuta after Yuta landed a diving crossbody but Patrick rolled through and grabbed the tights for the three count.
• Second Elimination: Jason Cade pinned Michael Patrick with Black Magic (backslide driver).
• Final Elimination: Brien pinned Cade after the ref was distracted and the Blondes hit an illegal double Alabama Slam.

After the match, Cade pushes Yuta away from him. They argue backstage. Ocampo interviews them. Yuta says they’re going to win the Tag Title tournament. Considering Cade’s attitude after losing the match and in an inset promo where he called himself the “captain” of the team, I smell a heel turn.

Swerve is interviewed by Ocampo. She asks how he’s recovering from the red mist attack. He says he doesn’t believe that Pentagon has zero fear. Furthermore, Pentagon can take his arms, his legs, or even his head; Pentagon still can’t take his heart. I don’t know, Swerve. If you lose all those body parts, Pentagon can pretty much take whatever he wants.

Pentagon, Jr. vs. Rey Fenix to become the #1 Contender to the MLW World Title

Winner: Pentagon, Jr. after hitting the Fear Factor

Thoughts

• Another excellent main event between the two brothers.
• Pentagon is so good with the crowd and they love him. Out of all the wrestlers I’ve seen on Fusion so far, I think Pentagon is the biggest star.

We get some replays of the match, an announcement of next week’s World Title match, and go off the air.

Final Thoughts

• The wrestling on this week’s show was exceptional from start to finish.
• I’m not a big fan of Swerve, especially on the mic. I believe the word “painful” can describe this week’s interview.
• After the first five episodes of Fusion, I have to say that it is SO MUCH easier to watch than Raw or Smackdown. I know Fusion is only an hour long compared to three hours on Monday and two hours on Tuesday, but still, MLW is entertaining from start to finish while Raw and Smackdown drag. Fusion lives up to its name with a variation of fighting styles. Plus, no two matches each week are the same. In WWE, I feel like if I watch one match on the show then I’ve seen all of them. You know when a rest spot is coming, you know when they’re going to commercial, and you know when the finish is coming. Predictability isn’t always bad, but it certainly isn’t always good, either. MLW keeps me engaged and interested for its entirety.

That’s it for this week. Next week, Pentagon will finally challenge Swerve for the World Title and I certainly hope we see a champion with “Cero Miedo.” Follow me on Twitter (@CliffofDoom). Have a good week!

Watch this week’s episode of MLW FUSION below:

I was excited because I didn’t have anything to do this past Friday night, so I could watch MLW Fusion live instead of recording it like I usually do. Imagine my surprise when I turned on beIN Sports at 8:00 and saw a bunch of studio analysts talking about that most un-American of games, soccer. How dare they preempt my favorite fake sport with my least favorite fake sport?!

Luckily, it was only a 15-minute delay. All is right with the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfhF-BHvpIs&t=823s

We open up with a video package hyping the show’s main event, Jimmy Havoc vs. Joey Janela. They play clips of hardcore wrestling by the two competitors and just like last week, I’m subjected to watching Havoc lick his lips at the thought of licking Janela’s blood. I’m uncomfortable again and there’s still 59 minutes left.

Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini welcome us to the show. They recap the events that took place between MVP and Sami Callihan and between Tom Lawlor and ACH from last week’s show. The cameras follow Shane Strickland as he enters the arena.

“Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. ACH

As Lawlor makes his way to the ring, we get an ACH promo where he calls Team Filthy “Mixed Martial Asshats.” Sick burn, bro.

ACH makes his way to the ring next. He’s announced as originally being from Planet Vegeta, which Schiavone informs us is a reference to Dragonball Z. I thought ring announcer Tim Barr said Planet Fajita. Now I’m hungry.

Tom Lawlor takes his mouthguard out of his trunks and puts it in his mouth. I have no words.

Lawlor starts with a double leg takedown into the corner. He’s trying to keep ACH grounded and prevent his aerial attack. He gives ACH a kick to the back and then decides to give him a free shot. Lawlor sits down awaiting a kick in the back. ACH strikes and somehow hurts himself.

ACH ends up on his butt. Lawlor goes to kick ACH in the back again but it’s a psych out and goes for a choke instead. ACH quickly makes it to the ropes.

Lawlor ends up on his back and challenges ACH to come after him. ACH charges but gets tripped up. However, Lawlor ends up in a pinning combination but kicks out. A few more pin attempts by ACH follows. He realizes they aren’t working and hits a double front leg dropkick instead. They head to the outside and we go to commercial.

When the show returns, Schiavone is mid-sentence, saying “And that enabled Lawlor to open up this offense.” What did?! We have absolutely no context for this statement, which MLW keeps doing over and over again. It really bothers me. I understand the show is not live and the announcers are not calling the match in some studio during post-production, but it just sounds stupid to have the broadcasters talking about something that happened during commercial without any explanation for those of us not in the arena.

Anyway, Lawlor is in charge now and hits a jumping back elbow. He mounts ACH and rains down punches like it’s the octagon and he’s trying to get the ref to stop the fight. A cross armbreaker attempt is blocked by ACH. He gets to his feet and hits a hip toss but Lawlor comes back with a kick to the chest. Lawlor tries another submission with a front facelock. The ref checks for a choke. After another submission is applied, ACH goes for a pin. Lawlor kicks out and executes a vertical suplex followed by a wrist lock submission into what looks to be a Million Dollar Dream.

ACH makes it to his feet and gets backdropped but he lands on his feet. After some leapfrogs, ACH sweeps Lawlor’s leg and hits a basement dropkick. Lawlor is thrown into the ropes but holds on to them. ACH charges and is backdropped to the apron. ACH lands on his feet. He gets a shoulder into Lawlor’s gut, lands an enzuigiri, springboards off the middle rope, and crushes Lawlor with a reverse STO. The fans start an “ACH” chant.

ACH chops Lawlor in the corner and Irish whips him. He hits a running forearm smash and comes off the ropes, only to be met by a jumping forearm smash from Lawlor. Lawlor tries the same move again but is caught and pays with a backbreaker/bridging suplex combo, which only gets a two count. ACH lifts his opponent up in an electric chair position, but Lawlor escapes and kicks ACH’s leg out from under him. Lawlor tries some rolling Germans but ACH elbows out after the first one.

Lawlor stops ACH’s momentum with a chinlock, which the announcers call a choke and treat it like a serious submission maneuver. I guess it is because ACH looks like he’s going to pass out. The ref raises ACH’s hand twice. On the third lift, ACH’s hand stays up. He gets up and pushes off the corner with his feet, falling backwards and pinning Lawlor the same way that Bret Hart pinned Roddy Piper at WrestleMania VIII. I love that pin. This time, though, it only gets two.

Lawlor keeps the choke locked on but ACH manages to victory roll Lawlor and land on him with a standing frogsplash. Again, the pin only gets two. Simon Gotch stands on the apron to distract the ref. Lawlor takes off the protective padding from his left arm that covers the steel rod and bolts that were used repair his injury. He channels his inner Lex Luger and knocks ACH out with the unprotected limb. The Filthy One immediately gets the choke on ACH, who the ref sees is on dream street and calls for the bell.

