wrestling / TV Reports
Csonka’s MLW: One-Shot Review
Loading...
Csonka’s MLW: One-Shot Review
OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Tama Tonga defeated Martin Stone @ 6:54 via pin [**½]
– Rhett Giddins and Seth Petruzelli defeated Mike Parrow and Saieve Al Sabah @ 8:00 via submission [*]
– MJF defeated Jimmy Yuta @ 6:52 via pin [*½]
– Barrington Hughes defeated Markos Espada @ 0:05 via pin [NR]
– Darby Allin defeated Jason Cade @ 8:45 via pin [***]
– Santana Garrett defeated Mia Yim @ 12:47 via pin [***]
– Tom Lawlor defeated Jeff Cobb @ 9:20 via pin [***]
– MVP defeated Sami Callihan @ 12:15 via pin [**]
– Shane Strickland defeated Ricochet @ 33:25 via pin [****]
– Follow all of my reviews at this link.
– Rich Bocchini and Tony Schiavone welcome us to the show.
Tama Tonga vs. Martin Stone: Stone is NXT’s Danny Burch. Tonga’s going no short to remind everyone that he has abs. He attacks at the bell, but Stone scurvies the aryl onslaught and this is just going to be a brawl. It spills to the floor for a while, Tonga takes control and brings it back in. The action slows, but Stone finally connects with flying knees and he then fires up, they trade head butts but Stone hits an uppercut, and then turns Tonga inside out with a lariat, covering for 2. Tonga fights back, hitting the Tonga twist for 2. Stone counters out of the lawn dart, and hits a powerbomb for a good near fall. Tonga battles back with an Alabama slam for 2. The gun stun follows and Tonga wins. Tama Tonga defeated Martin Stone @ 6:54 via pin [**½] This was a solid back and forth match, and was refreshing to see Tonga work with someone new.
– Rich Bocchini and Tony Schiavone are keeping commentary light and conversational, mixing in important info and coming across as welcoming.
Rhett Giddins and Seth Petruzelli vs. Mike Parrow and Saieve Al Sabah: Petruzelli is a former MMA fighter that came to fame when he KO’d Kimbo Slice. He also worked at the WWE Performance Center as a striking coach. Parrow and Giddins into begin. They work power vs. power, and Giddins then hits a leg lariat. Parrow hits a German, Sabah tags himself in. Giddins hits a superkick, Petruzelli tags in and lays in knee strikes. The cradle gets 2.Parrow then powerbombs him into Giddins, and Parrow and Sabah work quick tags, working the heat on Petruzelli. Parrow and Sabah argue, and Petruzelli locks in a triangle on Parrow. Sabah tags back in, it gets sloppy as Parrow hits a suplex. Giddins tags in, runs wild and hits a 619. The cutter follows but Sabah kicks out. Petruzelli back in, it breaks down and Gifddins is tossed. Parrow hits a sack of shit slam, Sabah misses a moonsault and makes Sabah tap to some sort of cradle. Rhett Giddins and Seth Petruzelli defeated Mike Parrow and Saieve Al Sabah @ 8:00 via submission [*] This was a sloppy mess, not good at all.
– Parrow lays out Sabah post match.
– MJF cuts a short heel promo before the match. He’s better than all of us.
MJF vs. Jimmy Yuta: They work some fast paced back and forth to open the match. MJF now wants a handshake, Yuta catches the kick, MJF yells at him and Yuta starts to control, hitting arm drags and drop kicks. MJF uses the ref as a shield, and attacks Yuta. MJF works the arm, hits a toss and covers for 2. Back rake by MJF, sets Yuta up top and they battle. Yuta shoves him off and hits a high cross. Yuta fires up, and hits a RANA, sending MJF into the buckles. The sitout powerbomb for 2. Yuta hits corner attacks, they work up top and MJF shoves him off and hits a double stomp. MJF hits the pump handle driver, covering for 2. MJF toys with Yuta, slapping him around and they trade rights. Yuta takes him down, working ground and pound. MJF fakes an injury, taking the ref. He then rolls up Yuta with the tights for the win. MJF defeated Jimmy Yuta @ 6:52 via pin [*½] A completely flat and uninspired match. I’ve seen way better from MJF, but this just didn’t work.
Barrington Hughes vs. Markos Espada: Hughes weighs in at 469 pounds. Hughes attacks with a corner splash and picks up the pin right away. Barrington Hughes beat Markos Espada @ 0:05 via pin [NR] SQUASH.
