MLW Fusion, anyone watching it?

[Migs]

Yeah, the episode with the tag title tournament was hilarious, as they constantly referred to another team (EZ Money and Dinero, I think) who'd be in the final and then just totally ignored that.

It also seems like they've trimmed matches out of the last few episodes without saying there was technical difficulties. Not sure what's going on there.

[El-P]

So the current promotion is coming back in November. If they go back on Youtube, I will probably give them another try, I was totally down on them during the last few months of activity, but maybe they can come up with something fresh again.

[C.S.]

Another sleazy promotion...

 

[NintendoLogic]

MLW only runs like 10 dates a year, so $3k plus trans with TV exposure actually sounds like a good deal for most of the undercard as long as they're allowed to work indies.

[rovert]

2 hours ago, NintendoLogic said:

MLW only runs like 10 dates a year, so $3k plus trans with TV exposure actually sounds like a good deal for most of the undercard as long as they're allowed to work indies.

That and if you were an MJF style character wrestler it gives you experience doing interviews, skits, interacting with experienced producers was always my outlook on it. 

But issues can come up when an MLW show/weekend clashes with an indie show with better pay or exposure. A big example is Filthy Tom Lawler had to cancel an appearance at Bloodsport on Wrestlemania weekend as MLW didn't want him to get hurt at their Wrestlemania show. 

I don't think anyone could have projected the events of the last 5-6 years with the indies blowing up, merch becoming such a big thing, WWE changing their signing philosophy, Cody's departure causing perfect storm events to create AEW etc. But still, wrestlers should take more ownership of their contractual decisions and project the worst-case scenario before they sign on the bottom line realising the seriousness of what they are committing too.

[Migs]

The episode of Underground TV they posted this week is a good one, with Jerry Lynn getting a surprising amount of heel heat and an interesting angle/match involving the World title that was apparently the result of Japanese promotion politics being transferred to a second rate Florida indy. Worth checking out.

[clintthecrippler]

On 9/21/2020 at 7:31 AM, NintendoLogic said:

MLW only runs like 10 dates a year, so $3k plus trans with TV exposure actually sounds like a good deal for most of the undercard as long as they're allowed to work indies.

Word going around is that the new contracts being offered specifically ban talent from working AEW, so if you signed a yearlong deal with MLW, you are stuck with the $3k for the year before you can entertain an AEW offer. 

Has word got out how much folks working AEW Dark without a contract are getting paid per shot? I would be very curious how that compares to an MLW contract.

[SirEdger]

How long does Pillman Jr still has on his MLW contract? My best guess would be that this is the reason why he hasn't been featured more prominently other than the Dark appearances.

[rovert]

6 hours ago, SirEdger said:

How long does Pillman Jr still has on his MLW contract? My best guess would be that this is the reason why he hasn't been featured more prominently other than the Dark appearances.

December whether that's the 1st and 31st I don't know. Same with DBS Jr. and I *believe* Mance Warner.

But it seems like Pillman is putting over Jordan Oliver going out the door watching what's been said on the weekly Pulp Fusion segment. 

[Migs]

3 hours ago, rovert said:

December whether that's the 1st and 31st I don't know. Same with DBS Jr. and I *believe* Mance Warner.

But it seems like Pillman is putting over Jordan Oliver going out the door watching what's been said on the weekly Pulp Fusion segment. 

DBS Jr. definitely seems to be on the way out.

Mancer is an interesting one to me - he's got a very specific act that I wonder which larger companies would go for.

[Coffey]

MLW Fusion returns on this upcoming Wednesday with the MLW Restart. The main event is going to be Davey Boy Smith, Jr. Vs. Jacob Fatu for the MLW World Heavyweight Title. Looks like Alex Hammerstone is going to get a shot at the winner as well.

 

I'm really excited. MLW have been using the time off from the pandemic to load up their roster a bit & with my wrestling viewing habits dropping dramatically, along with shows like NWA Power going away, I'll be happy & glad to follow MLW again.

[SirEdger]

Also need to catch up on MLW myself.

[El-P]

Well, MLW is exactly the same as it as before. 15 minutes in and *nothing has happened*, between never ending recaps for stuff that happened 7 months ago, a three seconds squash, same old lame Contra glitches, a lame fake start for Pillman vs Reed (who is *still* wearing the stupid chest protector) for no reason, a "coming soon" vignette (really ? First show in eons, they taped like 16 weeks and we get a "coming soon" vignette ?), commercials for fucking podcasts. Having Mr. St Laurent at the announcing both only makes things worse. Yuck. I had gave up on MLW and was thinking about giving them a chance for this restart, expecting maybe something a bit different, but nope. 

