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MLW: Orlando Doubleshot Live Report

MLW finally returned to Florida this weekend with two consecutive shows at Tabu night club in Orlando.  I have been to all but one of MLW’s Florida shows and they were all very good.  These two shows were also excellent.


1/9 – Bobby Quance and Puma vs. the Stampede Bulldogs – This was the first match in this year’s GTC Carnival tournament.  The crowd was really into this one and all four worked hard.  Good match that saw the Stampede Bulldogs hit an absolutely amazing springboard blockbuster/tigerbomb combination to advance in the tournament. 


The Shane Twins vs. Rich Criado and Chad Hart –  This was announced as a bonus tag match.  Criado’s team got the win in a slightly less than decent match.  Afterwards, Criado and his partner began fighting.  The crowd was pretty dead for this because we did not know why that happened. 


Dark Fuego and Pete Wilson vs. MDogg20 and Roderick Strong –  M-Dogg’s partner was advertised as the Juggalo sensation Nosawa, but unfortunately Nosawa was not there.  Not sure why.  This match was the second match in the GTC Carnival tournament.  Highlight of the night occured when Fuego and Wilson climbed up the balcony and both Asai moonsaulted 30 or 40 feet down onto M-Dogg’s team during a brawl into the crowd.  Dark Fuego and Pete Wilson won this match, as well as the respect of everyone in the building.  The place went absolutely banana! 


Chasyn Rance vs. PJ Friedman vs. Matt Martel – This match was a one fall three way match.  Martel has some sort of weird Das Wunderkid dancing gimmick now.  Very short match that saw Friedman hit an absolutely sick looking release dragon suplex.  Matt Martel ending up picking up the win in this one. Martel was accompanied by Persephone.


Chris Hero vs. Chad Collyer –  I thought this was a good match, but I don’t think a lot of people in the crowd were familiar with either. Hero won.


Los Maximos vs. The Havana Pitbulls – This was the final match in the first round of the GTC Carnival tournament.  The Maximos were very over with the crowd.  This was another good match on the card.  The finish saw the Havana Pitbulls hit a move similar to the Smoking Gunn’s Sidewinder finisher.


American Dragon vs. Teddy Hart –  This was a good match that saw a bit of great groundwork.  Hart won with a reversal into an armbar. 


MLW Junior Heavyweight Champion Sonjay Dutt vs. Jack Evans – This was a very good match that saw a lot of quality high flying action.  For some reason, Dutt did not have his belt with him.  Once I figured out why I yelled out, “Sonjay didnt have to bring his belt because he knows he’s going to win!”  Sure enough, Dutt made his first successful title defense after hitting a pheonix splash.


Jerry Lynn vs. Mike Modest – Modest entered the ring to no music and then cut a heel promo about the fact and put over Pro Wrestling NOAH.  This match was very excellent, but was way too short in my opinion.  I would like to see these two be given at least ten minutes, but I guess that will be some other time.  Finish saw Modest win after interference from Homicide. 


Lethal Lottery Tag Match – Vampiro and Raven vs. Sabu and Steve Corino – It was announced that the winner of this match would be the number one contender for the MLW Heavyweight Title.  Vampiro and Raven were at each other’s throats throughout the match, and Sabu basically hit everybody.  The end of the match came when Sabu put Raven and Corino through a table.  Vampiro cleared Sabu from the ring and went to pin Corino.  Instead, he dragged Raven’s limp body on top of Corino for the pinfall.  Raven wins the match and is the number one contender.  Vampiro got on the mic and cut a profanity laced promo on Raven after the match. 


Homicide vs. Low Ki – This was the main event and easily the best match of the show.  The crowd was very into the match and both men, even at the slow parts which is odd for a Florida crowd.  The action went continiously back and forth and was very good all around.  Homicide won after putting Low Ki in a sweet looking pinning combination.  After the match, Jerry Lynn ran down and attacked Homicide.  Low Ki and Homicide then both double teamed Jerry Lynn, which brought out Gary Hart of all people.  Apparently he has alligned himself with Low Ki and Homicide.


