MLW Fusion results: Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc Bunkhouse match

Big Takeaways —

• Mance Warner defeated Jimmy Havoc in a bloody and brutal Bunkhouse match. However, Havoc had the last laugh after the bell.
• Air Wolf & Gringo Loco defeated Injustice (Myron Reed & Kotto Brazil w/ Jordan Oliver) after a nasty looking injury to Brazil.
• Timothy Thatcher defeated Douglas James in an excellent technical heavyweight vs. middleweight encounter. 

Full Recap —

We opened Fusion with a video recap from last week where Austin Aries attacked Teddy Hart and gave him a brainbuster on the ring apron.

Air Wolf & Gringo Loco defeated Injustice (Myron Reed & Kotto Brazil w/ Jordan Oliver) (7:46)

This was a good tag match while it lasted, but it was cut short after Brazil took a bad fall off a three-man electric chair.

Earlier today, Injustice were protesting outside the building, and from before the match, we saw a recorded message saying they were coming for their justice. We were shown a recap of this ongoing feud as Gringo Loco and Air Wolf were entering. Oliver defeated Zenshi after interference from Reed last week, and last month Gringo Loco used brass knuckles on Reed during a six-man tag — supposedly injuring his ribs.

The referee removed a chain and another pair of brass knuckles from Brazil before the bell.

Loco hit Brazil with a standing moonsault early on and an overhead belly-to-belly throw into the corner. Reed’s chest protector was put to good use as Wolf’s chop did not affect him. Reed hit a big slingshot leg drop on Loco and Injustice beat him down from there. Reed caught Loco with a step-up kick in the corner, then Brazil powerbombed him out of the corner for a two count.

Loco got some respite when he reversed a whip to the corner. Wolf caught Reed with a step-up kick and Loco dropped him with a big overhead face-first slam.

Reed and Brazil found themselves stuck up the same turnbuckle, so Loco set them up in a double electric chair position. He got them up and fell back. But as Brazil was at the top of the totem pole, he fell the furthest and the back of his head smacked the mat.

It was a scary looking landing and Brazil looked knocked out. A quick camera cut happened and Wolf pinned Brazil. This looked like it was cut short, and if Brazil was legit knocked out, it was the correct decision. I hope he recovers and is okay because that fall and his head hitting the mat looked like a real bad one.

After the bell, Injustice (including Brazil) attacked the referee Frank Gastineau. When others tried to help him to the back, Injustice returned and put the boots to them too.

– We then saw a recorded message from Mance Warner and his uncle. Warner said he came all the way down to see him beat the sh*t out of Jimmy Havoc in the Bunkhouse match. There will be blood. And as God as his witness, Warner is putting Havoc down.

– Brian Pillman Jr. then joined us via satellite with an update on Teddy Hart. He said he was just off the phone with Bret Hart and he said that Teddy has been permanently injured from the Austin Aries attack last week. Pillman called out Aries and warned him before their match next week.

 The cameras had also caught up with Salina de la Renta in the parking lot before tonight’s show. They asked what strategy Havoc has for the Bunkhouse match tonight, but de la Renta blew the cameraman off and told him that she will tell everyone when she wants, not when they ask.

– We then saw the Von Erich family at a local Dallas children’s hospital. They were visiting old friends when The Dynasty arrived. MJF said he wanted to replace all the doctors with poker tables. He shook their hands and seemed surprised they had shoes on.

MJF and Richard Holliday explained why they were there — to buy the building and turn it into a casino. Kevin Von Erich ended up knocking Holliday’s coffee out of his hand, which caused him to hyperventilate.

Timothy Thatcher defeated Douglas James (9:02)

Thatcher’s second MLW outing and James’ debut was a good one. They both did not disappoint as they put on a very technical, hard-hitting, and well-structured match. The larger Thatcher seemed to have James’ number and was able to power out of all his submission attempts. But James put up a great fight and should slot very nicely into the middleweight division ranks.

We were told James is an undefeated kickboxer but was giving up a lot of height to the much taller Thatcher. James reversed a single-leg crab into a kneebar early on, which was the story of the match in the opening exchanges — both wrestlers going to ground and focusing on the lower limbs.

James floored Thatcher with a big clothesline before laying in some kicks to the chest, but Thatcher caught one, turned it into an ankle lock, and transitioned into a bow-and-arrow hold. A belly-to-belly followed and James kicked out at two.

Thatcher locked in another single crab while James was hanging out of the ring, but James fought back and locked in an armbar. The larger Thatcher powered out and hit a pair of deadlift gutwrench slams.

