MLW Fusion binge watch: Lawlor wins Opera Cup, Von Erichs retain, more!

MLW will be banging hard to welcome the new year with a special Kings of Colosseum episode of Fusion featuring a grudge match and three title fights Wednesday night. Jordan Oliver will finally get his hands on Simon Gotch, the Von Erichs will defend the tag belts against the Dirty Blondes in a Texas tornado match, Alexander Hammerstone will seek destruction of the Contra Unit’s Mads Krugger with the openweight strap on the line, and Lio Rush debuts for MLW in a championship clash against Myron Reed.

With so much excitement planned for tomorrow, that means now is the time to binge watch the past six episodes since MLW’s return in The Restart. Episode 110 with Jacob Fatu defending the heavyweight belt against Davey Smith Jr. and episode 111 with the opening of the Opera Cup tournament have already been covered. Join us for a quick catch-up of the last four episodes of Fusion. Also, be sure to check back Thursday for the Kings of Colosseum recap.

Episode 112 (here) results and highlights:

• Josef Samael explained that Contra Unit is getting stronger while we get fatter eating turkey. Mads Krugger will be will be poison injected into MLW. Suffering will be painful and has only just begun.
• ACH defeated Laredo Kid in the Opera Cup opening round. Jamming match with a quick pace. The moves flowed well to pop with impact. Laredo was in control climbing the corner when ACH exploded for an upward soccer kick to the head. ACH finished with a brainbuster at 14:08 to advance.
• Team Filthy announced a new tag team with Dominic Garrini and Kevin Ku as Violence is Forever.
• The Von Erichs challenged Contra to try and take the tag team titles from them. Marshall was anxious to claw somebody and delivered the closing line, “It’s going to be a claw-tastrophe.”
• Salina de la Renta was in Mexico City plotting revenge.
• Mads Krugger squashed Ariel Dominguez. Krugger ended it with a backbreaker and facebuster to win at 1:46. Sentai Death Squad goons loaded Dominguez’s corpse into a body bag.
• Lifestyles of the Rich and Dynastic saw Richard Holliday dedicate his Opera Cup win to Alexander Hammerstone. He also squeezed in a few insults for that weasel Gino Medina.
• Contra accepted the challenge from the the Von Erichs. Jacob Fatu and Simon Gotch were chosen to compete.
• Low Ki defeated Davey Boy Smith Jr. in the Opera Cup opening round. Strategy focused on weakening body parts. Low Ki found his groove when flipping out of a German suplex to attack with a jumping double stomp. An octopus stretch to a standing Smith was followed by a barrage of kicks and a running shotgun dropkick. Smith rebounded with a powerslam. He picked Low Ki up for a finishing maneuver, but Low Ki hooked the rope with his foot to prevent movement. Ki locked in a dragon sleeper in the ropes then transitioned to a choke hold. In a callback to last year’s duel, Smith tried to roll over for a pin. This time, Low Ki anticipated the tactic to score a roll-up of his own for the three count at 20:13 to advance.

Good episode with two strong matches. I’d give the edge to ACH vs Laredo Kid for more excitement. That bout is worth checking out. Low Ki vs Smith is more of the mat style, which isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. I like the finish referencing their previous matchup. Star of the show goes to Marshall Von Erich for being a wild man in his promo.

Episode 113 (here) results and highlights:

