Bob-O Reviews MLW Fusion #69 (Nice!)
Posted: Aug 6th, '19, 13:30
MLW Fusion #69
Premier 8-5-19
Preview:
Jimmy Yuta vs Low Ki
Low Ki knocks Yuta out in short order with a kick to the head. This is apparently a ~thing~ they're doing with Ki knocking guys out for wins. Put over as "sending a message", the announcers bounce back and forth as to who the message is for, Promociones Dorado or Contra Unit. Cameras follow Low Ki into the back where he tells us "one more in the books, left foot to the hospital, right foot to the grave" he has unfinished business.
Video package of Contra Unit accepting the challenge of Tom Lawler and The Von Erich's for the War Chamber. But, they're bringing a fourth guy, meaning Lawler has to now find a fourth.
Recap of recent events involving Mance Warner/Konnan and Promociones Dorado. This would have been really great last week. It puts a little weight on Bestia's win over Warner. It also clears up how Konnan got Salina's phone, which makes him look like far less of an asshole (she dropped it, he found it later).
Out in the parking lot now, Konnan has arranged a meeting with Selina who's brought Jimmy Havoc with her. Konnan has three demands to be met for her to get her private information back. Demand Numero Uno is that since she put two friends against one another in Mance Warner and Sami Callihan, Konnan wants a match between Jimmy Havoc and LA Park. Salina refuses, and says there has to be more things that he wants. Well... he said right off the bat that there were three things, so... yeah. No wonder everyone hates her, she doesn't pay attention. She doesn't even have her phone, so what the hell is she distracted by? Probably makeup tips for Havoc... it's gotta be murder for her not having Pinterest right now. Anyway, Konnan reminds her that's just the first thing and it's non negotiable. She reluctantly agrees, and Jimmy's not happy.
"...I want to do that cat thing with my eyeliner like you do... teach me..."
The Dynasty debut their new series, Lifestyles of the Rich and Dynastic. The gang is hanging out across the street from a Porsche dealership. Hammerstone reveals he's never owned a wrist watch. There was complaining about being scratched. They buried Teddy Hart a little bit... if there was a point to this beyond character development, I think that was it. Kind of pointless, but it got them on screen.
Back to the ring, The Spirit Squad comes out (Kenny and Mike) and runs down New York City (we get it, you're heels), and proceed to run down The Harts and The Von Erich's for riding the coattails of their family name. Von Erich's run in as their scheduled opponents... which was weird because both were advertised as appearing seperately. The Von Erich's jumped the bell and this was a quick squash. The Von Erich's got their spots in that aren't punches or kicks, Marshall has a really nice moonsault, and their finisher is a pretty slick Iron Claw/Backdrop double team. Like I said last week, with some polishing, these Von Erich boys could be a really big deal in a few years.
Speaking of, and I know it get's brought up every time he makes an appearance, but why ISN'T Kenny Doan a big deal? He's got a great look, he's great on the mic... he seems like kind of recognizable talent that Vince would latch on to for utility.
Post Match, Contra Unit storms the ring and the two teams pick up where they left off last week with the brawl. The Von Erich's were holding their own until the fourth member of Contra showed up. He's of Asian decent and he sprayed mist into the eyes of a Von Erich... not sure if it was Ross or Rachel... but he's all f*cked up. Paramedics come out, Schiavone asks if he's bleeding from his eyes (about the Von Erich boy, not Schiavone himself... Contra is bad in the ring, but not THAT bad...). It's Rachel, and he's helped to the back for treatment.
The tattoo is a dead giveaway. The newest member of Contra Unit is Earthquake!
While he's being tended to, we revisit some action from Chicago...
El Gringo Loco vs Zenshi
Fun little spot fest! Zinshi looks super familiar under that mask... he's reminding me of one of the Osirian Portal guys, but probably not. Zenshi has a very unique offense, the way he uses the ropes is something I've never seen before.
El Gringo is CRAZY agile for a fat guy, and is quite over with the crowd. Between that and a natural charisma that he's got, I could see him going places.
