Reloaded Night 1 2004-01-09 from Tabu Night Club in Orland, Fla
Champions
World: Steve Corino
GTC: Simon Diamond & CW Anderson
Junior Heavyweight Champion: Sonjay Dutt
Well MLW tries to make a comeback here after a three and a half month hiatus from running shows. Lots of new faces lined up for the card tonight. New commentators are Eric Gargiulo and Julius Smokes. Your referee for tonights matches is Mickie Jay. Lets see how this works out.
GTC Carnival Match: Stampede Bulldogs (Harry Smith & TJ Wilson) vs. Bobby Cross & Puma
So the way the Carnival works is there are three tag team matches. The winners of each match will face each other in a 3 way. The winner of that gets a GTC Title match in February. Harry Smith and Cross start off. Not much happens and they each tag and in comes Puma and TJ Wilson. Puma with a head scissor but then he misses a corner charge. Puma goes for a tornado DDT but Wilson places him on the apron to break out of it. Smith charges down the apron and hits a big boot on Puma. Snap suplex by Wilson but it only gets 1. Smith tagged in and hits a back elbow. Wilson tags right back and sets up a slingshot reverse suplex Smith gets in on the action by catching Puma and he and Wilson both sit out into a falcon arrow/power bomb combo. Wilson locks in an ankle lock and after some struggling Puma is able to get to the ropes. Wilson hits the ropes but Puma hits a rana. Wilson hangs onto the foot of Puma and makes the tag to Smith. Belly to back gets 2. Smokes on commentary has said “What you talking about Willis” and done a Macho Man impression about ten times each. Tag made and Cross comes in with a springboard dropkick and some spin kicks on by the Bulldogs. Smith with a running powerslam. Cross hits a nasty looking t-bone with a bridge. Smith with a reverse DDT. Puma hits a tombstone and Cross comes off the top with a shooting star press but Smith breaks up the pin. Puma puts Smith in a triangle while sitting on the corner. Wilson comes over and hits him to break it up then climbs to the top rope. The Bulldogs finish it off with a power bomb/blockbuster combo in 7.38. Exciting way to open the show.
The Shane Twins (w/ “Hardcore Giant” Ron Niemi) vs. Rich Criado & Chad Hart
The managers nickname is funny you see because he’s really short. Chad is the son of Gary Hart. Hart gets thrown around with a belly to belly by one of the Twins. Hart ducks a clothesline hits a kick to the gut and then a headlock takeover. Tag to Criado and he stays with the headlock. The twins able to double team Criado to take over in the match. One of the twins goes for the double axe handle to the foot but it hits his chin instead. Criado makes the tag to Hart and he gets the win with a school boy and putting his foot on the rope. Hart gets pissed the Criado is celebrating the victory since he’s the one that got the pin. They argue and then they fight. This match was pretty bad. Time was 4.16
Matt Martel (w/ Persephone) vs. PJ Friedman vs. Chasyn Rance
Rance was the straight edge ref for CM Punk a few months back. Martel would go on to become Matt Stryker in the WWE as well as a giant asshole. Martel catches a crossbody of Rance and hits a back breaker. Friedman with a weak roaring elbow and Martel breaks up the pin. Friedman holds up Rance by the neck and Martel pulls Rance back first onto Martel’s knees a move called the love blower. Friedman and Martel now get into it and Friedman hits a nasty looking suplex and then drops Rance on his head with a release German. Friedman goes after Persephone but she hits him with her shoe allowing Rance to roll him up and get the pin in 1.40. Really? Friedman picks up Rance and hits an awesome looking running DVD. Some cool power moves from Friedman but hardly a match.
