MLW Fusion Results, Highlights, and Grades: Lawlor Wins World Title

Backstage in some kind of bizarre shower cubicle with two unnamed associates who looked incredibly uncomfortable, The Hart Foundation sprayed champagne all over themselves and each other as they celebrated their World Tag Team Title win.

MJF made his MLW Fusion return to put an end to the party by… who knows? I think the obvious point to be made was that he never lost the World Middleweight Title and wanted to lay out a challenge, but Hart completely steamrolled him at every opportunity. Any time MJF opened his mouth, Hart was there to cut him off and run him down. It didn’t come off as charming or even enjoyable, though, as it seemed as though Hart’s endless stream of consciousness was just spilling uncontrollably from his mouth.

Hart did wrap up by telling MJF to find him in the ring if he wanted a shot at the title, so the final point was eventually made if it was a bit exhausting getting there.

World Heavyweight Title: Low Ki (c) vs Tom Lawlor

Champion and challenger wasted absolutely zero time in getting things going once the bell rang. They slugged it out in the center of the ring leading to Lawlor dropping Ki with a punch. For some reason, the referee insisted on a standing eight count on Low Ki which was confusing and killed the momentum of the opening moments.

The two would continue to fight in the ring and nary was a standing eight count seen again despite each wrestler being knocked to the mat several times. I can’t recall the last time I saw a standing eight count in MLW in the past, so its inclusion at the onset of the match and nowhere else throughout the rest of the bout felt weird.

As the match went on, Ki went under the ring to retrieve a door which he slid inside and set up in the corner. The Professional laid his dazed challenger against the board and charged from the opposite corner with a charging fist. Lawlor was able to dodge and Ki punched through the door, smashing it to bits in what was a pretty fun spot. It also made Low Ki look like an absolute beast because the door basically imploded under the stress of his right hand.

Ki would recover long enough to deliver a hanging double stomp on Lawlor in the corner before locking in a Dragon Sleeper to try to end things. Lawlor had it scouted, though, and reversed the hold into a rear naked choke. With the champion’s neck wrapped tight, Lawlor also made sure to lock up his limbs to keep him from reaching out for the ropes. Ki fought hard, but he quickly passed out in the hold leading to a submission victory and a new World Heavyweight Champion!

How Was It? A 7-month build wrapped up in under 5 minutes. I was hoping for a bit more from these two, but I suppose it just wasn’t in the cards. Despite Court Bauer shooting down the notion that anything ran longer or shorter than planned, it was still disappointing to have the World Heavyweight Title Match run so short. This match has had an incredible build starting with Lawlor winning Battle Riot and continuing with Low Ki and Salina de la Renta doing everything in their power to thwart Lawlor along the way.

It didn’t need to be a sixty-minute epic, and perhaps this truly was all that was ever planned for the match, but I see it as a misstep after the weeks and weeks of build on MLW Fusion.

Next Week & Beyond

Next week we’ll get more from MLW SuperFight, but there’s more to talk about yet! It was revealed with a vignette during the broadcast that Jimmy Havoc would be making his return to Major League Wrestling. Where will Havoc set his sights upon his reemergence?

It was also announced that MLW will return to the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia in June. The next MLW Fusion LIVE special will air on March 2 from Intimidation Games in Chicago. As for the next SuperFight? We’ll see that on February 1, 2020 when MLW rolls into Los Angeles for the first time ever!

What will the landscape of Major League Wrestling and independent wrestling as a whole look like when the next SuperFight rolls around?