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MLW Intimidation Games (3/2/19)- Lawlor vs. Low Ki (Steel Cage Match)

A wrestling legend does a "Drive-Thru" on commentary while MLW's athletes continue to put on solid if not great action.



MLW Thoughts

- Intimidation Games starts with a great surprise: Jim Cornette behind the commentary table working as a color commentator. Always legitimately great to see Jim Cornette calling the action. And, on a humorous side note, I am sure the local fast food restaurants are on high-alert with Jim in town.

- The opening match is The Lucha Bros vs. Team AAA (Taurus and Laredo Kid). (Might I add that Taurus will be wrestling with "bull horns" on his mask? That's a nightmare waiting to happen if someone gets too close of a look at them. Just saying...)  Pentagon tells Taurus "Cero Miedo." Fenix jumps in and kicks Taurus to start the match. Everyone gets involved and hits some high-flying moves. Kid does an Asai Moonsault on the floor followed by a Corkscrew Plancha by Taurus on Pentagon. Fenix counters that with a Springboard Moonsault to Kid and Taurus on the floor. Taurus and Kid establish dominance back in the ring. Pentagon breaks up a pin attempt on Fenix and chops away at both opponents. (I guess we're under Lucha Rules or Tornado Rules as tags seem to be an extinct species in this match.)
Pentagon now gets double teamed by Kid and Tuarus. Fenix gets back involved in the match, and Fenix and Pentagon hit several high-impact moves. There is a double submission spot with Penta and Fenix torturing Team AAA. More craziness between the four men with each countering the other's moves. Kid and Pentagon are left in the ring. After a commercial break, there's more chaos. Taurus does an impressive dive off the ropes onto Pentagon and immediately gets a spear in. Fenix comes in and starts kicking away at Taurus. Fenix walks the ropes and hits a double stomp to the back of Taurus. Now, it's Kid and Fenix. Fenix spits in Kid's face. And the hard chops are out from both men. A Springboard Cutter from Kid on Fenix who was sitting on the ropes. 2 count only though. Taurus powerbombs Pentagon onto Fenix. 450 by Kid on the Lucha Bros. 2 counts only during a double pin attempt.
Superkicks to Taurus by Lucha Bros. Pentagon gets Cannonballed by Fenix into Team AAA in the corner. The Luchas then hit a Double Stomp into a Package Piledriver. After Fenix hits the Double Stomp on that move, he dives at Taurus and literally puts himself into the front row! 1-2-3! After the match, the fans are throwing money into the ring. Fenix thanks the crowd and tells them this is not only lucha but his life.  (A custom in Mexico when wrestlers have performed a great match. )

(A chaotic hot opener for this match. This was terribly hard to follow with so many high spots going on. All four men were very good in this match. I can't really call this a "tag team" match if there were no tags, but this was a crazy brawl with four lucha wrestlers just putting everything out there. As for the Fenix spot at the end, someone could have legitimately gotten hurt by that. There's no excuse for that move to be done near fans. You have an entrance ramp. Use that area. In today's day and age, that could have equally have led to a lawsuit if someone wanted to push the issue. I'm saying that for both the paying audience and the performers' sakes.)

- A promo from MJF and Richard Holliday. MJF complains about being screwed out of his championship and wanting a shot at the MLW Tag Team Championships. He mocks the Freebird Rule that the Hart Foundation wants to use and in turn mocks both the Freebirds and the Hart Foundation. The Dynasty is better than you, and you know it.

- Salina de la Renta is interviewed backstage. She tells the camera that there is a media blackout in terms of Low Ki. Low Ki is going to get the championship back.

- The main event is next finally (as fans are chanting "We Want Wrestling") as Tom Lawlor defends his MLW World Championship inside a Steel Cage against the previous MLW World Champion Low Ki. The cage looks closer to the classic Big Blue Cage from the old WWF than the typical cage found in most wrestling cage matches these days.

Low Ki jumps Lawlor to start the match. He continues to pummel Lawlor around the ring with headbutts and strikes. Lawlor starts jabbing bak at Low Ki. (Another Contra symbol flashes on the screen.) Lawlor rams Low Ki into the cage and continues to pummel him in the center of the ring. He wrenches and snaps the arm of Low Ki backwards. Lawlor beats down on Low Ki in the corner. Fallaway Suplex sends Low Ki face first into the mat, but Lawlor gets sent face first into the cage. And Low Ki attacks Lawlor with a high heeled shoe to the midsection and to the face.
Low Ki starts kicking at Lawlor, who only seems to get more angry at each kick. Lawlor wants more, but Lawlor gets sent into the cage head first again. Low Ki continues the assault on Lawlor against the cage and back again in the center of the ring. Low Ki gets an abdominal stretch in on Lawlor, but Lawlor fights out. Lawlor suplexes Low Ki, but Low Ki gets a knee to the head of Lawlor as he comes down. Low Ki continues to assault Lawlor with headbutts and gets a Double Stomp in for a 2 count. Low Ki and Lawlor start going at it with more intensity. A Spinning Facebuster by Lawlor gets a 2. Ankle Lock by Lawlor. Lawlor gets a roll of quarters away from Low Ki and blasts him with it.
Lawlor tries to get out of the cage, but Salina stops him from going out the door. Lawlor tries to climb the cage, but Low Ki stops him. Low Ki climbs up and gets the Dragon Sleeper in. Lawlor is set up in the Tree of Woe on the corner. Low Ki goes for the Double Stomp, but Lawlor shakes the cage to saddle Low Ki on the top of the cage. They are literally fighting in the lights now. They go back and forth for a good minute at the top of the cage. They now are fighting on the side of the cage with Lawlor's foot jammed in the cage. Lawlor kicks the back of Low Ki's back. Low Ki and Lawlor continue to fight on the side of the cage. (This literally makes no sense. JUST DROP DOWN! There's a good 2 minutes here with these guys irrationally kicking and striking the other on the side of the cage without doing the logical thing. JUST DROP DOWN! The point of the cage match is to win it right. I get they were trying to go for drama, but every move on that side of the cage along with just holding on for the sake of holding on just killed it for me.) Low Ki rams Lawlor's head into the cage. Lawlor drops down first to win the match with Low Ki a second or two behind.

(This was a good cage match when it was in the ring and when they were fighting on the top. But the stuff on the side of the cage just killed me. The point of a cage match is to win by pin, submission, or escaping the cage. You are on the side of the cage, and you can literally win by just dropping that. Forgetting that for a moment, you also do the stupid thing of kicking the legs of your opponent while he's also on the side of the cage. Well, if that opponent's legs give out, where's he going to fall? Duh! The floor! Bret and Owen Hart did a similar thing in their match, but it wasn't nearly as nonsensical as this was. A good match ruined by overmilking the finish.)

After the match, the new Contra group debuts and beats down on Lawlor. They drag him into the cage and start beating him up even more. Simon Gotch is one of the members. A Samoan member of the team climbs to the top of the cage and HITS A SUPERFLY SPLASH OFF THE TOP ONTO LAWLOR!!!! (Great camera shot too by the MLW crew here for the dive off the cage.)

Overall, this was a good show with a couple good matches. The finish of the main event left a
bad taste in my mouth on the overall show, but this was definitely a successful show for the MLW brand. You should definitely check out the opening match and the events after the main event concludes. Plus, Jim Cornette's commentary added a lot to this show. In my opinion, MLW's MVP was Jim Cornette as he added a lot to the overall presentation.

Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.

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