Csonka’s MLW Fusion Review 8.31.18

Csonka’s MLW Fusion Review 8.31.18

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Teddy Hart defeated Vandal Ortagun @ 3:43 via pin [**]
– Simon Gotch’s Open Prizefight Challenge: Simon Gotch defeated Angel Pierce @ 0:25 via pin [NT]
– Jason Cade defeated Jimmy Yuta @ 10:05 via pin [**½]
– Tom Lawlor defeated Jake Hager @ 9:00 via pin [**½]

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Teddy Hart vs. Vandal Ortagun: Hart rants a lot about the company screwing him and then attacks Ortagun with strikes in the corner. Hart follows with knee strikes, and then stomps away at the arm of Ortagun. Ortagun fights back, counters a suplex and gets a cradle for 2. Hart quickly counters out into a crossface variation and then releases it to bitch at the ref. Hart follows with more knee strikes, and a pop up backstabber. Hart takes time celebrating and doesn’t follow up. Hart hits a cradle hammerlock DDT and covers, but Hart pulls him up at 2. Project Ciampa finishes it. Teddy Hart defeated Vandal Ortagun @ 3:43 via pin [**] This was ok, serving as a highlight for Hart to show off and advance his Hart Foundation vs. MLW angle.

Simon Gotch’s Open Prizefight Challenge: Team Filthy are out with Gotch. If you last 5-minutes, you win $500. Angel Pierce (out to a great “Gonna Fly Now” knockoff theme) has answered the challenge. Pierce is allegedly a 23-0 boxer; Gotch immediately no sells his offense and DESTROYS him with a piledriver for the win. Simon Gotch defeated Angel Pierce @ 0:25 via pin [NR] This was an absolutely beautiful squash match.

– Abyss cuts a promo for War Games, promising destruction. Good promo from Abyss here.

– We get a video package, narrated by Low Ki, on Konan stealing Pentagon & Fenix from Salina. Low K is a great voice over guy and sold the feud well, while promising destruction to Fenix & Pentagon on September 6th.

– Matt Striker joins us with the War Game control center, hyping the card for September 6th.

Jimmy Yuta vs. Jason Cade: These two are former tag team partners until Cade became an asshole and turned on Yuta. They talk trash and brawl right away. Yuta takes control and hits a suicide dive after Cade powdered. Yuta follows with chops on the floor, back in and Yuta hits a flying chop off the ropes for 2. The basement dropkick follows and Yuta covers for 2. Cade hides behind the ref and cheap shots Yuta. Cade follows with kicks but Yuta fires up and lays in strikes in the corner. Cade cuts him off and slaps Yuta around before standing on his head. Cade now grounds the action with a chinlock. Yuta escapes and hits a running clothesline. He follows with forearms, and then a missile dropkick. The blue thunder bomb gets 2. Cade now fires back but Yuta rolls into an STF. He yells for Cade to tap, but Cade makes the ropes. They work up top, but Cade slips out and hits a running burning hammer for 2. Cade heads up top and Yuta cuts him off, follows him up and hits a superplex; both men are down. Back to the feet and they trade strikes, Yuta takes control and the ref backs him off as Cade looks to be out. IT’S A TRAP as Rhett Gdidens arrives, lays out Yuta, and Cade covers for the pin. Jason Cade defeated Jimmy Yuta @ 10:05 via pin [**½] This was an overall solid match, but never felt to me that they captured the hate of the split that commentary was trying to sell. The run-in finish was also really anticlimactic.

– Teddy Hart, Davey Boy Smith Jr., & Brian Pillman Jr are backstage when Kevin Sullivan arrives. Hart is pissed but Sullivan puts him over anyway before noting that he’s been blackballed everywhere else. Sullivan says this is Pillman’s time, they all argue, and Hart calls Sullivan lazy and says he never made him any money. Hart tells Pillman to pick a side and attacks Sullivan. He and Smith beat his ass and bust him open. Pillman breaks a cane over Sullivan’s head, and says he may respect him, but doesn’t like him.

Tom Lawlor vs. Jake Hager: Col. Parker is out with Hager. Team Filthy is out with Lawlor. They lock up and work to the ropes. Lawlor works kicks, shoots but Hager fights off the takedown and then rushes Lawlor to he corner. Lawlor follows with strikes and chops, and then jumps on Hager’s back and locks on a sleeper until Hager escapes. Hager then tosses Lawlor around, and then works him over in the corner with strikes before tossing Lawlor across the ring again. Post break, and Lawlor hits a ingle arm DDT and transitions into an arm bar but Hager makes the ropes. They spill to the floor, and Lawlor uses a chair to attack the arm of Hager. He follows with body kicks. Back in they go and Lawlor hits a German and XPLODER. Lawlor looks for a choke, Hager makes the ropes and Lawlor hits a pump handle suplex. Back to the choke and locks in the hooks. Hager looks to fight out, rolls, but Lawlor transitions to an arm bar. Hager counters out into an ankle lock, Lawlor rolls and makes the ropes. Hager lays in ground and pound, pummeling Lawlor until Lawlor pokes him in the eyes and rolls into a cradle for the win. Tom Lawlor defeated Jake Hager @ 9:00 via pin [**½] This was a solid but underwhelming main event, with Hager putting in another lackadaisical performance overall. In my opinion, he looks completely uninterested with professional wrestling, and doesn’t even muster up the energy to play the hits. Lawlor winning was the right call, but that’s about all I have to say about this in terms of positive things.

– We close with final hype for War Games.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

6.0

The final score: review Average

The 411

This week’s episode of MLW Fusion was an overall average show. The wrestling was solid, the war Games build was solid, and they are building some solid undercard stories, but nothing stood out as important or overly impressive in any way.