1/10 – Barbed Wire “I Quit” Match – MLW Heavyweight Champion Steve Corino vs. Terry Funk – I thought this was an odd match to open the show with, but I suppose that was because it is tougher to take down the ropes and put up barbed wire than it is to take down barbed wire and put up the ropes.  This match, as expected, was pretty brutal.  Both men were wearing crimson masks.  Terry Funk hit a few stunners and even piledrived Corino through the table outside of the ring.  At one point, Funk was grinding Corino’s face against the barbed wire, which led to Corino leaving behind a bloody chunk of hair on the mesh.  The Extreme Horsemen interfered and triple teamed Terry Funk until he was choked out in the barbed wire.  Steve Corino wins the match in a violent brawl.


Rich Criado vs. Chad Hart – The crowd was not very into this one, but it was very hard to follow the barbed wire match even with the additional intermission time while the ropes were put back up.  Rich Criado was pinned by his former tag partner, I think.


Mike Modest, PJ Friedman, and Chris Hero vs. M-Dogg 20, Matt Martel, and Bobby Quance – This was a solid match that saw good work from all six men.  Team Modest picked up the win after Modest hit the shubain (Kryptonite crunch).


Los Maximos vs. Norman Smiley and Julius Smokes – Norman Smiley is super over with the MLW crowd.  No matter what the rest of the card looks like, Smiley always gets one of the loudest reactions.  Its just too bad he never wins.  Tonight was no different, Maximos pick up the win here.


Sonjay Dutt vs. Chasyn Rance vs. Puma vs. Jack Evans – This was a non title match, which is good because Dutt didn’t have the belt with him.  This was a very good match, as expected, with a lot of fast action.  Sonjay Dutt picks up the win after the phoenix splash.


Low Ki vs. Chad Collyer – This was one of the better matches of the night, in my opinion.  Both men worked real hard and the crowd was really into this one.  Low Ki won after locking Collyer in the dragon clutch.


Jerry Lynn vs. Teddy Hart – The crowd was much larger tonight than the previous night.  Apparently, most of the crowd tonight has internet access, because they were all over Teddy Hart.  Steve Corino was seen doing commentary, which should be pretty good on MLW TV, I bet.  Nonetheless, this was a very good match.  Jerry Lynn picked up the win here after a roll up.  Almost everyone in the building joined in on the “Don’t come back” chant I started as poor Teddy was leaving the ring.


GTC Carnival Finals – Stampede Bulldogs vs. Havana Pitbulls vs. Dark Fuego and Pete Wilson.  Fuego and Wilson got jumped soon after they went through the curtain, which took them out of the match.  Its a shame too, because I think the crowd wanted to see them again after their sick disregard of their own well being the night before.  This was a good, classic tag match.  The Stampede Bulldogs ended up winning the match, the tournament, and the number one contendership to the tag titles.


Screwface Match – Vampiro vs. Raven – Vampiro entered the ring and told us that a screwface match meant falls count anywhere.  Vampiro and Raven destroyed each other all over the nightclub and were both busted open soon into the contest.  Vampiro won after nailing Raven with a spinkick.


Weapons match – Global Tag Champions CW Anderson and Simond Diamond vs. The Samoan Island Tribe – It looks like the Samoan Island Tribe is back to being Samu and Mana.  This was a good intense brawl that really had the crowd into it.  Steve Corino interfered several times, but the champs still coudn’t put the Samoans away.  JJ Dillon ran in the ring with a chair, but was shoved away by Anderson.  Dillon handed the chair to Samu, but then hit him in the back of the head with a foreign object.  Extreme Horsemen then nailed a double superkick to win the match and defend their titles. 


Other Notes – There was supposed to be a fan appreciation after party at the club on Friday night.  The ring announcer told us to leave the building while they tear down the ring and then we could all come back in.  Well, unfortunately the Tabu night club has a dress code.  Not that many wrestling fans I know of wear dress shirts and slacks to shows, so basically nobody could get back in.  Saturday night, however, we were told to just hang out inside for the after party.  It was a really good effort by the wrestlers and by the company to give a little more back to the fans.  Much respect for everybody involved in that.  Every wrestler I met, except for one, was really nice.  The three nicest people by far were Jerry Lynn, Terry Funk, and Steve Corino, so I want to thank those guys especially.