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MLW FUSION – EPISODE 78
OCTOBER 5, 2019
DALLAS, TEX.
AIRED ON BEIN SPORTS NETWORK
REPORT BY JASON STOVALL, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone
(1) LOS PARKS (LA Park & El Hijo de LA Park) vs. MAGNUS & SEPTIMO DRAGON
There was no show opening this week as the show opened to a packed crowd in Dallas as Rich Bocchini and Tony Schiavone welcomed us to the show. Magnus came out to the ring sporting a pink mask as Rich informed us that Magnus was a crossover star in Mexico also starring the Mexican reality TV show El Luchador. Rich and Tony explained that the match would operate under Lucha Rules meaning tags in and out of the ring would not be necessary. Septimo Dragon also came out with a pink and black mask and Rich noted Septimo Dragon was a rising star all across Mexico including his work with the Crash promotion. Before Los Parks could make their way to the ring, Rich ran down the remaining card for the night, including Austin Aries against Brian Pillman Jr in the main event and the debut of Dominic Garrini. Los Parks came to the ring with each carrying a chair and being accompanied by Salina de la Renta. LA Park was shown wearing his traditional white skeletal garb as his son El Hijo was sporting a sick crimson red body suit.
Los Parks walked across the ring and offered handshakes and hugs their opponents. Both members of Los Parks raised the arms of Magnus and Septimo Dragon and then delivered huge slaps across their chests to knock them to the mat. The ref instantly called for the bell. All four competitors start brawling in the ring and the brawling quickly made its way to the outside floor. Rich noted that anything goes in a Lucha rules match just as LA Park smashed a chair over the back of Septimo Dragon. LA Park removed the leather belt from his garb and began smacking it over the back of Dragon. On the opposite side of the ring, El Hijo de LA Park cracked Magnus with a chair. Everyone got back in the ring and LA Park continued to lay into both of his opponents with his belt. Los Parks stayed in complete control of the match with double team moves on both Magnus and Septimo Dragon. Magnus finally broke through with some offense delivering a superkick to El Hijo de LA Park and used a flying headscissors to send LA Park to the outside along with his son. Magnus hit an inside out slingshot over the top rope, crashing on Los Parks on the ring floor. Septimo Dragon then hit a corckscrew plancha from the apron to wipe out everyone on the floor.
The action moved back to the ring and Septimo Dragon nailed El Hijo de LA Park with a spanish fly in the center of the ring. Magnus hit a swanton dive off the top turnbuckle on to LA Park. They attempted a double cover on both members of Los Parks but both kicked out. Control of the match kept switching back and forth as El Hijo hit a spanish fly of his own off the top rope on Septimo Draon as LA Park crushed Magnus with a spear. El Hijo went for the pin but only got a near fall. Los Parks threw both of their opponents in the crowd and climbed the turnbuckles to hit stereo dives into the audience on Septimo and Magnus. LA Park and Magnus were the first two back in the ring to reset the action. LA Park quickly took back control with a lariat and a nearfall. Magnus hit a couple of kicks to the upper region and then hit LA Park with a cutter for a two count. LA Park planted Magnus with a DDT and went for the cover but Septimo Dragon broke the cover with a double stomp from the top rope. LA Park and Magnus exit the ring and Septimo and El Hijo squared off. Rich noted that Septimo Dragon translated to the “seventh dragon” in Spanish. After a back and forth exchange of strikes between the two, El Hijo nailed a huge superkick. El Hijo executed a double knee facebreaker on Septimo for a two count. Septimo hit the GTS on El Hijo and a punt kick to Hijo’s head. Septimo dragged El Hijo to the corner and went for a split legged moonsault off the top turnbuckle but Hijo blocked it by getting his knees up. Hijo hit Septimo with a HUGE Mexican destroyer but it was still only good for a two count. Magnus and LA Park entered the ring replacing their two partners and LA Park charged at Magnus but Magnus dodged his spear and LA Park crashed into the ring post. Magnus went for the cover and just as the ref counted two, Salina de la Renta pulled the ref out of the ring. Magnus began to argue with Salina giving LA Park the chance to attack him from behind but Magnus dodged the attack and hit LA Park with a superkick. El Hijo de LA Park slid back in the ring and hit Magnus with a superkick. Septimo Dragon followed in the ring and after a quick flurry of exchanges, Hijo hit Septimo with a lung blower. Septimo and Hijo went back to the outside when Septimo nailed El Hijo with a suicide dive into the guard rail. LA Park and Magnus reset again and Magnus backed Park into the corner with a punching attacking. The ref dragged Magnus off of Park which caused Magnus to fall backwards onto the referee. Park tried to go for a splash off the top rope, but Magnus moved out the way and Park ended up splashing the ref by mistake. With the ref down, Salina entered the ring and gave a low blow to Magnus. Park rolled up Magnus for the pin right after the low blow and the ref recovered just in time to count the pin.