GTC Carnvial Match: Dark Fuego & Pete Wilson vs. Roderick Strong & “M-Dogg 20” Matt Cross
Wilson is part of Hart Foundation 2.0 with the Canadian Bulldogs so they could all meet in the 3-way match. He also looks to have the body of a 12 year old. Wilson starts with Cross. Wilson goes for a German but Cross lands on his feet and they switch positions and do the same thing. Wilson hits a DDT and a suplex. Cross comes back with a release German and tags Strong. Jumping suplex for 2. Cross tags back in and they hit a double back drop that sends Wilson into a complete flip and he lands on his face. Strong right back in and he locks in a full nelson and turns it into a back breaker. Fuego comes in with a springboard drop kick onto both Strong and Cross. Wilson fights back and then finally makes the tag after about five minutes of punishment. Fuego with a spin kick on Strong. Strong blocks a rana and power bombs Fuego onto his knee. Fuego goes to the floor and Cross hits a springboard moonsault from the apron. Wilson comes in the ring now and gets power bombed. Strong then sets up another power bomb but instead just throws Wilson out of the ring onto Fuego! They fight into the crowd now. Strong press Wilson and throws him into the wall of the club. Fuego and Wilson go low. Fuego and Wilson climb the balcony and moonsault onto Strong and Cross. Back in the ring Strong with a brainbuster on Fuego and second. Cross hits the MDogg Driver on Wilson. Strong has Fuego in a torture rack and then drops to his knees. Cross with a senton. Strong and Cross go to big boot Fuego from each side but he ducks and they nail each other. Fuego and Wilson each go up and hit a 450 and get the win in 12.54. This match was a little to all over the place for me. Fuego and Wilson got way to little offense to then come away with the victory.
Chris Hero vs. Chad Collyer
Champion Steve Corino is on commentary for the match. We get three minutes of chaining and mat wrestling. Collyer picks things up with a drop kick and belly to back for 2. Hero comes back with a Diamond Dust for 2. Hero with a mafia kick in the corner. Hero works over the neck. Collyer floats over a clothesline and hits a DDT then clotheslines Hero over the top rope. Collyer with a dive between the ropes onto Hero. Collyer throws Hero back in and then comes off the top with a cross body block. Hero fights out of a double underhook gets a waist lock but Collyer switches it and hits a german for 2. Collyer goes for a suplex but Hero flips over and hits his finisher the heroes welcome for the win in 8.32. Solid match from these two.
Junior Heavyweight Champion Sonjay Dutt vs. Jack Evans
Teddy Hart joins on commentary for the match. This is Dutt’s first ever title defense. Dutt with a head scissor and then an arm drag into an arm bar. Evans ducks a clothesline and hits a drop kick. Evans is a member of the Hart Foundation 2.0 with Hart, Pete Wilson and the Stampede Bulldogs. Dutt with a rana that almost gets 3. Dutt with a spin kick that turns Evans inside out. Teddy calls out Steve Corino on commentary. Dutt with a clothesline. Evans grabs Dutt and sends him to the floor. Evans tries to hop onto the top rope but slips down. The then does a flip over the top rope but goes to far and misses Dutt and hits his face on the guardrail. Dutt with a clothesline in the ring. Top rope elbow from Dutt gets a 2. Hindu press but Evans moves, Dutt lands on his feet and rolls through. Evans hits a superkick and then charges Dutt. Dutt rolls up Evans but only gets a 2 count. Dutt with a standing shooting star gets him the victory in 6.14. So roll up was supposed to be the end of the match but the ref stopped counting for some reason. Evans then just laid on the mat waiting for the shooting star. This made no sense as he had just moved out of the way of the hindu press and hit a superkick then had nothing but a roll up done to him. Pretty sloppy match on Evans’ side of things. Hart gets in the ring and he and Evans beat down Dutt after the match.
