It was a crazy week on MLW: FUSION. Teddy Hart defeated Rich Swann, Brian Pillman Jr. was successful in his singles debut and Jimmy Yuta picked up a big victory in the middleweight division.
Teddy Hart defeated Rich Swann
The issues between the Hart Foundation and the combination of Rich Swann and ACH have been lingering throughout the summer and into the fall. Since the Hart Foundation, Swann and ACH first ran into one another in MLW, Teddy Hart in particular seemed to think there was some disrespect from Swann and ACH.
Things reached a new level when Swann suffered a concussion at the hands of Teddy and the Hart Foundation earlier this year in a tag team matchup. With Swann fully recovered from the injury, he was looking to get his hands on Hart one-on-one and League officials obliged.
It was Hart who had the momentum early. A trio of lungblowers put Swann on his knees. A huge moonsault looked like it put Swann away, but Hart actually pulled Swann’s shoulders off the mat after a two-count. As he went for another moonsault, Swann turned and lifted his feet which caught Hart in the throat.
Swann may have been down and out early, but he rebounded quickly. A huge cutter gave him a two-count, while a high-flying frog splash also accounted for a near fall.
Swann maintained control of the match until he was distracted by Davey Boy Smith Jr., allowing Hart time to recover and get in a sucker punch. Hart followed that up with a snap suplex on the floor.
A body slam onto a steel barrier that Hart turned on its side, followed by a split-legged moonsault while Swann was prone on the barrier continued to do damage to Swann’s back. However, Swann battled back once again. A cutter on the apron, followed by a pair of 450 splashes off the middle turnbuckle led to near falls. Swann followed up with a Sharpshooter. With Hart’s face racked in pain, he managed to make the rope and force a break of the submission maneuver made famous by his uncle Bret Hart.
In the end, it was the numbers advantage of Brian Pillman Jr. and Davey Boy Smith Jr. at ringside and Hart’s willingness to bend the rules that made the difference. As Swann was looking for a top rope hurricanrana, Smith grabbed his leg. While the official admonished Smith, Hart hit Swann with a low blow.
With Swann slowed by the crotch shot, Hart was able to hit the Canadian Destroyer off the top, followed by an electric chair lungblower to pick up the pinfall victory.
Brian Pillman Jr. defeated Vandal Ortagun
Flanked by Hart Foundation members Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Teddy Hart, Brian Pillman Jr. picked up a victory in his singles debut on MLW: FUSION.
Pillman showed great versatility, delivering an array of strikes, traditional wrestling holds and high-flying ability. But Turkey’s Favorite Wrestler had his moments. Pillman dominated the early going, but Ortagun took advantage of a jawbreaker and followed up with a Turkish Twist – a modified version of a lungblower — to score a near fall.
But Pillman recovered and scored the victory with a devastating neckbreaker maneuver he calls Dire Promise.
Following the match, Pillman pointed to the heart on his tights, signifying his membership in the Hart Foundation. “Past, present … and I’m the future,” Pillman said with a maniacal laugh as he headed toward the locker room. It looks as though Pillman’s future in MLW could indeed be bright.
Jimmy Yuta defeated El Hijo de LA Park
One week after LA Park defeated Pentagon Jr. in a Mexican Massacre Match, de la Renta and Promociones Dorado presented the son of LA Park — Hijo de LA Park, in a middleweight matchup with Jimmy Yuta.
While Yuta and former Team TBD mate Jason Cade still haven’t solved their issues, Yuta and Hijo de LA Park both viewed this matchup as an opportunity to continue to impress League officials and hopefully move up the Middleweight rankings.
It was obvious, both men knew the implications of the match, as there was great back-and-forth action throughout the contest. When Hijo de LA Park hit a suicide dive to the outside, it seemed to put him firmly in control. A modified codebreaker with Yuta on the turnbuckles looked like it might secure the victory for Hijo, but he only managed a two-count.
Yuta then got the opening he needed. Hijo de LA Park tried to follow that near fall with a moonsault, but didn’t find the mark. Yuta quickly followed up with a variation of a side suplex to pick up a huge victory in the middleweight division.
Stokely Hathaway Returning?
While MLW.com published a story recently about the disappearance of Stokely Hathaway, it looks like the Black Friday Management promoter has put those issues behind him. A brief video during this week’s episode of FUSION stated Hathaway will be returning to MLW soon. Stay tuned for more details …
MLW Fright Night Coming
A special Halloween episode of MLW: FUSION is coming Oct. 26. MLW Fright Night will feature a Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal grudge match between Sami Callihan and Jimmy Havoc. It will also include LA Park vs. PCO. These matches will NOT be for the faint of heart.
Fightland Control Center
World Tag Team Title Match Set; World Title On the Line; Rush Is Coming; Romero To Appear
Major League Wrestling will be in Chicagoland for MLW Fightland on November 8 at the Cicero Stadium.
With the legal situation surrounding their immigration status resolved, Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix will defend their World Tag Team Championships at MLW Fightland vs. LA Park and Hijo de LA Park. The Lucha Bros. vs. Los Parkas for the gold in Chicago!
In an announcement heard first on MLW: FUSION, Ace Romero will make his MLW debut at MLW Fightland. The superheavyweight, who has been bouncing his competition all over the country, will look to throw his weight around in an MLW ring.
In addition, the World Heavyweight Title will be decided as Shane “Swerve” Strickland invokes his rematch clause to face the champion Low Ki for the gold. In addition, leader of Los Ingobernables Rush makes his United States debut. Also scheduled to appear: “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, MJF with Aria Blake, PCO, the Hart Foundation, Sami Callihan and others.
Get your tickets now at MLWTickets.com. They’re going fast. Get yours before they’re gone!
Next Week
Who will be the future of MLW? Who is the ace, the franchise player moving forward? Both “Filthy” Tom Lawlor and Shane “Swerve” Strickland believe they are the answer to those questions. We’ll find out on next week’s episode when Lawlor looks to make Swerve City a Filthy place to be.
Don’t Miss The Action!
Tune in at 8 p.m. ET every Friday. Set a reminder in your phone. Set your DVR. But whatever you do … don’t miss any action-packed episode of Major League Wrestling: FUSION.
As part of beIN SPORTS #FridayNightFury lineup, MLW airs to a nationwide audience every Friday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Check out www.MLW.com/fusion for more information! beIN SPORTS has a full listing of dish / cable carriers offering beIN SPORTS here. MLW fans can also stream beIN SPORTS using the beIN Connect app for wireless devices.
Of course, if you miss the show on beIN SPORTS, every episode of MLW: FUSION is uploaded to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/majorleaguewrestling) at 6:05 p.m. ET every Saturday night.
