By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Major League Wrestling Fusion (Episode 67)
Taped July 6, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois at Cicero Stadium
Aired July 20, 2019 on beIN Sports
Fusion opened with a black and white recap of Salina de la Renta being upset over Mance Warner stealing the golden ticket that LA Park earned by winning Battle Riot. Salina wore a Park-like outfit and knelt on a white sheet and spelled out 666, and had blood coming out of her mouth…
Powell’s POV: I once went on a date with a girl like Salina was portraying in that clip. If I’m being honest, I’d probably be dead or still putting up with the madness if my date had looked like Salina.
The broadcast team of Rich Bocchini and Jim Cornette checked in from backstage and hyped the double main event…
Alexander Hammerstone made his entrance for the opening match. An “earlier today” promo aired with Georgia Smith interviewing Hammerstone, Richard Holliday, and Aria Blake while noting that Hammerstone would be facing her brother. Hammerstone spoke about knocking the cold dead eyes expression out of Davey. The producer called cut. Georgia told Hammerstone that he was good…
They cut to the ring where MJF cut a promo and said he could smell poor people. He said the Hart family was born and raised near a nuclear power plant. He said Teddy Hart wore so many necklaces because he’s trying to hide his gills. Hammerstone said everyone has been telling him that Davey Boy Smith Jr. is bigger than he is. He said he’d break him in half and told him to get his “big, dumb butt down here.” Smith headed to the ring with a Canadian flag in hand…
1. Alex Hammerstone (w/MJF, Richard Holliday, and Aria Blake) vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. for the MLW National Openweight Championship. The broadcast team explained the absence of Teddy Hart and Brian Pillman Jr. by stating that they had a late arriving flight. Smith put his Canadian flag in the corner. Smith slapped Hammerstone and performed one of the softest powerbombs ever, then rolled over into a pin for a two count. Smith went to the ropes, but Hammerstone shoved the referee into the ropes to slow down Smith, then followed up with a superplex.
Hammerstone went for his finisher, but Smith stuffed it and applied a crossface. MJF reached inside the ring from the floor and placed Hammerstone’s foot on the bottom rope. Holliday worked over Smith from the floor while Hammerstone distracted the referee. Smith came back with three German suplexes, then performed a belly to back suplex into a bridge for a near fall. Smith hit a diving headbutt from the ropes. MJF took the Canadian flag and spat on it, then wiped his nose with it. Smith catapulted MJF into the ring and hit him with the flag (and pole). Holliday ran in and Smith hit him with the flag, then hit Hammerstone with the flag for the DQ…
Alex Hammerstone defeated Davey Boy Smith Jr. by DQ to retain the MLW National Openweight Championship.
Powell’s POV: If MLW was heading to Canada then I’d wonder if they were working toward a flag match. It would be awkward if they tried to get an American crowd to root for the Canadian in a flag match, but never say never in 2019. The finish felt a little too convenient in that Smith doesn’t bring the flag to the ring with him on a regular basis. I continue to hope that MLW will find someone who can work the same style of match that Smith had with Killer Kross on the Josh Barnett Bloodsport show from WrestleMania weekend. Tom Lawlor strikes me as the obvious candidate, though I’m not sure if the size difference would be an issue.
A Dr. Wagner Jr. video package aired and noted that he would debut on this show… The broadcast team hyped the MLW SuperFight pay-per-view event for November 2…
A Von Erichs video package aired with Marshall speaking about how they are the new hope and how they wouldn’t back down to Contra Unit…
Bocchini hyped Tom Lawlor speaking next week for the first time since his MLW Championship loss to Jacob Fatu…
Bocchini recapped the Mance Warner and Salina de la Renta drama from last week. A brief Konnan promo aired from an outdoor setting where he apparently found Salina’s phone on the ground after last week’s drama…
Bocchini hyped the second part of the double main event as coming up after the break…
Bocchini hyped the MLW Never Say Never television taping for Thursday in New York…
A Contra Unit video aired after Bocchini noted that they had yet to hear from Jacob Fatu since winning the MLW Championship. Fatu, Simon Gotch, and Josef Samael spoke about having control via the title and how the challenge was accepted for a war with the Von Erichs…
Bocchini hyped Ross and Marshall Von Erich vs. Simon Gotch and Josef Samael for next week. He noted that Salina summoned the devil in the opening clip and thus Bestia 666 will face Mance Warner on next week’s show…
A Mance Warner promo aired. Warner said Salina found a devil, but the devil “ain’t got shit on ol’ Mancer.” He said he likes to go head hunting and get bloody. Warner picked up a bucket and smeared some “blood” on his face…
Ring announcer Tim Barr introduced the main event tag match (a portion of the Los Parks entrances were shown, while Los Warners full entrance was televised). Cornette spoke about the original Dr. Wagner being an evil doctor who was one of the greatest luchadores in history. Cornette said Wagner’s son and grandson have carried on the tradition and labeled this a dream match…
2. LA Park and Hijo de LA Park (w/Salina de la Renta) vs. Dr. Wagner Jr. and Dr. Wagner Jr. and El Hijo de Wagner Jr. Los Parks had the early prolonged stretch of offense. They worked them over in the ring and performed stereo suicide dives. LA Park and Wagner Jr. squared off in the middle of the ring. Park ripped the mask off the face of Wagner Jr. Cornette explained that Wagner lost his mask in 2017. He said he competes in North America with the mask on, but taking a luchador’s mask is like taking his manhood. Cornette also recalled seeing Mil Mascaras without his mask at an airport once.
Late in the match, Hijo de Park performed a Code Red on Hijo de Wagner for a two count. Wagner performed a spinning backbreaker on Park. Wagner performed a suicide dive on Warner moments later, then Hijo de Park returned the favor of Warner. Hijo de Wagner went for a dive of his own and ended up hitting his father when Los Parks fled the area. Back inside the ring, Park speared Hijo de Wagner and pinned him clean…
LA Park and Hijo de LA Park defeated Dr. Wagner Jr. and Dr. Wagner Jr. and El Hijo de Wagner Jr.
Bocchini hyped the Von Erichs vs. Samael and Gotch, the first comments from Tom Lawlor since he lost the MLW Championship, and Warner vs. Bestia 666 for next week’s show…
Powell’s POV: Cornette did his best to give a history lesson, but it was more about the original Dr. Wagner than his family members who were actually in the match. The lucha fans in the crowd were hot for Los Wagners, but I still can’t help but feel late to the party as someone who doesn’t keep close tabs on lucha libre. And while I know beIN Sports brings in a big Hispanic viewing audience, I wish MLW would do a better job of setting the table for their incoming luchadores across the board.
The video teasers in the weeks leading up to Wagner Jr.’s debut were nice, but MLW can do more to bring all of their viewers up to speed. The wrestlers worked hard in the main event and those in the crowd who were familiar with the wrestlers seemed to enjoy it, while other fans appeared to be in the same spot I was. Overall, this felt like a rare missable edition of Fusion, though someone more familiar with the main event feud may strongly disagree. Check back for John Moore’s weekly Dot Net Members’ exclusive MLW Fusion audio review.
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