By Jason Powell, Prowrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Major League Wrestling TV
Taped in Orlando, Florida at GILT Nightclub
Aired May 18, 2018 on beIN Sports
Footage aired from last week’s angle with Pentagon spraying mist into the eyes of MLW Champion Shane Strickland… The MLW Fusion opening aired… Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini checked in on commentary. They said Strickland had been hospitalized and seeing eye specialists, but they would hear from him. They hyped the main event… The ring announcer was Tim Barr…
1. Kotto Brazil vs. Trey Miguel. Brazil performed a nice German suplex into a bridge for a two count. He performed a unique cutter a short time later for a two count. Miguel came back and hit a diving meteora (double knee press) off the top rope and got the pin…
Trey Miguel defeated Kotto Brazil.
Powell’s POV: A nice opening match with the live crowd into the action. I came away wanting to see more of both wrestlers. The only nitpick is that it would have been nice to hear from both wrestlers in order to get a better feel for who they are and why we should care about them.
Footage aired from the Pentagon vs. Rey Fenix match that headlined the first MLW Fusion event. Bocchini questioned what the brothers would do when they meet again in the main event… A ad aired for the MLW event that will be held on July 19 in New York City at the Melrose Ballroom…
Schiavone set up an interview that Bocchini conducted with Salina de la Renta “at her home in Puerto Rico.” She spoke about having connections with Telemundo. Bocchini noted that she serves as a pipeline to Latin American talents. She said she is well connected in Mexico City and elsewhere. She said if they want the best then they have to come to her. They walked toward the pool of the impressive home and Bocchini referred to her as a successful businesswoman. She took offense and questioned whether he had cat hair on his shirt or jacket. Bocchini said he had a cat. She shoved him into the pool…
Backstage, Andrea Ocampo interviewed Salina de la Renta. She said she is an empresario and this sport requires excellence. She said she has signed the top two luchadores in Mexico in Pentagon and Rey Fenix and that guarantees the MLW Title is coming to her stable…
Footage aired of Team Filthy attacking Jimmy Havoc at the end of last week’s episode. Bocchini said no one has heard from Havoc since. He set up footage of Tom Lawlor and Simon Gotch sitting in a pool and being asked by an interviewer what their beef is with Havoc. He said he has no beef, but if he wants more he can come get some… [C] An ad aired for the next MLW Fusion taping in Orlando on June 7…
A shot aired from outside the impressive looking venue…
Col. Robert Parker stood in the ring and spoke about the Dirty Blondes having an elimination match and noting that both men must be eliminated from the same team in order from a team to win. He introduced his team. The ring announcer
2. “The Dirty Blondes” Mike Patrick and Leo Brien (w/Col. Robert Parker) vs. Jimmy Yuta and Jason Cade in an elimination match. Brief pre-taped promos aired from both teams. Yuta and Cade both performed crowd pleasing dives onto their opponents early on. Schiavone noted that there is a 20-count in MLW for potential count-outs. Back in the ring, Yuta performed a top rope cross body block on Patrick, who rolled through and held the tights while getting the pin.
With Yuta eliminated from the match, Cade was left to fight both Dirty Blondes. Cade managed to hit his Black Magic move on Patrick to pin him and eliminate him from the match. The match came down to Leo Brien and Cade. Parker tripped Cade as he tried to run the ropes. While the ref was distracted by Parker and Yuta arguing, both Dirty Blondes hit a move on Cade, which led to Brien scoring the pin…
The Dirty Blondes defeated Jimmy Yuta and Jason Cade in an elimination match.
The broadcast team hyped the main event… [C] The MLW in NYC ad aired…
Powell’s POV: A decent tag match with Parker turning out to be the difference maker. I like that Cade and Yuta are losing these matches because it seems like they are building toward the duo getting a big win at some point.
Backstage, Andrea Ocampo approached Cade and Yuta and said it didn’t seem like they were in synch. Cade wasn’t happy with the question. Yuta said they would be back in synch for the tag team title tournament…
Powell’s POV: Wait, so maybe they are working toward the team splitting up? The match told the story that Parker’s interference was the cause for Yuta and Cade’s loss more than issues between the two.
The broadcast team spoke about the tale of the tape for the main event…
Andrea Ocampo interviewed MLW Champion Shane Strickland. He spoke about having a lack of depth perception due to Pentagon spraying him in the eyes with the red mist. He said it shows that Pentagon is intimidated by him. He said Pentagon is scared to death. He said Pentagon could take his arms, legs, or even decapitate him, but as long as he can’t take his heart then he won’t be able to take his championship…
Ring entrances for the main event took place…
3. Pentagon Jr. (w/Salina de la Renta) vs. Rey Fenix in a double jeopardy match to become No. 1 contender to the MLW Championship. Salina de la Renta came out with Pentagon. Bocchini said Fenix had to contend with his brother and de la Renta, which was confusing given that she said she signed both men to contracts. A few minutes into the match, Fenix performed a nice cutter and then hit a kick. Pentagon caught him going for a huracanrana and performed a powerbomb backbreaker for a two count heading into a break. [C]
Pentagon performed a Pentagon Driver on Fenix on the ring apron. The broadcast team put it over big and Bocchini yelled, “His own brother!” Pentagon rolled Fenix back inside the ring and covered Fenix for a two count. Pentagon performed his arm breaker move on Fenix and hit a pump handle slam “Fear Factor” for an excellent near fall. The fans chanted “this is awesome.” Pentagon performed a package piledriver on Fenix and pinned him…
Pentagon Jr. defeated Rey Fenix to become No. 1 contender to the MLW Championship.
After the match, Schiavone hyped Shane Strickland vs. Pentagon Jr. for the MLW Championship as next week’s main event…
Powell’s POV: The usual top notch match between the brothers. If you run a wrestling show and need a sure fire strong main event then these are the guys you book (see MLW, Impact Wrestling, etc.). The fans liked both men and cheered the moves rather than picking sides. I would love to see a real blood feud between the brothers. They wrestle against one another all the time, but we’ve also seen them on the same page such as when Fenix celebrated his brother winning the Impact World Championship. As great as their matches are, it would be even more fun if there was a definitive babyface vs. heel dynamic with strong storyline support. And maybe that story has been told elsewhere, but it really hasn’t come across that way on Fusion or Impact Wrestling television yet.
I continue to be confused by the role of Salina de la Renta. I get that she leads a stable of luchadores, but I’m not sure why she represents both Pentagon and Fenix yet seems to favor Pentagon. Perhaps it would make more sense if they made it seem like Fenix made a mistake by signing with her and she is holding him back in favor of his brother. It would make Fenix a sympathetic babyface and position Pentagon and de la Renta as definitive heels, but that doesn’t seem to be the story they are telling.
Pentagon winning the main event was foreshadowed because he sprayed mist into the eyes of Strickland. After all, you had to assume that the angle was building toward the two of them meeting for the MLW Championship. The top ten rankings were introduced a couple weeks back and while they have been referenced since then, we haven’t seen them or been given any updates. It would be nice to see them dedicate a minute or two each week to displaying the rankings along with changes based on match results. Overall, though, this was a good show. Again, you can’t go wrong with Pentagon vs. Fenix in a main event match, and I’m looking forward to Strickland vs. Pentagon next week. By the way, it’s good to finally be caught up on the series and I hope to be more timely with my reviews going forward.
Check out my interview below with MLW promoter Court Bauer on the Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast that was recorded days before the series premiere of the MLW Fusion television series.
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