WINNERS: Los Parks
-After the match, Salina celebrated with Los Parks in the ring as the feed of the broadcast started to break up with flashes of the Contra sign. Rich plugged the Saturday Night Superfight main event of LA Park versus Jacob Fatu for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship. The feed eventually went completely out and the Contra Unit hijacked the broadcast. Josef Samael said Salina de la Renta likes to run her mouth that she’s a businesswoman and a promoter. He said the Contra Unit was a cause, a war and a crusade. Jacob Fatu said this wasn’t a business transaction. He said they were coming to Chicago which was his kingdom and jungle where he wont the MLW World Championship. He said November 2nd, live on pay per view, was going to be the “day of the dead for your ass, LA Park.” [c]
(Stovall’s Thoughts: A hot 20 minute opener with fast action and highspots that was highly enjoyable. While LA Park continues to be positioned as the top prospect of Promociones Dorado, I can’t help but think this father/son tandem would be better suited as a major part of the tag division. El Hijo de LA Park is one of the most underrated cruiserweight performers of any promotion. Also a great first time showing for Magnus and Septimo Dragon with Septimo being the stand out, as the co promotion with Crash continues, I hope to see more of Septimo Dragon in the near future.)
-MLW ran a video package announcing they would be returning to Orlando for a TV taping on November 9th. The tapings would have a special bell time of 4pm and would take place in the GILT nightclub. The tapings were being referred to under the moniker Blood & Thunder.
-Back from break, MLW recapped the attack two weeks ago that Austin Aries perpetrated on Teddy Hart. Rich informed us that MLW officials had fined Austin Aries $10,000 for his attack on Hart but reserved the right to raise the fine pending on the severity of Hart’s injury. Rich then stated he had been handed a note saying Teddy Hart has found his own doctor that would medically clear him and he wanted to be in the corner of Brian Pillman Jr. tonight in his match against Austin Aries.
-Rich threw to a short promo from the Von Erichs. Ross took exception to The Dynasty disrespecting the Von Erichs, their father and Texas Children’s Hospital. Marshall said that in Mexico, the Von Erichs were coming for the tag straps. Rich announced that The Von Erichs had challenged the Dynasty for a tag team title shot next week in Fusion, but there was a twist because the Dynasty were protesting the title shot and had their lawyers going over their contract with the MLW league. They threw to the Dynasty standing by via satellite from Manhattan.
-Richard Holiday said after much deliberation his lawyer/his father has refused the contract given to them by MLW to face The Von Erichs. MJF said you couldn’t even call it a contract. He said it was very sickening the contract they would offer them as big money wrestlers who hold the MLW World Tag Team Champions. MJF said to just get straight to the point, they weren’t coming to Mexico.
-Rich welcomed us inside the Saturday Night Superfight Control Center. They ran down the existing card for the pay per view which included the bout for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification match between Jacob Fatu and LA Park. They also announced new matches made official that included Timothy Thatcher versus “Filthy” Tom Lawlor and Alex Hammerstone against Davey Boy Smith Jr for the MLW National Openweight Championship.
(2) DOMINIC GARRINI vs. ARIEL DOMINGUEZ
Ariel Dominguez came to the ring first, followed by Dominic Garrini. Dominic Garrini came sporting a white martial arts gi with a purple belt. The referee called for the bell and both men began to grapple. Dominic Garrini went for an attempted key lock but Ariel made it to the ropes to break the hold. Rich ran down the various nicknames Garrini has had during his career which included the Canton Crippler and the Bone Collector. The two lock up once more and Garrini got the better of Ariel with a judo like hip toss. Garrini picked up Ariel in a deadlift and tossed him halfway across the ring. Garrini hit Dominguez with a belly to back suplex that transitioned into an armbar and Dominguez quickly tapped.
WINNER: Dominic Garrini
-After the match, Kaci Lenox entered the ring and asked Garrini how it felt to win his debut match in MLW. Garrini said it felt good but it’s just a start. He said he was here in MLW to prove what a gold medalist could really do. He said to give him all the grapplers and fighters, line up Tom Lawlor and Timothy Thatcher, because he is going to set them down and tap them out.
(Stovall’s Thoughts: Not a complete squash but damn near it. The addition of Dominic Garrini added to the likes of Tom Lawlor, Douglas James and Timothy Thatcher makes for an interesting set of potential match ups. MLW go create their own grapple division and it could totally work with these performers just listed. It’s harder to see where they will fall in the bigger picture of MLW down the road, but for the mean time, they definitely got something here.)
-Rich threw to a recap package from last week of Thatcher calling out Tom Lawlor for a match. He said Tom Lawlor had been a bit reclusive ever since the War Chamber match, even no showing a media scrum in Dallas. He said cameras caught up with Tom Lawlor and asked him about his thoughts on Thatcher’s challenge.
-A cameraman asked Lawlor what he thought of the challenge laid down by Timothy Thatcher. Tom Lawlor was surprised that Thatcher called him out, stating he didn’t know Thatcher could speak because he thought he was a mute. Lawlor said everyone wanted to get their hands on him and he was sick of it. He said when he faces Thatcher, he was going to knock the rest of his teeth out and then we would see how much talking Timothy Thatcher does.
