MLW Fusion Recap Episode 64: Tom Lawlor vs. Josef Samael, Austin Aries vs. Adam Brooks

Last week on MLW Fusion: Before Teddy Hart could wrestle Richard Holliday, The Dynasty jumped Teddy and took his tag team championship belt. Jordan Oliver and Isiah Velasquez wrestled really fast for their couple minute match. Oliver got the win and looks to be a rising star. Low Ki wins in less than a minute and cuts a pretty good promo where he sounded like a person. Contra Unit vs The Von Erichs and Tom Lawlor went to damn war with each other. The Von Erichs got a win for their team but win didn’t end he war. They fought until the show went off the air.

Cold Open

Contra Unit cut promos in their typical Contra style. Josef says he will blind Tom Lawlor. Simon Gotch was not involved in the promo. I wonder why that is? I am guessing because he isn’t involved in any matches for the next two weeks.

Ross and Marshall Von Erich are brought into the broadcast booth. They have the promo skills of their father. Very earnest, but lacking charisma. Over time they will get better.

Adam Brooks vs. Austin Aries

• Adam Brooks is from Australia and gets his own entrance. That gives the illusion that Brooks actually has a chance. He looks like a shady bartender though.
• Austin Aries comes out to a huge reaction, mainly because it’s his home town. He is wearing plain black pants with a plan black cape. Dude looks like a mini Parrow. I wonder why Parrow isn’t featured on MLW anymore.
• This is a Middleweight bout and Cornette says he is excited to see Austin and Teddy Hart wrestle.
• Some real fun counter wrestling to start the match. It was mainly a battle to get a hammerlock on. Once the action slowed down, Brooks went for a handshake but Aries just booted dude in the face.
• Adam and Austin start wrestling like they did before and Brooks was able to get Aries by sweeping his leg. After a couple kicks and dropkicks by Brooks, Austin is back in charge.
• The match is very even and back and forth. I’m very surprised at how even this match is.
• Cornette tries to say that Aries looks tremendous because of broccoli. If you’ve followed Aries at all this decade, you’d know it’s because of bananas.
• Cornette is basically verbally fellating Aries, while making fun of Australia. He does the “dingo ate my baby” bit. Which was what some woman in the 80’s said when she lost her child. The dingo did not eat her baby, but it’s whatever. Needless to say, I am really excited for Tony Schiavone to be back. Rich is so underrated in the commentary booth. He can have chemistry with anyone he commentates with, no matter how annoying or into themselves his broadcast partners are.
• Brooks is able to block a dive through the ropes and hit a DDT. It looks like Adam would have won the match if he as able to make the cover. Adam is just too blown up, can’t crawl and pin.
• Aries seems to be struggling to put Brooks away. Adam even gets to the ropes during last chancery, which is now called “Horns of Aries”. Looks like Brooks is playing Kratos in God of War with how much trouble he is giving Aries.
• Aries does a Death Valley Driver on the apron of the ring. Aries fucked it up a bit and dropped Brooks right on his head. It was gross, commentary agreed and Cornette called it irresponsible.
• Austin misses the 450 after the DVD and Brooks moves. It’s amazing because it seems Aries is fighting for his life. Austin hits the brainbuster after a discus elbow for the win.

And I’m Like… That was a good match! It was surprising as well. IF Austin Aries never cut a promo or talked or tweeted, I would be a huge fan of the man. Very shocked at how much I enjoyed that. It was very back and forth. Then Austin grabs the mic and forces Kacey Lennox out of the ring. So all that goodwill the match had has gone to shit. Austin Aries throws shade at WWE and Impact and “fake wrestlers” in a very subtle way. Aries makes fun of himself because he doesn’t think he should have been a heavyweight champion. He declares himself a middleweight. Says MLW abides by weight restrictions, even though Low Ki was just heavyweight champion and weighs less than Aries. It’s whatever. MLW is the land of the misfit toys, the guys who can’t get a long with any other promotion.

