Welcome to the MLW Fusion review for episode 45! We’ll be looking at episode 45. One of the biggest news items regarding MLW is a timeslot change. MLW Fusion, beginning with this episode, moved to Saturday nights at 9:00 PM Eastern Time on beINSports. This means for those of us who watch via their YouTube channel, the release has been pushed to Sundays at 12:00 PM Eastern Time. With that bit of housekeeping out of the way, let’s get down to the action!
MLW Fusion opens with a video package based on the Hart Foundation. It also features a freestyle rap on the group, this was submitted by @BlkWrecellence on Twitter. This leads into a clip from H2 TV. Davey Boy Smith, Jr. talks about what he enjoys about the Japanese wrestling scene and Japan in general. Davey is also learning to speak Japanese which he demonstrates as well.
Matt Striker opens the broadcast by running down the card with Rich Bocchini. The main event will feature Teddy Hart defending his MLW World Middleweight Championship against MJF. Alexander Hammerstone will be making his MLW debut on tonight’s episode. Two big matches for MLW Intimidation Games on March 2nd will also be revealed. Salina de la Renta made a special announcement on social media recently. She informs us that Low-Ki will exercise his contractually-obligated rematch clause at Intimidation Games.
MLW Fusion Episode 45
Our first match of the night will feature world-class middleweight division action. Ace Austin will be taking on Rich Swann. Striker and Bocchini mention the obvious shift in attitude from Swann. Ace Austin is a rising star in MLW whereas Swann has stagnated a bit. Perhaps this change in Rich will help him get some forward momentum in the crowded division. After several moments of fast-paced action, both fighters were evenly matched. Austin was able to find an opening to drop a splash onto Swann and pick up the surprise victory. After the match, however, Swann was clearly upset.
Rich Bocchini got into the ring to try and have a word with Swann after the match. Swann, however, decided to pick a fight with the referee. He smacked the official across the face not once, but twice, sending him to the mat. Despite this going down before his eyes, Bocchini did attempt to get an interview with Rich Swann. Swann, however, shoved Rich violently to the mat. Following these actions, Rich Swann was fined $3,000 by Major League Wrestling and has been suspended. Swann told MLW.com that he intended to appeal this decision.
Up next will be the debut of Alexander Hammerstone. His opponent will be Ariel Dominguez. Dominguez may lack in size, but he is a decorated amateur wrestler. Hammerstone is a regular on the West Coast independent scene. He’s competed for companies such as PCW ULTRA, West Coast Wrestling Connection, Future Superstars of Wrestling and many more. While not your typical big man, Hammerstone clearly knows how to get things done. He’s an extremely powerful wrestler, easily tossing the much smaller Dominguez around like a feather. After just a few short moments, Alexander Hammerstone is successful in his MLW debut.
Still to come is the MLW World Middleweight Championship match. Matt Striker runs down the details for MLW Fusion live from Intimidation Games in Chicago. Breaking news is that Tom Lawlor has accepted Salina de la Renta’s challenge from Low-Ki. The champion has also demanded that this one goes down inside a steel cage. Last week on MLW Fusion, the Lucha Brothers challenged anyone in the world. AAA or Triple-A answered their challenge by announcing that they will be sending Taurus and Laredo Kid to Intimidation Games. The Hart Foundation will also be on hand, as will MJF and LA Park.
We also see a clip from earlier with Mance Warner, who arrived in a semi-truck. The Southern Psychopath will be making his MLW debut next week. His promo is definitely one of a kind and one you should look up to see what we’re getting with Ol’ Mancer. Also, next week will be Aerostar taking on Rey Horus in a fiesta of lucha libre. Now it is time for our main event. MJF will finally get a chance at regaining the title he never lost. MJF was stripped of the MLW World Middleweight Championship due to injury. Now that he is healthy, he’s back in MLW and he has his sights set on Teddy Hart.
Prior to the match, MJF gets on the microphone. The crowd in Philadelphia clearly dislikes MJF but as always, he doesn’t care. MJF does love any opportunity to talk about his favorite subject, himself. Teddy Hart soon comes out, along with his beloved cat Mr. Velvet. MJF is quick to attack as soon as Teddy’s back is turned. MJF dominates the early moments of the match with a basic side headlock. Teddy and his resiliency come into play in the match several times. At a potential turning point, after giving MJF a Canadian Destroyer, the official was inadvertently knocked down. Ever the opportunist, MJF used this opportunity to get a chair. Teddy was able to kick MJF in a, how you say delicate area. After waking up the official, Hart hit a corkscrew moonsault to pin MJF.
After the match, Kaci Lennox was standing by to interview Teddy Hart following the match. However, he was attacked by a returning Richard Holliday. Holliday is soon joined by a sour MJF. Hart fights back of course, but two on one is tough for anyone to overcome. Hart was left lying, groaning and crying in pain. He indicated he potentially had a broken rib or ribs. We’ll have to see what happens in the coming weeks in the wake of this attack. I’ll see you right back here next week for more of MLW Fusion for Episode 45.
