The show began with a recap of the ongoing feud between CONTRA Unit and Promociones Dorado.
Rich Bocchini and AJ Kirsch are calling the show from the tapings in Tijuana, Mexico.
DAVEY BOY SMITH JR. & BRIAN PILLMAN JR. VS DRAGON LEE & EXTREME TIGER
Pillman Jr. began the match wearing his sunglasses and doing the Tranquilo pose on the mat. They had an exchange and Lee did the pose.
The Hart Foundation were in control of Extreme Tiger and cut the ring in half. Extreme Tiger came off the turnbuckle with a senton onto Pillman’s hip and tagged Lee in.
Lee and Pillman traded chops, Lee hit a pair of knee strikes, Pillman hit a spinning back fist, Lee kicked out of a driver and Lee responded with a shining wizard. Lee proceeded to land a tope suicida to Pillman into the aisle. Extreme Tiger landed a tope con giro.
The Hart Foundation won when Smith held Extreme Tiger in the air as Pillman landed a springboard clothesline for the victory.
WINNERS: Davey Boy Smith Jr. (pinned Extreme Tiger) & Brian Pillman Jr. at 12:31
It was a well-worked tag match and the progression Pillman has made is noticeable over the course of the past year.
Lee was standout with a great sequence involving Pillman.
The match was a backdrop to promote The Hart Foundation’s individual matches at the pay-per-view next weekend as Davey Boy Smith Jr. challenges Alex Hammerstone for the National title, Teddy Hart defends the middleweight title against Austin Aries, and Pillman Jr. is facing Low Ki.
The promoted the free pre-show next Saturday at 7 pm eastern that will air in place of Fusion leading into the pay-per-view.
Salina de la Renta cut a promo while smoking a cigar. She is more dangerous than the Cartel and is the constant in MLW. Regarding the war between Promociones Dorado and CONTRA Unit, “shit’s on” and LA Park will take the MLW title back from Jacob Fatu. She is a tremendous performer.
LA Park cut a promo with subtitles responding to the attack by CONTRA Unit on his son, El Hijo de LA Park. He is going to “break their fucking face”.
The Dynasty was sitting at a bar, Richard Holliday didn’t have his Air Pods on before revealing they had been in his pocket. They toasted to America and winning the belts.
Marshall & Ross Von Erich had a brief response about giving the Dynasty a hangover after Saturday SuperFight.
PROXIMO & TERROR AZTECA VS TORITO NEGRO & TOTO
Proximo and Toto exchanged in a chop battle before going to the floor. Toto was dropped on the floor and Proximo came off the top with a splash on the floor
Terror Azteca ran at Torito Negro with head scissors driving the head into the match and scored the cover quick.
WINNERS: Proximo & Terror Azteca at 2:55
There was a commercial break that ate up a portion of this already shortened match. It was basically two big spots with the splash to the floor by Proximo and into the finish with Terror Azteca using the head scissors. Nothing more to it than that.
They ran a video package on LA Park and the rematch with Jacob Fatu in the main event of the pay-per-view.
IKURO KWON, JOSEF SAMAEL & SIMON GOTCH VS LA PARK, BESTIA 666 & MECHA WOLF
LA Park and Josef Samael paired off and brawled on the floor from the beginning of the match. Samael attacked Park with chair shots to the body.
Bestia 666 was being beaten down by all three members until fighting back and hitting a tope suicida. That led to a sequence of dives culminating with LA Park diving off the top with a high cross for a big reaction.
Park grabbed the chair and attacked Samael and rammed it into Gotch, who was knocked off the guardrail from the shot.
Mecha Wolf lifted Kwon and Bestia 666 came off the top with a clothesline. The two double-teamed Gotch in the ring. LA Park got the audience into a frenzy as he faced off with Samael. LA Park applied an abdominal stretch and fish hooked Samael until Kwon and Gotch broke it up.
Bestia 666 hit La Valagueza (a version of the muscle buster) on Kwon followed by a 450-splash from Mecha Wolf but Gotch made the save.
Bestia 666 hit Gotch with La Valagueza, Mecha Wolf was sprayed with mist by Kwon and Samael used a fireball on Bestia 666 but turned into a spear from LA Park, who pinned Samael.
WINNERS: LA Park (pinned Josef Samael), Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf at 16:02
They kept stating at the end that Jacob Fatu was being restrained from coming out and never appeared.
The match had a good amount of heat when LA Park was in the match and was the most over star on the show but a strong margin.
It was a basic match with a collection of dives, brawling, and the wild ending that included mist and a fireball before LA Park’s spear overcame everything.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As a go-home show, it was a good push for all the matches but nothing consequential on the show. It was an episode that felt like all the angles have been shot, the card is out there, and this was a prelude to the big show on Saturday. It probably needed some more promos from different participants on the show. The best one on this show came from Salina de la Renta concerning the main event and LA Park seeking to regain the title from Jacob Fatu.
The show was heavily reliant on in-ring matches than advancing the stories, which have already been put in place for the pay-per-view. It was a fine show with some good action but not an essential show to catch before the pay-per-view.
It’s interesting with so much talk about NXT getting into a bigger building to improve the environment and yet, in this instance, you had a bigger and loud audience in Tijuana but I think MLW works better in an intimate environment in their small venues like Cicero Stadium, the Melrose Ballroom, etc.
Here is the full card for the Saturday SuperFight card next Saturday at Cicero Stadium and airing on pay-per-view:
*Jacob Fatu vs. LA Park for the MLW title
*Alex Hammerstone vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. for the National Openweight title
*Teddy Hart vs. Austin Aries for the MLW middleweight title
*MJF & Richard Holliday vs. Marshall & Ross Von Erich in a Texas Tornado match for the MLW tag titles
*Tom Lawlor vs. Timothy Thatcher
*Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Low Ki
*Mance Warner vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Bestia 666 in a Stairway to Hell match
*Jordan Oliver, Kotto Brazil & Myron Reed vs. Puma King, Gringo Loco & Septimo Dragon
The free pre-show at 7 pm eastern on the MLW YouTube channel, Fite TV, beIN Sports, and the pay-per-view carriers:
*Simon Gotch & Ikuro Kwon vs. Dominic Garrini & Douglas James vs. Spirit Squad
*El Hijo de LA Park vs. Zenshi
*Savio Vega vs. Leo Brien
*Air Wolf vs. Gino “El Intocable” Medina
