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MLW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT: Tom Lawlor (with Team Filthy) vs. MVP
The entire “Is Lawlor in cahoots” reminds me of old TNA PPVs where a story like that would play out in interview promos between matches before some swerve inevitably happened.
Lawlor got a big UFC-style entrance with everyone in the entourage following each other with their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. MVP came out alone. MVP came out wearing a black belt which the announcers stating it was from his black belt in pro wrestling. That is a great gimmick and I have no idea why no one ever tried that before.
The story early on was that MVP was using pro wrestling while Lawlor was arrogantly using his MMA background to showboat. MVP went for his ankle and took him down to the mat, scoring a German suplex, holding on to nail additional ones. MVP tried to lock on a Crossface but Lawlor made it to the ropes.
Lawlor used a Side Russian Legsweep and locked on a ankle submission but MVP made it to the ropes. Lawlor maintained control, working over MVP. Lawlor went back to the ankle submission. MVP began slapping away at him, hoping to ease the hold. Lawlor released it and they began slapping each other before Lawlor grabbed the move again.
Lawlor was forced to relinquish due to a rope break and nailed several knee strikes. Lawlor caught him in the corner nailing punches and kicks. MVP fought back and nailed a big boot to the face in the corner. MVP drove him into the knee and nailed a drop-down slam. MVP went for and nailed the Ballin’ elbow, then attempted a fisherman’s suplex. Lawlor blocked it and cinched in an armbar submission, then scored with a pair of German suplexes.
Lawlor transitioned the second suplex into a sleeper on the mat. He went for a move, but MVP was able to slide Lawlor over into the Crossface. As he worked the move, Stokely Hathaway emerged on the ring apron. The referee admonished him, but Ki slipped it and kicked MVP in the back of the head. There’s your swerve.
Lawlor covered the unconscious MVP, scoring the pin.
Lawlor dropped a white belt across MVP, meant to be a huge sign of disrespect.
MLW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT: Matt Riddle vs. Jeff Cobb.
Lots of “Bro” chants for Riddle as the crowd is all over him. He has an energetic, cool charisma. He and Cobb (aka Matanza Cueto in Lucha Underground) have some nice back and forth grappling early on.
Riddle grabs a leg and takes Cobb to the mat, but he rolls over on his stomach and grapples with Riddle. They end up in the corner and break clean. Cobb took him to the mat, but they rolled into the ropes and again, a clean break.
They continued grappling and Riddle showed surprising power by lifting and slamming his MLW tag team partner. Cobb went for another takedown but trapped Riddle in mid-air, then tossed him spinning across the ring. That was cool. Riddle nailed slaps and strikes before trapping Cobb in the corner with a series of kicks and a series of running forearms.
Riddle went for a leaping splash but was caught and tossed over the shoulder into a suplex that sent Riddle flying. The announcers praised Cobb’s power. Cobb nailed a chop with one hand and a clothesline with the other arm in one fluid motion in the corner. Cobb caught him with another suplex for a two count. Cobb is awesome.
Cobb lifted and tossed Riddle for another two count. Cobb continued to showcase his power, tossing Riddle from side to side before slamming him down with an insane gutwrench suplex. Cobb nailed a German suplex but Riddle rolls through and goes for a kick. Riddle was taken down, but Cobb went for a forearm off the ropes, only to be snatched in a choke.
Cobb fights to his feet and grabs the ropes but is nailed with a big back suplex. Riddle nailed the GTS and a bridging German suplex but Cobb kicks up. A really good, entertaining and competitive match here.
Riddle nailed a senton for another two count. Riddle attempted to lift and execute a gut wrench suplex and nailed it. Riddle drilled him with right hands and stomps in the corner. They continued to fire back and forth with big bombs on each other. Both men went down, and the crowd clapped to rally them to fight on.
Cobb caught Riddle and sent him spinning with a suplex. These two really are perfectly suited for each other as opponents. Riddle went to the top but was caught and held in the air for a delayed superplex. Cobb’s nose was bleeding from the earlier strikes. They chopped and fought back and forth with each other.
Riddle went for an armbreaker but thought better of it and drilled him with a knee in the face. Riddle nailed a powerbomb and another strike, before collapsing on the prone Cobb and scoring the pinfall.
Your winner, Matt Riddle!
An excellent match that showcased how great these two are as hybrid athletes with some really good striking and pure wrestling finesse showcased. They had a completely believable finish as well. Thoroughly enjoyable.
