MLW Roundup: Opera Cup begins on Fusion, LA Park’s return date, more!

Let’s catch up on this week’s news in MLW and preview Saturday night’s episode of Fusion.

The Opera Cup begins

Tonight’s episode of Fusion will feature the opening of the Opera Cup. The Opera Cup is a tournament with over 100 years of history that is being brought back to life after 71 years of inactivity.

Two first-round matches will be aired: Brian Pillman Jr. vs TJP and Timothy Thatcher vs Richard Holliday. BPJ and TJP should bring the flash, while Thatcher brings the grit. Holliday will bring the coffee, but I fail to see how that helps his case against a tactical technician. I’d say TJP and Thatcher are the favorites for their bouts, but it would be unwise to count out Pillman and Holliday. Both of them can be crafty, whether within the rules or via shenanigans.

Also teased in the preview are the Von Erichs in Hawaii, Gino Medina being courted by managers, King Mo in action, and a Dynasty gift train.

MLW Fusion airs on beIN SPORTS and PlayStation Vue Saturday nights at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT. New episodes are posted on YouTube Saturdays at 10 pm ET. Fusion is also broadcast in the UK, Ireland, Israel, and Africa.

Quick hits

Ross Von Erich versus Tom Lawlor has been signed for Zero Hour in Dallas on January 11. There is bad blood between the two after Lawlor turned his back on the Von Erich family by hitting Ross with a chair during his Heavyweight Championship shot against Jacob Fatu on MLW’s Thanksgiving episode.

LA Park makes his return to MLW on February 1 for Fightland in Philadelphia. Salina de la Renta will be by his side. Park has not been seen in MLW since losing a Heavyweight Championship bout to defending champ Jacob Fatu at SuperFight.

Celebrate the news with a new LA Park t-shirt.

Or, get a Funko Pop! doll of Salina.

CIMA, T-Hawk, and El Lindaman have also been announced for the Fightland show in Philly.

The Intimidation Games event in Chicago has been rescheduled from February 29 to April 18.

MLW returns to New York City for Never Say Never on July 16. Tickets are open for purchase, starting yesterday (Dec. 13).

Matt Ryan has joined the MLW team, “as a producer for the production arm of the company and coordinator within the office of wrestling operations.” Ryan’s resume includes co-founding Capitol Wrestling, working with ROH, and MMA production.

We’ll close with some humor from Richard Holliday. He finally got the giant AirPods that he desired so much.

Who are you picking to advance in tonight’s Opera Cup matches? Will Richard Holliday somehow use those giant AirPods to his advantage?