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MLW TV REPORT
July 13th, 2018
ORLANDO, FLA.
AIRED ON BE-IN SPORTS NETWORK
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Rich Bocchini
-MLW intro played.
-The Fusion intro video played.
-Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini introduced the show. They previewed the Tom Lawler vs. Jake Hager match. Schiavone called it UFC vs. Bellator. They showed footage of Shane Strickland being attacked and was taken off in an ambulance. Also Tonight Joey Janela faces Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Team TBD go up against The Dirty Blondes.
(1) Team TBD (Jimmy Yuta & Jason Cade) & Rhett Giddins vs. The Stud Stable (Leo Brien, Mike Patrick, & Mike Parrow)
Colonel Parker was in the ring to introduce the Stud Stable. They showed some footage of the “strained” relationship between Team TBD. Jimmy Yuta and Patrick started the match. Yuta tried to outwrestle Patrick but got hit with a hard right hand. Yuta applied the Yuta lock and then rolled up Patrick for a one count. Cade tug himself in and Patrick tug in Brien. Cade hit a nice hurricanrana and Brien tug in Parrow. Cade slapped Parrow in the face and the chest. Parrow grabbed Cade by the throat and gave him a hard chop in the corner. He then tossed Cade halfway around the ring. Cade tug in Giddins. Giddiness and Parrow exchanged blows. Parrow got the best of the exchange and then hit a senton splash. He went for a second one but missed. Giddiness tug in Yuta who hit Parrow with an Enziguri. Patrick hit Yuta as he bounced off the rope though and Parrow took advantage with a huge back body drop. Parrow tug in Patrick who applied a sleeper hold on Yuta. Yuta powered out and fought off all three of the members of The Stud Stable to make it back to his corner. He tug in Jason Cade who fought off both the Dirty Blondes at once. Cade hit a huge frog splash for a two count. The action inside the ring broke down and Team TBD tried to take advantage of the chaos however they could not get on the same page and Patrick knocks Yuta off the top rope to the outside and Brien hit Cade with a powerslam for the three. After the match, Yuta and Cade exchange some words.
WINNERS: The Stud Stable (Leo Brien, Mike Patrick, & Mike Parrow)
(Karcher’s Comments: Short match. More for storyline than anything else. Not much to analyze as far as the wrestling goes but storyline wise this seems to be the end of Team TBD. I won’t be all that sad if I’m honest although MLW doesn’t really have much of a Tag Team division at the moment so hopefully, they can grow that over time. I’m not sure why they needed to add Mike Parrow and Rhett Giddens into this match at all.)
– Schiavone hyped the Lawler vs. Hager match later on as well as promised more updates on Battle Riot.
– Schiavone takes us into the Battle Riot Control Center. He recapped the rules again which are as follows. A new wrestler enters every 60 seconds. Eliminations are by pinfall, submission, or by throwing your opponent over the top rope. There are no disqualifications. Winner gets a world title shot anytime anywhere. We got some more participants announced. Fulton, Fred Yehi, and Homicide. Some matches were also previewed including
- Shane Strickland vs. Sami Callihan for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship
- Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix vs. Aerostar & Drago for the MLW Tag Team Championships
- Jimmy Havoc vs. Brody King
- PCO vs. Homicide
- ACH & Rich Swann vs. Hart Foundation (Davey Boy Smith & Teddy Hart) W/ Brian Pillman Jr.
- Low Ki vs. John Hennigan
- Joey Ryan vs. MJF for the World Middleweight Championship
- Jake Hager vs. Simon Gotch
– They replayed the brawl between Barrington Hughes and The Death Machines from a few weeks ago.
– A Picture in Picture promo popped up during Hughes entrance. He said he finally has competition in the battle riot. He said he can’t wait to get his shot at the championship.
(2) Barrington Hughes vs. Jaye Skye
Hughes almost ran over the ref as he charged Skye in the corner. He picked up Skye and side slammed him for the win.
WINNER: Barrington Hughes
(Karcher’s Comments: Nothing. Another squash for Hughes.)
[c]
– Back from break, they replayed the footage of Strickland being laid out in the parking lot. They mixed in what looked to be cell phone footage which was cool. Bocchini said that Strickland was okay and also they confirmed the attack could not have been Low Ki as they had him on video during that time.
– They replayed some footage from a few weeks ago of the MJF vs. Janela altercation.
– A Picture in Picture promo popped up during Friedman’s entrance. He said Janela calls himself a bad boy but instead he made a bad decision when he decided to mess with him.
