‘MLW: Fury Road’ Live Special Review
Welcome to this week’s review of Major League Wrestling right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have a Fury Road special to get to, so I can imagine we’ll get a big match or two on this card. Okay, let’s see if it was a great show or not.
Match #1: Gringo Loco defeated Myron Reed
The following is courtesy of mlw.com:
The live special opened with Reed and Loco. Reed came to the ring with tape over his mouth, once again protesting what he feels has been unfair treatment by MLW officials. But when referee Doug Markham, who has been the target of most of Reed’s ire, went to check Reed for any illegal objects, Reed wouldn’t allow it. That would come back to hurt Loco later. During the match, Reed thought he had the bout won. But Markham caught him using the ropes for leverage and would not count the pinfall. Following a number of near falls, Reed put his hands on Markham and was distracted. Eventually, this distraction led to a Gringo Loco rollup and a three count for a big live, national television victory for Loco. Reed didn’t react well to the loss, pulling an object that looked like brass knuckles out of his tights and blasting Loco with it before leaving the ring area.
My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – This was a fun burst of action that got the two of these guys out in front of a camera again, so that’s a big victory in my book. I enjoyed how this match turned out, with the action never being too much to handle yet still a real thrill. Overall, this was a good one.
Match #2: Alexander Hammerstone defeated Brian Pillman Jr. – Major League Wrestling National Openweight Championship Match
The following is courtesy of mlw.com:
Both Brian Pillman Jr., a member of the Hart Foundation, and Alexander Hammerstone, a member of The Dynasty, came to the ring by themselves for this championship encounter. Pillman defeated Rich Swann in the semifinals of the tournament to advance to the title bout, while Hammerstone topped Gringo Loco in his semifinal contest. The championship match was hotly-contested inside and outside the ring. Pillman had the advantage early on the outside, tossing Hammerstone into the steel barrier, but Hammerstone regained control back inside the ring. At his first opportunity, Hammerstone hoisted Pillman into the Nightmare Pendulum and delivered a massive impact with his favorite maneuver. Hammerstone covered Pillman and had MLW’s newest championship strapped around his waist.
My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – For what was here, this was quite good. Hammerstone has plenty of potential, while Pillman Jr. is still one of the most interesting wrestlers right now. That sentence sure narrows it down, doesn’t it? The match worked, because of the chemistry between these two and the attitude they brought with it. The match felt like it was a part of a bigger issue of intent in wrestling (Hammerstone as a traditionalist and Pillman Jr. as a renegade), but it also worked as a big title match. I’m going to stop before I just prattle on. This was a fine introduction to a new title.
Match #3: (Main Event) Teddy Hart defeated Jimmy Havoc – Major League Wrestling World Middleweight Championship Match
The following is courtesy of mlw.com:
This one had all the makings of a hard-core match, but with England’s Most Dangerous Man challenging the leader of the Hart Foundation that was almost to be expected. In fact, both men carried steel chairs to the ring. Hart was in charge through the early going. But when the match went to the outside, Havoc was in his element. Hart was busted open when Havoc sandwiched his head between the steel ring post and a steel chair. Havoc then went to work on the back of Hart with multiple suplexes onto the steel guard rail that Hart had previously leaned against the ring apron. That weakened back almost scored the World Middleweight Championship for Havoc, when he put Hart into the Sharpshooter. Hart was able to muscle his way to the ropes to break the hold. Finally, a bloodied and battered Hart was able to score the victory when he caught Havoc with a spike DDT on one of the steel chairs that was brought into the ring. He ducked the Acid Rainmaker and scored with a Canadian Destroyer to set up the DDT that finished it.
My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This turned out to be a big, brutal battle to the bitter end. Hey, it almost sounded like I knew what I was doing there. The match itself was the kind of match that looked like it hurt the whole way through. I still can’t believe wrestlers think they have to do stuff like this to entertain a crowd. It looks impressive, but when you can watch Kevin Von Erich do the Claw and get a bigger reaction than just about any-thing else on a card, then you know there’s a problem with the other guy’s logic. Now, make no mistake with what I’m saying. This match is strong from bell to bell and will stay with you in your mind, but it could have done that without nearly killing these guys as well. Well, at least you can’t say these guys don’t try. Overall, this was another fabulous main event from MLW.
News Of The Night:
- Salina de la Renta will be the Executive Producer of MLW’s weekly television show for the June 15th episode.
- Myron Reed and Gringo Loco might just be scheduled for a full-blown feud, thanks to Reed bing booked to attack Loco after their match ended.
- CONTRA Unit abducted Tom Lawlor and tortured him to further the feud between the two entities.
- MJF will fight Davey Boy Smith Jr., next week.
- The Dynasty/Hart Foundation feud continued with the former attacking the latter’s Teddy Hart after the main event.
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
This was a simple show that peaked with an excellent main event.