Darby Allin vs. Jason Cade: Allin has made waves in EVOLVE over the past year, Cade has been working all over the place, getting over as a really fun and charismatic highflier. They work a really fun back and forth to start, keeping a good pace and showing more energy than anything else on the show so far. Cade starts to take control, sends Allin to the floor and follows with a sweet tope. Back in and Cade covers for 2. Cade lays Allin over the ropes and follows with a leg drop for 2. Allin gets a roll up for 2. Allin gets a cradle for 2 and hits a springboard high cross, covering for 2. They work into a series of counters, with Cade hitting a code breaker for 2. Allin cuts off a charge, and then Allin hits a coffin drop to the apron. Back in and Allin hits another coffin drop, covering for 2. Allin fires up with strikes, but Cade cuts him off and hits a rolling fisherman’s buster for 2. Cade cuts off Allin and they battle up top. Cade takes out the legs, hits the double stomp and corner DVD for 2. The Cade frog splash eats knees, and Allin scores the win with the Gibson lock Darby Allin defeated Jason Cade @ 8:45 via pin [***] This was a good back and forth match, easily the best thing on the show.
Santana Garrett vs. Mia Yim: They lockup to begin. They work some slick counters, with Garrett taking things to the ground. They separate and go back to the feet. Lockup again, off the ropes and Garrett gets a roll up and both go for several pin attempts. They work into a stalemate. Yim pulls the hair, lays in chops but Garrett hits arm drags. The superkick is blocked, and Yim connects with a spin kick. Yim tosses Garrett to the corner, and then slams Garrett to the buckles as she heels it up here. They trade strikes, Yim takes control and covers for 2. Thy trade strikes, Garrett fires up and gets a sunset flip for 2. Yim lays in kicks, and chokes out Garrett in the ropes. Yim continues the heat, working a bow and arrow. Garrett slips out, covering for 2. Yim hits the dropkick, cutting off Garrett. She argues with the ref, allowing Garrett to roll her up for 2. Yim makes the mistake of celebrating, but quickly fights back, looks for the package piledriver but Garrett escapes. They trade strikes, and we get a double down. They get to the feet, trading big time strikes and chops. Garrett hits a heads butt and clotheslines. This fires Yim up, as she lays in forearms. Garrett hits a desperation tornado DDT for 2. Garrett hits the back handspring elbow, covering for 2. Yim hits a bridging German, covering for 2. The gut wrench suplex follows, and Yim covers for 2. Yim heads up top, but Garrett cuts her of and hits a head scissors. The back handspring moonsault connects, and Garrett picks up the win. Santana Garrett defeated Mia Yim @ 12:47 via pin [***] This was a good back and forth match, with the big difference here being that both were actually playing to the crowd, unlike in previous matches.
Tom Lawlor vs. Jeff Cobb: Lawlor is a UFC fighter, who is currently suspended for a USADA violation, and is back to wrestling. Lawlor has corner men accompanying him to the ring. Cobb may be better known as The Monster Matanza Cueto in Lucha Underground. They go to the ground right away, grappling as Lawlor tries to keep the bigger man grounded. Cobb gets the takedown, as they work into more grappling. Back to the feet, and they work to the corner and we get a break. Lawlor works foot stomps, and then lays in kicks and strikes. Lawlor now chops down the legs, but Cobb catches one and hits the sack of shit slam. Cobb sets Lawlor up top, follows him up and Lawlor fights him off but Cobb battles back with a dropkick. Cobb back up with Lawlor, and hits a delayed superplex. Cobb covers for 1. The standing moonsault connects but Lawlor counters the standing shooting star press into a guillotine. Cobb powers out and hits a suplex. Lawlor cuts him off with a clothesline and now rolls for an arm bar. Lawlor transitions into a kimura, Cobb rolls, but Lawlor maintains the hold. Cobb powers to his feet and hits a running powerslam and both men are down. Cobb got busted open, bleeding from the nose. Lawlor locks in a sleeper, Cobb powers out but Lawlor hits a German. Lawlor follows with chops, they trade strikes and Lawlor grabs an arm bar once again. Cobb powers out and Lawlor counters with an eye rake and a dodgey sunset flip for the win. Tom Lawlor defeated Jeff Cobb @ 9:20 via pin [***] This was good, with a flat ending. But I really enjoyed the stylistic change, it felt fresh and made the match stand out from the rest of the show.