(3) Joey Janela (w/Aria Blake) vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman
Friedman jumped the bell and hit Janela with some forearm blows. Janela took MJF down and hammered away at him with right hands. Janela then hit a running uppercut in the corner. When MJF was down in the corner Janela beckoned to the fans asking if he should kill MJF. They concurred he should and Janela repeatedly stomped away at MJF’s chest. Janela was fired up. MJF slid out of the ring. Janela hit a suicide dive into the crowd. Janela tossed MJF back into the ring and when we ran across the ring MJF sidestepped him and threw Janela into the announce table that is up against the ring. There was a very loud thud. [c] Back from break MJF is on the outside of the ring and Janela goes to the top rope and hit a cross body onto MJF and the two crash into a group of chairs. Janela tosses MJF back into the ring. Janela hit a senton splash for a two count. Janela goes back to the top rope. Before he could jump through MJF hit the top rope and Janela goes crotch first into the turnbuckle. Friedman hopped up the top rope and hit a superplex for a two. MJF hit a rope assisted Pile Driver. Aria Blake threw a chair into the ring and distracted the Referee. MJF used the chair first but then Janela kicked the chair into MJF’s face and covered MJF for the three.
WINNER: Joey Janela
(Karcher’s Comments: Decent match for MLW standards. God these matches are always so short. It really feels like each match has 5 or 6 minutes missing that would really bring it up a notch. Some good stuff here but it’s simply not enough time to get invested in the match. The announcers kept hinting that something “weird” was going on between Aria Bake and MJF. Way to be super obvious there. I honestly didn’t even notice anything odd except the chair thing was poorly timed. They made such a big deal about it though I’m guessing something will come of that.)
– Casey Lennox interviewed MJF at the top of the ramp. She asked him what he has to say about losing tonight. He said he didn’t get beat but rather he was cheated out of a victory. He said the Referee was blind as a bat. He said it’s not Aria’s fault. He said Aria is being influenced by a dirtbag from New Jersey. He said she needs a real man. Janela came out and the two started brawling. Officials came out to break it up.
– They showed Tom Lawler and Simon Gotch backstage warming up.
[c]
– Back from break, they announce Shane Strickland is good to go for next weeks match vs. Low Ki with the title on the line.
– A Promo aired with Jimmy Havoc saying he was grateful for Lawler attacking him. he said it gave him focus for his rage and pain. Havoc was sitting at a dining table with plates and cups set up. He said it may look like his last supper but he said he always sets a place for his friends when they come to dinner. I have no idea what that means. Lawler and Havoc go one on one next week.
(4) Jake Hager vs. Tom Lawler
Colonel Parker was in the ring again this time to introduce Jake Hager. He called him the man who rules the world. Bocchini reminded us all that Hager is a former World Heavyweight champion. There was a long feeling out period where neither man could really get the advantage over the other. Lawler jumped on Hager’s back and Hager just flipped him right off. Hates takes the advantage with hammer fists to the back. Lawler gets a backslide pin for a two. The two scrambled around and exchanged leveraged pin attempts. Hager deadlifted Lawler and slammed him back down to the mat. The two exchanged chops and Lawler mounts Hager in the corner and reigns down punches. Hager picks up Lawler and side slams him out of the corner for a two count. Hager takes over and starts to work over the ankle of Lawler. He locked on a heel hook type maneuver. Lawler reverses the submission into a kneebar on Hager. Lawler hits a huge running lariat for a two count. Lawler hit a spinning heel kick in the corner. Hager goes for a spear but Lawler sidesteps him and Hager goes shoulder first into the ring post. The two exchange punches mid-ring and Lawler gains the advantage by hitting a spin kick to the gut. Lowlier hits nice discus lariat. Lawler goes for a high knee but Hager caught him and locked in an ankle lock on Lawler. Lawler was able to reverse the hold. The Dirty Blondes and Mike Parrow come out and interfere in the match causing a DQ. Simon Gotch jumps in and the two manage to fight off the Stud Stable.
WINNER: Tom Lawler by DQ.
– After the match, Casey Lennox interviewed Tom Lawler at the top of the ramp. She said things seem to be escalating between Team Filthy and the Stud Stable. Lawler said the Stud Stable is like their leader Colonel Parker. He said if they were to put them out to stud they wouldn’t get the job done. He said he is the number one contender but since MLW won’t give him a shot, he’ll just have to win the Battle Riot. He MLW stands for Major Lawler Wrestling.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Not a great show this week. I wish the MJF Janela match was given more time. It had a lot of heat and could have really worked its way to being a great TV match. Instead, it ended before it even really got started. The tag match to open was inconsequential, the Barrington Hughes squash is fun but ultimately a waste of time. The time used on Hughes would have been better spent elsewhere. The main event was okay at best. I’m not that into Hager or Lawler in the ring if I’m honest. I like Lawler in promos and he’s serviceable in the ring but Hager is just a bore to watch all around. Next week should be much better as we get Strickland vs. Low Ki and Havoc vs. Lawler. That’s it for this week. Be sure to check back right here next week for my MLW Fusion Report here on PWtorch.com.)
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 7/6 MLW Fusion TV Report: MVP vs. Sami Callihan in Boiler Room Brawl, Lawler & Gotch vs. ACH & Swann
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