MLW Fusion recap & reactions: Low Ki chokes out King Mo at Filthy Island

MLW Fusion got down and dirty from the Filthy Island fighting festival. Mil Muertes dug a grave for Savio Vega, Low Ki went toe to toe with King Mo in King of Knockouts 2, and the Von Erichs crashed the party.

The show began with the following message:

“Disclaimer: Major League Wrestling has no affiliation nor does MLW assume any liability whatsoever in the event Filthy Island is a fraudulent business venture. Wrestlers and fans assume all risk associated with journeying to Filthy Island. Aloha, MLW.”

Coming from Hawaii, Tom Lawlor was on the phone with Rip (Kit Osbourne). There’s a problem with catering. All the spam is being held up at the port. Lawlor asked Dominic Garrini to take care of it. Tom handed Dom a bottle of lube to handle the situation. Lawlor requested Garrini take one for the team.

Tom Lawlor’s Filthy Island played its own introduction. Lawlor and Dan Lambert were on commentary with tons of spam on the table.

The ring was outdoors as fans sat on beat up sofas. It was like a camping experience instead of the luxury festival originally promised. The ring had no ropes.

Dominic Garrini vs Mauna Loa

Garrini’s prize fight challenge was answered by the 14-time Polynesian Pacific Champion. The Polynesian heavyweight started strong with a running body smash and a standing splash. Garrini had to exit the ring to regroup. He promptly took Loa down with a hip toss then cinched in a rear naked choke to secure the submission at 0:39.

Rich Bocchini and Jared St. Laurent were at the Chichen Itza ruins in Yucatan, Mexico to call the Aztec Jungle Fight between Mil Muertes and Savio Vega.

Los Parks aren’t scared of Contra. They will keep their tag titles as a gift to the new owner of Promociones Dorado, even though none of Los Parks know who that person is. Hijo de LA Park suggested that LA Park go after Alexander Hammerstone’s National Openweight Championship. Papa Park liked the idea of becoming double champ.

Azteca Underground offered the message that opportunities abound for Believers. It was promoting the website AztecaUnderground.com. It is a real website, and I recommend giving it a peak for clues.

The Dynasty was not impressed with Hawaii. Hammerstone was disappointed that it was cloudy and blocking the sun. He could only hope to achieve a Hogan ‘84 tan at best. It wasn’t worth the effort, so they left to get happy massages back at the hotel.

Kevin Ku vs Zenshi

Zenshi surprised Ku by jumping out of a tree for a flipping attack.

Ku gained momentum by slamming Zenshi on the apron. Ku locked in a deep Boston crab. Since there were no ropes, Zenshi couldn’t get a break. The masked man refused to quit and countered with a roll-up. The match progressed with Zenshi unloaded kicks, flips, and kick flips. For the climax, Zenshi flipped out of a dragon suplex, however, Ku was able to counter a cutter into a bridging dragon suplex for victory at 4:59.

The Von Erichs were concerned about Low Ki walking into a trap. They planned to crash the Filthy Island party.

Aztec Jungle Fight: Mil Muertes vs Savio Vega

Deep from the jungles of Chichen Itza, Mil Muertes and Vega brawled through the vegetation until the camera feed died out.

Alicia Atout interviewed TJP about his treatment of Bu Ku Dao. TJP was upset about losing. He has always performed at a level of excellence, and Dao doesn’t even know what winning is. When Atout sassed TJP, he cut the conversation short.

Gringo Loco vs Rocky Romero

Arm drags and headscissors to start as it escalated to flashier moves, such as Gringo Loco with a flipping cannonball out of the ring onto a sofa.

In the end, Romero fired up with a big knee lift and closed it out by using the ring post for a tornado DDT at 8:50.

Aztec Jungle Fight, part 2

Mil Muertes and Vega were still brawling in the jungle. The feed was interrupted by a message from the Contra Unit.