We see Teddy getting jumped by The Dynasty. This feud has to end with a “member of the losing team must leave MLW” and MJF is losing right? He can’t appear for MLW two months from now. I wonder how they will write him off the show.

The Dynasty is at “Martha’s Vineyard”. Holliday’s dad bought a place at Martha’s because they closed down an orphanage. MJF left to go have sex and then Hammerstone also left Holliday to read the Wall Street Journal in a suit in the sun.

Savio Vega is coming to MLW at the next taping. That should be fun.

Ariel Dominguez and Sam Black vs. Jacob Fatu

• The name might not be Sam Black because during their introductions, Fatu showed up and laid waste to both men very quickly. Jacob Fatu is kicking all the ass with so many impressive moves.
• Fatu does a hand spring backflip. A pop up Samoan Drop. The top rope moonsault. Wins the match.

And I’m Like… Jacob Fatu wrestles like if Umaga and Tom Magee had a child. The dude is something special and brings an aura that is seldom seen in wrestling. The crowd noise was sweetened with boo’s but the crowd seemed to be either, not reacting or cheering for Jacob. Rumor is Jacob is one of the hottest talents on the scene and both big companies are interested in him. Jacob is Samoan Dynasty though, and they all end up in WWE.

Salina De La Renta is interviewed about going too far, getting rid of Sami Callihan. She drops the words “goat fucker” in reference to Callihan. Salina says she is a 22 year old in control and we must be so hard from looking at her, or it must be so hard or something.

Over a year ago Court Bauer said MLW is working on a women’s division. This division will be the best ever, if how long it takes them to build it is any indication.

Mancer cuts a promo outside by a fence drinking light beers. Is very pro American, runs down Salina and Los Angeles Park. He is the headhunter and taking out Salina and her crew. Mancer totally gets how giving something significance, makes it more special. “When Mancer puts his beer down, then he means business, when Mancer puts his hat on backwards, then he means business” Couple that with the knee pad up, knee pad down spot in a match and he has three things that make you excited based off his actions. That is something that is missing in many wrestlers. Body language is 90% of communication, and Mancer adds gravitas to his body language.

Tom Lawlor vs. Josef Samael

• We are told that Samael isn’t looking to win, just soften Lawlor up for his match against Jacob Fatu next week.
• We get a picture in picture of Salina and Ricky Martinez watching the match, as we are told LA Park is lurking. Park won a “golden ticket” and is looking to cash it in on Lawlor soon.
• Lawlor is pissed and starts the match off with a brawl. This lets us know this isn’t a wrestling match, this is a fight.
• I’m guessing this is a relaxed rules match because the ref isn’t even counting when Samael and Lawlor are on the outside. Once Samael enters the ring, then the ref starts counting.
• Josef slows the match down with some wear down holds and eye gouging. Samael is soooo old school, sometimes to the detriment of the match. I say this because he wrestles like matches will go 20 minutes plus, but there isn’t a Samael match that goes over 10 minutes.
• IF the crowd is making the noise that I hear, no fan shown on the hard camera is making that noise. Which is unfortunate.
• As Josef slowly decimates Lawlor while the crowd boos, we are shown the Salina and Ricky picture in picture again. Then Rich says Contra Unit is causing havoc in the dressing room. Camera cuts away from the match and shows a Contra/ Von Erichs brawl in the back.
• Now Lawlor and Samael try to use a spike on each other. Lawlor pushes the ref down, and the ref calls for a DQ, even though he has NEVER called for DQ before. Unless Myron Reed and Rich Swann are involved.
• There is chaos backstage and at ringside as the show goes off the air.

And I’m Like… That was the show. It didn’t have the energy that we were supposed to feel. The finish of this match was lame sauce. MLW’s referee’s pick and choose when they want to enforce the rules. This seems to be building up to a War Chamber match, what ever that is. I’m not quite sure how to feel. At least there was a good opening match.

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