MLW Fusion Recap (8/31): Fatu Defends Title Against Lawlor, Six Man Tag, Hammerstone In NOAH

Welcome to Wrestling INC's recap of Major League Wrestling's weekly episodic Fusion. Today's show takes place from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York. Feel free sound off thoughts in the comments. Enjoy the show!

Show opens with a promo from Contra Unit. Simon Gotch assures that Tom Lawlor will be begging for Mercy after Jacob Fatu finishes with him tonight. Fatu jumps in and promises to finish what he started in Chicago. "All hail Contra," they scream ending the vignette.

Fusion intro song.

Rich Boccohini and Tony Schiavone welcome us to another edition of MLW Fusion. Kotto Brazil, Myron Reed, and Jordan Oliver make their way out for our opening contest. Ring announcer introduces them as Injustice. Footage of Reed's battle with bad officiating and Oliver and Brazil joining the faction is shown. Zenshi, Air Wolf, and Gringo Loco are their opponents.

Injustice versus Zenshi/Air Wolf/Gringo Loco

Loco and Oliver begin. Oliver parades around the ring with his custom sign...Loco nails him to start. Pace picks up...rolling senton and standing moonsault by Loco. Air Wolf tags in but Oliver catches him with a string of vicious chops. Air Wolf responds with chops of his own. Snap-suplex. Zenshi tags in and connects with a springboard corkscrew splash. Brazil and Reed jump in but Loco, Zenshi, and Air Wolf drop them with dropkicks. Loco walks on his partners shoulders and lands a swanton. All of Injustice rolls to the outside to reset. The babyfaces fake suicide dives and pose in the ring. Oliver and Reed pull out Loco and Zenshi. Brazil with a suicide dive out of nowhere. Loco takes out the lot with a tope con hilo. Zenshi with a running shooting star off the apron! Everyone is down. Loud MLW chants.

Back in the ring...Loco gets a nearfall after a top rope moonsault. Brazil and Reed break up the pin. Stereo superkicks by Brazil and Reed sends Zenshi to ringside. Brazil nails Loco with a codebreaker. Running uppercut from Air Wolf to Brazil but Brazil retakes control by yanking out Wolf's foot from the turnbuckles. Injustice works out Air Wolf for a bit, utilizing quick tags to wear the luchadore down. Wolf creates separation with an impressive backflip kick. He tags in Zenshi. Zenshi knocks Reed and Brazil off the apron, then dropkicks Oliver in the knee. Handspring backflip kick. Loco comes out of nowhere with a springboard cutter. Brazil hits a frog-splash! Zenshi to the apron...Reed jumps from the ring and cutters him to the outside. Referee gets taken out. Reed reveals that he has brass knuckles...Loco blocks the shot and grabs the knuckles...he unloads on Reed. Oliver and Brazil team up on Air Wolf...rebound stunner and Salida del sol for the win.

Injustice wins by pinfall

Post match Injustice stomps down the referee. They stand tall to end the segment.

Commentary hypes up the evening's main event...Jacob Fatu defending the MLW heavyweight championship against former champion Tom Lawlor. Lawlor is shown shadowboxing with the Von Erichs backstage.

MLW's joint show with The Crash Lucha Libre in Tijuana is advertised. Preview for MLW's first PPV, Saturday Night SuperFight, on November 2nd from Chicago.

Flashback to last week, when Promociones Dorado got Mance Warner arrested. Commentary tells us that Warner cooled his jets in jail, but was eventually bailed out. A run down of the War Chamber matchup is shown. Commentary asks...who will be Tom Lawlor and the Von Erich's fourth partner?

Promo from the Von Erichs. They stand with their father, the legendary Kevin Von Erich, who will accompany them to the ring. Ross says that Contra has tried to blind him on multiple occasions, but promises to dethrone the evil faction once and for all. "That's what the Von Erichs do...we defeat the undefeated."