Eat Shit, Ricochet...
Brandon Oliver and Myron Reed walk the crowd in the middle of this carrying "Justice" signs, moving forward from last week's promo.
Gringo catches Zenshi in a back handspring and turns it into a tombstone piledriver for the win.
Back to New York, we're told Marshall Von Erich has been taken to the hospital, however still no mention of the name of the man that sprayed him. That's annoying... but it's also one of the little things that will keep people tuning it.
Kaci Lennox interviews Davey Boy Smith Jr. She wonders if the Alexander Hammerstone/Georgia Smith (his sister) elevator situation makes him feel a little bit like his dad keeping guard of the door while Brett and Sunny smashed in men's room stalls back in the day. Jesus Christ, Kaci, reel it in! He's got no comment for that, his focus tonight is on Timothy Thatcher. DBS is a great interview, but a terrible promo (if that makes sense)... I know MLW wants to go all-in on him, but he needs to get a little better at this sort of thing if he's going to represent the brand.
Anyway, through awkward pauses and stuttering, we get that while highly respects Thatcher, he's going to make him tap out tonight. Kaci asks again if the Hammerstone/Sister thing is going to be a distraction tonight. Brian Pillman Jr interrupts and escorts Kaci off.
Main Event: Davey Boy Smith Jr vs Timothy Thatcher
Handshake to start things off as a show of respect, and these two went almost 20 minutes! Great match that told a good story. Thatcher worked over DBS's leg, Jr went after Thatcher's arm... Thatcher was in control most of the match, but there was this underlying feel to the match no matter how many knots Thatcher tied Davey Boy up in, he was at a loss as to how to put him away.
Shiavone: "I wonder if Davey Boy is distracted by Georgia's relationship with Hammerstone right now...?"
Yes, Tony... he's not distracted at all by his leg getting ripped off...
A great show of strength saw Davey Boy while in an arm-bar, pick Thatcher up one-handed and spike him... Shiavone called this a power bomb, but it looked more like a chokeslam. DBS used this to slide into a crossface and got a tapout victory.
GREAT match! Both guys came out looking strong. This episode was feeling a little rushed and a little light on the wrestle-stuff (only one other actual match), but this absolutely made up for it.
We close the show with Georgia Smith interviewing Davey Boy. He doesn't care about Twitter videos or who his sister is dating, what he cares about is that her boyfriend is hiding from him. Georgia can do whatever she wants, the mind games aren't working, but he's not going to take it easy on him. The cross-face isn't the only move he's borrowing from Chris Benoit's playbook and he's going to make A-Ham his wife for a night. Holy Shit, Davey! I take back what I said about your promos!
Bob-O's Takeaways:
Good: It's Episode #69 lol. But for real - this was a great, easy to watch, episode that moved things forward at a good pace. There's 4 or 5 things going on right now that have me looking forward to next week's episode, which I'd say is good use of an hour. After two shows, I'm ~almost~ ready to argue that these guys use their hour of TV a week better than NXT does. The characters might not be as deep, but MLW doesn't seem to have that gap of a week or two that you get with NXT's stories. Everything was at least touched upon and moved forward in some way.
Bad: Consistency. I absolutely LOVE the different venues and creative setups that smaller promotions bring. I mean there's only so much you can do with a 10k seat arena. But when you get into these smaller venues, there's things you have to make it work. I like that! I like seeing what these guys do to turn the gyms and the social halls and clubs into their own for a night. But there needs to be some consistency. This felt like a completely different show from last week, mostly because last week the hard cam faced the crowd, and this week the hard cam faced the tron - which took up the entire background of the action and was really distracting, especially since they left the entrance videos playing for the shorter matches. They went to a solid graphic for the main event, which was nice, but like I said, it just felt like a different show.
...just in case you forget who's in the ring right now...
Last week we had announcers at ringside, this week we didn't. It makes a big difference in the feel of the show when you can cut to the announcers live at ringside. Either do it or don't... maybe just save that for PPVs... I don't know, but it really bothered me tonight that we had live announcers last week and not this week. Speaking of, I like that they can get these big names to do the calling (Cornette, Shiavone, Striker), but in at least the two shows I've seen, they've been doing most of the talking over Bocchini who should really be the dominant play-caller if he's going to be there every week. Again, it felt like two different shows with the familiar voice of Cornette calling last week, and the familiar voice of Tony Schiavone calling it this week. Bocchini does a great job, he should be the lead... even if he's the only constant from episode to episode, they need to overstate that for the sake of the flow from show to show (say THAT three times fast...)
Good: Two episodes in, and I don't think ANYBODY has a pet name for their finisher! They just call them by the names of the move... I didn't realize how refreshing that was.
Premier 8-5-19
Preview:
Hidden text.
Show opens in the ring, Tony Shiavone and Rich Bocchini on commentary.Jimmy Yuta vs Low Ki
Low Ki knocks Yuta out in short order with a kick to the head. This is apparently a ~thing~ they're doing with Ki knocking guys out for wins. Put over as "sending a message", the announcers bounce back and forth as to who the message is for, Promociones Dorado or Contra Unit. Cameras follow Low Ki into the back where he tells us "one more in the books, left foot to the hospital, right foot to the grave" he has unfinished business.
Video package of Contra Unit accepting the challenge of Tom Lawler and The Von Erich's for the War Chamber. But, they're bringing a fourth guy, meaning Lawler has to now find a fourth.
Recap of recent events involving Mance Warner/Konnan and Promociones Dorado. This would have been really great last week. It puts a little weight on Bestia's win over Warner. It also clears up how Konnan got Salina's phone, which makes him look like far less of an asshole (she dropped it, he found it later).
Out in the parking lot now, Konnan has arranged a meeting with Selina who's brought Jimmy Havoc with her. Konnan has three demands to be met for her to get her private information back. Demand Numero Uno is that since she put two friends against one another in Mance Warner and Sami Callihan, Konnan wants a match between Jimmy Havoc and LA Park. Salina refuses, and says there has to be more things that he wants. Well... he said right off the bat that there were three things, so... yeah. No wonder everyone hates her, she doesn't pay attention. She doesn't even have her phone, so what the hell is she distracted by? Probably makeup tips for Havoc... it's gotta be murder for her not having Pinterest right now. Anyway, Konnan reminds her that's just the first thing and it's non negotiable. She reluctantly agrees, and Jimmy's not happy.
"...I want to do that cat thing with my eyeliner like you do... teach me..."
Back to the ring, The Spirit Squad comes out (Kenny and Mike) and runs down New York City (we get it, you're heels), and proceed to run down The Harts and The Von Erich's for riding the coattails of their family name. Von Erich's run in as their scheduled opponents... which was weird because both were advertised as appearing seperately. The Von Erich's jumped the bell and this was a quick squash. The Von Erich's got their spots in that aren't punches or kicks, Marshall has a really nice moonsault, and their finisher is a pretty slick Iron Claw/Backdrop double team. Like I said last week, with some polishing, these Von Erich boys could be a really big deal in a few years.
Speaking of, and I know it get's brought up every time he makes an appearance, but why ISN'T Kenny Doan a big deal? He's got a great look, he's great on the mic... he seems like kind of recognizable talent that Vince would latch on to for utility.
Post Match, Contra Unit storms the ring and the two teams pick up where they left off last week with the brawl. The Von Erich's were holding their own until the fourth member of Contra showed up. He's of Asian decent and he sprayed mist into the eyes of a Von Erich... not sure if it was Ross or Rachel... but he's all f*cked up. Paramedics come out, Schiavone asks if he's bleeding from his eyes (about the Von Erich boy, not Schiavone himself... Contra is bad in the ring, but not THAT bad...). It's Rachel, and he's helped to the back for treatment.
The tattoo is a dead giveaway. The newest member of Contra Unit is Earthquake!
