‘MLW: Fusion’ Wrestling Review (April 11th 2020)
Welcome to this week’s MLW: Fusion review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and I’d love to beat the f— out of Coca-Cola. We’ve got the beginning of the AAA shows in Mexico, which should be the setting for MLW for the next several weeks.
Match #1: Pagano & Mortiz def. Mance Warner & Savio Vega – Tijuana Barrio Street Fight Match
The following is courtesy of mlw.com:
Several tables (and even a car hood) are surrounding the outside of the ring as the bell rings and as Hammer is elated by the fact that Mance is assured to get hurt. The match starts off with a stare down between Pagano and the veteran Vega. Mance gets knocked off the apron and swings blindly before he begins brawling with Mortiz. Mance tosses a chair at Mortiz as Savio sends Pagano sailing into the aformentioned car hood. Both he and Warner keep Mortiz grounded with the butt of a chair. They soon isolate Pagano and Savio slams a bundle of skewers in the forehead of their face-painted foe! Mortiz makes his presence known as he corrals both Vega and Warner onto the outside, allowing a bloody Pagano to plancha flip over the top rope onto their two adversaries. Mortiz then gets his turn as he vaults all four of them through a ringside board! The ominous Pagano looks for violence as he wedges a chair between the ropes but Mancer stops himself from the irish whip in the corner. He pulls the chair free and flings it at Pagano before he and Mortiz share some harsh chair shots. Mortiz gets the better of the melee, but Savio sidekicks him hard before powerbombing him down on the car hood! Pagano gets fired up and he delivers an ultra combo of strikes to the long-time veteran. Savio avoids Pagano which leads to him getting a chair disintegrated upon his dome. Mortiz stalls Mance’s efforts and sends him into the corner while Savio chokes Pagano against the outside barricade. Matters get quite hot as Mortiz props Mance on the top turnbuckle before setting a table aflame! He climbs towards Mance, but Warner turns them tables and chokeslams him through the fiery one in the ring! Mance may have gotten the pinfall win there, but the ref was too focused on putting the fire out that was emanating from the remainents of the table. Hammer exits commentary, stating he has to pick up some prescriptions at “the pharmacy” (that are hard to pronounce apparently) as Warner and Pagano both set up doors (yes, doors!) in two adjacent corners of the ring. The door that Pagano set up becomes the first victim as he spears Warner through it, but only to get a two. Warner quickly returns the favor with a spear of his own through his table, but Pagano is on the same wavelength and kicks out just before three. Savio soon re-enters the fold as the TIjuana crowd is fully into this one. Pagano and Warner trade shots center of the ring and Warner feeds Pagano a knee right between the eyes. Hammerstone comes into the ring and smacks Mance hard with his patented bicycle kick. Mortiz throws Mance on a table before ascending up top and splashing him through a table. Pagano and Savio jaw jack between a busted chair before he punches Pagano down and sets up the chair on top of him. Vega comes leaping off the top but Pagano flips the chair on its side and crotches Savio with it before finishing him off with his rolling neckbreaker for the win.
My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – This was typical garbage wrestling mixed in with some solid lucha. I kinda look like Hailee Steinfeld…except not at all. There’s a steroid joke that happens during this match that I wish I had thought of. Savio got hit in the balls at one point. Sharon…Stan was shot, but it’s cool. Well, this did get some time and it was fun in a “Trevor Noah isn’t funny enough to pretend to be an old, white Jew” kinda way. All in all, there’s some nice flips and dives in between the Wheaties version of Mad Max that was this match, so that’ll make it fun for you…Total’s better.
Match #2: (Main Event) Alexander Hammerstone def. Laredo Kid – MLW National Openweight Championship
The following is courtesy of mlw.com:
The official introductions are made and we are underway. The two lock up and Hammer shoves LK down hard, not once, but twice. LK adjusts his gameplan and delivers hard kicks to the leg, allowing himself to open up for headscissors on Hammer before flying on top of the champ with a cross body on the outside. The high-flying gets the better of LK as he gets caught by Hammer who gorilla presses him into a spinning uranagi! Hammer sends LK hard into the turnbuckle before hoisting him up for a stalling spinal countdown! Hammer may have had the three count but he lifts the shoulder of LK in an act off brash bravado. The fight goes to the outside as Hammer sends Laredo Kid over the barricade! He takes LK back into the ring. LK finds himself back on track with a well placed missile dropkick and hed flourishes with a tope suicida that sends Hammer hanging over the barricade. Laredo sure is in his rhythm as he uses his strength to snap suplex Hammer down hard. Two tope rope moonsaults by LK, but it’s only good for two as Hammer vaults him off. Hammer lifts LK up in an Argentine rack, but LK thwarts the first attempt. No so lucky on the second attempt and Hammer gets a near fall, one which LK barely gets a shoulder up to a count that was questionably paced. Hammer’s anger gets the best of him and he gets a shove from the official. Hammer stays on the attack and tries to launch LK off for a potential superplex, but Kid gets him looking up at the lights and hits a picture perfect 450 splash for a very near fall. LK and the crowd can’t believe it. Hammerstone’s chin is busted open, but he hits LK with his bicycle kick that sends LK stumbling into the ref. Hammer comes charging, but inadvertantly clotheslines the official down. Hammer maintains an attack and splashes Laredo in the corner. Hammer climbs the top rope as the ref is out cold. LK flips up to hit Hammer with a top rope Spanish Fly and gets the visible three count, but still no ref! LK tries to get the official to come to, but Hammer makes the most of the open window and German suplexes, powerbombs and Nightmare Pendulums in classic Hammer form for the three-count pinfall.
My Opinion: 3.3 out of 5 – This was a fun main event that only scratched the surface of what these guys’ are capable of. Hammerstone…I like this big ol’ bruiser. Hell, Hammerstone is even kinda pretty, ain’t he? Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a pretty man! You calm down, damn it! There ain’t a damn thing wrong with this match, but there ain’t enough of it for my taste, at least (ten or so minutes). Okay, this was alright and so is Grace Kelly.
News Of The Night:
- Injustice and King Mo have been suspended.
Final Verdict: 3.1/5
This was okay. I didn’t hate this, but it felt like a bit of a chore to watch. Well, it’s nice to have this stuff at all, so I’m grateful, if nothing else.