MLW Anthology video & results: CONTRA Unit

The Big Takeaways:

  • The #StrongHearts from OWE (CIMA, El Lindaman and Shigehiro Irie) took on MLW World Champion Fatu, Simon Gotch, and Josef Samael in an action-packed six-man battle.
  • Fatu defended his title against the then-holder of the Battle Riot golden ticket: the Mexican legend LA Park.

CONTRA Unit (Jacob Fatu, Simon Gotch and Josef Samael) defeated #StrongHearts (CIMA, Shigehiro Irie and El Lindaman) (11:01)

CIMA and Gotch had a chopfest to kick us off. They started at 100 mph and the StrongHearts quickly had Gotch in the corner eating a dropkick to the back. CONTRA fought back and singled out Lindaman after a quick flurry by the 5’3” OWE star. Fatu hit Lindaman with a superkick to the temple, but Lindaman fired up and even got Fatu off his feet with a slam attempt but the MLW champion’s size power was too much as he flattened Lindaman to the mat.

Irie tagged in and hit Gotch with a splash after springing back first off the top rope. He then reversed a Gotch piledriver and instead piledrove Samael on top of Gotch. Fatu came in and they met with clotheslines, but neither budged. They collided with crossbody attempts, but Fatu got to his feet almost immediately as Irie writhed in pain on the ground. Fatu hit his handspring moonsault, but CIMA broke up the pinfall attempt.

The action then broke down into a six-way brawl on the outside. Fatu chopped a ring post and was sent to the guardrail before he and Irie traded suicide dives onto each other. All three StrongHearts then teamed up and got Fatu back inside. They chopped him but Fatu fought back with right hands. CIMA hit him with double knees from the top, Irie hit a rolling senton while he was draped on the middle rope, and Lindaman hit a bridging delayed German suplex for the close near fall only to be broken up by Gotch. Lindaman then took out Samael with a somersault plancha to the outside. But inside, Fatu caught CIMA with a pop-up Samoan drop and a top rope moonsault with 300 pounds behind it to pick up the pin and the victory for his team.

– A video played hyping up the return of MLW Underground this July.

– There was a short video package recapping the big moments from the buildup to our next match: LA Park’s Battle Riot win, Fatu winning the title from Tom Lawlor, and Salina declaring the cash in.

MLW Champion Jacob Fatu defeated LA Park (19:56)

This match was from MLW’s SuperFight PPV.

This was a battle of the monsters and had a big fight feel to it, and the match itself was as wild as you would imagine it to be.

They opened with a forearm exchange and then a parade of German suplexes before Park took Fatu down with a combination of running clotheslines. Park’s athleticism for his age is still incredible. He hit an early suicide dive to the outside that had Fatu’s cornerman Josef Samael worried. Salina de la Renta, who accompanied Park to ringside, unintentionally distracted the referee which let Samael freely enter the ring and use a spike to bust Park open. Fatu had also ripped his mask in half so the blood was visibly pouring out of the Mexican legend’s forehead.

They brawled around ringside as the fans got an up close and personal look at the carnage in front of them. Back in the ring, Fatu continued the beatdown as we were told that de la Renta had recently been spending time in Mexico looking for contracts for reality programs instead of spending time preparing for the title match with her team, Promociones Dorado.

Park’s insane athleticism was on display again as he pulled out another amazing maneuver when he hit a twisting springboard senton off the top rope. On the outside, Park threw a table at the champion and then broke the timekeeper’s bell across Fatu’s forehead, busting him open as well.

Fatu later retaliated with a springboard twisting senton of his own, but then the move of the night came when Fatu ran and launched himself from inside the ring over the top rope to the floor and hit Park with a Fosbury flop. He then tried to put Park away inside the ring with his moonsault, but Park moved at the last minute. Park then slowly crawled to make the cover, but Samael came in and broke the count by throwing a fireball at the referee.

This brought de la Rena in to confront Samael but she ended up taking a spear from Park through a table in the corner when Samael moved at the last moment. Fatu then hit a superkick to Park, an elevated Samoan drop, and a double jump springboard moonsault to retain his title.

I previewed this match last week and described it as organized chaos. It was exactly that and more. Both warriors were bloodied, we had a referee on the floor burned by a fireball, de la Rena was crushed under a destroyed table in the corner, and Fatu barley staggered his way to the back with his title draped over his bloody and battered shoulder.

**********

The modern day MLW stars gave their fans an update of what they’ve been up to as this week’s instalment of Pulp Fusion rounded off this episode of Anthology:

  • “Filthy” Tom Lawlor was channeling his inner Eminem with his own rendition of “Stan” by writing a letter to his dad, but of course, turning it into a rant about the Von Erichs. 
  • Low Ki and King Mo continued their war of words ahead of their inevitable return match.
  • The Parks (LA Park, El Hijo de LA Park, and LA Park Jr.) told CONTRA Unit to eat pork skins and choke on them.
  • Savio Vega was in Carolina, Puerto Rico, outside of the Estadio Roberto Clemente. He challenged Richard Holliday to come to Puerto Rico, bring Vega’s Caribbean championship, and face him for it. 
  • Holliday politely declined the challenge while he was searching for his golf ball. He had hit a wayward shot because he is stressed about an FDA investigation into tainted supplements in his Dynastic coffee. 
  • “Heavyweight Hustle” Calvin Tankman is officially in MLW and can’t wait to prove he is one of the best in the world against Hammerstone, Fatu, or anyone MLW has to offer. 
  • Speaking of Hammerstone, he was benching in the gym and challenged everyone to the first-ever Hammerstone Bodybuilding Invitational. 
  • The bear that Mance Warner got a hold of to fight inside his triple cage was set free and was roaming in Old Mancer’s house. 
  • Jordan Oliver checked off a goal for turning 21: to be better than Simon Gotch. 
  • Salina de la Renta told us we will find out what she has when the time suits her.
  • However, Konnan let us know that she owes the “wrong people” some money. 
  • CONTRA then finished off their own Anthology episode with their usual propaganda video, promising world destruction and to abuse their power. 

Next week:

The MLW Anthology series wraps up with a focus on tag team champions Ross & Marshall Von Erich.

Anthology:

Pulp Fusion: