2/8 MLW in Orlando, Fla.: Austin Aries, Low Ki, Matt Riddle, Jeff Cobb, ACH, Sami Callihan, MVP

MLW LIVE EVENT – “ROAD TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP”
FEBRUARY 8, 2018
ORLANDO, FLA. AT THE GILT NIGHTCLUB
REPORT BY TOM STOUP, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

-Notable surprises buried within: Austin Aries said he wants a MLW Middleweight title to be introduced so he can add it to his collection… Colonel Robert Parker appeared with the Dirty Blondes for a run-in…  Joey Janela ended the show by attacking Darby Allin.

-General admission appeared to increase again, this time reaching approximately $18/ea, but when reached for comment MLW confirmed their price has remained $15 and any discrepancies may be results of the EventBrite sales client.

Rhett Giddins and Salina de la Renta were advertised but did not appear. Giddins is busy developing an app called FloGreenRoutes to “improve the medical marijuana experience for patients across Florida.”

DARK MATCH

(A) Santana Garrett pinned Lacey Lane.

MAIN CARD

(1) Destino Negro pinned Mega Danger. Danger entered through the crowd. The luchadors went tit for tat until Danger countered a suicide dive with a chair to Negro’s head, and followed it up with another shot straight to the head once back in the ring. Negro returned volley with a springboard cannonball to the outside and a receipt in the form of his own chair. The official tolerated the use of weapons. Danger scored a near fall with a sit-out piledriver, but Negro rallied and hit a tope rope sunset piledriver for the fall. Negro paid respect to his opponent after the bell.

(2) Team Filthy (Simon Gotch & Seth Petruzelli w/“Filthy” Tom Lawlor’s wingmen) defeated Team TBD (Jason Cade & Jimmy Yuta) via pinfall. Team Filthy isolated Yuta, who broke away once but tried and failed to go on the offensive as opposed to tagging out. Gotch suffered the brunt of Cade’s eventual hot tag before the Dirty Blondes interfered at the behest of Colonel Robert Parker. Petruzelli held Cade in an inverted position as Gotch laid in kicks, then dropped Cade on his head for the fall.

(3) Low Ki (w/Stokely Hathaway) defeated Kotto Brazil. Low Ki attacked Brazil from behind during Brazil’s entrance for this unannounced match, and dominated the proceedings. Low Ki removed his opponent’s mask before sinking in a chokehold, forcing Brazil to pass out.

After the bell, Hathaway took the mic to deride MLW’s decision to remove Low Ki from the championship tournament. He informed the crowd they will know who Black Friday is, then Low Ki hit his signature kick on the prone Brazil.

(4) Chelsea Green wrestled Priscilla Kelly to a no contest. Kelly entered flanked by Darby Allin and Jimmy Havoc. Green frequently played to the crowd, but the vicious Kelly was ready to take advantage of every opening. The official called for the bell when Kelly refused to relent to a five count. Santana Garrett ran in to rescue her friend Green, and stared down Kelly as Kelly departed.

MLW: Spring Break ’18 tickets were announced to be going on sale Monday, February 12.

(5) Austin Aries pinned ACH. Aries entered to the pop of the night, carrying his four current title belts including the Impact Global Championship. The wrestlers were evenly contested from the onset, and began toying with one another as they came to realize this. Once all taunts had been exchanged, Aries picked up the momentum with a flurry of arm drags and strikes. Though ACH got his shots in, Aries mostly controlled the affair and dictated the pace as he deemed fit. It wasn’t until ACH countered a tope rope dropkick that he once again began looking competitive, hitting high spots for near falls. Aries got his knees up to counter a 450 splash in to a submission, and became heated when his hold was broken by the rope. Aries then quickly hit a brainbuster for the win.

After the bell, Aries took the mic to accuse MLW of excluding him from “collecting” their new belt. “Austin Aries’ invitation got lost in the mail; [I’m not a ‘heavyweight’], but if you’ve seen me at the bar you know I’m not a lightweight,” he said. He went on to announce that once MLW introduces a Middleweight title, he’ll return to claim it.

