‘Major League Wrestling: Fusion’ Review (Dec 24th 2020)

Welcome to this week’s Major League Wrestling: Fusion review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have the finals of the Opera Cup, so get ready for the fat lady to start singing. OPRAH! GET READY FOR YOUR BRAND NEW SUBMARIIIIIIIIIINE!!!!!!!! Low Ki and Tom Lawlor look poised to knock the knuckle-children out of each other like a deranged Easter bunny. I’m so excited to buy a tractor and give it to the homeless so they can mow the parking lot they sleep on at night. We have to care about others. If you are homeless or do know some-one who is, give them a buck and a place to sleep. We all deserve to have some comfort and generosity. Also, I wanna bite ya! NANANANANA!!!!! Okay, I’m done filling in this paragraph to make it look like I wrote a lot. We’ve got an Opera Cup to bestow upon the winner of the main event.

Match #1: The Dirty Blondes (Leo Brien & Michael Patrick w/ Aria Blake) def. Ariel Dominguez & Daniel Starling

The following is courtesy of mlw.com:

Leo Brien begins the bout with Starling who gets an immediate right hand. Brien is a super quick force as he lays very hard into Starling before he tags in Patrick who is all about force and power. Tag back to Brien delivers a series of big-time elbows. A pin attempt gets a two count. It’s not much longer before Patrick positions Starling on the shoulders of Brien for a top rope powerslam and the easy pinfall.

My Opinion: 2 out of 5

Match #2: (Main Event) Tom Lawlor (with Dominic Garrini and Kevin Ku) def. Low Ki – 2020 Opera Cup Finals

The following is courtesy of mlw.com:

As Tom Lawlor enters for the finals he had a few statements beforehand. Once he takes that Trophy, he plans to far get away and will celebrate on “Filthy Island.” Knowing Lawlor’s game, Low Ki managed to bring some back-up with him and it’s the Tag Team Champions in Marshall and Ross Von Erich. Low Ki says those past setbacks won’t hinder him from taking the trophy tonight. Bell rings and the two feel one another other in their respective styles. Lawlor takes Ki down with a leg sweep, but that quickness comes into play and he gets Tom against the ropes. Back on their feet, Lawlor gets the upperhand and grounds Low Ki as he sets his sights on Ki’s right arm. He then changes his attention to stretch The Professional in a bow and arrow, but no dice. Back to their feet once more. The stalemates continue, but Low Ki really stands out with a speedy transition into a Key Lock. Lawlor tries to roll into a cross armbreaker and Low Ki rolls him up for a brief one count. More jocking for position, but the two trade some swift pin attempts. This is indeed two men who know one another very well. Low Ki goes for another submission, and both men seem to volley for armbreakers. Lawlor goes for an anchor hold, but settles for a backslide and gets a two count. Lawlor attempts a gutwrench and after a few kidney shots does so. A crisp powerbomb gets a pin attempt, but that’s all. Lawlor keeps Low Ki low with more ground game. He sets aim for Low Ki’s leg and pretzels it up. Low Ki frees himself and hits a double stomp, but Low Ki does show a bit of favor to the knee. Despite this Low Ki continues to utilize his legs and does so with a ground head scissors. Lawlor rolls free and sticks to his gameplan by wrenching the knee with some Indian Deathlocks. A pin attempt breaks up the attack and Low Ki takes a moment to recoup on the outside as that knee is indeed troubling him. Ki gets back in and wants some ground attack, but the men get level and an enziguri frees Ki up from Tom’s leg attacks. Back in the ring, Ki stays on the offense and it’s intense as he gives Lawlor some major corner elbows. The official has to check on Lawlor due to this, but Tom does major damage with a back breaker (even Tom favors his own knee after that one) A cover for two. The two men get to their feet, but Lawlor has a plan in mind as he hyperextends Low Ki’s arm in a very unsettling way. Lawlor lays some heavy forearms in the corner and the ref admonishes Tom to pay attention to his count. Ki doesn’t want any check-ins by the ref as The Professional continues. Knees to the forehead loosen Low Ki up for a harsh suplex courtesy of Lawlor. He hooks both legs for a two count. Big forearm shot by Tom and he follows up with two more. Low Ki suddenly wraps around a standing guillotine, and Lawlor tries to lower himself so Ki can’t lock it in. Despite that Low Ki does and Tom literally has to bite the ropes to free himself. Lawlor soon finds his footing and it’s back to the gameplan: wear down the legs. Lawlor has a sharpshooter on Ki who struggles to make it to the ropes. Thigh kick to Low Ki and Lawlor follows up with a dragon screw. Then, it’s figure four time and Low Ki is feeling the pain. Lawlor holds the leg in place, but with some coaching from The Von Erichs Low Ki finds a bit of rest by rolling over to reverse the tension. Lawlor powers him back over and attempts a key lock. Ki somehow finds the ropes. Lawlor manages to kick and uppercut Ki, but Ki finds his groove with some hard running shots and soon springboards off the ropes with a kick. He covers for a very near fall. More harsh kicks to Lawlor now, A flurry of kicks to the nose has to dizzy Lawlor as it gets Low Ki a two count (and some time to get feeling back in the knee). Low Ki jumps at Lawlor in the corner but Lawlor catches him and slams him down hard. He covers, 1-2-no! Lawlor signals for the end, but Low Ki battles back. Ki hits The Ki Crusher very close to the ropes and finds his left leg taking a good amount of pressure in execution. When executing the move, Ki’s leg gets caught over the bottom rope and he immediately reaches for that knee. Despite this, he stays on task and still utilizes his legs to pop Lawlor hard with a running front dropkick. Tom is very loopy due to those two major moves which prompts the official to check on him as Ki continues to weigh out the trouble of his left knee. Ki must believe he smells blood in the water and charges at Tom full force with a rolling kick in the corner. Ki undoubtedly hit the bullseye, but finds his back on the mat allowing an all but out of it Tom to gather enough awareness. He topples on top of Ki for the pin attempt, 1-2-3!

My Opinion: 4.4 out of 5

Final Verdict: 4/5

The main event was incredible. It took-up the most time (nearly a half hour) and it was what the entire show was built around. Lawlor and Ki stuck to the technical wrestling skills that make them great and the match was all the better for it. You get a wrestling clinic out of it all that is even more spectacular in a sport dominated by aerial moves and brawling as of late. Transitions mattered as much as what was being transitioned into. Lawlor winning was the right call and, in many ways, this was his coming out party as a name of note. As for the opener, it was a squash. The Dirty Blondes were excellent though, so there’s that. For an hour show, having about half of that hour dedicated to the fantastic main event was the right call.