09th Jul2018

‘MLW: Fusion’ Wrestling Review (July 6th 2018)

by Nathan Favel

MLW-fusion-header

Welcome to this week’s MLW: Fusion review, right here on Nerdly. This week, we have is being billed as the first Boiler Room Brawl in twenty years, with Sami Callahan fighting MVP. Let’s get right to it, with Major League Wrestling!

Match #1: ACH & Rich Swann beat Team Filthy (Tom Lawlor & Simon Gotch) – Tag Team Match

The following is courtesy of MLW.com:

Team Filthy seems to be alienating the entire MLW roster. They’ve beaten down Jimmy Havoc, defiled Col. Robert Parker’s iconic hat and poked fun at many others. After “Filthy” Tom Lawlor ran his mouth while on commentary during a recent ACH vs. Rich Swann encounter, matchmakers pitted Lawlor and his Team Filthy partner Simon Gotch against the high-flying duo.

Gotch and Swann opened the action with some classic grappling. Swann finally hit the first high-impact maneuver with a dropkick, before tagging in ACH. Lawlor found his way into the match and some solid striking gave him the advantage. Lawlor went to his seated, MMA-style tactics, but ACH stepped on one foot and then delivered a nasty dropkick to Lawlor’s jaw. Lawlor went back to the seated tactic and was able to turn it into a head scissors. When Gotch and Swann re-entered the match, a series of Swann dropkicks were answered by an arm bar from Gotch.

But all the trouble Team Filthy has been causing lately came back to haunt them in this matchup. With Lawlor on the outside of the ring, the Stud Stable’s Dirty Blondes showed up. Gotch joined his partner to face off with the Dirty Blondes. Both teams paid for it as ACH and Swann launched themselves into the four other men. Jake Hager, also a member of the Stud Stable, then showed up and attacked Lawlor before heading to the back as Col. Parker applauded.

With Lawlor laid out, a still groggy Gotch returned to the ring. He was the recipient of an ACH brainbuster and a Swann frog splash, as ACH and Swann picked up the pinfall victory.

My Take: This was a nice little match that had a good mixture of stunts and mat work. Lawlor has a great hybrid style, thanks to his MMA back-ground, as well as his burgeoning wrestling skills. Gotch, who I believe has been wrestling as Simon Grimm as well, has a great technical ability that is rare in this day and age, but may be on its way back. The team of ACH and Rich Swann is a magnificent pairing that should be very easy to promote, as long as they have good teams for them to wrestle.

Match #2: Low Ki beat Ricky Martinez

The following is courtesy of MLW.com:

With his title fight against World Heavyweight Champion Shane Strickland on the horizon, Low Ki took to the ring for a tune-up bout and it was Ricky Martinez who got tuned up. Low Ki went on the attack from the opening bell, hitting a running knee and numerous huge strikes.

“The Professional” methodically destroyed Martinez, who was unable to even mount one offensive move in the matchup. Mercifully, Low Ki ended the carnage with a kick to the back of Martinez’s skull and pinned him using just a knee to make the cover. It was clear that Low Ki was sending a message to the champ and that message was delivered loud and clear.

But just in case, the actions in the ring didn’t speak loud enough, Low Ki gave an interview backstage and drove the point home. “The Professional” predicted “a public execution” when he gets in the ring with Strickland to claim de la Renta’s $60,000 bounty as well as championship gold.

My Take: This was a short match that made Low Ki look vicious. Low Ki has had an odd, yet satisfying career that has yielded lots of great matches, but his attitude has, allegedly, caused him to lose work (yet John Cena’s bad attitude hasn’t cost him any work… ask Tyler Reks and Alex Riley about that). Any-way, Low Ki looked good here and wore a suit. What more do you want?

Match #3: Main Event – Sami Callihan beat MVP in a Boiler Room Brawl

The following is courtesy of MLW.com:

The feud between Sami Callihan and MVP came to an end in a Boiler Room Brawl. The matchup started in the boiler room of GILT Nightclub in Orlando. Callihan and MVP, lived up the name of the match and brawled. There was no technical wrestling at the beginning of this bout, it was quite simply a knock-down, drag-out fight.

MVP slammed a steel gate on Callihan twice and nailed the “Worldwide Desperado” with a steel bucket of some sort. Callihan managed to slam the steel gate on MVP and worked his way into other parts of the building, with MVP giving chase. As MVP stood over Callihan in a darkened hallway, Leon Scott — one of Callihan’s Death Machines – attacked, but was laid out by MVP.