-Rich recapped the brutal attack of Mance Warner by Jimmy Havoc last week. He stated that Jimmy Havoc has signed a contract to be the executive producer of the MLW Fusion Halloween special entitled, “Slaughterhouse.” Jimmy Havoc said his actions against Mance Warner was just a small sample of what awaited Mance Warner at Slaughterhouse. Rich stated the Slaughterhouse special would air on October 19th. Rich showed a tweet from Mance stating he had suffered a collapsed lung. A picture was attached to the tweet that showed Mance in a hospital gown covered in blood. Rich credited the attack from Jimmy Havoc as the reason for the collapsed lung. Rich then plugged tonight’s main event coming up next. [c]
-Rich did a voiceover for a special segment detailing Samu Anoa’i recently going through a thirteen and a half hour surgery for a liver transplant. He stated that Samu was on the track to recovery but a liver transplant could be costly. He plugged a gofundme for donations to help pay for his surgery that can be found at helpsamu.com
-MLW ran a video package advertising the arrival of Gino Medina debuting this fall in MLW.
-Rich ran another recap package from last week that showed Kotto Brazil being pinned in Injustice’s tag match against Gringo Loco and Air Wolf, although Kotto was not the legal man in the match. They also showed the aftermath of Injustice assaulting several referees. Rich noted that league officials did make a ruling on the match, saying under normal circumstances, the match should of been thrown out, but since Injustice took matters into their own hands, MLW had decided to let the referee’s decision stand. Rich threw to a video package of Injustice standing in front of a hockey rink that looked strikingly similar to the rink Teddy Hart was at a few weeks that was described as being in Calgary. Kotto sold frustration over not being the legal man and said clearly they had to continue to fight for justice. Jordan Oliver said MLW doesn’t want to see talent like them succeed but it won’t stop them from getting their justice.
(3) AUSTIN ARIES vs. BRIAN PILLMAN JR.
Both competitors came to the ring for formal introductions by Tim Barr and referee Doug Markum called for the bell. Rich noted that Teddy Hart wanted to accompany Pillman to the ring but was being held back by league officials. Austin started the match witha slap to Pillman’s face. Pllman dared Aries to do it again so Aries spat on his hand and went to slap Pillman a second time. Pillman caught Aries’s arm and rubbed the spit-filled hand in Aries’s face. Tony Schiavone noted that statistics said that Pillman wins eighty three percent of his matches with an aerial offense. “So more “flyin'” from Brian?” Rich quipped. Pillman and Aries fought and exchanged strikes all over the ring and outside on the arena floor. The action moved back inside the ring when Pillman hit Aries with a sunset flip from outside the ropes for a two count. Pillman clotheslined Aries over the top rope and nailed Aries with a double ax handle from the apron to the floor. Aries slid back in the ring and hit Austin with a quick suicide dive to the guard rail. Pillman went back inside the ring and Aries drilled him with a flying dropkick off the top turnbuckle for a one count. Aries took control of the match and decimated Pillman with a barge of strikes and chops.
Aries teased giving Pillman a brainbuster on the ring apron but Pillman reversed his weight and landed back in the ring. The two went back and forth trying to superplex each other but Aries eventually hit a shoulder to Pillman’s stomach and then gave Pillman an inverted neckbreaker to the ropes. Aries went for a cover by hooking the far leg and only got a two count. Pillman fired back up with a nice set of European uppercuts followed by a crossbody. Pillman hit a powerslam on Aries in the center of the ring for a two count. Pillman went for a double arm DDT but Aries countered it into a suplex and floated over to lock in the Last Chancery. Pillman got to the ropes to break the hold. Aries drug Pillman back to the apron and tried to give him a brianbuster again but Pillman fought out of the attempt and delivered a superkick to Aries. Aries fell off the apron and Pillman went for a suicide dive but Aries met him between the ropes with an elbow strike to the chin. Aries planted Pillman with a dropkick in the turnbuckles and then hit Pillman with a brianbuster in the center of the ring for the pin.
WINNER: Austin Aries
-After the match, Aries grabbed the mic and said that went after week after week he comes out and destroyed the competition and he continued to call out Teddy Hart. He said he just destroyed his lackey so all he has left is a an army of kitty cats. He said unless he plans on sending them out, how about he come out and face him. Teddy Hart came out and the two started to exchange blows as the show went off the air. Rich said “it looks like we got ourselves another superfight!” eluding to this pairing eventually being added to the upcoming pay per view.
FINAL THOUGHTS: This episode signaled the last show that was taped in Dallas so next week we should have a change of scenery as MLW headed last week to Mexico for their co promoted event with the Crash Lucha Libra promotion. I am looking forward to the influx of new talent to come from that relationship but also curious to see how they are integrated while continuing current storylines leading to November’s pay per view. Aries’ match with Pillman was probably the best Pillman has had on MLW Fusion since his debut. Love him or hate him, and I get why anyone would stand on either side of that aisle, one has to admit that Austin Aries is still easily one of the most talented performers in the world. I look forward to seeing his and Teddy Hart’s match come November.
Feel free to contact and follow Jason Stovall on Twitter @JaySnovall
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