Welcome back to MLW Fusion. We’re in for another packed episode this week as more championships are defended and we’ll see the violence intensified once again. In this episode, Violence is Forever is looking to cripple Bu Ku Dao and TJP to earn a shot at the Tag Team Titles, Laredo Kid defends the AAA World Cruiserweight Championship against Zenshi, and for the main event, it’ll be a Caribbean Strap match between Richard Holliday and Savio Vega to finally put this Caribbean Championship feud to rest. Who will walk away as the big winners this week? Let’s get into the action!
AAA World Cruiserweight Title: Laredo Kid defeated Zenshi via Top Rope Spanish Fly
WOW… What innovation from Zenshi.#MLWFusion
? https://t.co/AjzED5oC6Z pic.twitter.com/M9R4GGioF6
— Major League Wrestling (@MLW) January 28, 2021
Up first was some cruiserweight action. Zenshi was getting a big match opportunity by taking on AAA’s World Cruiserweight Title, Laredo Kid. Could Zenshi finally improve his MLW win/loss record and gain a new title in the process or would Laredo Kid be too much? The pair started with strong lock-ups and went for wrist control. Zenshi slammed down Laredo but missed with a kick and a pose off broke out. Zenshi continued to try and pick up the pace and connected with a tornado slam and low dropkick on Laredo. He bailed and got kicked back off the apron with a handspring kick. Zenshi faked going for a dive and hit Laredo with a rope hanging rebound kick. As if that wasn’t enough, he then hit a Shooting Star Press off the apron. He threw Laredo back in and got a two-count off a slingshot corkscrew elbow drop. The punishment continued with a grounded Abdominal stretch and a nasty back elbow. Laredo kicked him out of the corner and sent him sprawling across the ring with a missile dropkick. Zenshi rolled out and Laredo followed to slam him onto the floor with a Michinoku Driver. Not to be outdone, he hit Zenshi with a 450 off the apron and kicked at him in-ring. He continued with another corner strike into a deadlier Michinoku Driver. He followed up with a low moonsault and ate Zenshi’s knees on a second rope variant. It was Zenshi’s turn to strike out of the corner and nailed Laredo with a 450 senton. That was followed by a flipping reverse DDT and a running SSP. The pair traded strikes and kicks, then Laredo went for the kill with a DDT-Stroyer. Zenshi made the ropes and caught Laredo on the top with a Pelé Kick. Laredo did the same to Zenshi with a stiff strike and dragged him into a top rope Spanish Fly for the win. This was an exceptional opener. Both guys got to show what they do best and even if he lost Zenshi got one of his best showings to date. Laredo Kid wants more titles and Lio Rush is in his sights.
Bu Ku Dao & TJP defeated Violence is Forever (Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku) via Mamba Splash on Ku
Vicious combination from Violence is Forever!#MLWFusion
? https://t.co/AjzED570Ip@dgarrinibc | @kevinxku pic.twitter.com/Ys4raPAVXn
— Major League Wrestling (@MLW) January 28, 2021
Up next, we had a tag team eliminator match between Violence is Forever and TJP and his protégé Bu Ku Dao. The winning team of this match will get a shot at Los Parks and the Tag Team Titles next week so there was a lot to play for. Garrini and Dao started the action and Dao quickly found himself flying courtesy of a Garrini slam. Garrini took the fight to the mat and Dao joined him down there only to get trapped and thrown again. He locked Dao in a triangle and dragged himself to Ku for a tag. Ku came in and cracked Dao in the face with an elbow, then ran into a Rana from Dao. He capitalised with a front face lock into a Suplex and tagged in TJP. They hit a double rolling senton and TJP locked up Ku. Dao was back in and after an assisted slam, tried for a pin but Ku threw him off and tagged out, hitting a back elbow into a German on the way out. Garrini locked up Dao again and tagged out with double chest kicks. Ku locked in a grounded abdominal stretch and hammered down elbows. He dragged Dao up and chopped his soul out, then let Garrini have more fun. Violence is Forever continued to beat down Dao until he escaped with a Crucifix Driver and tagged in a fired-up TJP. He rushed the ring and took out both members of VIF. He hit Ku with a trio of headlock suplexes and went to the top rope but Garrini pushed him down. He made the tag to Dao and the pair locked VIF in dual submissions. Garrini dumped TJP onto Dao and Ku smacked the life out of him before getting hit by TJP. He fought out of the brainbuster and Dao jumped Ku with a Tornado DDT and TJP ended the match with a Mamba Splash. This was another great match but part of me is annoyed Violence is Forever didn’t win. They’ll now be furious at missing out on a title match and team TJP just earned a Los Parks ass-kicking.