Winner- “Filthy” Tom Lawlor

Bocchini informs us of an incident that happened backstage. The cameras show Shane Strickland confronting Pentagon’s manager, Salina de la Renta. He takes issue with the morbid shrine that was put in his dressing room “a little bit ago,” which makes it sound like it happened an hour ago ago, not last week. Pentagon comes from behind Swerve. They stare at each other for a few seconds before Pentagon spits red mist into the champ’s eyes. Pentagon definitely telegraphed that mist spot. In reality, Swerve could have avoided the mist easily, but this isn’t reality, so he gets blinded. Renta and Penta (that’s my cute name for these two) walk away and Swerve writhes around on the ground in pain.

After a commercial, we see Strickland being aided by two officials in the back as he stands over a sink, throwing water in his eyes to try and regain his sight.

Maxwell J. Friedman vs. Fred Yehi

EC3 makes his way to the ring. Wait. Nope. That’s Maxwell J. Friedman, who I find out is from Plainview, NY, not too far from me. Not that you, the reader, should care. A fan gives him the finger and he could care less. The camera focuses on some bald guy standing and giving Freidman a glove clap. I thought he was his manager but I think it’s just a big Maxwell J. Friedman fan.

Fred Yehi comes out next. I don’t think anybody knows how to say this guy’s last name. Throughout the course of this match, his name will be pronounced “yeah-high,” “yee-haw,” and “yah-ha.” Why don’t we just replace the “h” with a “t” and call him a Yeti?

Friedman runs his mouth to start the match. We get some chain wrestling before Friedman escapes to the outside. He comes back in and wants to shake hands. Schiavone calls him a “punk.” I adore Schiavone insults.

Yehi doesn’t take the handshake. After some back and forth, Friedman falls to his stomach and expects Yehi to hop over him, but gets his hand stomped instead. Friedman wants another handshake but Yehi slaps it away. Freidman kicks him in the gut but Yehi returns with a flurry of offense.

Friedman ends up lying on the apron and calls for a time out. Yehi reaches over and grabs Friedman, but the spoiled rich kid clotheslines Yehi’s left arm over the top rope. He hits a springboard codebreaker on the arm and works it over further with some armbars. Yehi escapes the last armbar with chops and headbutts. Friedman tries to grab the armbar again, but Yehi uses more chops followed by a double stomp and a basement dropkick. Friedman falls victim to some quick knee lifts. Then, in a pretty cool spot, Yehi grabs Friedman’s arms, falls to his back, and lays in some rapid-fire boots to his opponent’s chest. A dragon suplex only gets two.

Friedman begs off in the corner but Yehi stomps on him relentlessly. Yehi goes to charge at Friedman but Friedman pulls the ref in front of him. Yehi pulls the ref out of the way. Friedman takes advantage of the ref’s temporary inattentiveness and pokes Yehi in the eye. He hops to the second rope and double stomps the worn down left arm, giving him the opportunity to roll up Yehi with a handful of trunks for the three count.

Winner- EC-damn it!-Maxwell J. Friedman

Andrea Ocampo meets Friedman at the top of the aisle. Friedman demands that a fan he calls “tubby” give him his chair. He has a seat after a hard-fought victory and starts insulting the crowd, telling them they probably don’t know who he is because they don’t have internet. He introduces himself and says he feels bad for Fred because he won’t be able to use the winner’s purse for his next three trips to Golden Corral. Fred seems pretty thin to me. I don’t think he’s going to Golden Corral. Friedman continues by lamenting that he’s jealous of the fans because they don’t know what it’s like to be him. He goes home to a perfect 10 that’s hard to deal with (Tye Dillenger?) and has a subpar limo driver, but it’s his cross to bear. He ends by saying he’s better than everyone and thanks Ocampo, noting that it’s hard to find good help these days.

One more commercial break airs before we get a video package showing what happened between Sami Callihan and MVP, followed by a backstage interview with Callihan. He proclaims that he talks when he wants to and calls himself a machine gun of an enigma. What? That weird description aside, he said he’s creating an army of like minded individuals. The mystery man that helped him beat MVP last week appears. Callihan says his army won’t just take over wrestling but will also take over everything. That’s vague. He and mystery man give the “thumbs up, thumbs down” gesture. I wonder if he was inspired by Batista.

We get footage of a press conference held by Court Bauer announcing that MLW will be in NYC on July 19. Hmm, maybe yours truly will have to go.

After a recap of Pentagon hocking a big, red, blindness causing loogy in Shane Strickland’s eyes, the announcers inform us that Pentagon is being forced to put his #1 contender spot on the line against Rey Fenix next week. Yes! If spitting mist into someone’s eyes means we get another Pentagon/Fenix match, then I hope the whole roster goes blind.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Joey Janela w/ Aria Blake in a Bogus Adventure Match.

It’s main event time. Schiavone says that a Bogus Adventure Match is the “ultimate mystery match.” We don’t know what kind of weapons will be used.

Both men try to bicycle kick each other twice. Havoc is sent to the outside, where Janela connects with a suicide dive through the ropes. Havoc gets control of the match and tries a suicide dive of his own but Janela throws a chair at him. He continues the punishment with a suplex onto another chair!

Back in the ring, Janela gets a two count. He hits a basement dropkick. Havoc answers back with some elbows. They go at each other with dueling chops. Janela goes to the top rope and misses a moonsault. Havoc throws him with a half nelson driver and a sit-out scoop slam. He goes to the outside and pulls…a door out from under the ring. I guess this is one of the mystery weapons. Bocchini is perplexed by the presence of the door and Schiavone responds by asking “Isn’t there always a door under the ring?” Tony, you should remember. Back in the WCW days, [Ultimate] Warrior demanded that a door be installed IN the ring so that he could disappear and mess with Hollywood Hogan’s head. The only thing it really messed with was the British Bulldog’s back when he got slammed into it.

Havoc sets up the door in the door. Janela attacks him and wraps a chair around his neck. He puts Havoc into position and jumps off the second rope with a back elbow, causing Havoc to fall into another chair. It’s not enough to keep Havoc down as he answers back with a discus clothesline and a pump handle slam on a chair for a two count.

Havoc smacks a chair over Janela’s back. My wife, who was watching this with me, saw the way Janela sold the chair shot and just said “bad acting.” My wife, everybody.

Havoc jabs Janela in the stomach with the chair and hits some elbows. He sits Janela in a chair in the corner and goes for a monkey flip, which fails. It looked like a botch but Janela wisely gets up quickly and sends Havoc to the mat with a vertical suplex. He lays a chair on top of Havoc, goes to the top rope, and Swanton Bombs Havoc. I don’t know who that hurt more.

Janela slides some chairs into the ring, causing them to hit Havoc. He also pulls out a table. Back in the ring, Janela hits Havoc over the back with a chair, but Havoc comes back by smashing a chair over Janela’s head. He gets the Bad Boy up in a fireman’s carry but he escapes and drives Havoc’s head into a pile of chairs with a package piledriver. He lays Havoc on the table and attempts to send him through it with a senton, but Havoc moves. Janela crashes through the table, gets up, and is sent through the door by Havoc with a running double front leg dropkick. Havoc continues the onslaught with a Death Valley Driver on the chairs and finally the Acid Rainmaker for the 1-2-3.