• Josef Samael threatened that Contra will strike again and win the war. They will destroy another legacy (Von Erichs) to take the tag titles.
• Calvin Tankman defeated Zenshi. Tankman stifled Zenshi’s momentum with a spinning backfist to the throat of the flying masked man. A sitdown Tankman Driver slam ended it at 3:44.
• Salina de la Renta was at ancient ruins teasing to bring back Mil Muertes in her quest for revenge.
• Dan Lambert was agitated that athletic commissions allowed Low Ki to participate in the Opera Cup, while King Mo was only an alternate. Don’t be upset when King Mo causes more brain damage in his next knockout of Low Ki.
• Violence is Forever defeated Dugan & Martyr. Dominic Garrini and Kevin Ku made quick work of their opponents. Their finisher was a brainbuster by Garrini while Ku kicked the spine on the way down at 1:54. Of note, Garrini dumped his gi to wrestle in fight shorts.
• Lio Rush is a hitmaker. He’s too busy for Myron Reed to call the shots. Rush will come to collect the Middleweight Championship from Reed on January 6.
• Alexander Hammerstone put over Mads Krugger as a monster, but he isn’t scared. The Nightmare Pendulum is coming for Krugger. Hammer shared huge news that he has been cleared to return to the ring and challenged Krugger to an official match. Krugger hacked into the broadcast with a modulated voice to answer Hammerman’s call for January 6.
• Low Ki defeated Richard Holliday in the Opera Cup semifinals. Holliday used his size advantage to ground Low Ki. The Brooklyn warrior survived a pop-up powerbomb and a spinebuster. Low Ki sandbagged suplex attempts then fired off a missile dropkick. A flying double stomp at 9:19 finished Holliday’s evening as Low Ki advanced to the finals. Afterward, Low Ki grabbed Holliday’s Caribbean Championship to send a message.
• Myron Reed is eager to prove he is the best middleweight in the world. Lio Rush will be served justice.
• Von Erichs retained the World Tag Team Championship against Jacob Fatu & Simon Gotch. A brawl broke out before the opening bell rang. The match built to a hot tag for Marshall. He claw slammed Gotch through a wooden board. That kicked off the ‘no contest’ finish as Team Filthy attacked the Von Erichs and Jordan Oliver attacked Gotch.

The Opera Cup maintained its streak of quality matches. The main event action was interesting and also disappointing. The skirmish at the end did well to advance stories, but it robbed us of a finish to the match. I was invested in seeing if the Von Erichs could overcome Contra. That question still remains to be answered. In the meantime, Ross and Marshall kicking filthy ass should be fun.

Episode 114 (here) results and highlights:

• Alicia Atout approached the Dynasty in the parking lot for an interview. Alexander Hammerstone spilled the beans in regard to Richard Holliday talking about her in the drive over. Holliday claimed it was a different Alicia Atout. Contra goons attacked and were handily dispatched by the Dynasty. Holliday was more upset about Hammer revealing his lady chatter than Contra’s feeble trap.
• Bu Ku Dao defeated LA Park Jr. LA Park, Hijo de LA Park, and TJP were all ringside for these singles debuts. Park had control when TJP caused a distraction on the apron for Bu Ku Dao to win via roll-up at 4:44. That was fair play by TJP, since the Parks had been taking advantage of Bu Ku Dao on the floor.
• Jordan Oliver gave Simon Gotch a black eye, but he wants more. Oliver desires to show no mercy in a match on January 6. Gotch will not outlast justice.
• Mads Krugger defeated two men. Ben “Budd” Heavy and Daniel Starling were pounded in 58 seconds of action. Krugger used a full nelson to slam Starling on top of Heavy. Body bags were out again to take away the dead meat.
• Hammerstone was in top position of the PWI top 10. He was followed by Low Ki, Tom Lawlor, LA Park, Myron Reed, ACH, Laredo Kid, Holliday, Calvin Tankman, and Krugger.
• We were informed that a brawl erupted backstage between Hammerstone and Krugger.
• Salina de la Renta summoned Mil Muertes.
• The Von Erichs helped ACH train and wished him luck against Lawlor.
• Tom Lawlor defeated ACH in the Opera Cups semifinals. Lawlor worked a cross armbreaker early. ACH did well to defend against the MMA practitioner. ACH gained momentum with a cartwheel dropkick, but Lawlor remained focused on wearing him down. ACH relied on quick counter roll-ups to mix it up. ACH struck with a tiger driver then went high risk. Lawlor got his knees up on ACH’s flying splash. Lawlor capitalized by folding ACH and locking hands to ensure there would be no escape. Lawlor earned the victory at 12:29 to advance to the Opera Cup final against Low Ki.
• Lawlor was excited at the prospect of adding his name to the legendary list of Opera Cup winners. He will go undefeated for the third time against Low Ki in MLW. Lawlor will be the king of the mat.