MVP vs. Sami Callihan: MVP is wearing his Punisher gear. Sami charges at the bell and lays the boots to MVP. MVP fires up and kick him to the floor. MVP follows with the slingshot plancha and we get some floor brawling. Back in and MVP works ground and pound, but Sami fights back, sending MVP to the floor and hits a suicide dive. He then piles chairs onto MVP, and then sets MVP in a chair and they trade strikes form the chairs. Sami sloppily counters a slam attempt and falls to the floor. He then suplexes MVP onto some chairs. More floor brawling, Sami does his spit spot and chops MVP. They continue around the ring, and MVP gets sat in another chair and Sami takes a lap but runs into an MVP kick. MVP puts Sami in the chair, and hits a running boot. Sami still in the chair now but Sami uses the ref as a shield and hits MVP with a chair. Sami now looks for the countout, but MVP beats the count. Sami teases the ballin elbow drop but MVP counters. MVP fires up with strikes, hits a lariat and face buster. MVP hits the ballin elbow and a fisherman’s suplex for 2. Sami counters the playoff the day and hits a Jay driller and running kick for 2. The stretch muffler follows, but MVP escapes and hits another lariat. The playoff the day follows but only gets 2. The shining wizard follows, but only for 2. MVP hits another fisherman suplex for the win. MVP defeated Sami Callihan @ 12:15 via pin [**] There are to Samis; Sami sprint, which rules, and slow generic brawling Sami, which is no good and what we got here. The crowd at ringside seemed to really enjoy it, since the action was right in front of them. But it didn’t come across great as a TV match; Sami working his flat brawling against MVP in 2017 was nor a recipe for success.
Shane Strickland vs. Ricochet: They work a slow and measured opening stretch, with Ricochet being rather dismissive of Strickland. They keep things slow, taking the action to the mat. Strickland targets the arm early, while Ricochet looks to work the leg. They work to the feet and trade chops. They pick up the pace, working some passes and counters, and after a great athletic display, Strickland counters the benadryller and we have a standoff. Strickland then goes to the submission game, attacking the arm again and working from an arm bar and then bending Ricochet in half, doing a pentagon like arm snap spot. Ricochet picks up the pace and hits a running dropkick. He lays the boots to Strickland, beating him down along the ropes. Chops follow, and follows with uppercuts. The senton atomico follows, and then more kicks as Ricochet sells the arm well. Ricochet follows with a side slam into a cradle for 2. Strickland fires back with chops, but runs into a spinebuster. The people’s moonsault follows for 2. They start to slap each other around, Ricochet stands on Strickland’s hair, which pisses off Strickland, who follows with strikes. Ricochet cuts him off with a spike DDT, covering for 2. They trade vicious strikes, big knee strike by Strickland and then trips up Ricochet and follows with a cutter for the double down. Strickland now attacks with chops, strikes and knees. Strickland then hits a leaping kick, covering for 2. Strickland then hits a flatliner, and XPLODER to the buckles, covering for 2. Ricochet fires back, hits a shotgun dropkick and looks to fire up. Strickland escapes the benadryller, misses a 619 allowing Ricochet to hit one and he follows with a springboard forearm and running shooting star press for 2. Strickland fights out of a suplex with knees, and trips up Ricochet and follows with a springboard double stomp for a good near fall. Strickland looks for storm cradle driver, but Ricochet counters out and hits a roundhouse kick. He then decapitates Strickland with a wicked lariat. They make it back to their feet, trading strikes and kicks. Strickland starts laying in forearm strikes, but Ricochet hits a big release German, he heads up top now, but Strickland cuts him off. Strickland follows with a head kick, follows him up and Ricochet snags him up and looks for a tombstone but Strickland escapes and follows with kicks and a DT for a great near fall. Strickland follows with a top rope double stomp but Ricochet survives! Strickland now hits a running kick, but Ricochet rolls into the rolling dead lift suplex and hits a springboard 450 splash for another great near fall. Ricochet heads back up top but had to roll through on the shooting star press. Strickland hits a shotgun dropkick; Ricochet battles back and hits a vertigo driver for another near fall. Ricochet lays in some little insulting kicks to Strickland, but Strickland cradles him for 2. He then transitions into an arm bar, Ricochet escapes but Strickland hits a knee strike. Strickland lays the boots to him, just stomping away and locks in the arm bar again. Ricochet fights, escapes and powers into a powerbomb! The benadryller is countered and Strickland locks in the arm bar again. Ricochet fights, but has to tap. Shane Strickland defeated Ricochet @ 33:25 via pin [****] This was a great match, blowing the rest of the show out of the water. I’ll give them credit, they could have just played the hits and done a ton of spots and highflying, and that would have pleased the crowd and been a ton of fun. But they went a completely different route, working a well rounded and deeply layered match, with Strickland showing a completely different side of himself, and Ricochet selling like a million bucks for him as he put him over clean. With the Lucha Underground deal about to be over, his emotional loss and post match promo in NJPW, combined with this clean loss, putting over his friend, it really does feel like Ricochet is WWE bound.
– End scene.
– Thanks for reading.
“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”