Josef Samael lamented how children are oblivious to this dangerous world. Children like Jordan Oliver are too young or too stupid to understand consequences. Oliver should have stayed in the kiddie pool, because he doesn’t belong in deep water. The consequences for Oliver’s actions will be a public execution courtesy of Jacob Fatu.

Double champ Lio Rush signed an open contract for his next MLW title defense.

The Von Erichs live streamed driving their truck to Filthy Island.

Aztec Jungle Fight, part 3

Mil Muertes was choking Vega with a vine. Vega had a crowbar in his hand but dropped it. Mil picked up the weapon to whack Vega across the face for the 1, 2, 3. Mil then began to dig a grave.

Lawlor tried to sell the Dynasty on putting money down for VIP seating on the outdoor sofa. Holliday made the offer of zero dollars, but Hammerstone was intrigued by the inclusion of high-protein spam. Lawlor couldn’t close the deal.

PWI Top 10: 10. Jordan Oliver, 9. Calvin Tankman, 8. Myron Reed, 7. Mil Muertes, 6. Richard Holliday, 5. Mads Krugger, 4. Low Ki, 3. Lio Rush, 2. Tom Lawlor, 1. Alexander Hammerstone, Champ: Jacob Fatu.

King of the Knockouts 2: King Mo vs Low Ki

Low Ki opened with punches to the midsection. King Mo dropped low to work Low Ki’s legs. Mo picked up Ki atop his shoulders. The lone wolf transitioned on Mo’s back to secure an octopus choke. Mo inched toward the ropes, but there were no ropes to force a break. Mo slapped the mat trying to pull himself out of the ring. The inexperienced referee (whose wage for the evening was a can of spam when hired by penny-pinching Lawlor) judged it to be a tap-out at 1:34.

With Low Ki the victor, Team Filthy surrounded the ring to pounce. They were stomping mudholes in Low Ki. All of a sudden, the Von Erichs drove in blaring, “Stranglehold,” on their stereo.

A big fight broke out. Low Ki tossed Lawlor out of the ring onto the windshield for the babyfaces to stand tall.

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The Filthy Island theme for episode 122 of MLW Fusion was fantastic. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was pleasantly pleased at the dynamo of entertainment that came our way. The show has strong evergreen value in the sense that I can grab a beer and tune in for various viewings throughout the year for a guaranteed good time. It obviously wasn’t a traditional take on professional wrestling. Those that are sticklers in demanding ring ropes might not have been happy. Those who enjoy absurd spectacles will get a kick out of it.

I like how the ringside decoration played a role in the show and wasn’t just a random set-up. Or maybe it was random and then the wrestlers planned ways to incorporate it. Either way, it was effective. For example, who knew having no ropes could provide so much drama. The outdoor jungle was a cool touch to provide a special vibe. All of it made Filthy Island feel like an actual thing to experience, as opposed to Bash at the Beach basically being a typical indoor show with beach props.

The matches were short, but they still managed to maintain interest. Zenshi leaping out of a tree was an excellent use of his talents. Low Ki choking out King Mo, albeit with controversy, caught me by surprise. I would have put money on Mo with the deck stacked in his favor. I do think the referee screwed him, but it was nice to see referee malfeasance benefit the good guys for once. MLW had been on a streak of doing the babyfaces dirty lately.

My top three show-stealing moments were Zenshi in the tree, Alexander Hammerstone’s glee at requesting a happy massage, and the Von Erichs crashing the party. It was awesome how they drove to the ring blasting kick-ass music. It is moments like that which make them stars in the MLW world.

Share your thoughts on MLW Fusion. Which match or moment stole the show? Do you want to see a return to Filthy Island in the near future?

MLW Fusion posts on YouTube Wednesday nights at 7 pm ET, streams on Fubo Sports Network Friday nights at 7 pm ET and 10 pm ET, and airs on beIN SPORTS Saturday nights at 10 pm ET. You can also check out MLW on demand with DAZN. In addition, MLW is broadcast in over 20 countries.

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