The distraction gave Callihan’s other partner in crime, Fulton, an opportunity to join the fray. He held MVP while Callihan wailed away. But MVP kicked Callihan in the groin, then took Fulton out and chased down the “Worldwide Desperado” once again. As the two fought toward the arena, MVP swung a broomstick at Callihan and just barely missed what would have been a knockout blow.

But MVP caught him at ringside and choked Callihan with the broomstick. However, Callihan gouged MVP’s eyes and wrested the broomstick away. He used the broomstick and a chair to gain the advantage for the first time since the interference of his Death Machines downstairs. Callihan ran MVP head-first into a steel support structure in the arena, but then found himself whipped into a number of steel chairs in the MLW audience.

Callihan used a bottle and a trash can over MVP’s head before rolling him into the ring. Callihan nailed MVP with multiple chairshots in the gut and on the back. MVP hit Callihan with a Playmaker on the steel chair in the ring, but Callihan somehow kicked out at 2. Callihan responded with a pair of near falls of his own. Callihan went under the ring at that point and found his signature baseball bat. But MVP speared him and grabbed the bat. At that point, the Death Machines hit the ring. That distraction was enough for Callihan to get up and kick the man from South Florida south of the border.

The low blow led to Callihan grabbing the bat once again. He smashed MVP in the side of the face with the bat, then hit a Cranial Contusion. But MVP inexplicably kicked out. MVP showed his disdain for the Worldwide Desperado, spitting in his face. That only seemed to further anger Callihan, who once again took the bat to MVP’s skull. This time, it got the job done, giving Callihan the victory in the first Boiler Room Brawl in two decades.

Callihan and the Death Machines stood over a fallen MVP and gave their signature “Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down!” before heading off to celebrate the hard-fought victory.

My Take: This was a very athletic Boiler Room Brawl from two very talented wrestlers. Sami has been one of wrestling’s most intense fighters and continued that streak here with his brawl with MVP. These two have a similar style that made it easy for them to work together. This was a brutal, grueling fight that you’ll love like a plumber loves hearing that your pipes have burst.

News of the Night:

1) The following is courtesy of MLW.com: Top 10 Time. League officials have released the MLW Top 10 for the month of July and things are heating up. Here’s a look at the new MLW Top 10:

World Heavyweight Champion– Shane “Swerve” Strickland

1. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
2. Pentagon Jr.
3. Low Ki
4. Sami Callihan
5. Rey Fenix
6. ACH
7. MJF
8. Jimmy Havoc
9. Teddy Hart
10. Barrington Hughes

My Take: Tom Lawlor as a possible world champion in wrestling is intriguing, but it remains to be seen if he even gets a title shot.
Guevara Kicked to the Curb?

2) Earlier this week, Salina de la Renta posted a video to her Instagram account, which was shared on FUSION this week. In that video, de la Renta took a call from Sammy Guevara. The young wrestler lost a matchup to Fred Yehi on FUSION recently and de la Renta did not appreciate it. In the Instagram video, de la Renta was heard telling Guevara “it’s not working out … best of luck to you.”

My Take: Maybe this will lead to de la Renta managing a wrestler to feud with Guevara.

3) Battle Riot Control Center

With Battle Riot less than two weeks away, we met even more entrants to the huge matchup in New York City on this week’s episode. MJF, Leo Brien and Michael Patrick of the Stud Stable, Rey Fenix, Vandal Ortagun, Simon Gotch and AAA luchadores Aerostar and Drago have all entered the huge match. In addition, MLW officials have announced a slew of other matches for the huge event in New York. World Heavyweight Champion Shane Strickland will face off with Sami Callihan at Battle Riot. The World Tag Team titles will also be on the line as Lucha Bros. Fenix and Pentagon Jr. will square off with Aerostar and Drago. Jimmy Havoc will meet Brody King and Pierre Carl Oullette will face off with MLW original Homicide.

My Take: Major League Wrestling has some great matches booked for this event, with Pierre Carl Oullette and Homicide as the most intriguing bout.

Final Verdict: This was a very good card with a wild main event.
______

Thanks for reading and I’ll be back next week with more from Major League Wrestling.

Off

Comments are closed.