I’d pick this as my favorite match on the show. Riddle gets a lot of buzz because he’s got a ton of charisma, but man, Jeff Cobb may be one of the best all-around performers out there and deserves far more attention.
They hugged after the match, because, well, they are Bros.
It will be Riddle vs. Lawlor, obviously playing off their respective UFC resumes on 3/8.
They played a video feature on the Death Match main event.
They did a tale of the tape for the main event.
DEATH MATCH: Sami Callihan vs. Darby Allin (with Priscilla Kelly & Jimmy Havoc)
Tony Schiavone just compared Darby Allin to something out of “Watchmen.” I just tapped out. I’m done. My head just exploded. Rorschach reference was the last thing I’d ever expect to hear out of Tony Schiavone. 2018 is madness.
One thing that Callihan really brings everywhere with him is an intense ferocity, even to how he comes to the ring. He tossed a chair into the ring. He and Allin sat in opposite corners staring at each other.
They went back and forth evading the others’ moves until Callihan drilled Allin with a big clothesline. Callihan nailed a clothesline that sent Allin off the apron to the floor, then hit a big dive through the ropes to Allin, who was sitting in the first row.
Callihan tossed Allin back into the ring and played to the crowd, allowing Allin to return the favor from moments earlier with a crazy looking torpedo dive. They began brawling through the crowd with Callihan flinging chair after chair at Allin. They battled into a production area, where Allin was slammed backwards into a wall. Poor Charlie Bruzzese, still chasing wrestlers in the crowd with his camera after all these years
Callihan finally tossed Allin back into the ring. Callihan set up a chair in the turnbuckles but Allin was able to attack and send him into the chair. Allin grabbed Sami’s arm and went for a springboard but Callihan snatched him and shoved him into the air, crashing into the wall of the building’s balcony and down into the crowd. Well, that was a first!
Callihan returned to the floor, where he dragged Allin up and chopped him hard after spitting on his hand. That is some nasty sh**. Callihan grabbed and set up a chair. He went to use it on Allin, who fired away at his neck with elbows. Callihan struck him with a big boot and attempted a German suplex into the chair, but Allin fought free and scored several near-falls.
Callihan was nailed with a spinning splash off the ropes. Allin went to suplex Callihan onto the chair but it was reversed into a Blue Thunder Bomb through the chair. The amount of abuse Allin is taking here is damn ridiculous.
Callihan began wielding chairs, slamming them over Allin’s legs. Allin kicked him in the knee and used the ropes to choke Callihan. He nailed a Code Red for a two count. Callihan attacked the knee then sent Allin inside out with a big lariat.
Callihan went to grab Allin, who miracle of miracles, pulling himself to his feet. They grabbed chairs and faced off. Allin tossed the chair down and said he didn’t need one. That lured Callihan into a false sense of security, allowing Allin to nail a big dropkick to the face.
Allin went down under the ring and pulled out a table. Allin set the table and picked up Callihan to serve him the meal. He draped Callihan face-first over the corner and ascended to the top. Callihan grabbed a chair and flung it at Allin, then smashed him with one, stunning him. Callihan brought the table close to the turnbuckles and attempted a superplex. Allin blocked it but Callihan overpowered him and hit a piledriver off the ropes through the table. Although that easily could have been the finish, Allin kicked out.
Callihan grabbed duct tape from outside the ring. Callihan hog-tied Allin’s arms behind his back. Kelly got on the apron but Callihan went after her. That allowed Jimmy Havoc to nail a lariat. Allin scored a two count. Havoc nailed the Acid Rainmaker. Allin, his hands still bound, dove off the ropes with a coffin drop and scored the pin.
Your winner, Darby Allin!
I will give them all the credit in the world for beating the hell out of each other.
Allin was about to beat down the unconscious Callihan when Joey Janella emerged out of the crowd and smashed him over the head with a beer bottle. Janella posed and stood over everyone, smoking a cigarette, marking his debut in the promotion as they went off the air.
Overall, an enjoyable show with a unique blend of '80s style pro wrestling logic on the undercard and "big match, big fight" sort of top bouts before tossing your prototypical death match insanity on top with a few surprises in the shape of Parker and Janella. To me, this came off far stronger and with more identity than the original incarnation of MLW had at times and a big part of it was the strong announcing from Schiavone and Bocchini. Very few misses here and everything made sense in terms of what each segment was trying to get across, plus it's FREE, so it's worth your time investment to be sure.
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