MLW Fusion

[Zhuge1]

Anyone ever catch this on BeIN sports? They had a live show last night featuring defenses of the world title (Low Ki defending against Tom Lawlor) and the tag titles (Lucha Brothers defending against the Hart Foundation).

[famicommander]

I don't get BeIn Sports. I catch the product on Youtube sometimes but I never remember to keep up with it regularly.

[dhads7161]

I enjoy it a lot. Has become my second favorite weekly program after NXT. Yeah don't have Bein, keep up with it on YouTube and/or Fite.

[ICHIFUJI]

I like it and on Youtube too.
WCW star, ECW original, Mexican, Big guy and Small guy.
Good taste.

[Zhuge1]

I've been watching the past few weeks and enjoy it. I did think the title match between Low Ki and Lawlor was a bit short and just not that great. I am usually impressed, though, with Kotto Brazil (who also wrestles as Snoop Strikes); and he was on the live broadcast this weekend.

[kovs27]

Anyone ever catch this on BeIN sports? They had a live show last night featuring defenses of the world title (Low Ki defending against Tom Lawlor) and the tag titles (Lucha Brothers defending against the Hart Foundation).

I attended this show. Crowd was a bit confused that they were doing all the main matches first, not realizing it was live. Show wasn't bad, like how MLW is fine matches/basic booking. I don't know how it came off on tv but you would think Teddy Hart was Steve Austin circa 1998.

[famicommander]

like how MLW is fine matches/basic booking. I don't know how it came off on tv but you would think Teddy Hart was Steve Austin circa 1998.

Because they're both a danger to innocent women everywhere?

[Zhuge1]

This week there was a nice throw-back match with Dreamer and Sandman taking on Pillman Jr. and Smith Jr. at the old ECW arena.

[maxx_powerz]

Have wanted to try my hand at writing reviews and also have wanted to check out MLW, figured I'd give both a try at once.

MLW Fusion Episode 1: When Worlds Collide

Intro video doesn't really tell you much about how they intend to present the promotion, but I guess they have some Dusty Rhodes, CM Punk and Steve Corino footage in their archives which is kind of cool.

Tony Schiavone! Probably should have tried something different to not make it so obvious that the commentary is added in post.

Austin Aries defeats ACH (17:30)
I was expecting a fairly short and fast paced match considering the hour long TV format. So I was pleasantly surprised by the very generous time allotment. I didn't think either wrestler made the most of it necessarily, as the pacing felt very much like two veterans working within themselves. And considering ACH had taped ribs that the announcers brought up multiple times, I also felt that Aries' offense should have been more focused and aggressive. That said, they did a good job of building to their finish and peaking at the right time. Both guys had trouble hitting their signature stuff on the first try which I'm a fan of, and there were probably four or five near falls or near submissions that would have been believable without going overboard to the point of finisher spam. After missing on two previous attempts, Aries finally hits the IED then finishes with the brainbuster. Slightly better than average overall. ***1/4

Jimmy Havoc promo. Didn't think the execution was particularly good but it at least established the character as different.

Barrington Hughes defeats Chico Adams (0:05)
Don't know what you do with this 400 lb guy besides squashes, but whatever.

It seems weird to start a TV show if you have a World champion and not feature him, but apparently Shane Strickland is the champion and he wrestles Jimmy Havoc next week.

Pentagon defeats Fenix (14:05)
Crowd was noticeably hotter for this than the first two matches right from the start. Unlike the opener, there's no pacing themselves here. Both guys showed a lot of aggression and a fast pace right from the start. There was a lot happening on the outside, which is hit or miss with me, but was a hit here because if felt chaotic instead of meandering like it can sometimes. Back in the ring, neither was ever able to establish any period of control. It wasn't just trading spots though, the match had a distinct power (Pentagon) versus speed (Fenix) dynamic that I enjoyed. I hated the Canadian Destroyer as a near fall, but Fenix pretty much got no more offense after that so it's a little more palatable. ***1/2

Good stuff, two 15 minute matches featuring four great wrestlers is certainly enough to get me back for a second episode. They were both admittedly exhibition style matches, which is what you'd expect for a first episode, but is also why I would say good instead of great, call it 8/10.

[maxx_powerz]

MLW Fusion Episode 2: Danger In Swerve City

Good opening package showing the history between Shane Strickland and Jimmy Havoc in MLW.

Using Colonel Robert Parker is a choice. Was never a fan, but he still pretty much looks and sounds the same to be fair so I get why MLW would use him.

Mike Patrick & Leo Brien defeat Jimmy Yuta & Jason Cade (6:20)
Parker is managing Patrick & Brien. Yuta & Cade using quick double teams to stay ahead of Patrick & Brien early. Patrick & Brien worked a slow and simple style when they were in control, but it didn't last too long so it worked well for me in establishing their style. Hot tag to Yuta, he gets to be a house of fire, Cade knocks Brien to the floor and wipes him out with a dive, but Parker trips Yuta and Patrick pins him with an elbow drop. Basic match overall but it was fine. **

Yuta staying down so long after a trip and an elbow drop is a little silly looking.

Garza Jr defeats Ultimo Ninja (10:25)
An incredible first minute of counter wrestling by both men. Garza Jr has some weird suction cup markings on his back, which the non-Schiavone announcer explains he got from wrestling an octopus. Not sure if this was supposed to be kayfabe or just dry humor, but it was pretty bad either way. Garza takes control by distracting Ninja by ripping his pants off - he had trunks on underneath - which is kind of amazing, but Ninja wipes him out with a really well timed dive to the outside as soon as Garza rolled out there. Wrestlers standing around on the outside waiting to get dived on is a pet peeve of mine, so I appreciated the timing on that spot. Back in the ring, it's mostly 50/50. They trade submissions and then roll ups. Garza Jr takes Ninja into the ropes for another roll up but his manager pulls Ninja's mask off and Garza Jr wins with the distraction. Good action but it peaked in the first minute. **3/4

For what it's worth, I didn't mention the manager before the finish (Salina De la Renta) because she was also out during the Pentago / Fenix match last week and didn't do anything. Commentary talked about her a lot during this match as someone bringing in lucha talent to MLW so I think she's doing a super agent gimmick like a Latina Paul Heyman.