[El-P]

I have honestly no idea how you can put on a 1 hour show with basically so few actual content, this has been a complete chore to watch to me. About 25 minutes (at best) of actual pro-wrestling on a one hour show, the rest being a bunch of recaps, hype videos and commercials. No real vignettes that has any actual *content* or angle to it. Pillman vs Reed wasn't very good at all, Pillman was clearly working at half speed and looked like he wanted to be far away. DBS vs Fatu was a decent little match, did not came off as a main event or a world title match at all, I see much better stuff on IMPACT undercard or even Dark every week. DBS also did the straight job, so there, the guy wants to go back in WWE anyway.

So yeah, hard pass on this MLW restart. I would not call it a disappointment because it absolutely picks up where it stopped, so maybe those who enjoyed it then will enjoy it now. I did not then, it's the exact same stuff, so there... I still wish Salina would get picked up by IMPACT or AEW, she'd be so great in an actually fun company.

[Migs]

I was in on MLW before, and I thought this was a giant disappointment. Both the title matches were underwhelming. I already miss the 2003 episodes, honestly. 

They've also landed in a weird spot with Reed and Oliver, where they're clearly better as heels but their characters are kinda babyfaces after the summer, which is awkward.

[NintendoLogic]

I encourage everyone to pay no mind to the previous two posts and check out Jacob Fatu vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. Not a barn-burner, just a solid hoss fight. Fatu might be the best big man in the business today.

 

[TonyPulis'Cap]

It's funny, I don't necessarily disagree with El-P's, and to a lesser extent Mig's criticism's, or at least I can appreciate a number of them, and yet, as El-P says, if you enjoyed it as a product pre-restart then you will now, and I liked it before...

As I say, a lot of the things that have been highlighted for why you wouldn't have enjoyed it I can see, but for me, and I've said this a number of times in this thread since the company came back, I really like MLW in terms of its aesthetic and the way it *generally* presents the product. At a time when I increasingly enjoy modern wrestling less and less - a lot of which comes down to presentation - for whatever reason, MLW often captures the closest thing I want in terms of a weekly television wrestling product. I've described it in the past as what an 80s territory TV show might look like in the 21st century, and that's what I like about it. Maybe I'm easy to please, but I've no issues with the recaps and hype videos - again, it's why I still want to enjoy a TV wrestling product when a lot of others like to cherry pick big matches - I like the flow of a wrestling show including all the commercials and bumpers, but that's just me...

It always seems odd to say this, but if you want 'great' matches, then they've never really hit that as a company, and in fact I think a very valid criticism - and one I have also had at times - is that there big matches don't deliver, however for me personally, the matches are at a good enough level, that when combined with the look and feel of the show give me enough to enjoy. I would agree that the Reed/Pillman match was disappointing, largely down to Pillman looking like he'd prefer to be in AEW, but agree with NintendoLogic in that I enjoyed the main event. As he says, not a barn burner, but I liked it as physical battle without lots of excess. DBS Jr losing so cleanly did shock me a bit, but if he's also on his way out then it makes sense for it to be so decisive. 

I actually think the latest show was an overall stronger one with the return of the Opera Cup and I really liked the Tom Lawlor vs. Rocky Romero main event. Again, I may be on something of an island for when it comes to MLW, but it happily ticks most of my boxes for an easy weekly watch.  

[El-P]

On 11/29/2020 at 12:58 PM, TonyPulis'Cap said:

At a time when I increasingly enjoy modern wrestling less and less - a lot of which comes down to presentation - for whatever reason, MLW often captures the closest thing I want in terms of a weekly television wrestling product. I've described it in the past as what an 80s territory TV show might look like in the 21st century, and that's what I like about it.

I don't remember, did you watched NWA Powerr last year and if so, did you enjoyed it ? As much as I criticized the cosplay aspect of the thing at first, and especially during the first season which I really did not like, I actually enjoyed the second season but to me, there was kinda of a tongue-in-cheek or at least a bit meta feel to it especially during the commercials stuff. From that perspective, it was more "21th Century" than MLW which is going for a more straight forward approach.

And actually this has struck me the other week : the one thing I don't enjoy at all about MLW is that it's what I'd call, for lack of a better term, "fake serious", and it's something I usually can't stand about anything.

For instance, I love the wacky stuff on IMPACT (which really comes from LU in a way) and I have no problem believing that people were stuck in Wrestlers House or that there is an Undead Realm where Allie was murdered and that Su Yung is a zombi and Rosemary is a demon assassin and that someone shot John E. Bravo etc... I totally buy it and am willing to play along. On the other hand, watching MLW, I don't buy for a second that Contra is an evil terrorist organisation of whatever and that they "invaded" MLW's headquarter (whatever that is !) and that I should give a flying fuck about the oh so prestigious Opera Cup. Because those are gimmicks that absolutely echoes the old territory days where basically they were overselling bullshit all the times, because they had to. The issue is that MLW is playing it totally straight, like 100% straight. So, the whole Opera Cup deal totally comes off like an NWA title match in 1994 at a crappy indy show where announcers where talking about Dory Funk Jr. and Harley Race in a gym of 200 people. I just don't buy it at all and I just feel they are selling me bullshit.

