By Jason Powell, Prowrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Major League Wrestling TV (Episode 10)
Taped in Orlando, Florida at GILT Nightclub
Aired June 22, 2018 on beIN Sports
The show opened with a recap of the storyline involving Salina de la Renta placing a bounty on the head of Shane Strickland… The MLW opening montage aired…
The broadcast team of Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini checked in and set the table for the show, then threw it to ring announcer Tim Barr…
Ring entrances for the Trey Miguel vs. Danny Santiago match took place. Teddy Hart showed up and attacked Santiago before he could enter the ring. The broadcast team questioned whether Hart bought a ticket. Hart entered the ring to some “welcome back” chants while others didn’t seem to be sure of who he was. MLW CEO Court Bauer came out and spoke to the official to make a match…
1. Trey Miguel vs. Teddy Hart. The broadcast team noted that Hart was in the original MLW and had issues with Bauer. Miguel jumped out to a fast start and performed a nice springboard flip dive onto Hart at ringside. Miguel got a near fall heading into a break. [C]
Hart picked up a near fall of his own coming out of the break. Schiavone and some in the crowd thought it was a three count. Hart followed up with a DDT and made a lazy cover and counted along with the referee, but Miguel kicked out again. Hart performed an electric chair into a lung blower for another two count. Miguel came back with a cutter from the ropes for a two count. In the end, Hart performed a powerbomb into a lung blower and then followed up with an insane Canadian Destroyer from the ropes for the win…
Tedd Hary defeated Trey Miguel.
Powell’s POV: Hart has been a talented buy troubled figure over the years. Hopefully he has matured now that he’s 38 years old. Bauer has always had a soft spot for Hart and hopefully he doesn’t get burned.
Footage aired from earlier in the day of an anonymous interviewer asking Kotto Brazil for his thoughts on his match with Rich Swann. Brazil said it was great, but he has to figure out how to get the job done…
Backstage, one of the female interviewers (graphics, please!) interviewed Teddy Hart, who said he prays that MLW has the balls to keep booking him. He said he always gets heat in the back because the boys in the back who are supposed to be his friends don’t like following him. He said he was trying to make his grandfather and all of his family members in heaven proud of him. He said he’d be flattered to return whenever they want to use him, but hopefully they can handle the heat in the back.
Hart spotted ACH and Rich Swann off camera and asked if they had a problem. They wanted him to calm down. He told them to remember who they watched while they were growing up. ACH said he remembers. Hart walked away and then ACH looked into the camera and said he’s crazy… [C]
Schiavone said Col. Rob Parker filed a protest over the officiating in the three-way elimination tag match from the week before. Backstage, Vanessa Craft (hey, there was a graphic) interviewing Parker while his stable members stood by. He told his wrestlers to go to their workout. Parker then recalled asking Craft to have a coffee with him. He took her by the arm and wanted to have that cup of coffee. She didn’t seem happy. After they walked away, Tom Lawlor and Simon Gotch snuck into the Stud Stable’s locker room…
2. Barrington Hughes vs. Faris Hakeem. Hughes headbutted Hakeem and then dropped an elbow on him for the quick win… [C]
Barrington Hughes beat Faris Hakeem.
Powell’s POV: I get a kick out of Hughes, but the time will come when he’ll need to do more than these quick squash matches. He’s been positioned as Shane Strickland’s buddy so it will be interesting to see if the eventual plan is have him turn on Strickland. Either way, it will be interesting to see what the big man can do once he’s asked to work longer matches.
Backstage, Lawlor and Gotch told Parker that they found his hat and put it back in his locker room for him. Parker entered the room and yelled, “There’s dookie in that hat.” He vented about it being one of a kind and went out to find his crew of wrestlers…
Powell’s POV: Corny, and that’s not a description of the substance in Parker’s hat.
3. Kotto Brazil vs. Vandal Ortagun. Ortagun offered a handshake and then took a cheap shot at Brazil to start. Ortagun scored a couple of near falls, but Brazil came back with a modified sliced bread and got the win. Schiavone said it was Brazil’s first win. Moments later, Bocchini awkwardly said he was keeping the momentum rolling…
Kotto Brazil beat Vandal Ortagun.
Powell’s POV: I enjoy Brazil’s work, but this was a questionable way to give him his first MLW win. I assumed Brazil would win when Ortagun was introduced as his opponent so it really didn’t pack a punch when he beat him. It may have been a better idea to have Brazil score an upset win over someone with name value to make it feel like a bigger moment.
Footage aired of Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix winning the MLW Tag Titles last week… Backstage, Salina de la Renta was interviewed by one of the female backstage interviewers. Salina had the tag titles over her shoulders. She said they are not enough and she is still after the MLW Championship and Shane Strickland’s head.
Ring entrances for the main event took place. Brody King made his entrance first. They cut backstage where Shane Strickland was walking with Barrington Huges. Sami Callihan’s guys decided they wanted to take the bounty for themselves. Hughes told Strickland to go to the ring, then he stayed and fought Calliahan’s guys. Strickland made his entrance…
Powell’s POV: Strickland is a lousy friend. Two guys come to collect a bounty on him and he lets his outnumbered friend fight his battle for him? Okay, so Hughes did tell him to go, but I had to laugh at the logic. Speaking of logic, when King attacked Strickland recently, why didn’t he just finish the job and collect the bounty? I gave it the benefit of the doubt at the time that maybe the idea was that it had to be collected in the ring, but now that Callihan’s guys wanted to do it backstage it left me wondering what the gimmick is.
4. MLW Champion Shane Strickland vs. Brody King in a $20,000 Bounty match. The broadcast team said Strickland demanded that the match take place. King was on the offensive heading into a break. [C]
Late in the match, King went to ringside and poured powder into his hands. King returned to the ring only to have Strickland kick the powder into his face. Strickland followed up with a high knee for the win…
Shane Strickland defeated Brody King.
After the match, Low Ki showed up and attacked Strickland from behind. Salina de la Renta entered the ring and applauded him. They both stood over Strickland for a moment. Once Strickland got to his knees, Low Ki delivered a kick to the back of his head. Low Ki picked up the MLW Championship belt and jawed at fans while Salina smiled. Low Ki placed the title belt over the fallen Strickland and then held it up again. Low Ki left the ring while Schiavone said the MLW Champion is in more danger than ever before…
Powell’s POV: A decent brawl with a flat finish. The Low Ki attack was tame, but his star power at the end helped soften the blow of the powder kick finish and sets the stage for a quality match. Overall, a mix of good and bad this week, but I am looking forward to the eventual Strickland vs. Low Ki match. My guess is that Low Ki or another bounty hunter wins the bounty with a non-title pin to set up a future title match. So did Hughes take out two men or was he left lying?
Check below for the latest Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast with Jason Powell featuring an interview with former NWA Champion Tim Storm.
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