MLW Fusion results: LA Park vs. Mance Warner death match

Quick recap —

• Gringo Loco defeated Myron Reed
• Alexander Hammerstone defeated Brian Pillman Jr.
• LA Park defeated Mance Warner in a death match

Full rundown —

– We opened backstage with Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr. as we were told by commentator Rich Bocchini that the Chicago Police Department had arrived at the arena to arrest Hart for vandalizing MJF’s vehicle.

Before being escorted away, Hart told Smith to let MJF know that when Hart sees MJF on the street, he is f*cking dead. Brian Pillman Jr. arrived at the scene shortly before MJF and Richard Holliday, who rubbed salt in the wound.

Gringo Loco defeated Myron Reed (7:21)

A great showcase for both competitors as Loco continued his good run of form with a solid win. Reed showed a lot of strong offense, which should set him up for a good 2019 in MLW.

Reed came to the ring with tape covering his mouth with “Free Swann” written on it, adding a little character to his already stellar in-ring ability. We saw a quick recap of the Swann situation and we learned he has been suspended from MLW for attacking officials and Bocchini a few weeks ago.

Referee Doug Markham thoroughly checked Reed before ringing the bell — as Reed has a history of hiding foreign objects and using them in his matches.

Loco kept one step ahead of Reed during the opening exchanges by rolling and cartwheeling out of all of Reed’s attacks. Reed finally got Loco down with an enzuigiri and a double knee facebreaker out of the corner. With Loco on the outside, Reed had his back facing out and looked like he was being clotheslined and eliminated from a battle royal (minus the clothesline), but he caught Loco in a headscissors and took him down in a very innovative way.

Reed was having trouble with the official, complaining of slow counts and complaining that he was in the way. It seemed to be distracting Reed, as Loco was able to fight back and hit a powerbomb and piledriver. He looked to finish Reed off with a suplex, but Reed spun in mid-air and dropped Loco with a stunner. Moments later, Reed ran at Loco but was caught with a standing Spanish Fly in the middle of the ring.

The high-flying action continued as Loco flattened Reed on the outside with a tope con hilo. Reed caught Loco on the top rope with a step-up kick, then nearly dropped Loco on his head with a springboard hurricanrana. A 450 splash then got Reed another close two count as he got right in Markham’s face to complain about the count.

Loco hit a big springboard cutter while Reed was distracted, then went to the top rope and crushed Reed with a corkscrew splash for the win.

After the match, Reed got right in the referee’s face again to complain about the count — and ended up grabbing him by the shirt and slapping him across the face. Reed then approached the announcer’s table before the officials dragged him to the back.

– Mance Warner was backstage with Kaci Lennox talking about his death match later with LA Park. Warner had his white board with him again and gave us insight into his tactics for the death match: #1 Light beers, #2 Eye pokes, #3 Knee pad up, knee pad down. He said that adds up to the pay window and Ol’ Mancer picking up the win.

– Matt Striker announced “Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. Jimmy Havoc for the MLW World Heavyweight title in a street fight in New York on April 4.

He also announced new names for the 40-man Battle Riot match on April 5: Mance Warner, Daga, Air Wolf, and Barrington Hughes. Previously announced names include LA Park, Rey Fenix, El Hijo de LA Park, Brian Pillman Jr., Gringo Loco, Pentagon Jr., Minoru Tanaka, Ken Kerbis, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Ace Austin, Teddy Hart, Alexander Hammerstone, Ace Romero, MJF, and Low Ki.

– MJF and Richard Holliday were backstage laughing because they had a text from superintendant Johnson from the Chicago Police Department with a mugshot of Teddy Hart. They want to put the mug shot on  shirts, mugs and a billboard in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

– Contra Unit (Simon Gotch, Josef Samael, and Jacob Fatu) were backstage. They explained that Contra are the crusaders of nihilistic terror. They said they want the gold and the power. Fatu said they are the international dealers in violence, Gotch said business is good, and Samael said you cannot burn a kingdom made of fire.

– A pre-taped promo from Ace Romero cut in at the end of Contra’s, with Romero saying that he is coming for Contra Unit after their beatdown on him last week.

Alexander Hammerstone (w/ MJF and Richard Holliday) defeated Brian Pillman Jr. (5:23)

MJF took the mic and tried to start mouthing off, but the crowd drowned him out each time. He finally told us that he had a public service announcement for everyone: Teddy Hart is in jail, yet again, because he is a white trash scumbag. MJF told everyone he is better than them and they know it.

Pillman ran to the ring and smacked Hammerstone with a right hand to kick things off. MJF got on a headset for some more mouthing off as Hammerstone ate a superkick from Pillman inside the ring. Pillman had the early advantage, but Hammerstone eventually overpowered him and took control after a big spinebuster.

