MLW Fusion Recap Episode 26: Rich Swann vs. Teddy Hart, Brian Pillman’s debut

Last week on MLW: Ricky Martinez won in a very quick match over newcomer Jake St. Patrick. Simon Gotch got bit by Gangrel. Davey Boy Smith made very quick work of ACH. Pentagon and L.A. Park beat the ever loving skeletons out of each other and the ref even got in on the action in an intense match which L.A. Park won.

Cold Open

The show just starts with the theme song and video. I wonder if they will still be showing the War Games tapings.

Teddy Hart backstage promo with zero emotion about how the next generation hart foundation cannot be stopped. Commentary calls them delusional and liars.

Vandal Ortagun vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

This is the debut singles match of Brian Pillman Jr. Commentary brings up when Brian turned his back on Kevin Sullivan and stuck with the Hart Foundation.

Pillman goes right to Vandal, getting in Ortagun’s face and not backing down. Pillman lands some kicks and takes a second to laugh at the crowd and then meditate? Very slow and methodical, lots of playing to the crowd while hitting very basic maneuvers. It’s a very old school feel and the crowd is clapping along and enjoying the match.

Vandal got one move in before being scoop slammed out of the corner. Pillman does some more laughing. Ortagun is showing no character or charisma, this match is strictly focusing on BPJ. Pillman has a very expressive face and is cocky enough to get you to cheer for his defeat.

Brian keeps playing to the crowd to his own detriment. Vandal was able to capitalize for a little bit of a sequence but it appears Pillman is just too good for Ortagun. Pillman picks up the win after a neckbreaker that Pillman calls the “hand cannon”.

Rush vignette.

Jimmy Yuta vs. El Hijo De L.A. Park w/ Salina De La Renta

Jimmy Yuta has either a new entrance song or this is the first time that his entrance song has had an impact on me. Yuta has a great entrance and really stands out with his attire/ crazy eyes. Salina is in yet another outfit. This being the War Games tapings still, it’s amazing how much luggage our girl brought to this show.

Hijo De L.A. Park is a lot to type. I’m used to the WWE style three syllable names. This match has a very WCW cruiserweight feel. Park getting the early advantage on Jimmy after outwrestling Yuta a bit. Jimmy is able to hit what can only be described as a cock stopper.

After that innovative move, Yuta gets a bit of offense in. This match is very much a back and forth encounter with neither man truly doing enough damage to take full control of the match. There is damage being dealt though and incremental amounts of damage are starting to add up, slowing the competitors down in the process.

Yuta is able to finally hit a big move, the Curtain Call made famous by Goldust for the win.

STOKELY f’n HATHAWAY is coming back!!! This man is a banger. So excited.

Shane Strickland no showed a scheduled interview with Tom Lawlor. Lawlor isn’t suprised but commentary doesn’t think that this is like Strickland.

MLW is hyping their Halloween show with PCO vs. L.A. Park and the Spin the Wheel Make the Deal match between Jimmy Havoc and Sami Callihan.

Jimmy Havoc cuts a menacing promo about how he will use every weapon available to take Callihan down.

Rich Swann gets a promo about his upcoming match against Teddy Hart. Swan says he was given a concussion. Rich cuts a weird ass promo where he basically says he can’t be kept down and will win.

We also get some promotion for the November 8th show in Chicago called Fight Land.

Teddy Hart w/ The Hart Foundation vs. Rich Swann w/ ACH

Teddy starts the match off by shaking Rich’s hand and giving him a hug. Then when Swann goes to the turnbuckle to ask for cheers from the crowd, Teddy jumped Swann from behind.

Swann is able to fight back a bit and is showing a lot more aggression than usual. Davey Boy Smith grabs Swann’s leg which leads to Teddy Hart Teddy Hart’n. The crowd erupts in “Teddy” chants after three consecutive backbreaker type moves.

Commentary finally points out how Teddy Hart’s facial reactions never change. On offense or defense he has a stoic look on his face. This is something that I’ve been saying for the months that Teddy has been on MLW television. It’s this weird comatose style of wrestling. Like Teddy is permatripping and doesn’t realize that body language and facial expressions are something that should be happening to normal everyday people.

Teddy plays to the crowd and loses momentum after Swann hits this sweet reversal.

Tony and Rich argue back and forth on if Rich should even be competing. Tony says that concussion protocol is so rigid in 2018 that Swann wouldn’t be back unless he was ready. Rich says athlete’s lie to get back in the ring.

Teddy caught Rich Swann by the foot and applied an ankle lock. Teddy gets thrown into the turnbuckle and just hops up and sits on the top turnbuckle, staring at Swann. Swann then hits a jumping hurricanrana and that looked extremely contrived.

Both men battle out of the ring and Teddy lands a huge snap suplex on the concrete. Hart then goes to yell at a fan to get a chair and the fan has to show Teddy that the chairs are locked together! Teddy grabs the guardrail instead and lays it down ringside. Then Hart brings Swann on the wooden entrance ramp as Rich yells “WHERE IS ACH?!?”

The wrestles have been out of the ring for longer than 20 seconds and this is not a no dq match. The ref is being very f’n lenient in this match. Teddy slams Swann on the guardrail, which seems like its a better landing than on just the concrete. Hart hits a rope assisted rebound moonsault onto Swann who was on the guardrail.

Teddy hits a rope hung piledriver that I remember seeing in NWA: Smoky Mountain with Jordan Kage. Hart was showing off to the crowd as commentary came to the conclusion that Teddy is just exploiting the concussion injury of Swann.

Hart ends up hitting his head on the apron/concrete and is selling a concussion himself. Hart Foundation lifts Teddy and puts Hart back in the ring. Swann hits a Pheonix Splash for two. Commentary says Teddy is fighting food poisoning and now a possible concussion. Swann hits a 450 splash for another two count. Swann attempts to pick Teddy up but Hart openly tells Swann to go to the top rope.

Then when Swann is on the top rope, he jaw jacks with Hart Foundation while Teddy goes for a powerbomb. Swann reverses it by rolling through and locking in the sharpshooter. The crowd is livid. They are firmly behind Teddy. Which isn’t surprising because even though Teddy is from Canada he is the most Floridan wrestler out there. You know, because Florida.

Both men are fighting on the top rope and Teddy hits a Canadian Destroyer off the top rope that Swann sold by standing up dazed. Teddy then hit the electric chair back breaker for the win. Yup if you like Teddy Hart matches that was sure a Teddy Hart match.

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