Winner: Jimmy Havoc

The cameras follow Havoc up the aisle and into the back. Oh, you know something bad’s about to happen here. Havoc exits the arena holding his head and bumps into Tom Lawlor. This is too much for Lawlor to bear. Team Filthy beats up Havoc and leaves him lying on the ground in agony. Lawlor whines that Havoc got blood on his outfit. The last shot shows Havoc on the ground with a look on his face that says “I’m in pain and pissed off.” If there were a crowd of wrestling fans outside, they’d be chanting that Lawlor just “f—ed up!”

Final Thoughts

On an episode “Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard” that I recently listened to, Conrad Thompson and Prichard commented that there really are no more original ideas in wrestling because everything’s been done. That’s not a bad thing. Go with what works- just don’t do it all the time. I mention this because I liked the way the Lawlor/ACH match ended. Using an injury as a secret weapon has been an effective wrestling trope and I’m glad that a scumbag heel like Lawlor is using it.

Maxwell J. Friedman was good in the ring but he really shined on the mic. Yeah, he has a similar look and gimmick to EC3, but he was still entertaining.

Here’s what I know about Sami Callihan: he had a cup of coffee in NXT, he almost took out Eddie Edward’s eye, and his promos annoy me. I don’t like this man.

The Bogus Adventure Match was fun. I thought there’d be more surprise weapons but whatever. There was constant back and forth action and little to no stalling- and nobody licked anybody else’s blood! That’s an automatic five-star rating from me!

I suppose Lawlor’s attack on Havoc means that Havoc is a face now. It makes sense. He seems like the kind of heel that fans want to cheer.

Did I mention that I was excited by another Pentagon/Fenix main event? Well, I am.

That’s it for this week. Hopefully, that game that the United States is really bad at doesn’t interrupt my sports-entertainment next Friday.

Have a good week!

This past Friday was May 4^th, prompting everyone and their mother to tell me “May the 4^th be with you,” a clever little pun in reference to Star Wars. Well, on the May 4^th edition of MLW Fusion, there were certainly of lot of STARS having a lot of WARS in the ring.

Yes, that was the best way I could think to start this column. My apologies.

My corny joke aside, there were certainly a lot of feuds being revved up this week. Let’s break it down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49p0b4hSrgY

The show starts in the arena. Jimmy Havoc comes down to the ring. We see footage of a brawl between Havoc and Joey Janela from Walemania. Havoc gets on the mic and calls Janela out. Janela comes out. The two men brawl into the crowd and to the back of the arena. That’s the last we see of them.

Low Ki comes out next in an outfit that says “I may be a contract killer, but I like to look professional.” A video package shows a previous incident that he had backstage with MVP. During the melee, Low Ki attacked an MLW matchmaker. Announcers Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini tell us Low Ki was suspended by MLW for the attack on the official. Back in the ring, Low Ki gets a mic and complains about the suspension. He says that his stable, Black Friday Management, always collects its debts and will collect its debt from MVP. MVP doesn’t like the sound of that and makes his way down to the ring, but his opponent for the night, Sami Callahan, comes from behind him. Oh God, he’s a got a bat! Oh, thank God, he’s only choking MVP with it, not trying to bash his eye out. The chaos is broken up and we go to the opening video package.

Schiavone and Bocchini welcome us and talk about the main event between MVP and Callihan.

Simon Gotch vs. ACH

“Filthy” Tom Lawlor comes out with Team Filthy, which includes the former Vaudevillain, Simon Gotch, and another man whose name is not acknowledged. Lawlor says that due to his injured left forearm, he cannot compete tonight against ACH, therefore Gotch will fight in his place.

ACH comes out next. The ref helps him spar before the bell rings. That’s something I’ve never seen before.

The two competitors start off with a collar and elbow tie up and some chain wrestling. Gotch gets ACH into a cross armbreaker but ACH escapes. Gotch breaks ACH down with a European uppercut, stomps, and kicks. He eventually traps ACH in a chinlock using his legs. ACH gets a rope break. Gotch locks in another rest hold but ACH elbows his way out of it. He comes back with chops but Gotch kicks him in the face. We go to commercial.

When we come back, Schiavone is talking about rope breaks. A rope break must have occurred during the commercial, but we don’t get that context. I’m not a fan of commercials during wrestling matches, but at least WWE will have its announcers tell you what happened while you were watching the 900^th commercial promoting the show about 2Pac and Biggie.

Gotch throws ACH with a gutwrench suplex followed by some corner stomps. With the ref distracted, Lawlor chokes ACH with his left hand. The announcers speculate whether Lawlor’s left forearm injury is real. If history is any indicator, I would say “no” (see Orton, “Cowboy” Bob).

ACH gets control back by kicking Gotch’s leg out from under him and booting him with a basement single leg dropkick. Gotch stops an ACH attack, hits a sunset flip with a roll through, and kicks ACH. Gotch attempts a German suplex, but ACH rolls through, grabs Gotch’s legs, and gets the three count.

The rest of Team Filthy fly into the ring and beat up ACH. Lawlor uses his flip flops as weapons and Schiavone sells it like he’s using a steel chair. Team Filthy make their way to the top of the aisle where they’re interviewed by Andrea Ocampo. Gotch says that ACH is going to the ICU and Lawlor says he’s five million times better than the man his team just left lying in the ring.

Schiavone runs down the MLW Top 10 rankings. The list includes:

1. Pentagon Jr.
2. Jimmy Havoc
3. MVP
4. Low Ki
5. Tom Lawlor
6. Sami Calligan
7. Rey Fenix
8. Jeff Cobb (Lucha Underground’s Matanza Cueto)
9. Joey Janela
10. Barrington Hughes

The champion that these 10 men are all after is, of course, Shane “Swerve” Strickland.

Speaking of Swerve, we get a video package in which the champ says he’s fighting for his kids. Hey, that’s what MVP said last week! They both can’t fight for their kids! One of them is going to have to be selfish and fight for themselves.

A commercial for the June 7 MLW TV taping airs. On that night, the first ever MLW Tag Team Champions will be crowned.

The show comes back with a promo package from Maxwell Jacob Friedman, who does the same 1% gimmick as EC3. In fact, he has a striking resemblance to Dixie’s nephew. MJF tells the home viewers that if the roles were reversed, they’d be like him, but unfortunately, they’re not. Schiavone calls him an “egotistical little jerk.” There’s something charming about Tony Schiavone getting angry. I can’t wait until the day that someone in MLW does something so egregious that Schiavone condemns them “straight to hell.”

Vandal Ortagun vs. “One Man Demolition Machine” Mike Parrow

Ortagun is a Turkish kickboxer while Parrow is just a big s—kicker. Ortagun gets a tiny bit of offense in here and there. However, Parrow just ends it with a barrage of power moves, including a fallaway slam into the corner, a gorilla press, a chokeslam, and finally a sit out powerbomb, which garners him the three count. During the match, Colonel Rob Parker came out to observe the 300-pound Parrow. With the match over, Parrow meets the Colonel in the aisle and they shake hands. It looks like Parker has another big hoss in his Stud Stable.