Hammerstone locked in a chinlock as we heard that Hart had arrived in the local Chicago PD, indicating that he and his bailer Davey Boy Smith Jr. wouldn’t be here to help Pillman, who was fighting back against his larger opponent and was able to hit a powerslam for a close two count.

Hammerstone got the advantage back when MJF distracted Pillman, which let Hammerstone gorilla press and drop Pillman throat-first on the top rope. On commentary, Jim Cornette let us know of Pillman’s father’s troubles with his throat and voice as Hammerstone clotheslined and hit the Nightmare Pendulum to pick up the victory.

All three members of The Dynasty stomped and beat down Pillman after the match. Hammerstone took Hart’s chains that he gave to Pillman earlier in the night and broke them in front of his face.

– The cameras caught up with MLW World Heavyweight Champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, with him telling us that when you’re the champ, your work is never done. He was in the gym training, sparring, and rolling as he told Jimmy Havoc that he can take Brexit back over the pond and drown with the scum.

LA Park (presented by Salina de la Renta) defeated Mance Warner in a death match (18:38)

A wild and crazy way to finish off this week’s Fusion episode. Park picked up the victory after eventually overcoming Warner’s stubbornness and toughness.

Park threw a chair into the ring as he was making his way around ringside soaking in the applause. Warner got his own strong ovation from the Chicago crowd as he unveiled the star spangled banner, slapped hands, and gave eye pokes/too sweets to the fans at ringside.

Dueling chants erupted. They went face-to-face, nose-to-nose, and head-to-head as they sized each other up. Warner looked in his element staring into the eyes of Park — and the crowd sensed this could be something worth watching. Barring noses and foreheads, they did not touch for the first few moments.

With the USA and Mexican flags donning each side of the ring, Park shoved Warner and strut his world famous strut. Warner responded with a shove and a strut of his own, which didn’t go down too well with the Chicago crowd. A quick eye poke did though as we were off and running in our main event death match.

Warner took Park to the outside and began choppin’… and choppin’ before whipping Park into the guardrail. An “LA Park” chant began as it seemed he had a solid fan base in Chicago. They briefly brawled through the crowd and reappeared ringside with a table.

Back in the ring, Warner drove a chair into Park’s midsection before using it to assist him in a step-up into a tornado DDT. Park then brought his knee pad up — and the crowd responded when he took his knee pad down and hit Park with two running knees to the head.

Warner introduced a Singapore cane from under the ring and used it to execute a side Russian leg sweep — but only got a two count. Warner sat Park on a chair in the middle of the ring and hit a few headbutts, which knocked himself a bit loopy. He tried his knee pad spot again, but I guess the headbutts took too much out of him as Park caught him and dropped him back, shoulder, and possibly head-first onto the chair.

Park took the advantage and hit Warner across the arm, shoulder, and face with the chair as Warner tried to roll for cover. On the outside, Park placed Warner on the table before squashing him (and the table) with a running senton. He then rested the broken table against the guardrail and drove Warner through it with a powerslam. Cornette let us know that anything goes, but to win you have to pin your opponent inside the ring.

Back inside, Park used his belt to whip Warner across the back — but the Eye Poke God liked it! Warner took off his own suspenders and they began a whipping battle. The materials were soon swapped for forearms and chops as they went back and forth again, visibly slowing as the action was taking its toll. Warner took off his shirt, but Park eventually floored his opponent and got a two count.

Park introduced a replacement piece of the ring’s wooden paneling to the ring and set it up between two seated chairs. Warner was placed on the wood as Park climbed the ropes and hit another flattening senton, which crushed Warner, the wood, and the two chairs, but it only got a two count.

A brutal wooden segment shot to the head floored Warner again for another two count. Park kept on his brutal attack as he collided with Warner and the guardrail with a suicide dive to the outside.

Referee Frank Gastineau had an earful from Park as Warner kicked out of another two count. The action continued back and forth before Warner caught Park with a kick in the corner and hit a DDT, bringing him back into the ring for a two count of his own. The count was broken by Park grabbing the bottom rope — and Cornette did mention how absurd it was that you could use all these weapons, chairs, and tables, but by using the traditional rope break rule, you could not be beaten.

Warner then went for a dive of his own…so he ran, stopped, stepped through the ropes, sat on the apron, and eye poked Park through his mask. Back inside, Warner launched a chair at him for another close near fall.

Warner climbed the corner and Park launched a chair back at him, which cascaded off of Warner’s head and spun into the crowd. We heard a shriek from the crowd as Cornette told us it seemed to clip someone.

On the replay of the chair shot, we missed Park bringing Warner back into the ring and a close near fall. A missile dropkick and a spear followed as Park picked up the win, giving Warner his first loss in MLW.

El Hijo de LA Park and Salina de la Renta joined Park in the ring to celebrate as the episode went off the air.

Next week —

• Teddy Hart defends his MLW Middleweight title