James had a spirited fight-back with knees to the body and head and a superkick to the jaw that got him a two count. They exchanged chops and James hit a spinning back fist, but Thatcher shook it off, reached back, and overhead chopped James right in the face.

But James didn’t give up. Once he shook the cobwebs off, he leapt to his feet, locked in a guillotine choke, and hit a high knee when Thatcher once again fought out. He then went up top and leapt off and was looking for a horizontal rotating splash, but Thatcher got his knees up and quickly locked in a Fujiwara armbar. James immediately tapped out.

– Kaci Lennox interviewed Thatcher after the match. He put James over, telling us to keep an eye on James and that he was a great fighter. James reiterated the comments back to Thatcher and said he would fight him any day of the week. Thatcher then put out a challenge to “Filthy” Tom Lawlor. He said Lawlor vs. Thatcher sounds like a SuperFight…doesn’t it?

– We were then backstage with Havoc and a handheld camera. Warner had set up some farmer style dummies in his locker room and rammed pitchforks through them. Havoc told Warner he lives for this kind of stuff, and after licking the pitchfork, told Warner he was screwed.

– Warner was then with Lennox and his trusted whiteboard. He told Lennox to draw a bale of hay, a pitchfork, a pumpkin, a chair, and a door on the whiteboard. He told Havoc he is coming for him and is bringing his spittoon with him.

Mance Warner defeated Jimmy Havoc in a Bunkhouse match (11:38)

The crowd immediately started the “USA” chants at the sight of Warner waving the stars and stripes. In one corner of the ring, there was a cowbell, another had three bales of hay, another had a hoe and a bucket, and the fourth had a very seasonal pumpkin. Havoc was wielding a shovel around the ring, but when Warner got on the apron during his entrance, Havoc hit him with a running knee and the weapons-filled mayhem was on.

Havoc choked Warner with the flag and exploded a bale of hay over his head. Warner hit Havoc with a handle of a rake and whipped him into a wooden whiskey barrel. Havoc went for the cowbell but missed, so Warner hit him with it instead. A “more cowbell” chant started — for all you SNL, Christopher Walken, and Will Ferrell fans out there.

Warner wanted more cowbell and explored the space around the ring by sending Havoc sailing into the timekeeper’s table with the cowbell rope wrapped around his neck, but Havoc retaliated with a ring bell shot to the head.

Three different bells were then involved as Havoc — who certainly wasn’t fearing the reaper — rested the ring bell against Warner’s groin then swung the cowbell high above his head and brought it crashing down onto Ol’ Mancer. A fan asked Havoc what was wrong with him, and Havoc responded: “EVERYTHING is wrong with me.”

Havoc knocked Warner into the crowd with a bucket and choked him with a shovel to the throat. Warner recovered and whacked Havoc in the face with a chair. He then swung and missed Havoc with the shovel handle and was rolled back into the ring.

Havoc dragged a rake down Warner’s back and across his forehead. Warner fought back with a chop to the back, an eye poke, and a rake handle between the legs. He then hit him with the butt end of the rake for a two count.

Warner set up a wooden door in the corner of the ring but missed a pumpkin shot to the head when Havoc ducked. As Warner was apologizing to the fan in the front row who now had pumpkin all over his shirt, Havoc staple gunned Warner in the testicles — twice.

Havoc brought out another pumpkin and stapled Warner’s tongue to it! After the initial shock, Warner ripped it off and DDTed Havoc onto the same pumpkin. Havoc, wearing the pumpkin like a Halloween character, then ate Warner’s running Knee Pad Up/Knee Pad Down but kicked out at two.

Warner set up a second door between two chairs, but Havoc hit him with a German suplex into the hay bales and then gave him a Death Valley Driver through the door in the corner. He then stapled Warner’s tongue again — this time to the door in the middle of the ring. Warner again ripped his stapled tongue off of the wood and then superplexed Havoc through the same door.

Havoc stumbled to his feet, then Warner floored him with a big lariat and picked up the win.

As Warner was celebrating, Havoc brought out barbed wire from one of the hay bales and knocked Warner down with it. He then began stabbing the barbed wire into Warner’s forehead.

Officials entered the ring and tried to get Havoc off, but he shoved them off, sat on Warner’s back, wrapped the barbed wire around his FACE AND MOUTH, and pulled back. Officials tried again, but Havoc began swinging and knocked some of them down. He began biting Warner’s bloodied forehead for good measure too. Warner picked up the win, but Havoc had the last — bloodied — laugh.

Next Week —

• Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Austin Aries