El Gringo Loco vs Zenshi
Fun little spot fest! Zinshi looks super familiar under that mask... he's reminding me of one of the Osirian Portal guys, but probably not. Zenshi has a very unique offense, the way he uses the ropes is something I've never seen before.
El Gringo is CRAZY agile for a fat guy, and is quite over with the crowd. Between that and a natural charisma that he's got, I could see him going places.
Eat Shit, Ricochet...
Gringo catches Zenshi in a back handspring and turns it into a tombstone piledriver for the win.
Back to New York, we're told Marshall Von Erich has been taken to the hospital, however still no mention of the name of the man that sprayed him. That's annoying... but it's also one of the little things that will keep people tuning it.
Kaci Lennox interviews Davey Boy Smith Jr. She wonders if the Alexander Hammerstone/Georgia Smith (his sister) elevator situation makes him feel a little bit like his dad keeping guard of the door while Brett and Sunny smashed in men's room stalls back in the day. Jesus Christ, Kaci, reel it in! He's got no comment for that, his focus tonight is on Timothy Thatcher. DBS is a great interview, but a terrible promo (if that makes sense)... I know MLW wants to go all-in on him, but he needs to get a little better at this sort of thing if he's going to represent the brand.
Anyway, through awkward pauses and stuttering, we get that while highly respects Thatcher, he's going to make him tap out tonight. Kaci asks again if the Hammerstone/Sister thing is going to be a distraction tonight. Brian Pillman Jr interrupts and escorts Kaci off.
Main Event: Davey Boy Smith Jr vs Timothy Thatcher
Handshake to start things off as a show of respect, and these two went almost 20 minutes! Great match that told a good story. Thatcher worked over DBS's leg, Jr went after Thatcher's arm... Thatcher was in control most of the match, but there was this underlying feel to the match no matter how many knots Thatcher tied Davey Boy up in, he was at a loss as to how to put him away.
Shiavone: "I wonder if Davey Boy is distracted by Georgia's relationship with Hammerstone right now...?"
Yes, Tony... he's not distracted at all by his leg getting ripped off...
GREAT match! Both guys came out looking strong. This episode was feeling a little rushed and a little light on the wrestle-stuff (only one other actual match), but this absolutely made up for it.
We close the show with Georgia Smith interviewing Davey Boy. He doesn't care about Twitter videos or who his sister is dating, what he cares about is that her boyfriend is hiding from him. Georgia can do whatever she wants, the mind games aren't working, but he's not going to take it easy on him. The cross-face isn't the only move he's borrowing from Chris Benoit's playbook and he's going to make A-Ham his wife for a night. Holy Shit, Davey! I take back what I said about your promos!
Bob-O's Takeaways:
Good: It's Episode #69 lol. But for real - this was a great, easy to watch, episode that moved things forward at a good pace. There's 4 or 5 things going on right now that have me looking forward to next week's episode, which I'd say is good use of an hour. After two shows, I'm ~almost~ ready to argue that these guys use their hour of TV a week better than NXT does. The characters might not be as deep, but MLW doesn't seem to have that gap of a week or two that you get with NXT's stories. Everything was at least touched upon and moved forward in some way.
Bad: Consistency. I absolutely LOVE the different venues and creative setups that smaller promotions bring. I mean there's only so much you can do with a 10k seat arena. But when you get into these smaller venues, there's things you have to make it work. I like that! I like seeing what these guys do to turn the gyms and the social halls and clubs into their own for a night. But there needs to be some consistency. This felt like a completely different show from last week, mostly because last week the hard cam faced the crowd, and this week the hard cam faced the tron - which took up the entire background of the action and was really distracting, especially since they left the entrance videos playing for the shorter matches. They went to a solid graphic for the main event, which was nice, but like I said, it just felt like a different show.
...just in case you forget who's in the ring right now...
Good: Two episodes in, and I don't think ANYBODY has a pet name for their finisher! They just call them by the names of the move... I didn't realize how refreshing that was.