Andrea Ocampo is in the back with Salina de la Renta. De la Renta is distracted by something off camera, which turns out to be Shane Strickland. She tells Strickland not to get too comfortable with the World Heavyweight Title around his waist and then flashes the “Cero Miedo” hand sing.

Next up is a promo from Havoc. He tells Janela that whenever they fight, they bring out the best and worse in each other and Havoc learns something new about himself every time. Havoc proclaims himself the King and says that Janela will experience havoc the next time they step into the ring together. He threatens that Janela will bleed, so he better “bring a towel” because he’s going to lick all of the blood off of him. He licks his lips and I am officially uncomfortable.

Ocampo knocks on Team Filthy’s dressing room door and notifies Lawlor that MLW officials have proclaimed him healthy enough to compete next week against ACH. Lawlor gets indignant. Gotch tricks Ocampo into thinking he’ll talk to her outside but then slams the door on her.

We are shown a recap of Sami Callihan’s attack on MVP from the start of the show. Callihan cuts a promo in the back where he makes fun of MLW’s production (see, it’s not just me). He says he gets off on pissing people off and running their day. If that’s the case, then he must have been rock hard when he busted Eddie Edwards’ eye with the baseball bat. He makes fun of MVP’s redemption story and tells MVP that he’ll have to tell his son that he’s a failure. Man, this guy is a d—. He ends by saying he’ll be the MLW Champion.

Sami Callihan vs. MVP

While Callihan makes his way down to the ring, Schiavone and Bocchini wonder what kind of bat Callihan is using. With his baseball background, I trust Schiavone’s analysis when it comes to bats. If he ever goes into a soliloquy about lattes, my ears will be perked.

MVP doesn’t wait for his entrance as he storms the ring and goes right for Callihan. They brawl to the outside. MVP tries to chop Callihan but misses and chops the ring post instead. Callihan rams his head into the post and MVP collapses into a fan’s chair. Callihan orders the fans out of his way. He runs to the seated MVP and connects with a discus elbow. I really thought something more devastating was going to happen there. He runs at MVP again, but the former WWE US Champ, trips Callihan and sends him face first into the chair.

MVP throws Callihan back into the ring, but man from Anonymous, Ohio rolls to the outside. MVP follows and is met with Steven Seagal-like eye gouging from his opponent. Bocchini says they’re tied in the Top 10 rankings. Wait a sec…

3. MVP

6. Callihan

Nope, not tied, Rich.

Callihan gets back in the ring and the ref starts a 20 count on MVP, who’s in pain on the outside.

After a commercial break, Callihan rips off MVP’s Breathe Right strip. That’s just too far. You can tell a man he’ll be a failure to his children, but you DON’T pull off his Breathe Right strip!

MVP gets the advantage with a delayed vertical suplex. Callihan sends MVP to the outside. He jumps off the apron for an attack but MVP catches him and slams him with an apron uranage. Both men are on the floor now and get back in right before the ref’s 20 count is over. They get to their feet and trade punches. MVP goes for a kick but Callihan punches him in the leg. He comes off the rope but is thrown with a release belly to belly suplex. MVP chops him in the throat, drives his knee into his face, and drops the Ballin’ Elbow. He covers with a fisherman suplex for two. He sits Callihan on the top rope and climbs to the second rope. Callihan slips down to the mat and tries to pull MVP down with a powerbomb but MVP holds on. Callihan goes between MVP’s legs and kicks his left ankle out from under him. He gets MVP on his shoulders and brings him down with a Samoan driver.

Callihan finds his bat in the corner and picks it up. The ref tries to take it away without success. MVP grabs the bat and the two men fight over it, which ends when MVP pushes Callihan into the ref. The mishap allows MVP to execute the Playmaker. However, with the ref incapacitated, a huge mystery man runs down to the ring and strikes MVP with a falling side slam. The ref comes to and Callihan covers, but only gets two. MVP makes one last stand with a fireman’s carry cutter and right hand to the mystery man. When he turns around, Callihan gives him a low blow, allowing him to execute the Cranial Contusion and grab the victory. He celebrates the win with the mystery man, who carries him out of the arena.

The announcers hype next week’s fights between Havoc and Janela and Lawlor and ACH.

In the back, Ocampo interviews Shane Strickland, who says he feels confident. He steps into his dressing room but finds something that stops him in his tracks. The camera enters the room and we see a shrine on the wall containing candles, skulls, and pictures of Strickland. The image of a skull is on the mirror, and the last image we see is of Strickland looking into the mirror. From the angle of the shot, Strickland’s face lines right up with the skull, as if Pentagon is sending the message that Strickland’s fate will be sure death. I’m sure he won’t kill him. I’m sure he just wants the title, right? Right???

Final Thoughts

Like I said at the start of this column, this week’s show built up a lot of feuds, including Havoc vs. Janela, Team Filthy vs. ACH, and MVP vs. Callihan. The chaotic atmosphere was established at the beginning of the show, and except for the squash match in the middle, it kept up until the end of the main event.

Mike Parrow was impressive in his big man role. If he becomes the new addition to Stud Stable, who knows how much power Colonel Parker can amass. Perhaps he can bring the big guy to the World Title; or maybe the big guy will have a hand in the Dirty Blondes becoming the first Tag Team Champions.

The build to the upcoming title match between Strickland and Pentagon is coming along nicely, with Pentagon now playing mind games with the champ. I’m excited to see what happens in the next few weeks.

Those are my thought for this week’s show.

Next week’s show will be on May the 11^th.

I don’t have any jokes about that date.

Um…

Okay, see you then.

When I heard that WWE was airing the Greatest Royal Rumble, I thought I was just going to see a replay of the 1992 Rumble. When the show started, I said to myself “This is not the Knickerbocker Arena. Something’s fishy.” My suspicions were confirmed when Triple H and John Cena came out for the first match instead of the The Orient Express and The New Foundation, so I turned it off and watched this week’s episode of MLW Fusion instead.

I totally just made up that story. I watched GRR and recorded Fusion, but after watching the five-hour commercial for Saudi Arabia, I wish I had just watched Fusion live instead.

Fusion’s second week offering starts with a video package highlighting the feud between Shane “Swerve” Strickland and Jimmy Havoc. Havoc has two wins over Strickland and tonight is Strickland’s night to redeem himself. Strickland says “Swerve is Confidence.” Well, I’m glad Swerve is Confidence because Havoc is Psychotic. The dude licked an axe blade.

The Dirty Blondes vs. Team TBD

Rich Bocchini and Mr. Multi-Year Deal Tony Schiavone welcome us to the show and send us to the ring where we see Colonel Rob Parker, who introduces The Dirty Blondes, Leo Brien and Michael Patrick. The Dirty Blondes are members of Parker’s newest version of the Stud Stable faction.

Team TBD, which includes Jason Cade and Jimmy (The Great) Yuta enter next. Cade and Brien start the match. We get some back story as the announcers mention that Cade was sent to a local medical facility- I’m sorry, a hospital- because of The Dirty Blondes.

The bell rings and Cade dropkicks Brien. He hits him with a forearm and tags in Yuta. They execute Poetry in Motion with Cade kneeing Brien in the face. Patrick is tagged in and Yuta locks him into a submission where he uses his feet to twist Patrick’s arms. Cade is tagged in and TBD does a backdrop/backflip combo onto Patrick.

