MLW Fusion results: Lio Rush vs Laredo Kid title vs. title match
The Big Takeaway:
Lio Rush is now a double champion as the MLW Middleweight Champion defeated Laredo Kid to take his AAA Cruiserweight title.
Show Recap:
ACH defeated Brian Pillman Jr. (5:53)
The question leading into this was whether ACH was 100% after he was on the receiving end of an attack before his last match against MLW Champion Jacob Fatu. The alleged attackers have not been confirmed, but Tom Lawlor and Team Filthy are the clear front runners. Lawlor and ACH met in the Opera Cup with Lawlor coming out on top, but the captain of Team Filthy was disgruntled ACH that received an MLW title shot before him despite him winning the tourney.
Lawlor, Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini made their way out to watch the action as Pillman, trying to avoid his third straight loss since the MLW restart, tried to outwrestle ACH early but took a big dropkick as things evened out.
Pillman focused his attack on ACH’s taped ribs which kept him grounded for the majority of the bout until ACH caught Pillman on the top rope with a run up the ropes flip kick. He then finished Pillman off with a brainbuster as Team Filthy crept to ringside.
After the bell, the Von Erichs ran in to save ACH from a beatdown. Ku and Garrini had to drag Lawlor to safety as the Von Erichs had their hands briefly on him at last. ACH, Marshall and Eric then told Team Filthy not to mess with Texas.
— After Salina de la Renta announced last week that the new owners of Promociones Dorado, Azteca Underground, had made an offer to buy IWA Puerto Rico, Savio Vega responded on behalf of his home promotion. He said the company is not for sale, even though they have taken a hit during the pandemic. He said IWA Puerto Rico was made for the fans and will stay that way. Vega has crossed the new owner (“El Jefe” as he is being called) so as punishment, de la Renta booked Mil Muertes vs Savio Vega for next week in an Aztec jungle fight.
Calvin Tankman defeated Zenshi (5:52)
In a rematch from December, Tankman took on Zenshi in another good showcase for both competitors. The commentary team mentioned Zenshi’s losing streak and Tankman’s winning streak, but questioned if Zenshi had found a weakness in Tankman’s game which is why he signed the open contract.
Tankman has Keith Lee-style big man athleticism and put it on display here with some leapfrogs, dropdowns and a big dropkick that caught Zenshi in the face. His power game was on point as well as he bieled Zenshi across the ring with ease.
“Heavyweight Hustle” missed a standing shooting star press and Zenshi looked like he had scouted it well when he immediately hit one of his own. The problem, however, was that Tankman caught him, powered up, and after reversing a hurricanrana and a short exchange, he turned him inside out with a big clothesline.
Zenshi slipped out of the Tankman driver, hit a springboard Pele kick, and a top rope tiger feint kick but was caught coming off the top rope and drilled with a Tankman driver that finished him off.
— We learned that National Openweight Champion Alex Hammerstone suffered a grade one concussion after last week’s Baklei Brawl. CONTRA’s propaganda video this week had Josef Samael saying Hammerstone had failed and their next mission is to end him. He also warned Injustice that the black flag of CONTRA will reign and that all MLW gold will eventually be in their control.
— After the recent dubious refereeing by disgraced former NBA official Tim Donaghy in the Richard Holliday vs. Vega strap match, Alicia Atout interviewed Holliday about MLW’s investigation and ongoing litigation. Holliday said that it was all assumptions and there was no hard evidence of corruption.
— MLW Top 10 rankings for this week: Laredo Kid at 10, Daivari at 9, Myron Reed at 8, Mil Muertes at 7, Richard Holliday at 6, Mads Krugger at 5, Lio Rush at 4, Low Ki at 3, Tom Lawlor at 2, and Hammerstone still ranked number 1.
Injustice (Myron Reed and Jordan Oliver) vs. CONTRA Unit (Simon Gotch and Daivari) never got started
Injustice and CONTRA Unit have had their fair share of encounters recently. Oliver and Gotch had a war of words during the summer lockdown period, a war which ended with Gotch attacking Oliver and choking him out. As new Fusion episodes began, it was CONTRA who made the first move by attacking Reed and Oliver backstage and then again after Gotch had defeated Oliver just a few weeks ago.
Later in the same night, it was Injustice who had the last laugh as Reed and Oliver posed as CONTRA’s Sentai Death Squad members and took out the group while they celebrated Fatu’s title defense against ACH. Last week. Oliver quickly took out a real member of the SDS which led to this scheduled tag team match tonight.
CONTRA entered first, but Jacob Fatu jumped Injustice as they made their way to the ring. Injustice fought back and Reed hit a big plancha to everyone on the floor. Inside the ring, they got Fatu 2-on-1 and hit a superkick/springboard cutter combo before officials dragged CONTRA away and Oliver declared to Fatu that he “wants that f*cking belt.”
MLW World Middleweight Champion Lio Rush defeated AAA Cruiserweight Champion Laredo Kid, winning the AAA Cruiserweight title (10:25)
With both champions coming off recent victories and both being amazingly spectacular in the ring, this one promised to be a great match and it delivered.
Earlier in the day, Rush was full of confidence saying that this wasn’t a big opportunity for him, but it was for Kid. He made that perfectly clear as he tried to ground Kid and put him away in the first five minutes. Kid fought back with a Michinoku driver, a pair of moonsaults and an inverted figure four. Kid then missed a senton from the top, but rolled through and was on the receiving end of Rush’s bounce back stunner.
Rush then hit his Final Hour frog splash to pick up the win and the AAA Cruiserweight Championship, becoming a double champion.
Next week:
Tom Lawlor’s Filthy Island presents:
- King Mo vs. Low Ki in a no holds barred fight
- Rocky Romero in action
- Dominic Garrini vs. Mauna Loa
- Mil Muertes vs Savio Vega in an Aztec jungle fight
In three weeks *
- MLW Champion Jacob Fatu vs Jordan Oliver
- MLW Tag Team Champions Los Parks vs CONTRA Unit (Simon Gotch & Daivari)