5/4 MLW TV Report (ep. #3): Simon Gotch vs. ACH, MVP vs. Callihan, Ortagun vs. Parrow, with Schiavone & Ricchini on commentary

Commentators: Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini

They show a replay of the brawl between Jimmy Havoc and Joey Janela at WaleMania.

Havoc cuts a promo saying Janela attacked him twice already, so now he wants him to come out and fight him face to face. 

Janela came out visibly pumped up. The two exchanged punches and kicks. They brawled to the outside. Joey got in some nice chops before Havoc took over as the brawl went backstage and the cameras did not follow the action. 

Low Ki’s music hit as he heads out. They showed a video of Low Ki shoving an MLW matchmaker which resulted in Low Ki getting suspended. 

Low Ki said MLW is revoking Black Friday management’s booking license. He said they better watch out for the consequences of that action and he calls out MVP. MVP came out and before he can get to the ring Sami Callihan came from behind and chokes him out with a baseball bat. 

Schiavone and Bocchini wondered if MVP is going to be 100 percent going into the main event tonight where he will take on Sami Callihan. 

Team filthy comes out. Tom Lawyer cuts a promo saying he has a major announcement. He won’t be able to compete tonight due to his arm injury. He says that Simon Gotch will take his place tonight. 

(1) Simon Gotch vs. ACH. Good mat wrestling early on. Gotch has been developing a nice MMA hybrid style but still wrestlers like a power guy. Gotch’s strategy was to try and ground the high flying ACH.  ACH wins with a roll-up out of nowhere after getting almost no offense the entire match.

WINNER: ACH 

After the match, Team Filthy attacked ACH in the ring. 

Andrea Campo asks Lawyer what happened? Tom said he was sick of the “Go Go ACH” chants. Gotch said the only place ACH is going is the I.C.U and Lawler said “No No ACH” and claimed he is 500 times better than ACH. 

The weekly top ten aired.  

10. Barrington Hughes
9. Joey Janella
8. Jeff Cobb
7. Rey Fenix
6. Sami Callihan
5. Filthy Tom Lawler
4. Low Ki
3. M.V.P
2. Jimmy Havoc
1. Pentegon Jr. 

A promo aired with MLW Champion Shane Strickland. Strickland said he wants to leave behind a legacy. Wants to face the best in the world. Footage is shown of Strickland training and of his family life mixed with his wrestling footage. Strickland says he’s worked hard his entire career for this opportunity. 

MLW is coming to Orlando for TV tapings June 7.

A Maxwell Jacob Feinstein promo airs where MJF is on one of his father’s tennis courts. He says he’s not evil because he has a trust fund and his family is rich. He asks the fans to try and imagine we were him. He claims that would all act the same way. Except they aren’t him because he’s better than all the fans. 

(2) Vandal Ortagun vs. Mike Parrow. Tony said Parrow was a stud. This was a squash match where Octagon got zero offense besides a few kicks. Colonel Parker was on the entrance ramp during the match. Parrow wins with a huge powerbomb. 

WINNER: Parrow.

Colonel Parker shook Parrow’s hand and the two walked backstage. 

Andrea Campo was backstage with Salina de la Renta. Campo asked how Pentagon stacks up against the competition. Salina didn’t answer but instead spotted Strickland and made fun of his promo earlier. She says it’s not his house and that he shouldn’t get used to the title. Because… and then she did Pentagon’s Zero Fear hand signal.

An add airs for the July 19th NYW TV taping. 

A Jimmy Havoc promo airs with Havoc standing outside in a grassy field. Havoc says he enjoys fighting Janela. He says he learns new things about himself when he fights Joey and that his name is more than a name. He will bring the Havoc. Joey should bring his towel because there will be blood and Havoc is going to lick it up. 

Next week’s main event is Havoc vs. Janela. 

They aired the replay of the Team Filthy beatdown. 

Andrea Campo knocks on Team Filthy’s locker room. She tells Lawler that the doctors have cleared him. Lawler was outraged and Gotch pretended he was going to go out in the hall to conduct an interview but instead just shut the door on Campo

Next week ACH vs. Tom Lawler. 

They aired the replay of Sami Callihan choking out MVP. 

Sami Callihan cuts a promo where he admires MLW because they have great production value and he loves their ranking system. He can rise up their ranks and become champion. He said loves ruining peoples day. He wants to be champ because he wants power. MVP only wants to redeem himself for his son. Sami says that is not happening. MVP will have to tell his son he is a failure and was made Callihan’s bitch. Callihan said he is the most hated man in pro wrestling and he’s only here to be champ so people will have to listen to him.

(3) Sami Callihan vs. M.V.P. MVP ran into the ring before Sami’s entrance was even finished and started brawling. It quickly turned into a brawl outside the ring. MVP got a nice side slam reversal on the ring apron. Callihan went under the ring at one point but oddly that never played into the match.  Pretty back and forth match with both men getting little-sustained offense. Callihan attempted to introduce the bat into the match and that resulted in a ref bump. MVP hit the playmaker but an unknown large bald man with a big beard came out and side slammed MVP, then put Callihan on top for a 2 count. That same man distracted the ref and Callihan low blowed MVP. Callihan hits the cradle killer for the win. 

WINNER: M.V.P

Callihan was carried out by this mystery man. 

Another replay aired showing the Havoc and Janela brawl from WaleMania and then the replay of the brawl from earlier tonight. Their match next week was previewed. Then they reminded us that Tom Lawler will take on ACH as well. 

Shane Strickland was interviewed backstage. As he walked into to his locker room, he found some sort of sacrilegious shrine built up inside his locker room. The shrine was made of pictures of him torn in half spread out over skulls with candles and rosaries. Pentagon’s mask logo was in the center of the mirror. 

FINAL THOUGHTS: That’s all for this week. Overall I thought it was a good show. They didn’t have many good standout matches but did a good job of building some storylines that hopefully will lead to some good feuds and future matches. Next week’s two announced matches have good potential and the idea of a Pentagon Jr. vs. Shane Strickland title match in the future is very intriguing.