This episode is doing a lot of story line stuff that last week's episode kind of skipped. We see a video package on Tom Lawlor and his MMA training. Colonel Parker with a backstage promo hyping his new tag team after their win. MVP talking about his match next week with Sami Callihan. Another Strickland / Havoc video package.

Shane Strickland versus Jimmy Havoc (10:35 shown)
Strickland is clearly the better athlete here, I wouldn't mind Havoc having stretches of offense but they really needed to have him cheat or use weapons. First time so far that MLW does a commercial break during a match, so that sucks. Strickland back in control, but Havoc counters again without cheating or weapons. I just don't get it, he shouldn't be going move for move with Strickland. Then Havoc with a Canadian Destroyer AND a lariat right after for a near fall for fuck's sake. Ref bump (ugh) and low blow by Havoc for another close near fall. Strickland knocks Havoc to the floor but his feet get tangled in the ropes. Double stomp on the outside, double stomp inside the ring and that finishes it. This was less than I had hoped for. **1/2

Strickland promo takes us home. Thought they should have had Pentagon come out and do a stare down to build their match, but I guess this episode was more about establishing Strickland than anything else. This episode was more of an “average” hour long wrestling TV episode, although that said I still thought the matches underwhelmed a bit, especially the main event. 4/10 for me.

[cgstong]

Douglas James has been signed

[Memphis Mark]

MLW is great. I watch both MLW and NJPW every week. Court Bauer and his team really understand the true essence of pro wrestling.

[Montana]

I've been fairly skeptical of MLW, and i will say they do a great jobs of turning lemons in lemonade...so to speak. They are forced to get a lot of outcast, and other miscellaneous talent and they do a pretty darn good job putting it all together. I'm not sure how well they do from a revenue standpoint, but it's a solid product. Probably my second favorite promotion right now, behind ROH.

They really nail the presentation... Good commentary, good promo's, and production. They can insert new talent, and they immediately make an impact. They bring in very young talented wrestlers, and give them a stage. They do a great job scouting.

Hopefully they can keep some of their core roster members, as i imagine there will be bidding wars for some of their top talent. I can the AEW talent is as good as gone.

[famicommander]

Their viewership numbers on BeIn Sports are in the four digits, so they can't be rolling in cash.

But then again Impact still manages to exist somehow, so hopefully MLW can use some of the same voodoo.

[famicommander]

Speaking of... how the hell is it that MLW Fusion is on television in the UK+Ireland, (Freesports), South Africa (StarTimes), and Isreal (EGO TV), but ROH isn't?

ROH has Canada, Italy, Portugal, and India. Why can't they get on TV in English speaking countries that have wrestling fanbases? Especially with people like Marty Scurll, Joe Hendry, Mark Haskins, and PJ Black on the roster.

At the very least ROH needs UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. There's no excuse for having no TV presence in the English speaking world. If they can find a network in Portugal to air ROH, why the hell not the UK?

[Memphis Mark]

Speaking of... how the hell is it that MLW Fusion is on television in the UK+Ireland, (Freesports), South Africa (StarTimes), and Isreal (EGO TV), but ROH isn't?

ROH has Canada, Italy, Portugal, and India. Why can't they get on TV in English speaking countries that have wrestling fanbases? Especially with people like Marty Scurll, Joe Hendry, Mark Haskins, and PJ Black on the roster.

At the very least ROH needs UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. There's no excuse for having no TV presence in the English speaking world. If they can find a network in Portugal to air ROH, why the hell not the UK?

Well, Court Bauer has lived the wrestling business . It is apparent that Court has a great passion for the business and puts in the required effort into MLW .

As for ROH Joe Koff is an absentee manager . ROH 's general manager is an accountant with no background in wrestling. The booker and head of talent is a midcard wrestler , that never drew any serious money.

Also the ROH guys are corporate employees. Most corporate types just do not want to make waves, They just want to keep their check coming in every month.

Court is a maverick that is chasing excellence , not a pay check.

Just maybe , that is why MLW is succeeding , why ROH is floundering like a fish out of water.

[BurningHammer]

Just with regards to Freesports here in the UK the likelihood is the numbers won’t be that high, it’s a pretty obscure channel. Impact on the other hand still has 2 or 3 strong ish outlets for its content here which is amazing really.

I would like to know why Delirious’ background as a wrestler is brought up, Gedo and Jado were pretty much in the same position if not worse really. They certainly weren’t considered incredible wrestlers of their time.

Court has very good relationships in the wrestling world especially from a local promotional aspect, he also understands what the community he wants needs which is very important, plus cashing in rightly or wrongly on name value.

Trying to combine the Noah style with his own plus Lucha will be interesting to watch, plus the talent that will be available to MLW because it could dwindle very soon even with all these agreements.

[famicommander]

I think when Lucha Underground finally announces it's done and sets everybody free, MLW and Impact could be hit very, very hard.

[Lynx]

Do they really use anyone from LU anymore?

[famicommander]

Do they really use anyone from LU anymore?

Looking at their roster, I guess not. I was thinking Pentagon and Fenix and Sami Callihan were still appearing for MLW. I am behind, obviously.