I did enjoy MLW at first, but at the time its appeal was much bigger because you had guys like MJF, the Lucha Brothers, Sami Callihan, Swerve, tons of cool guys from AAA showing up regularly, Salina de la Renta was all over the TV and one key for me was Tony Schiavone announcing for the first time in 18 years and marking out watching crazy-ass indy matches. And there's so much less people I actually want to watch now : Holliday, Hammerstone to a lesser degree (much better in vignettes than in the ring), Salina... Jordan Oliver & Myron Reed have potential but #Injustice is such a trash gimmick. It's odd, I was already quite bored by the TV for a while last year when they had that one PPV which actually came off very well and had that great Fatu vs LA Park match (and Salina taking that awesome bump), then the TV became worst while NWA Powerr was getting a lot better (although I did watch that much later, during the first lockdown here).

[TonyPulis'Cap]

Some really interesting points in there, so thanks for laying out - and once again, think I definitely appreciate where you are coming from - it maybe that we just have a different outlook in what we enjoy! 

I can definitely get that "fake serious" thing, although, as I say, while that's a term you are using as a criticism, I might use that as a good way to describe why I like MLW!! To a certain extent "fake serious" (it's a handy term ) is really what I enjoy about wrestling... I laughed at your line about comparing the opera cup to NWA Title Matches in the mid 90s in tiny North East Indie feds because it's actually really spot on, although again, I've always been a sucker for enjoying that kind of thing! Not sure what that says about me... but is similar to why I've been really into the NWA revival even before Powerrr came along.

It's funny, I actually really like Impact like you, and have done since the Callis/D'Amore regime took over...although the bits I haven't liked in the last few months are Wrestle House and who shot Johnny Bravo...so I think on that front we just enjoy, or 'get' different aspects of that product, which is all good! 

Ultimately, I think I like MLW because of that very point you've made about why you don't like it - that it IS trying to present everything as serious, potentially as I say because I don't enjoy some of the more 'memey' (is that a word?) aspects of a lot of modern wrestling where everything is ironic and nothing is serious, although appreciate that I'm starting to sound like a card carrying Cornette supporter here, which isn't the case! Or maybe it's just because I'm getting old 

One thing I will join you in loving though is Lucha Underground - which despite everything I've said above - was one of my favourite wrestling products of the last decade. I absolutely loved it as a show, because for me, all the wacky stuff felt consistent to the world in which it was being presented. So I guess I'm just saying I can enjoy both ends of a wrestling spectrum, just my brain likes to compartmentalise them!         

[TheDuke]

On 12/6/2020 at 6:24 AM, TonyPulis'Cap said:

...Lucha Underground - which despite everything I've said above - was one of my favourite wrestling products of the last decade. I absolutely loved it as a show, because for me, all the wacky stuff felt consistent to the world in which it was being presented.        

I just wanted to say I agree with this. Thank you as this argument helps me understand why I liked the out there stuff happening in Lucha Underground but not so much in Impact or AEW, since in those places when wacky stuff happens it seems out of place or just done as a joke. I think as a similar reason that is why I was okay with the Undertaker as a kid. I did like the wrestler's court trial of Johnny Swinger though on Impact. Because it seemed actually funny to my sense of humor.

[SirEdger]

Court Bauer tweeted earlier tonight that what was supposed to be their next big show Kings of Colosseum will be streaming for free on YouTube & other platforms live on January 6.

[Migs]

10 hours ago, SirEdger said:

Court Bauer tweeted earlier tonight that what was supposed to be their next big show Kings of Colosseum will be streaming for free on YouTube & other platforms live on January 6.

I would be fascinated to see what the MLW revenue streams look like; why wouldn't they put this on DAZN and try to sell this? Is DAZN not paying them enough to forego the extra eyeballs they'll get on Youtube?

[El-P]

So I watched that Salina promo, she basically is talking about Mil Muertes. Either that or they are totally stealing the gimmick ! Hey, that's not the worse idea in the world, if anything I would watch those matches (but I'd rather have them do this act in IMPACT, where you kill actually kill people).

What is Low-Ki wearing ? Looks like he's going surfing or something.

[El-P]

So yeah, Mil Muertes indeed. I wonder how this is gonna fare in MLW context. Mil Muertes with Lucha Underground's production values looked like the greatest killer in pro-wrestling for a few years. A few years older (he's 45), against not exactly the same caliber of workers... hum... not too sure. It is kinda cool to get Mil Muertes & Salina together though (well, in IMPACT it would be killer) and I will check it out when he finally shows up.

[Mad Dog]

MLW always feels like a monkey's paw to me. Yeah, the give you something you want but it's rarely the way you would want it.