By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Major League Wrestling Fusion (Episode 99)
Taped February 1, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 2300 Arena
Aired February 29, 2020 on beIN Sports and MLW’s YouTube Page
Fusion opened with a Contra video featuring Josef Samael and MLW Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu commenting on the return of LA Park… The Fusion opening aired… The broadcast team was Rich Bocchini and AJ Kirsch…
Kirsch stood in the ring and introduced Mance Warner for a promo. The Dynasty music played and the trio of Richard Holliday, Alexander Hammerstone, and Gino Medina came to the ring instead. Bocchini pointed out that Holliday was wearing the Caribbean Championship belt despite the fact that he didn’t actually pin Savio Vega to win the belt.
Holliday referred to the fans as consumers and said they don’t want to be entertained, they need to be educated. He said it was the perfect time for a Rich Talks show. He said that when the Dynasty is in the building, the consumers are breathing rarified air. A fan held up a sign that read, “I am a consumer.” Funny.
Hammerstone said there wasn’t a broad in the building who would get the privilege of climbing to the top of Muscle Mountain. Hammerstone praised Medina for putting the boots to Konnan and told him to tell the fans what he would do to Konnan if he were present.
Konnan made his entrance with a mic in hand and entered the ring. Konnan said the first time he was in Philadelphia was 25 years ago with La Parka, Juventud Guerrera, and Rey Mysterio. He said it was true then and it’s true now that the best fans are in Philadelphia.
Holliday said it was a Rich Talks segment and Konnan was not invited. Konnan labeled it Dick Talks instead. Konnan told Medina that he offered him his services only because of his relationship with his father. Konnan said Los Gringos Locos wouldn’t be happy with him if they were here today and told Medina that he played himself. Holliday pointed out that Konnan was at disadvantage as far as the numbers were concerned.
Mance Warner, Savio Vega, and Logan Creed (formerly Grogan) made made their entrance. Footage aired of Warner’s uncle Moonman being left lying outside a hotel room last week. Warner said nobody paid their good money to hear Dynasty talk all their bullshit. Warner called for a six-man tag match. Holliday declined on behalf of Dynasty.
The Dynasty trio started to leave the ring. Warner asked Hammerstone if he was going to be a punk ass bitch like the other two. Hammerstone turned and attacked Warner. The referee called for the bell to start the match…
Powell’s POV: A good verbal segment. Holliday handled the bulk of the Dynasty mic work and did a good job. Hammerstone is good in the Lifestyles of the Rich and Dynastic segments and is good for more sound byte style promos, but Holliday will need to do the heavy lifting now that MJF is gone and he did good work here. The referee calling for the bell to start a match that Holliday declined was silly. Then again, they are in the old ECW Arena, so when in Rome…
1. Mance Warner, Savio Vega, and Logan Creed vs. “Dynasty” Richard Holliday, Alexander Hammerstone, and Gino Medina. Konnan sat in on commentary. Late in the match, Grogan took out Hammerstone with a suicide dive. Vega tried to pull Holliday back inside the ring, but Holliday hit him with the Caribbean Title belt and then pinned him.
Richard Holliday, Alexander Hammerstone, and Gino Medina beat Mance Warner, Savio Vega, and Logan Creed.
After the match, Konnan entered the ring and hit Medina from behind with a slapjack. The Dynasty members headed to the back. Warner handed out cans of beer to Konnan, Vega, and Creed. Injustice came out heading into a break…
Powell’s POV: The more I think about it, the more I’m concerned with Creed. He was a friend of Dynasty and went by the name of Grogan. Warner fed him a couple of beers and he turns of his friends and starts going by a new name. Is he a blackout drunk? Bad alcoholism jokes aside, the match was mostly a brawl. I like the idea of putting heat on the heels by having them win while also protecting Warner and Creed.
Coming out of the commercial break, Myron Reed, Jordan Oliver, and Kotto Brazil joined Konnan in the ring. Oliver said he’s sorry that Konnan is as old as the building. He said Konnan is so old that he sees dust falling off his face. Oliver told Konnan that if he didn’t step aside he would slap him in his old ass face.
Konnan called Oliver “baby nuts” and said he sounded and looked like he hadn’t reached puberty. Konnan fired back verbally at Oliver. Brian Pillman Jr. came out with a chair, causing Injustice to rush to ringside. Konnan left the ring. Pillman scared off Injustice and then joined the broadcast team on commentary for the next match…
2. Jordan Oliver and Kotto Brazil (w/Myron Reed) vs. Zenshi and Laredo Kid. Kid and Reed bickered at ringside, which led to Brazil crashing into Kid in a nice spot. Back inside the ring, Zenshi was doubled up. Brazil held up Zenshi in a crucifix, then Oliver performed a springboard cutter, which was followed by Brazil performing a Samoan Drop that led to Zenshi being pinned…
Jordan Oliver and Kotto Brazil beat Zenshi and Laredo Kid.
After the match, the Injustice trio approached Pillman on commentary. Pillman kept his cool and pointed up, then Laredo Kid dove off the top rope onto Oliver and Brazil. Kid returned to the ring. Reed tried to attack him from behind, but Kid got the better of him and then scored a visual pinfall. Kid held up the MLW Middleweight Championship…
Powell’s POV: A nice match with a good finish. Oliver is a great pest heel. Everything from his look to his voice to the way he talks makes fans want to see him get his ass kicked. Meanwhile, I’m all for a Reed vs. Laredo Kid title match. That should be a gem.
The broadcast team recapped last week’s show closing angle with Team Filthy beating up the Von Erichs and disparaging the Texas flag…
Alicia Atout interviewed Tom Lawlor, Erick Stevens, and Dominic Garrini. Stevens explained his snot rocket on the flag by claiming he was congested, then said he doesn’t like Texas. Stevens said he doesn’t like Texas toast, Walker Texas Ranger, or the Von Erichs. Garrini pointed out that the Von Erichs don’t even have the Texas flag symbol on their tights. Lawlor said Stevens is a mercenary rather than a full member of Team Filthy…
Powell’s POV: Fun heel mic work. While he says the least, Garrini has been a pleasant surprise as part of the new Team Filthy. The visual of him in those Texas videos dressed in his karate gi were great, and he’s also proven to be comical with his mic quips.
A video package focused on the Los Parks vs. Contra Unit feud… A Killer Kross teaser video aired… An MLW live events video aired…
Powell’s POV: They sure are spending a lot of time building up Kross with these videos despite the fact that he was only in for a one-off due given that he’s signed with WWE.
An Injustice promo aired. Reed said Brian Pillman Jr. is fat and can’t make the weight limit because he can barely get off the couch. Kotto Brazil said they would be at ringside in the front row when Pillman faces Jimmy Havoc… A graphic hyped Havoc vs. Pillman for next week…
Jimmy Havoc and Priscilla Kelly delivered a promo from a backstage area. Havoc said Pillman’s crash is coming and he’ll be the one to institute it…
Kirsch hyped Jacob Fatu vs. Cima for the MLW Heavyweight Championship for the 100th episode of Fusion next week…
Alicia Atout interviewed the Von Erichs and asked about Team Filthy. Ross Von Erich said you can mess with the Von Erichs, but you don’t mess with the Texas flag. Marshall Von Erich said there is a reckoning coming…
Kirsch hosted the MLW Intimidation Games control center segment and hyped Los Parks, the Von Erichs, and Pagano for the event…
Footage aired of King Mo and Dan Lambert backstage. King Mo said “f— Low Ki” in the brief clip…
3. LA Park and Hijo de LA Park vs. Josef Samael and Simon Gotch in a lumberjack match. The lumberjacks included wrestlers who worked earlier on this show as well as the Von Erichs and others. Hijo was isolated by the Contra duo. Hijo was thrown to ringside. Vega gently returned him to the ring. Injustice ran over and ended up bickering with the babyfaces.
Back inside the ring, Hijo hit Gotch with a Backstabber and then tagged in his father. Park worked over both heels. Samael pulled a spike out of his boot, but he was speared by LA Park in the corner. Hijo ended up with the spike and hit Samael with with while the referee’s back was turned. Hijo went up top and performed a moonsault onto Gotch and a group of random lumberjacks. LA Park performed a twisting senton onto Samael and then pinned him…
LA Park and Hijo de LA Park beat Josef Samael and Simon Gotch in a lumberjack match.
Kirsch hyped Jacob Fatu vs. Cima for the MLW Heavyweight Championship as the main event of next week’s 100th edition of Fusion…
Powell’s POV: Meh. The main event was nothing special. Los Parks going over in their return makes sense. And while I realize that LA Park brings in the Hispanic demographic, he just doesn’t do much for me. I was hopeful that MLW would have someone else built up as a top contender for Jacob Fatu by now. Instead, we may be going back to Fatu vs. Park by default. The rest of the show was entertaining. The tag matches were solid and we heard from a lot of people either during in-ring promos or in brief backstage promos. MLW also did a nice job of at least announcing matches for next week. I wish they would have at least tried to do something to make Cima feel like a threat to Fatu because the outcome of that match feels highly predictable. John Moore will be by with his audio review of this episode for Dot Net Members.
“The referee calling for the bell to start a match that Holliday declined was silly. Then again, they are in the old ECW Arena…”
Really now? A gigantic logic hole that makes no sense at all, and makes MLW look ridiculous, and you shrug it off, and give it a free pass, because it’s in a venue ECW ran 20 years ago?
Easy, big fella. It was a joke. I could have harped on the obvious issue, but it was the obvious issue…