Patrick sneaks a tag to Brien, who blindsides Cade. Brien pays tribute to Dusty Rhodes with a Bionic Elbow. Upon closer examination, it looks like someone took Dusty’s body from the 80s and put Brien’s head on top of it. Eerie. Patrick is tagged in and the Blondes hit a double Bionic Elbows followed by a quick succession of elbow drops.

The announcers mention that there will be an upcoming tournament to crown the first ever MLW Tag Team Champions.

Brien uses some rest holds on Cade. Cade makes a comeback with a bicycle kick and a jumping neckbreaker. Brien tags in Patrick while Cade makes the hot tag to Yuta, who knocks down Patrick with a springboard overhead chop. He dropkicks Brien and chops Patrick some more. Patrick reverses an Irish whip, but Yuta flips over the top rope, kicks Patrick, and hits him with a diving crossbody. Brien breaks up the pin.

All four guys are in the ring now. Brien gets sent to the outside and Cade lands on him with a slingshot tope suicida. In the ring, Yuta runs to the ropes but Parker trips him. Patrick attacks with an elbow drop to the back of Yuta’s head, and that’s all it takes to get the three count and the victory for The Dirty Blondes. Wow. An elbow drop? Hey, they don’t all have to be One Winged Angels and Red Arrows.

Bocchini says that he’s “sure” Colonel Robert Parker got involved to help The Blondes win the match. Well, if he’s a heel manager, he probably did. Plus, instant replayed revealed Parker’s interference. So did watching it in real-time.

Ultimo Ninja vs. Garza Jr.

Last week we got two brothers fighting in Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix. This week, we get a “clash of cousins” between Ultimo Ninja and Garza Jr. What’s with all these luchadores fighting their own family members? It took Owen Hart kicking Bret’s leg out of his leg for the Hitman to agree to fight his brother. These guys just say “You want me to beat up my own flesh and blood? Okay.”

Ultimo Ninja comes out first. Well, I’ll be. I thought the only Ultimo out there was a dragon.

Salina de la Renta comes out next, escorted by two security guards. Following her is her charge, Garza Jr. Garza is wearing shoulder tape. He also looks like he has huge birth marks on his back, but Schiavone informs us that they are marks from suction cups that were used during Garza’s physical therapy.

The match starts with some showing followed by a quick succession of leapfrogs and counters. The two have a stand-off before more action ensues. Ninja hits a handspring back elbow and some kicks. Bocchini informs us that Garza trains in an underwater tank with an octopus. I’ve heard they’re good sparring partners.

Ninja does the “Shh” knife edge chop spot. The crowd chants for one more, but Ninja doesn’t deliver and instead opts for a spinning heel kick. Garza gets in a pair of flying clotheslines. Ninja comes running at him put Garza puts his hand up and yells “Stop!” Then, he does his best Magic Mike impression and rips off his pants to reveal his man parts. Just kidding. He’s wearing red trunks. He throws the pants in the air and Ninja tries to catch them, which leaves him open for a superkick. Garza covers for two.

Garza brings Ninja down with a double underhook slam. He puts Ninja into the tree of woe and connects with a running kick. Schiavone says “Woe, that connected.” Earn that multi-year money, Tony.

Eventually, Ninja is able to send Garza to the outside and flies with an over the top rope tope suicida onto his opponent. The ref starts a 20 count but both men make it back inside.

The announcers talk about how Garza is a rudo (heel) and Ninja is a tecnico (face). Is that considered breaking kayfabe? Do the announcers in CMLL or AAA openly talk about which guys are rudos or tecnicos? I just know that it would be weird for me to hear Michael Cole refer to The Miz as a heel in the midst of calling a match, but maybe that kind of thing is normal in lucha libre.

Ninja bodyslams Garza, which sets him up to execute a backwards somersault into a standing moonsault, which gets a two-count. Garza gets control of the match with a front dropkick, a wheelbarrow double knee gutbuster, and a headbutt. He tries to do the “Shh” knife edge chop spot as well, but the sound the chop makes is underwhelming. He goes for a monkey flip, but Ninja lands on his feet and knocks Garza down with a spinning kick to the back of the head.

Ninja goads Garza into charging at him but moves at the last second, causing his opponent to run into the ring post. Ninja climbs to the top and hits a missile dropkick. They trade pins before trading Rings of Saturn submission holds. Garza gets it on second. Ninja escapes and kicks Garza in the face. Both men are down.

They get back to their feet. Garza pushes Ninja into the ropes, where de la Renta snatches his mask right off his head. Ninja covers his face, giving Garza the opportunity to pin him with an O’Connor roll for the win. Ninja lies on the mat with a towel wrapped around his face while Garza kisses his manager’s hand.

We get a recap of the awesome main event between Pentagon and Fenix from last week. Pentagon earned a shot at Shane Strickland and the World Heavyweight Championship, which is taking place at the May 3 “Intimidation Games” TV taping.

Next is a video package for “Filthy” Tom Lawlor. He says that there is only one star currently in UFC and professional wrestling, and that’s him. Well, Tom, you’re currently suspended from one sport and the other sport you’re in is fake, so I guess your assertion is bunk. The video is also rife with highlights from his training sessions, which includes punching his trainees in the balls. I don’t know if that’s the best way to recruit prospective students.

Rob Parker is interviewed backstage, flanked by The Dirty Blondes. He talks about how he’s managed and had a hand in the success of some of wrestling’s biggest names, including Steve Austin, Sid Vicious, and Harlem Heat. Now, he’s going to do the same for The Dirty Blondes.

MVP cuts a promo on Sami Callahan, his opponent next week. He says that wins and losses matter and he needs to climb MLW’s ranking system. He made a promise to his son to be a good role model and one way he can do that is by winning the MLW World Heavyweight Title. The promo ends with MVP saying that no matter what you’ve done in the past, there’s always redemption. Well, if Impact stays in business, perhaps there WILL always be Redemption.

Shane “Swerve” Strickland vs. “England’s Most Dangerous Man” Jimmy Havoc

We get a second video package for the main event. Strickland says he’s still here, even after losing to Havoc twice. Havoc says Strickland just doesn’t know when to quit. We see Havoc’s handiwork from his hardcore match with Swerve, including putting the champ through a table and double stomping a barbed wired chair on him. Strickland ends the hype video by saying he will beat Havoc and win the MLW World Heavyweight Championship. Wait, isn’t he already the champion?

The tale of the tape analyzes the two competitors’ fighting styles before going back to the arena.

Strickland comes out first. He’s not announced as the World Champion nor is he wearing a title belt, so this must have been recorded before he won the championship. Ring announcer Tim Barr proclaims Strickland as being from Tacoma but the chyron says Seattle. Maybe I’m nit-picking, but I like consistency.

On a side note, I like Strickland’s theme song, “Ain’t Nobody” by Chaka Khan and Rufus.

Havoc comes out next sporting a muzzle. Strickland better hope Havoc isn’t hungry.

The match starts and Strickland comes out of the gate with a running boot to the face. Havoc answers back with an elbow smash and a short-arm lariat. He comes at Strickland, who counters with a knee strike and a top rope basement dropkick. He stomps Havoc in the corner and locks in a submission where he hooks both of Havoc’s arms with his legs, bending the right arm back. Havoc screams that his arm “doesn’t bend that way!” I don’t think the hold would be as effective if he bent it the correct way, Jimmy.

Strickland lets the move go. He whips Havoc into the corner but it’s reversed. Havoc charges but Swerve gets a boot up. He hops onto the second rope, but Havoc kicks his leg out from under him, causing the champ to get crotched onto the second rope, leaving him open for a double knee jawbreaker.

Strickland ends up on the apron, where Havoc clotheslines him on the top rope. Swerve spills to the floor. He makes it back in and eats an elbow strike. Swerve hits a spinning kick and a 619 to Havoc’s torso. Havoc tries a sunset flip pinning attempt, but Strickland escapes and kicks havoc right in the back of the head.

We cut to a commercial, and when we come back, it sounds like Bocchini is in mid-sentence.

Strickland gets sent into the corner but fires back with a roll through jumping cutter. He starts to chop England’s Most Dangerous Man, who asks for more after each one. After a few more chops, Swerve is ready to put him away with a running boot, but Havoc catches it and sends Swerve face first into the mat. The champ gets up and is immediately dumped on his head with a Canadian Destroyer. The onslaught continues with another elbow smash/short-arm lariat combination. He covers but Strickland gets out at two!

Havoc stays on the attack and traps his opponent in a Cobra Clutch with body scissors. Strickland efforts his way out of the hold. He goes for a kick but Havoc ducks and kicks the ref. Havoc goes for the Acid Rainmaker but Strickland avoids it and knees Havoc in the face. He covers for an eternity before realizing the ref is still out cold. Strickland tends to the ref, leaving himself defenseless when Havoc low blows him. Strickland gets rolled up. Havoc has a handful of tights but the pin only gets a two count.

Havoc looks to put it away with the Acid Rainmaker but Strickland ducks and hits one of his own. Havoc goes out to the apron. Strickland hits an elbow strike. Havoc falls to his butt, where he gets a superkick. He hangs off the side of the apron and tries to get himself back up. His effort is futile as Swerve sends him to the floor with a double stomp. Strickland gets Havoc back into the ring, where he sits on the mat for what seems like forever as he waits for Strickland to get to the top rope and hit the Swerve Stomp, which earns him the three count. Strickland took too long to get the move off. Havoc was pretty much staring up at Strickland waiting to get stomped. I’d like to think that if this were real, Havoc would have moved. Despite that, it finished the match and gave Strickland his much-desired victory over his nemesis.

After a quick ad for the next TV tapings, Andrea Ocampo interviews the champ. He asks the crowd four or five times who’s house it is. The crowd responds with “Swerve’s house!” Actually, it’s MLW’s house or whoever is hosting their TV taping. Swerve says he finally beat Havoc and that he overcomes challenges because Swerve is Confidence. He asks the crowd AGAIN who’s house it is before ending the promo and this week’s program.

Final Thoughts

Some of the production on this show was a little weird, like the inconsistency of Swerve saying he was going to become the champion while already being acknowledged as the champ, his hometown being announced as two different cities, and Bocchini’s mid-sentence remarks as the show was coming back from commercial. Maybe that’s not a big deal to some people, but I expect a professional television program so tighten those little things up.

While no match stands out to me this week as mind-blowingly fantastic (which is an unfair expectation for a weekly show anyway), I will say that the person who stood out the most for me this week is Col. Rob Parker. I like the angle of Rob Parker bringing back the Stud Stable and looking to take The Dirty Blondes to the top of the tag team division. They certainly wrestled well enough to convince me that they could be champions, and if they continue to employ the underhanded tactics of the colonel, I don’t see why they can’t.

I wasn’t blown away by MLW’s first World Champion. I’ve only seen Swerve once, but if someone put a gun to my head right now and asked me who I want to win the World Title match at the May 3 tapings, I would unhesitatingly say Pentagon Jr. I was mesmerized by his charisma last week. Plus, he has the in-ring talent that qualifies him as one of today’s best wrestlers. He’s already won the Impact Wrestling World Title. Is the MLW Title in his future?

Those are my thoughts for this week’s episode of MLW Fusion. Come back next week for more recaps and analysis. Have a good week!

Ahead of Friday night’s MLW Fusion series premiere on beIN SPORTS, the promotion has announced another big match for the 5/3 Intimidation Games television taping from Orlando, FL.

Newly signed MLW star Jake Hager will debut against Jeff Cobb in a match that pits All American vs. Olympian. Hager, a former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, has been aded to Colonel Robert Parker’s stable of talent.

Parker told MLW.com, “I recommend Mr. Cobb check his insurance policy and make the appropriate accommodations at the finest hospital as he has never faced a hoss like mister Jake Hager in his career.”

MLW Intimidation Games

Intimidation Games is shaping up to be another strong card from Major League Wrestling. Confirmed for the show:

• MLW World Champion Shane Stricland vs. Pentagon Jr.
• Rey Fenix vs. ACH
• Jake Hager vs. Jeff Cobb

How To Watch MLW FUSION

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/987028074847002624

Shane “Swerve” Strickland became the new MLW World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Matt Riddle in the tournament finals at Thursday’s MLW show from Orlando, FL.

Strickland has been a fixture of Major League Wrestling since the promotion’s reboot back in October, when he defeated Ricochet in the main event of One-Shot. He defeated Brody King and Jimmy Haboc in the first two rounds of the championship tournament en route to the showdown with Riddle.

Also on the show, Pentagon El Zero M defeated Rey Fenix on the card to become the #1 contender.

It's @PENTAELZEROM on top after a great match that has fans throwing money into the ring #MLWFinals pic.twitter.com/XvjvniH2qe

— Jay Reddick (@runninjay) April 13, 2018

Tickets go on sale Friday morning for MLW’s next show – dubbed MLW: Intimidation Games on May 3rd from Orlando, FL.

Ready to crown the 1st @mlw champion #MLWFinals pic.twitter.com/YtzoIVTLEN

— Elder Sour (@ElderSour) April 13, 2018

https://twitter.com/StricklandShane/status/984625234904051713

Credit to Scott Fishman of the Miami Herald for the header image on this article

Later tonight, either Matt Riddle or Shane Strickland will be crowned the new World Heavyweight Champion of Major League Wrestling.

Riddle and Strickland are squaring off in the finals of the MLW World Heavyweight Championship tournament. Tonight’s MLW show takes place from Gilt Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. This will be a TV taping for the new weekly MLW Fusion television show, which premieres next Friday night (4/20) on BeIN Sports. We’ve embedded a tweet at the bottom of this article detailing how you can watch BeIN Sports on your cable TV provider or online if you’ve cut the cord.

TOURNAMENT FINALS FOR THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP:
Shane “The Swerve” Strickland vs. Matt Riddle

THE REMATCH:
Pentagon Jr. vs. Rey Fenix

Matt Sydal vs. Low Ki

SAMI & JOEY’S BOGUS ADVENTURE MATCH:
Sami Callihan & Joey Janela vs. Jimmy Havoc & Darby Allin

ACH vs. “Filthy Tom Lawlor

Fred Yehi vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Santana Garrett vs. Aerial Monroe

Also on hand will be MVP, Mike Parrow and more. If you’re in the Orlando area, a limited number of tickets are still available at Eventbrite.com.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/984185596955545602

Major League Wrestling (MLW) is coming to national television with a new weekly series on the beIN Sports Network premiering April 20th.