A video package on gold medalist Dominic Garrini is played. He will be making his MLW debut soon. Cut to footage of Alexander Hammerstone competing in Pro Wrestling Noah's N1 tournament in Japan. Hammerstone is shown working out. He says that he may have come out of the womb handsome, but he had to work hard to get into the shape that he's in. Georgia Smith interrupts Hammerstone, joking that her and Davey Boy used to lift that much weight when they were little kids. Hammerstone adds weight to his set and goes back to work.

Tale of the tape for Fatu and Lawlor is displayed side-by-side. They say that in their first meeting...Fatu landed 90% of the offense. We'll see if that changes this time around.

Main event time. Contra's Josef Samael is in the ring to introduce Fatu. He says Contra has single-handedly taken over MLW, calling them the global enforcers of violence. "Hail Contra," screams Samael. Eventually he brings out the champ to a chorus of boos. Lawlor is out next, his intensity boiling over. They start brawling. Here we go.

Jacob Fatu versus Tom Lawlor for the MLW Heavyweight championship

Lawlor connects with a flying crossbody off the top! Running forearm smash into the corner. Discus lariat rocks Fatu. He bounces off the ropes...Fatu attempts a superkick but Lawlor had it scouted...lariat. Samael hops on the apron...Lawlor sends him flying. Back suplex by Lawlor. He climbs to the top again...Fatu catches him in a Samoan drop. Cover...only two. Fatu goes to work on Lawlor's midsection. He drives his shoulder into Lawlor's gut in the corner. Big right, followed by a foot choke in the corner. Fatu sends Lawlor off the ropes...he hits a back elbow and a jumping headbutt. Another. Lawlor gets to his feet throwing chops but Fatu drops him with one strike. Punt kick by Fatu. Lawlor responds with a leg kick...Fatu answers by biting Lawlor's ribs. Hard Irish-Whip and Lawlor collides hard into the turnbuckles. Champ is in total control. He plays to the crowd, screaming "All Hail Contra."

Lawlor begins mounting a comeback. Right jabs...he pounds Fatu down. Fatu with a superkick. Lawlor is out on his feet. Handspring moonsault from Fatu. He doesn't go for the pin, instead opting to smash Lawlor's face off the top turnbuckle. Fatu stomps him down in the corner. Commentary wonders how much more Lawlor can take. Fatu charges...Lawlor moves to the apron. Lawlor with a guillotine over the ropes...ref has to break it. Lawlor traps Fatu in the ropes...he rings the arm and connects with a head kick. Fatu catches Lawlor coming back in with a right hand. He goes to the outside to recover. Samael jaw jacks to distract Lawlor...suicide dive from Fatu! He picks Lawlor up for a slam off the ringpost...Lawlor uses Fatu's momentum against him and sends him face first. He sets up a chair, jumping off it with a superman punch. Fatu retakes control and drops Lawlor over the barricade.

Back in the ring...Fatu goes for a pop-up Samoan drop but the spot gets botched. Lawlor applies the rear-naked choke...Fatu goes down to one knee. He breaks the hold by running Lawlor into the corner. Spear attempt...Lawlor moves and Fatu ties himself up in the corner. Running knees from Lawlor. He picks Fatu up...airplane spin...DVD. Cover...Fatu just kicks out. Lawlor targets Fatu's chest with kicks. This wake Fatu up...Lawlor unloads another flurry of strikes. Big lariat to the back of Fatu's head. He grabs Fatu's arms....thrust knee for a nearfall. Lawlor goes for a German suplex...he got him! Exploder from Lawlor sends Fatu into the corner. Samael with another distraction...he hits Lawlor in the back of the head with the railroad spike...ref didn't see it. Fatu climbs...top rope moonsault. It's over.

Jacob Fatu wins by pinfall to retain the MLW Heavyweight championship

Afterwards Simon Gotch comes out and Contra assaults Lawlor. Gotch applies an armbar. The Von Erichs are here! They begin brawling. Ikuro Kwon comes out...the numbers prove too much for the Von Erichs and Lawlor. They take a beating. Officials and security try to break this up but Contra takes them out as well.

Low Ki's music plays. Crowd erupts. He charges and rocks Fatu! Von Erichs and Lawlor recover! Massive brawl ensues.

That's the show friends.