The opening scene was the show-stealer. A future relationship between Holliday and Atout would be hilarious. Lawlor’s victory was another solid showing. His style has shifted more to a grinding manner while still maintaining the same level of excitement his matches usually bring. Bu Ku Dao’s win over LA Park Jr. was a surprise and seems like it could kick-start a feud with TJP and his protege against La Familia Real. TJP may have to call in his buddy Fallah Bahh from Impact to add some size to his squad.

Episode 115 (here) results and highlights:

• Dirty Blondes defeated Dominguez & Starling. Michael Patrick and Leo Brien of the Stud Stable were accompanied by Aria Blake. Dirty Blondes made quick work of their opponents and won with a jumping powerslam off the middle turnbuckle at 1:37.
• Alexander Hammerstone has been training non-stop for Mads Krugger. Hammer is worse than the monster and will cut loose on the masked man. Hammerman won’t be holding back. The Nightmare Pendulum will put Krugger down.
• Salina de la Renta will have a bombshell at Kings of Colesseum.
• Low Ki was warming up for the Opera Cup final. He knows Lawlor’s strengths and weaknesses. Low Ki plans to bring prestige back to the sport.
• Myron Reed doesn’t blame Lio Rush from running. Rush needs time to prepare for the best middleweight in the world. Reed will keep his title and make Rush a dumbweight.
• The man behind the mask of Mads Krugger isn’t important. What is important is what the mask has made him. He was excommunicated to the darkness and found in the shadows by Contra. Krugger’s hands will bring Hammerstone’s reckoning.
• The PWI top 10 in order was Hammerstone, Lawlor, Low Ki, LA Park, Reed, Holliday, Krugger, ACH, Laredo Kid, and Tankman. Krugger and Holliday were risers, while ACH dropped a few spots.
• LA Park was upset about the Dirty Blondes getting a championship opportunity, while his family is being passed over. Park demanded a tag title shot or else he will leave MLW.
• Tom Lawlor defeated Low Ki to win the Opera Cup tournament. Since Lawlor was flanked by Dominic Garrini and Kevin Ku, Low Ki brought the Von Erichs to watch his back. Lawlor’s strategy was to take the fight to the mat. Low Ki focused on heavy strikes and choke holds. Lawlor was in serious trouble on a dragon sleeper. Low Ki used his legs to wrap up Lawlor’s arms. The filthy one resorted to biting the rope for a break since his limbs were occupied. Lawlor took control with dragon screws and leg locks. Low Ki exploded back with a springboard kick. The action was even until Low Ki was able to counter for a Ki Crusher fisherman driver. The impact was too close to the ropes for a successful cover. Low Ki kept on the pressure with a running dropkick in the corner. As the referee asked Lawlor if he wanted to quit, Low Ki charged forth with a rolling wheel kick. Lawlor ended up falling on top of Low Ki to trap him for the three count at 24:41 and win the Opera Cup. Team Filthy hoisted their captain upon their shoulders in celebration.

That was an interesting finish to the Opera Cup final. It was tough for me to tell what exactly happened. I don’t understand why the referee had to be involved. I guess he was checking to see if Lawlor was knocked out? It seemed like Low Ki may have knocked himself silly when falling to the mat on the wheel kick, and that is why he failed to kick out. Nevertheless, that doesn’t diminish Lawlor’s victory. He won fair and square to seize success with natural instincts.

Krugger’s promo may have provided hints at his identity. If he turns out to be Logan Creed, which seems to be the most likely scenario, that promo set the ground work. When Creed was banished away from the Dynasty, he sort of disappeared to become a lost soul ripe for Contra’s picking.

That gets you up to speed for Kings of Colosseum. Share your thoughts about The Restart of MLW. What were your favorite moments? Which matches were the best? Were you satisfied with the Opera Cup tournament as a whole?

MLW Fusion streams on Fubo Sports Network Wednesday nights at 7 pm ET and 10 pm ET, posts on YouTube Wednesdays at 7 pm ET, and airs on beIN SPORTS Saturday nights at 10 pm ET. You can also check out MLW streaming on demand with DAZN. In addition, MLW is broadcast in over 20 countries.

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