MLW Fusion Results, Highlights, and Grades: Hart vs Swann
Lawlor Left Hanging
As The Battle of the Aces heats up, we’re taken to footage from earlier in the week where Tom Lawlor awaited the arrival of Shane Strickland. The pair was meant to appear on Busted Open Radio together, but someone off-camera informs Lawlor that Strickland isn’t showing up.
Lawlor is left reeling at the news and jokes that Strickland must have run into traffic on his way out of Swerve City, or that perhaps he’s been impeded by the number of people throwing offers his way. Lawlor shakes his head and bemoans the situation claiming that he’s “not surprised” at the turn of events.
Grade: Good. Lawlor is being positioned as the MLW stalwart to a flippant Strickland.
Strickland has been the talk of the town amongst fans and promoters alike with interest in the former MLW World Heavyweight Champion coming from every direction. Strickland sat out of the main event of War Games after a Sami Callihan attack, and now he’s no-showing appearances to promote Fury Road.
This segment does a good job at building Lawlor as the MLW “company man” who is here to stay and make Major League Wrestling his home while Strickland’s vision may be clouded as he tries to make his way back to the top of the food chain.
Salina Fires Back
Salina de La Renta is backstage with Casey Lennox to give her thoughts on the situation with Penta and Fenix. Salina states that she has no involvement in the detention of the Tag Team Champions but promises the duo that if they return to Promociones Dorado, she can get them back into the country and (groan) “make you great again.”
Grade: Pass. de La Renta’s delivery continues to feel unnatural for me.
I don’t believe de La Renta here the same way I believed Konnan in his segment earlier. She just doesn’t come off as natural to me, instead sounding like someone who is trying to memorize lines or read from a script to which they feel no connection.
Salina has had her moments here and there in MLW, but this isn’t one of them. Also, I’d be happy to never hear someone try to co-opt the “make ___ great again” phrase again as long as I live. It’s been run into the ground and that’s where it should stay.
Halloween (Jimmy) Havoc
Jimmy Havoc provides his insights on the coming Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal match with Sami Callihan which will take place next week on Fusion.
Havoc promises to make Callihan regret what he did to him when he and The Death Machines attacked him after War Games and reminds Callihan that it was him who was running away from Havoc last week as the two fighters brutalized each other throughout the arena.
Grade: Okay. A nice, quick build to the match but Havoc needs to catch his breath.
I think the thing I took away most here is how heavily Jimmy Havoc breathes during the promo. Take a breath! I’m still trying to figure out what I think about Havoc in MLW. I have a very limited history of seeing him wrestle, but something so far just isn’t clicking for me.
Perhaps the match at Fury Road will be what pushes me over the edge on the Havoc hype train.
Swann Prepares For Hart
In the final segment before our final break of the show, Rich Swann is backstage with ACH by his side to set up the main event with Teddy Hart. Swann reminds everybody that Hart and Smith took him out in New York City at Battle Riot, but they can’t keep Swann down.
Swann lets Hart know that he always has ACH by his side, so if The Hart Foundation is looking to use the numbers game against him they’ll find themselves disappointed.
Grade: Good. Swann shows good fire as the main event closes in.
Swann is another indie star with a problematic past, so it’s always a bit weird for me to watch and enjoy him. Still, he delivers in the ring more often than not and is a solid promo here as the tensions between The Hart Foundation and Swann & ACH continue to grow.