MLW chooses to go into Cruise Control going into Intimidation Games.
MLW Thoughts (2/23/19)
A recap of the beatdown of Teddy Hart by MJF and Richard Holliday is shown. MJF and Holliday will be speaking later on the show.
- Lance Anoa'i (Guess what family he's a part of? That Samoan dynasty lives all over the place) takes on the Rich Swann (who has appealed his suspension and had it temporarily lifted while it is under review). Swann cuts a pre-taped insincere promo thanking the fans for supporting him.
Swann plays mind games with Anoa'i early on. Swann takes a 450 Flip sell out of a backdrop. Samoan Drop by Lance followed by a running Somersault Dive to the floor on Swann. Swann sells some chops while that "CONTRA" logo flashes again. Swann takes the advantage with a boot to the head. Swann mocks the referee while demonstrating all the ways that he can cheat. Anoa'i starts fighting back. Big Leg Scissors takedown by Anoa'i. Standing Moonsault by Anoa'i gets a 2 count. Forearms exchanged by both men. Lethal Injection by Swann only gets a 1. (He's no Jay Lethal.) Swann goes up top and misses the Phoenix Splash. Swann superkicks Anoa'i. Anoa'i goes for his own Phoenix Splash but misses. Swann rolls him up and uses the ropes to get the win.
(Good enough match here to start the show. Anoa'i showed some good moves in the match, but he still has some work to do. As for Swann, he continues to show so much more than he ever did or was able to in WWE. Heel Swann > Face Swann.)
- We get a promo from Tom Lawlor who mocks Low Ki's (Black Out) preparations for their Steel Cage Match for the MLW World Championship.
- MJF and Richard Holliday explain their actions. MJF says Teddy Hart is a false champion since MJF never lost the MLW Middleweight Championship. MJF calls Holliday the most marketable man in professional wrestling. He doesn't come from the slums of Calgary or a "drug-infested family." MJF is better than Teddy Hart, and Teddy knows it.
(MJF talked to Teddy Hart the way that he talked to Cody's dog Pharaoh a few weeks back on Being The Elite.)
- Mance Warner is interviewed backstage. He gets a Whiteboard and has the interviewer hold it up. He plans on 1) Light Beer. (He's had 15. His words.) 2) Eye Pokes. 3) Knee Pad Up and Down. 4) Lariat. All of that equals a victory. He's going to get those W's, ya'll.
- Mance Warner makes his debut against Jimmy Yuta. (Yuta hasn't been on MLW for months, since December if I remember correctly.) Mance goes right after Yuta attacking him all over the ring with strikes. He no-sells some strikes from Yuta. Roll-ups by Yuta gets a 2 each. Yuta again starts going after Warner, but Warner drops him with one chop to the chest. Yut dropkicks Warner to the apron. Warner catches Yuta on the apron and drops him with a DDT. Warner fakes a dive and eye pokes Yuta instead. Yuta gets Warner with a Suicide Dive moments later. Back in the ring, Yuta gets a Death Valley Driver for a 2 count. Yuta dives into a headbutt from Warner. 2 count. Running Knee out of the corner by Warner followed by a Lariat. 1-2-3.
(Warner has some charisma, but his offense leaves a little bit to be desired. Yuta showed some good offense and moves in defeat. Thankfully, he wasn't just made to lose and get nothing out of it. Warner can be a good mid-card attraction for MLW and appeal to a certain group of wrestling fans. But he's not someone I would have anywhere near the top of the card at the moment.)
- Aerostar takes on Rey Horus in the main event. A typical Luchador opening with both men transitioning back and forth between moves with fast pin attempts before having a standoff. Aerostar, moments later, hits a Suicide Dive (barely) on Rey Horus on the floor. Corkscrew Plancha off the corner by Aerostar in the ring followed by a Lungblower. 2 count only. Horus hits a arm drag to Aerostar followed by a Corner-to-Corner Somersault Dive to Aerostar on the floor. Back in the ring, Horus takes the advantage on Aerostar. Slingshot Springboard Codebreaker by Aerostar gets a 2. Trust Fall Dive by Aerostar on Horus gets a 2.
Aerostar gets Belly to Belly Suplexed into the corner by Horus. 2 count. Horus gets sent to the floor. Aerostar does a Step-Up Dive onto Horus on the floor. Aerostar does about 2 or 3 flips before doing a cutter. Standing C-4 (or was that a Spanish Fly?) by Horus causes a break in the action. Horus catches Aerostar on the corner with some sort of Inverted Code Red for the win.
(Nice athleticism by both men in this match, but this didn't exactly enthrall me either. These guys worked about 7-8 minutes and did a bunch of moves, but I don't feel like I saw a great match either. This will likely be forgotten by the middle of the afternoon for me on the day I'm writing this. I feel like I've seen this type of Lucha match one too many times in recent months.)
They shake hands after the match.
- Salina de la Renta cuts a promo on location of Low Ki's training. De La Renta promises that Lawlor messed with the wrong woman (she said another word I won't repeat here). De La Renta messes with the cameraman to end the show.
Overall, this was a decent episode of MLW. There was good athleticism throughout the show, and the losers of the matches all seemed to look better even in defeat. But that isn't good enough in today's wrestling environment. MLW seemed to be on cruise control going into a big event, and there's nothing on this show that lit a fire to make me want to see Intimidation Games. With competition coming up in a huge way, MLW needs to get into a higher gear. Otherwise, it could end up an extinct species in the wrestling landscape before long. (The same goes for Impact Wrestling.)
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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