Between the matches:
"Now it's time for war!"
– @TheBadReed#MLWFusion? https://t.co/AjzED570Ip pic.twitter.com/NCB2REkHXJ
— Major League Wrestling (@MLW) January 28, 2021
- Josef Samael addressed the Injustice attack and warned them of what was coming. He had soldiers everywhere and Daivari was coming for them both. Myron Reed gave CONTRA the same warning as he talked of how CONTRA’s attack had helped him evolve. War was coming.
- PWI Top Ten: ACH, Daivari, Myron Reed, Mil Muertes, Richard Holliday, Mads Krügger, Lio Rush, Low Ki, Filthy Tom Lawlor, and as always at number one, Alex Hammerstone. LA Park is no longer in the countdown as he is laser-focused on the tag team division.
- The Von Erichs addressed Los Parks’ shady way of taking their titles. They were more focused on beating Lawlor first, then they were coming for the tag titles. Los Parks also appeared via video to warn Violence is Forever and Team TJP that they’d be winning an ass-kicking from the champs
- Gino Medina was back to enjoy the main event as he hadn’t forgotten what Holliday said about him.
- Filthy Island was losing sponsors because of the ACH attack allegations and it looked like the entire event was in danger. Lawlor had even made a full video addressing this and tried to clear the names of everyone in Team Filthy.
- King Mo made a charity video mocking Low Ki and stating concern for his health after the knock-out he gave him. He urged everyone to band together and stop Low Ki from stepping in a ring again.
Caribbean Title Caribbean Strap match: Richard Holliday defeated Savio Vega via Ref Blockage
Last but not least, the main event. To those who hate Richard Holliday, this was a golden opportunity to see him get hurt. The Caribbean Champion would have to defend his ill-gotten title in a Caribbean strap match where that heavy leather strap could be used as a weapon. That strap had brought Vega pain in the past fighting Steve Austin, would it do the same again here? Vega has fought some of the most-violent brawls imaginable, could Holliday top that? The trick to this match is to touch all four corners. Holliday rushed to get two before Vega dragged him back and cracked him across the back with the strap. Vega choked out Holliday with the strap and gave him a final crack before strolling to touch the turnbuckles. He reached three out of four before Holliday stopped him. After a tug of war, he hammered Vega with forearms and took him down with a running forearm. He choked out Vega and gave him some horrific lashes. He strolled to three streets, then got chopped by Vega being a roadblock. Vega choked out Holliday again and Holliday dragged his way across the strap to poke Vega in the eyes. The pair went into another strike exchange, then Vega launched Holliday out of the corner with a back-body drop. He sent Holliday to the outside and tried to get the turnbuckles but Holliday was preventing him from reaching. Vega went to grab Holliday but got a rope to the throat for his troubles. He climbed to the top and downed Vega again with a flying clothesline. Vega prevented another buckle count by flipping Holliday with the strap and smashed Holliday in the face with a clothesline when he tried to shorten the strap. He dropped a knee and went back to whipping Holliday. Vega tied Holliday up and dragged him around the buckles but Holliday pulled him in and kicked him. Holliday forgot the rules of the match and hit a clothesline into a pin. The ref admonished this and Holliday took the walk but Vega tried the same and the pair collapsed off a double clothesline. Vega and Holliday scrambled to hit the buckles. Vega got to three and was in touching distance of the final corner when the ref blocked him. Vega moved him aside and Holliday jumped in to touch the final buckle. Holliday had won the strap match and was now the legitimate Caribbean Champion. I get the feeling this referee was paid off by Holliday’s lawyer/father.
Richard Holliday thinks he can get a fast one over Savio Vega in this strap match but it comes with a price.#MLWFusion
? https://t.co/AjzED570Ip@MostMarketable | @SavioVega pic.twitter.com/eEXrvRybxy
— Major League Wrestling (@MLW) January 28, 2021
This was confirmed post-match as Holliday bragged as Holliday and the ref gave a post-match. Vega chased them away to end the show citing how they’d cheated to keep his title. It figures Holliday would hire a disgraced NBA ref to ref an important match he knew would be against him. I’m sure we’ll see the fallout of this next week, as well as the Tag Team title shot for TJP and Bu Ku Dao and that insane CONTRA, sanctioned Baklei Brawl between the MLW juggernauts, Alex Hammerstone and Mads Krügger. It’s going to be another riot of an episode next week. See you then…
All images courtesy of MLW Twitter, Video courtesy of MLW YouTube