Sports Illustrated broke the news on Monday that MLW has inked a deal with beIN Sports, which is available throughout 50 million homes across the Untied States.

MLW: Fusion is joining beIN Sports’ “Friday Night Fury” fight block. Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini will call the action, with tapings being held monthly throughout Florida.

MLW CEO Court Bauer revealed to SI that he’s been in talks with beIN Sports since the fall.

“We offer a different presentation because we identify ourselves as a combat sport, but we have a lot more creative freedom than every other combat sport to give the most high-octane presentation,” Bauer said.

MLW will crown a new World Heavyweight champion at the upcoming MLW: World Championship Finals show from Orlando (4/12).  Later this year, Bauer confirmed, MLW will unveil both tag team titles and a middleweight title.

According to SI, MLW is getting television rights fees for the programming, which sets them apart from Impact Wrestling on Pop TV and Ring of Honor on Sinclair affiliates. MLW has also inked a deal that will allow Lucha Underground stars like Penta El Zero M and Rey Fenix to appear regularly for the promotion.

For more on this huge story, visit SportsIllustrated.com.

Major League Wrestling just announced that Pentagon Jr. (managed by Salina de La Renta) vs. Rey Fenix has been signed for next month’s MLW: The World Championship Finals.

It’s a rematch from their battle at January’s MLW: Zero Hour show that many have called the best match in the promotion’s history.

Pentagon Jr. vs. Rey Fenix 2 will serve as the co-main event alongside the finals of the MLW World Championship tournament – as Matt Riddle and Shane “Swerve” Strickland will square off to crown a new MLW World Heavyweight Champion.

MLW CEO Court Bauer said, “We’re building a super card for the April 12th show.  Adding the 2 best luchadores in the sport today just took it to a whole new level.”

MLW.com notes that MLW: The World Championship Finals is a TV taping. The company has been teasing a big announcement is forthcoming regarding some sort of TV deal.

MLW: The World Championship Finals takes place on Thursday, 4/12 from Orlando, FL at Gilt Nightclub. You can purchase tickets now at MLWTickets.com starting at $15.

MLW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
MATT RIDDLE VS. SHANE “SWERVE” STRICKLAND

REY FENIX VS. PENTAGON JR. (MANAGED BY SALINA DE LA RENTA)

MATT SYDAL VS. LOW KI

FANS VOTE ON STIPULATION
SAMI CALLIHAN & JOEY JANELA VS. JIMMY HAVOC & DARBY ALLIN

Also scheduled to appear: MVP and SANTANA GARRETT

Major League Wrestling announced on Monday that Matt Sydal will be debuting for the promotion next month. Sydal will square off against Low Ki of Black Friday Management at MLW: The World Championship Finals on Thursday, April 12th from Orlando, FL.

The main event of that show will feature Matt Riddle vs. Shane “Swerve” Strickland in the tournament finals to crown a new MLW World Champion.

MATT SYDAL TO DEBUT IN MLW ON APRIL 12^TH IN ORLANDO AGAINST LOW KI

ORLANDO – Two elite fighting athletes will clash as Matt Sydal vs. Low Ki (representing Black Friday Management) is set for the April 12^th MLW: The World Championship Finals card in Orlando at Gilt Nightclub.

Will Sydal’s blistering aerial attacks and spin kicks triumph or will Low Ki add another victim to his impressive undefeated streak?  Find out live in Orlando at Gilt Nightclub on Thursday night April 12th at MLW’s next TV taping!

You can purchase tickets now at MLWTickets.com starting at $15.

Major League Wrestling has announced the long-awaited Santana Garrett vs. Priscilla Kelly match is taking place at the upcoming MLW: The World Championship Finals event on 4/12 from Orlando. Here’s the official press release recapping the events that have led us to this blockbuster match:

SANTANA GARRETT TO FINALLY BATTLE PRISCILLA KELLY ON APRIL 12TH IN ORLANDO

ORLANDO – The Modern Day Wonder Woman will finally get her chance at Hell’s Favorite Harlot.  Major League Wrestling has confirmed that after four months of trying to make this blockbuster bout, Santana Garrett vs. Priscilla Kelly is officially signed for the April 12^th MLW: The World Championship Finals card in Orlando at Gilt Nightclub.

You can purchase tickets now at MLWTickets.com starting at $15.

Since being attacked Priscilla Kelly at MLW: Never Say Never (watch for free), Santana has been the target of numerous disturbing encounters with the dark and mysterious Priscilla Kelly.  This has included Priscilla posting a creepy video where she broke into Santana’s house while she was asleep.

Now after four months of aggressive and bizarre behavior, Priscilla will meet her “dark wonder” Santana Garrett for the first time ever in the ring on April 12^th.  Will the “Modern Day Wonder Woman” triumph over darkness or will Priscilla death grip over the women’s division get tighter?  Find out April 12^th in Orlando.

Matches signed for April 12^th thus far include:

MLW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
– MATT RIDDLE VS. SHANE “SWERVE” STRICKLAND

– SANTANA GARRETT VS. PRISCILLA KELLY

Major League Wrestling sent in the following press release hyping their next show, which will feature the finals of the tournament to crown a new MLW World Champion.

MATT RIDDLE VS. SHANE “SWERVE” STRICKLAND SET FOR APRIL 12TH CLASH IN ORLANDO TO CROWN NEXT WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION

ORLANDO – History will be made on Thursday night April 12^th as the next MLW World Heavyweight Champion will be crowned in Orlando at Gilt Nightclub. After dominating top ranked wrestlers in the opening round and semi finals, Matt Riddle vs. Shane “Swerve” Strickland is set for the MLW: The World Championship Finals.

Tickets are on sale now at MLWTickets.com for Major League Wrestling’s next event, MLW: The World Championship Finals.

Ticket prices range from $15-$45 with a limited number of “VIP Packages” also available.

Matt Riddle, who left the Ultimate Fighting Championship on a 4 fight win streak, is undefeated in MLW with wins over Jeff Cobb, ACH and “Filthy” Tom Lawlor.  A top ranked fighter, Riddle is one of the most dominant wrestlers in the world.  With immense momentum on his side, Riddle looks to make history as the next World Heavyweight Champion.

Shane “Swerve” Strickland has been at the epicenter of Major League Wrestling’s revival with high profile wins over the likes of Ricochet.  Strickland defied the odds in the World Championship semi-finals, defeating Jimmy Havoc, who had shutout Strickland in prior encounters with 2 decisive victories.  Now, Strickland sets his sights on winning his World Championship in the sport on April 12^th.

More Matches and wrestlers will be announced in the coming days and weeks at MLW.com.

Ahead of tonight’s MLW: Spring Break live event from Orlando, FL at Gilt Nightclub, Sports Illustrated dropped a bombshell: Bruce Prichard has joined Major League Wrestling.