(6) Mike Parrow & mystery partner Barrington Hughes defeated Vandal Ortagun & Saieve al Sabah via pinfall. Ortagun and al Sabah teamed up on Parrow before Hughes cast his imposing shadow upon the fray. Parrow drove al Sabah in to the mat with a murderbomb, which Hughes polished off with a splash that no one is kicking out of any time soon. Al Sabah fumed at the entrance as the big men hugged and celebrated in the ring.

(7) Jimmy Havoc defeated MJF via pinfall to advance to the championship tournament semifinals. MJF belittled the audience, and called his opponent a “weird emo kid.” Havoc entered flanked by Darby Allin and Priscilla Kelly. Havoc tried luring MJF to the outside as MJF refused and pleaded with the official. MJF eventually found himself at a loss as Havoc absorbed punishment with a smile, and he pulled an elementary pointing trick to ward off the official’s attention. He then sequenced an eye poke in to a package piledriver for a near fall, afterward tossing a chair to Havoc with the exclamation, “DQ yourself you deathmatch loser!” Havoc resisted the temptation, electing to do away with MJF legally.

(8) Shane Strickland defeated Brody King via pinfall to advance to the championship tournament semifinals. Strickland returned to his Chaka Khan entrance. Massive strikes got the match off to a hot start. Loopy, Strickland fell prey to a series of heavy clubs, managing to stay just cognizant enough to keep the match alive. As his adversary’s frustration built, Strickland managed to crotch King on the turnbuckle and capitalize with a superplex. He finished the job with a double stomp from the top.

(9) “Filthy” Tom Lawlor (w/Simon Gotch, Seth Petruzelli, and wingmen) defeated MVP via pinfall to advance to the championship tournament semifinals. Much of the action stayed on the mat, testing MVP’s ability to hang with Lawlor’s MMA style. MVP briefly rallied and hit Ballin’, but Lawlor got back to working holds in no time. Stokely Hathaway emerged and distracted the official on the apron as Low Ki entered the ring to nail MVP with his finishing kick. MVP was out cold as Lawlor covered him.

(10) Matt Riddle pinned Jeff Cobb to advance to the championship tournament semifinals. The combat sports compatriots went blow for blow in a friendly contest of chain wrestling and various suplexes. At one point, Cobb impressively reversed the orientation of a gutwrench suplex multiple times in midair before releasing. Riddle finally pieced a powerbomb together with knee strikes to Cobb’s face for the victory.

Cobb and Riddle embraced in the ring after the bell.

(11) Darby Allin pinned Sami Callihan in a grudge match. Allin entered flanked by Jimmy Havoc and Priscilla Kelly. Allin spat in Callihan’s face, and blew him a kiss. The energetic Callihan wasted little time before barreling to the outside and laying waste to the floor seating. He donned a fan’s Pokémon hat, and the fans began chanting lyrics to the Pokémon anime theme. As Allin went for a springboard, Callihan shoved him in to the nearby second level banister and took a bow as the crowd went wild for the unique spot. Allin looked to even the odds before tweaking his knee – an opening Callihan immediately pounced on with a submission hold. Allin offered his head for a chair shot, suckering Callihan in before dropkicking him and using the afforded time to arrange a table. After a series of reversals, Callihan put Allin through the table with a piledriver from the top turnbuckle for a two count. Callihan duct taped Allin’s hands together and spat on him. Jimmy Havoc interfered with Priscilla Kelly providing a distraction. Following a clothesline from Havoc, Allin climbed the turnbuckle using only his feet and hit the Coffin Drop for the win.

As the bell frantically rang to stave off further violence, Allin threatened to clock Callihan with a chair before Joey Janela appeared and shattered a beer bottle on Allin’s head. Havoc and Kelly tended to their fallen comrade while Janela posed with a cigarette to close the show.

NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS MLW LIVE EVENT REPORT: 1/11 MLW Zero Hour in Orlando, Fla. at GILT Nightclub: Low Ki, MVP, Havoc, Strickland, Matt Riddle, Tom Lawlor