‘MLW: Fusion’ Wrestling Review (Oct 5th 2018)
Welcome to this week’s Major League Wrestling: Fusion review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Phil and we have another fantastic episode of one of THE best wrestling promotions on TV right now!
Match #1: Ricky Martinez def. Jake St. Patrick
The following is courtesy of MLW.com:
In our opening bout, de la Renta presented her personal sicario Ricky Martinez in a matchup against Jake St. Patrick. This middleweight bout was short-lived. In just over two minutes, Martinez absolutely dominated St. Patrick, ending things with a leaping code breaker off the top rope.
My Take: A squash match if ever there was one, Ricky martinez looked like the powerhouse he is, man-handling Jake St. Patrick from the get-go, finishing him with an amazing code breaker that put a full-stop on the match, and probablt St. Patrick too!
Match #2: Simon Gotch def. Gangrel via DQ
The following is courtesy of MLW.com:
The stakes have been raised in the Simon Gotch Prize Fight Challenge as of late. In the latest installment on this week’s show, Gotch personally put up $2,000 to anyone who could last five minutes with him in the ring. Wrestlers are starting to come out of the woodwork – or in this case, Parts Unknown – for a shot at that prize. This time, a huge surprise as Gangrel emerged from the back to challenge Gotch. Complete with his crucible of blood, the vampire Gangrel hit the ring looking to cash in, even trying to bite a chunk out of Gotch’s arm. To the Team Filthy member’s credit, the scary persona of Gangrel didn’t seem to faze Gotch. Perhaps it should have.
My Take: Whut? Old man Gangrel in a match? Yes, you read that right. Gangrel, former star of WWE, taking on Simon Gotch, also formerly of WWE. Though this wasn’t really much of a match, with Gotch taking the upper hand quickly and succinctly before Gangrel used his vampire teeth (he’s STILL got those?!) to bite Gotch and get himself disqualified.
Match #3: Davey Boy Smith Jr. def. ACH
The following is courtesy of MLW.com:
Since their initial appearance in Major League Wrestling, the Hart Foundation has seemingly had issues with ACH and Rich Swann. Teddy Hart, in particular, has constantly felt as though ACH and Swann were talking behind his back or making fun of him. That little slight – even if it was only perceived – was enough to spark a rivalry between these two groups.
On this week’s episode, Hart Foundation member Davey Boy Smith, Jr. squared off with ACH in singles action and put a W on the Calgary, Alberta, Canada side of the ledger. ACH survived an early onslaught from Smith and scored a pair of near falls with a rollup and a bridging German suplex. But the power of Smith was too much to overcome. When ACH missed a frog splash, it opened the door for Davey Boy, Jr. to hoist his opponent onto his shoulder. As usual, that was followed up with a Calgary Stampede running powerslam, as Smith and the Hart Foundation took the victory.
My Take: Now this was a wrestling match. With actual wrestling. Davey Boy Smith Jr. showed just how powerful he is, “knocking out” ACH on the top turnbuckle at one point. Though ACH wasn’t a walkover… He managed to hold his own for a short while, hitting a superb bridging German Suplex that very nearly got him the win. Both loser and victor came out of this one looking like real powerhouses, even if I did wish this one lasted a bit longer.
Match #4: LA Park def. Pentagon Jr. in a Mexican Massacre Match
The following is courtesy of MLW.com:
This one wasn’t for the faint of heart. Less than five seconds into the match, Pentagon Jr. threw a metal trash can at LA Park. Seconds after that, LA Park crushed the same trash can over Penta’s head. After celebrating with the legendary LA Park strut, the Chairman and Salina de la Renta once again showed there is no depth too low for them to sink in an effort to win. One week ago de la Renta ripped the mask off Pentagon’s brother Rey Fenix, leading to him losing as he challenged the World Champion Low Ki. This week, it was LA Park, who tried to rip off Pentagon Jr.’s mask, what some would call a cardinal sin in the world of lucha libre. While Park ripped the top of the mask, most of it stayed intact and Penta’s identity was safe. But that action seemed to give LA Park an incredible amount of confidence and momentum as he continued to batter Pentagon Jr.
But Penta didn’t go quietly into that good night. A tope over the top rope put LA Park through a table. Pentagon nailed his opponent with a chair. At that point, turnabout was fair play, as Penta tore at the mask of LA Park. The two beat the hell out of each other for what seemed to be an eternity. Finally, Pentagon pulled out all the stops, attempting to use a fireball. But it seemed to hit the official more than LA Park. When the official’s count was slow as he was trying to clear his vision, Penta lost it, hitting the official with a trash can. There were no disqualifications in the match, so it continued.
But with the official writhing in pain from being hit by the trash can, LA Park saw an opening and kicked Pentagon Jr. in the crotch. The low blow was enough, after nearly 20 minute of torture. LA Park was finally able to keep Pentagon down for what was an incredibly quick three-count.
My Take: Holy s**t! There’s a reason Pentagon Jr. and Fenix are wrestling’s hottest commodities right now: matches like this. Pentagon Jr. keeps pushing the envelope seemingly each and every week. One week its a blood-bath of a match, the next a high flying Lucha match; this week was a match that seemed less like a match and more a vicious, real-life feud filmed for TV. This match literally lived up to the “Mexican Massacre” moniker.
News of the Night:
- “Filthy” Tom Lawlor to take on Shane Strickland for the “future of MLW” in two weeks
- Sami Callihan and Jimmy Havoc to take part in a “Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal” Halloween match
- Shane “Swerve” Strickland will get his World Championship rematch with Low Ki at MLW FIghtland in November
- The leader of Los Igobernables, Rush, will also make his MLW debut in Chicago during MLW Fightland
- LA Park and de la Renta issued a challenge for the World Tag Team Championships, currently held by Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix – the Lucha Bros.
Final Verdict: 4/5
Despite two poor opening matches, this episode of MLW: Fusion was easily one of the best wrestling shows on TV this week. The main event between LA Park and Pentagon Jr. was worth the entry fee alone – a classic in the making if ever there was one. MLW has caught lightning in a bottle with the feud between Konnan and Selina: it has produced matches like this weeks and the previous match between Low Ki & Fenix; making MLW: Fusion must-see TV (or must-see YouTube – another way MLW is innovating pr-wrestling IMHO).