Prichard, perhaps best known to most fans as Brother Love, joins MLW as a Senior Producer. He joins a very talented crew that includes former WWE creative executive Court Bauer, former head of WWE television operations Nelson Sweglar, former head WWE writer Alex Greenfield, former WWE writer Robert Karpeles and Mister Saint Laurent (“MSL”).

“As we rev up the MLW production machine, we continue to seek out the best to elevate the product,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “Bruce brings unparalleled experience as a producer and wrestling mind. We are truly building a dream team both backstage and in the ring.”

Bruce Prichard was a longtime member of Vince McMahon’s inner circle and worked behind the scenes at the highest levels for two decades. He currently hosts the wildly popular Something To Wrestle podcast along with Conrad Thompson on the MLW Radio Network.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/971737694865903618

Major League Wrestling returns tonight with MLW: Spring Break live from Orlando, FL at Gilt Nightclub. A limited number of tickets are still available at MLWTickets.com.

The Road to the World Championship tournament continues tonight featuring two semi-final matches. We’ll also see a Fans Bring the Weapons match, an unsanctioned fight between two of MLW’s toughest competitors, lucha libre action and much more.

Here’s the final card for MLW: Spring Break:

World Heavyweight Championship Semi-Finals:

• Matt Riddle vs. ACH
• Jimmy Havoc vs. Shane “Swerve” Strickland

Fans Bring The Weapons Match:

• “Bad Boy” Joey Janela vs. Darby Allin

Unsanctioned Match:

• MVP vs. Low Ki

Also in action: 

• Sami Callihan vs. Brody King
• Garza Jr. vs. Último Ninja
• Jason Cade & Jimmy Yuta vs. Dirty Blondes (managed by Colonel Robert Parker)
• Barrington Hughes vs. Vandal Ortagun
• Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Lance Anoa’i

Major League Wrestling has confirmed another match for next month’s MLW: Spring Break show from Orlando (3/8): Garza Jr. vs. Último Ninja.

Below is the official word, including an updated look at the card – featuring the Semi-Finals of the MLW Road To The World Championship tournament.

FAMED LUCHA LIBRE FAMILY TO CLASH IN MLW AS GARZA JR. BATTLES ÚLTIMO NINJA ON MARCH 8TH IN ORLANDO

ORLANDO – The spectacular Lucha Libre style of professional wrestling will be showcased in Major League Wrestling on March 8th at Gilt Nightclub as Garza Jr. vs. Último Ninja has been signed for MLW: Spring Break ’18 in Orlando.

Latin impresario Salina de la Renta of Promociones Dorado presents the match featuring two of Mexico’s emerging stars in Garza Jr. and Último Ninja in a clash of cousins from one of Mexico’s most famous wrestling families.

3rd generation luchador Garza Jr. is no stranger to the big spotlight having competed before some of the largest crowds in Mexico all the way to Japan.  The nephew of Hector Garza, Garza Jr. is faced with a fascinating challenge as he faces a man he has teamed with in the past to win gold in his cousin Último Ninja.

A native of Monterrey, the powerhouse highflyer Último Ninja looks to make a big statement with a high profile win on March 8th.  Ninja will need to rely on his signature moves like the Tope En Reversa as this match is a big test for the up and comer.  See Garza Jr. vs. Último Ninja LIVE.

You can purchase tickets now at MLWTickets.com.

Matches signed for March 8th thus far include:

World Heavyweight Championship Semi-Finals:
Matt Riddle vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor

World Heavyweight Championship Semi-Finals:
Jimmy Havoc vs. Shane “Swerve” Strickland

Fans Bring The Weapons Match:
“Bad Boy” Joey Janela vs. Darby Allin

Unsanctioned Match
MVP vs. Low Ki (with Stokely Hathaway)

Sami Callihan vs. Brody King

Lucha Libre
Garza Jr. vs. Último Ninja

More matches and wrestlers will be announced in the coming days and weeks at MLW.com.

Major League Wrestling’s latest show, MLW: Road To The World Championship, is now available for free streaming. This historic event features the opening round of an 8-man tournament to crown the next MLW World Champion.

MLW returns to Orlando on March 8th for Spring Break, with tickets now available at MLWTickets.com. For more information, visit MLW.com.

MLW: Road To The World Championship

Opening Round of MLW World Championship Tournament:

• MVP vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
• Matt Riddle vs. Jeff Cobb
• Brody King vs. Shane Strickland
• Jimmy Havoc vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Non-tournament bouts:

• Sami Callihan vs. Darby Allin (Grudge Match)
• Austin Aries vs. ACH
• Chelsea Green vs. Priscilla Kelly
• Simon Gotch & Seth Petruzelli vs. Jason Cade & Jimmy Yuta
• Destino Negro vs. Mega Danger
• Mike Parrow & ??? vs. Saieve Al Sabah & Vandal Ortagun

Plus:

• Low Ki presented by Stokely Hathaway
• Salina de la Renta
• Barrington Hughes

https://youtu.be/5s9Y5H9KoL0

Major League Wrestling held its “Road To The World Championship” event last night from Orlando, Florida at GILT Nightclub. Here are the results, courtesy of Jacob Cohen:

– Santana Garrett def. Lacey Lane.

– Destino Negro def. MEGA Danger.

– Seth Petruzelli & Simon Gotch def. Jimmy Yuta and Jason Cade. Col. Robert Parker and the Dirty Blondes interfered and helped Petruzelli & Gotch.

– Low Ki def. Kotto Brazil. Low Ki removed Kotto’s mask to reveal his identify as Snoop Strikes.

– Chelsea Green def. Pricilla Kelly via disqualification.

– Austin Aries def. ACH.

– Mike Parrow & Barrington Hughes def. Vandal Ortagun & Saieve Al Sabah.

– Jimmy Havoc def. Maxwell Jacob Friedman to advance to the semifinals of the MLW Title tournament.

– Shane Strickland def. Brody King to advance to the semifinals of the MLW Title tournament.

–  Tom Lawlor def. MVP to advance to the semifinals of the MLW Title tournament.

– Matt Riddle def. Jeff Cobb to advance to the semifinals of the MLW Title tournament.

– Darby Allin def. Sami Callihan in the main event with help from Jimmy Havoc.

https://twitter.com/mlw/status/961846081578348544

Major League Wrestling returns to Orlando, FL tonight with Road To The World Championship live from Gilt Night Club. The show will be available for streaming this weekend at MLW.TV and a limited number of tickets are still available at Eventbrite.com.

MLW’s World Championship tournament finally kicks off, with 8 of the top independent wrestlers in the game battling to crown a new MLW World Champion.

Opening round matches scheduled for tonight include:

• Matt Riddle vs. Jeff Cobb
• MVP vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
• Shane “Swerve” Strickland vs. Brody King
• Jimmy Havoc vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Other matches signed for the card:

• Sami Callihan vs. Darby Allin (Grude Match)
• Austin Aries vs. ACH
• Priscilla Kelly vs. Chelsea Green
• Jimmy Yuta & Jason Cade vs. Simon Gotch & Seth Petruzelli
• Destino Negro vs. Mega Danger

Visit MLW.com for more information on tonight’s big show and check out these preview videos for MLW: Road To The World Championship: