By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Major League Wrestling Fusion (Episode 124)
Taped in Orlando, Florida at GILT Nightclub
Streamed March 10, 2021 on Fubo Sports, Pluto TV, and MLW’s YouTube Page
Footage aired from last week’s main event that featured Jacob Fatu defeating Jordan Oliver to retain the MLW World Championship, plus Calvin Tankman saving the Injustice duo from a Contra attack… The Fusion opening aired…
The broadcast team of Rich Bocchini and Saint Laurent checked in and hyped the main event. Bocchini noted that Alex Hammerstone is the first and only MLW National Openweight Champion and has held the title since June 1, 2019. The pair hyped other matches and segments…
Calvin Tankman was interviewed by Alicia Atout in the backstage area. The Contra logo flashed on the screen. Tankman said he kept getting up no matter what Jacob Fatu and Contra hit him with. Jordan Oliver and Myron Reed showed up and invited Tankman to come smoke with them. Tankman shook hands and hugged the Injustice members…
1. Gino Medina vs. Gringo Loco. Laurent said Medina has always hated Loco for using the name of the faction that his father helped make famous. Loco superkicked Medina, who tumbled to ringside. Gringo performed a springboard dive onto Medina at ringside, then rolled him back inside the ring and covered him for a two count.
Medina caught Gringo coming off the ropes with a Codebreaker and then got a quick two count. Later, Loco performed a springboard moonsault and got another two count. Medina caught Gringo coming off the ropes and then spun him around and hit him with a kick that led to a near fall.
Medina went up top and was cut off by Gringo, who fired away with a couple of punches. Gringo performed a top rope Spanish Fly and only got a two count. In the end, Medina caught Gringo in wheelbarrow position and dropped him onto the ropes. Medina followed up with a kick and scored the pin…
Gino Medina beat Gringo Loco in 9:16.
Powell’s POV: I get a kick out of Gringo Loco. His physique is closer to that of Larry The Cable Guy (or mine!) than it is to most of the high flying luchadores these days, but he’s still as acrobatic as ever. Medina still feels like a work in progress. He has a good look, but I can’t recall him having a standout match in MLW. I’m still unsure as to whether we’re supposed to view him as a heel or a babyface.
Backstage, Medina delivered a promo in front of the MLW backdrop. He said he’s untouchable and boasted that he got rid of Gringo. Medina told Richard Holliday that if he wants to be a keyboard warrior or talk shit, then he’s going to get his ass kicked…
Tom Lawlor spoke in front of the backdrop and said he would sue the Von Erichs for the damage they did to his reputation. Lawlor said he would be watching closely as Kevin Ku kicks ACH’s head off his shoulders…
Bocchini said ACH vs. Ku was up after a break… [C] The ads included the Azteca Underground Inc. spot, MLW Radio, Stephen New, and MLW merch… Footage aired of an older match between LA Park and Jerry Lynn…
Laurent said his assistant spotted a masked man outside the building. He wondered if that meant that Alex Hammerstone would have to contend with Mads Krugger…
Laurent ran through the PWI Top 5 rankings for the MLW Middleweight Championship held by Lio Rush.
5. Brian Pillman Jr.
4. Bu Ku Dao
3. Myron Reed
2. Daivari
1. Laredo Kid
Powell’s POV: I believe Dao and Daivari have each won only one singles match in MLW, and I can’t even remember the last time that Pillman won a match in MLW. I would have included TJP over Dao given that the idea seems to be that Dao is an underdog in their feud.
Backstage, Alicia Atout pointed out a contract that was taped to the wall. She said it was an open contract for an MLW Middleweight Championship shot and was placed there by Lio Rush…
2. ACH vs. Kevin Ku (w/Dominick Garrini). Ku was dominant to start and used a lot of leg kicks. ACH fired back briefly, but Ku dropped him with a big kick to the head and covered him for a two count. Later, ACH performed a gourdbuster and threw a high kick that led two near fall.
Ku bled a bit from the mouth or lip. ACH went for a German suplex, but Ku elbowed out of it. ACH came back with elbows of his own, but Ku hoisted him up and slammed him to the mat and then covered him for a near fall.
A short time later, ACH ended up on the apron and was tripped by Garrini while Ku distracted the referee. Ross Von Erich and Marshall Von Erich ran out and roughed up Garrini. ACH dumped Ku to ringside, then went up top and dove onto him and Garrini. Both wrestlers returned to the ring where ACH threw a superkick and followed up with a brainbuster that led to the three count.
ACH defeated Kevin Ku in 10:39.
Tom Lawlor came out and joined his team near the stage while they jawed at ACH and the Von Erichs…
Powell’s POV: A solid match that felt like it went a couple minutes longer than necessary. I assume we’ll be getting a six-man tag match with ACH and the Von Erich vs. Team Filthy at some point.
Footage aired of LA Park facing Jacob Fatu in a past match… Bocchini hyped TJP vs. Bu Ku Dao for next week..
An Azteca Underground Inc. video showcased Mil Muertes…
Backstage, Atout spoke with Alex Hammerstone and Richard Holliday in front of the MLW backdrop. The Contra video flashed briefly. She asked Hammerstone about the Muertes video. Hammerstone said everyone falls to the Nightmare Pendulum. They shifted the focus to Hammerstone’s match against LA Park. Hammerstone said Park has been racking up wins since he was in diapers.
Salina de la Renta showed up and said Hammerstone hasn’t been the same and wondered if Contra is in his head. Holliday tried to defend Hammerstone, but Hammerstone spoke up for himself and said he would take on anyone regardless of his own health. He told Salina to bring on “that fat bag of bones” in the main event…
The upcoming fights graphic listed Los Parks vs. Injustice for the MLW Tag Titles and Mil Muertes vs. Parrow for next week, and the Never Say Never themed edition for March 31…
The Injustice duo of Myron Reed and Jordan Oliver delivered a promo that was shown in black and white. Oliver said they wouldn’t take the same approach as usual while talking about Los Parks because they respect the veterans who paved the way. Oliver said they don’t have respect for “bitch ass motherf—ers like the Contra Unit”…
Backstage, Atout said someone signed the contract that Rush taped to the wall… [C]
Footage aired of Los Parks beating the Von Erichs to win the tag titles from a past edition of Fusion… A Calvin Tankman video package aired. It was interrupted by Contra Unit that included Daivari and Jacob Fatu talking about Tankman and Injustice…
Bocchini said Lio Rush will defend the MLW Middleweight Championship on next week’s show…
Atout hosted the Never Say Never control center segment. She hyped Jacob Fatu vs. Calvin Tankman for the MLW Championship and said it was pay-per-view worthy, yet would air for free on MLW television…
A tale of the tape was shown for the main event… Entrances for the main event took place. Bocchini said security was still looking for the masked man in the backstage area and wondered if it was Krugger…
3. Alex Hammerstone vs. LA Park (w/Salina de la Renta, Azteca Underground Inc. associate) for the MLW National Openweight Championship. LA Park Jr. and Hijo de LA Park walked to ringside about a minute into the match. LA Park distracted the referee while his sons worked over Hammerstone at ringside.
LA Park removed the belt that he wears in the ring and hit Hammerstone with it. The referee let it go. Bocchini said he was instructed to say that the suit wearing man at ringside is an associate of Azteca Underground Inc., who is watching over El Jefe’s investment.
Park worked over Hammerstone with slow paced offense. Hammerstone came back with a missile dropkick. Hammerstone suplexed LA Park and covered him for a two count. In what sounded like an overdub, Laurent said that Richard Holliday and Gino Medina got into a fight backstage and both men were ejected from the building.
Hammerstone indicated that he was going for his finisher, which led to Los Parks climbing onto the apron to distract him. LA Park DDT’d Hammerstone and then performed a running knee to the chest, which led to a two count. Park went for a spear, but Hammerstone caught him with a kick. Hammerstone performed a German suplex on Park and then blasted him with an elbow to the back of the head and pinned him…
Alex Hammerstone defeated LA Park in 9:57 to retain the MLW National Openweight Championship.
Mil Muertes ran out and attacked Hammerstone while Los Parks, Salina, and the associate watched from the floor. Muertes slammed the title belt onto the head of Hammerstone and went back to throwing punches while three referees tried to stop him.
Muertes tossed one of the referees to ringside and the other two fled. Muertes held up the title belt and then gave it to Salina. Laurent said that anyone who wants the title belt will have to go through Muertes. The Azteca Underground loco was shown and listed AztecaUnderground.com to close the show…
Powell’s POV: MLW did a nice job of teasing an LA Park win with all the highlights of his past matches. I’m happy they didn’t pull the trigger, because he really is better off in tag matches at this point in his career. The post match angle with Muertes giving the belt to Salina sets up Hammerstone having to go through him and the rest of the faction to take his title back.
This was a decent show. The matches felt a bit sluggish and dragged out compared to usual. MLW is really dragging out the El Jefe story to the point that I’m starting to lose interest. For that matter, we could also use a development with the heel referee Tim Donaghy storyline at some point unless that’s all there was to it. My audio review of this episode of MLW Fusion will be available right after AEW Dynamite and NXT go off the air tonight.
“I believe Dao and Daivari have each won only one singles match in MLW, and I can’t even remember the last time that Pillman won a match in MLW.”
Also, Laredo Kid had a high profile loss last week, yet is ranked #1