Welcome back to MLW Anthology, this week is going to be a bit different and probably a bit shorter. Since I have covered both matches before there will be a lot less match detail. That being said, I have a lot to talk about when it comes to CONTRA Unit and their sheer dominance of MLW.
From their brutal beginnings to the bloody uprising that saw them gain control of the company. CONTRA is more than a faction and these two matches will prove the dominance of their key player, Jacob Fatu, the MLW World Heavyweight Champion and the hellish army he keeps alongside him. Plus, we got more details from the world of MLW through another episode of Pulp Fusion. Let’s get into the action.
CONTRA Unit (Josef Samael, Jacob Fatu & Simon Gotch) defeated #STRONGHEARTS (CIMA, El Lindaman & Shigehiro Irie) via Step Up Moonsault to CIMA
Jacob Fatu (@SAMOANWEREWOLF) with a Swinging Uranage followed by a handspring Moonsault to @tachimukau_irie#MLWAnthology on @beINSPORTSUSA pic.twitter.com/VQ8pMILZUB
— Major League Wrestling (@MLW) June 28, 2020
Originally reviewed here. How do you welcome one of the most popular factions in the world to MLW? Well, management didn’t get much of a say as CONTRA introduced themselves in a violent fashion and a super-match was made between the warmongering rogues’ gallery CONTRA and the #STRONGHEARTS. This was awesome to read about and eventually see in action as it was a massive clash of styles and strikes as both factions brought all the fire they had. Unfortunately, the #STRONGHEARTS would only have a short stint in MLW as CIMA was taken away in a CONTRA bodybag after failing to dethrone Jacob Fatu. This match hopefully served to show off the #STRONGHEARTS to a new audience and gave CONTRA a new target to go after in their ever-growing war against all things MLW. The name value alone in this match show earns it the praise it deserves. I had fun watching it at the time and was reminded again why I had so much fun with it at the time. Everyone meshed as CONTRA tried to go for pure sadism whilst #STRONGHEARTS went for strength through Irie and Lindaman and agility and smarts through CIMA. Once again, CONTRA came away victorious, cementing their status as not only the most dominant stable in MLW but also a strong contender for the top faction in the world as they put on a star killing performance in this match. It reminded fans that Fatu might be the top guy in the company but he has a powerful manager in Samael and a whole army behind him ready to kill.
Jacob Fatu (w/Josef Samael) defeated LA Park (w/Salina de la Renta) via Step-up Moonsault
FOSBURY FLOP BY FATU!!! @SAMOANWEREWOLF#MLWAnthology on @beINSPORTSUSA pic.twitter.com/EmQvkv2eBd
— Major League Wrestling (@MLW) June 28, 2020
Originally reviewed here. This was the first MLW PPV reviewed on the site and this match took the centre stage. CONTRA defended their gold against Salina de la Renta’s best. LA Park is one of the most respected men in the company with a brawling record to rival anyone in CONTRA’s arsenal. That is what happened too. Both men beat each other from pillar to post with tables, spikes, and more being thrown into the mix. LA Park came away from this match broken, bloodied, and manager-less as he ended up spearing her through a table. They went all out to round off one of the strongest cards in MLW history. It was the culmination of two tribes going to war over ideals, power, and titles. Between LA Park getting spiked in the head, to the sheer lack of concern for their own bodies as both men truly put on a fight for the ages. I know I’m speaking in potential hyperbole but it really felt like something special. LA Park as the veteran made Fatu even more of a monster whilst Salina de la Renta added extra layers of tension by trying to get involved. It was the perfect end to a long stretching feud that may have found new fire as CONTRA attacked LA Park again for speaking out against their MLW coup. This match showed what happens when MLW gained a PPV stage and put its strongest hands behind the wheel.
Pulp Fusion Recap
Pulp Fusion started with Savio Vega issuing a challenge to Richard Holliday, urging him to come to Puerto Rico and put the Caribbean championship on the line. We got Calvin Tankman introducing himself to the MLW audience. Filthy Tom Lawlor wrote a letter about the von Erichs. Mance talked about fighting the bear again and revealed he now had one in his possession… that had just escaped its cage. He later caught up to it and tried to fight it. Holliday had golf woes and denied Vega his challenge. Low Ki addressed Dan Lambert’s health concerns and praised the Team Filthy strategy to take him out. Los Parks showed off more insult-laden home cooking. Hammerstone showed off some training footage and announced a bodybuilding contest. Jordan Oliver hurled more insults at Simon Gotch. Salina de la Renta teased more cryptic hints about what she’s been up to. Konnan dropped some dark hints too and the episode ended with another signal interruption from CONTRA. They once again talked about abusing MLW’s TV outreach to recruit more souls and ended with another loud Hail CONTRA! We’ll continue our fly on the wall look at MLW next week after watching the rise of the Von Erichs.
All images courtesy of MLW Twitter, All videos courtesy of MLW YouTube