GTC Carnival Match: The Havana Pitbulls vs. Los Maximos
Ugh Maximos. Rocky Romero starts with Jose Maximo. Not match goes on between those two and they both tag out. Ricky Reyes now in with Joel. Joel with a rana and Reyes goes to the floor. Romero comes in now and Joel sends him to the floor also. Back in the ring Romero gets bulldogged but he fights back with kicks and tags Reyes. Maximos hit lots of double team moves. Reyes comes back with a northern lights for 2 and tags. Romero gets taken down and suplexed for 2. Reyes gets hit with a belly to back and both men tag. Powerslam by Joel on Romero. Overhead belly to belly on Reyes. Maximos hit the washing machine on Romero. That was a very cool looking move. Reyes with a belly to back but the pin is broken up. Reyes gets suplex but kicks out at 2. Romero goes up top to try to interfere but Maximos stop him and go to the Spanish fly. Reyes breaks it up and they hit the human execution for the pin in 9.33. This was a pretty good match.
“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Teddy Hart
Chain wrestling to start Hart gets the arm but Bryan breaks free. Hart takes the arm and then runs up the ropes and goes for a rana but Bryan blocks it. Hart however grabs the arm on his way down to the mat and locks in a submission. Bryan fights out and takes over with an uppercut. Bryan now goes after the arm. Hart tries to run up the ropes again but Bryan just lets go of this arm and pushes him onto the apron. Bryan pulls Hart back into the ring and drops a knee to the chest. Back breaker by Bryan. Hart ducks a clothesline and hops on the back of Bryan and rolls around into a cross arm breaker. Bryan gets to the ropes. Hart with a reverse DDT and samoan drop. Hart goes up top and Bryan follows him. Hart knocks Bryan down and then comes off the top rope with a DDT. Hart hits an incredible twisting press called open hart surgery but only gets 2. Teddy goes back up top and goes for a standing shooting star press but Bryan moves catches him and locks him in cattle mutilation. Hart rolls out of that and locks in a fujiwara armbar and gets the submission victory in 8.33. Teddy show boats after the match and does back flips off the top turnbuckles as tribute to Owen Hart. Bryan gets mad after he does it a second time and they have some words. Hart does it a third time and as soon as he lands Bryan attacks. They fall to the floor and fight all the way to the back. Really enjoyable match. Hart stayed on the arm all match and it worked out in the end.
“Natural One” Michael Modest vs. Jerry Lynn
Lynn has dropped the “Evil F’N Show” label. Maybe that means he can finally pick up a victory in MLW. Modest on the mic real quick before the match. He talks about how he is a pure wrestler. Lynn with a head scissor take over and a bulldog off the second rope for 2. The commentators talk about the problems between Lynn and Homicide. Lynn goes to the apron and Modest tries to shoulder him. Lynn leaps up and hits a leg drop to the back of the head and then comes back in the ring with a sunset flip for 2. Modest begs off and then grabs Lynn by the tights and throws him to the floor. Modest works over Lynn with some elbow drops and then hits a release northern lights for 2. The ring announcer calls out that 5 minutes have passed which confuses me since it’s the first time they have done that tonight. Also because it’s only been like 4.15. Lynn comes back with a missle dropkick and both men are down. Lynn with a clothesline and swinging neckbreaker and leaping DDT but he only gets 2. Lynn goes for the caddle piledriver but Modest reverses and goes for the reality check. Lynn wriggles free and lands on. Lynn pushes Modest into the ropes and on the way back picks him up and hits a TKO but only gets 2. Homicide shows up at ringside and spits at Lynn. Lynn goes after Homicide and gets pulled throat first down onto the top rope. Modest with a school boy and he hooks the tights to get the win in 6.22. For someone that claimed to be a pure wrestler before the match Modest did very little. Still nothing at all wrong with this match.
Lethal Lottery Tag Match: Raven & Vampiro vs. Champion Steve Corino & Sabu
Stupid move to not have the champion defend on a return show after 3 months off. Corino says Raven has made his life a living hell. He says Raven used to tell the office that he shouldn’t be main eventing. Corino held up the match and would not wrestle if the match makers didn’t remove the stipulation of the person who gets the fall becomes number 1 contender from Raven. So now only if Sabu or Vampiro get the fall tonight they get a title. If Raven wins he can’t get a title match for 6 months. Raven says it’s fine because he will beat Corino senseless and then let his partner who he hates more then Corino pin him. Vampiro gets the mic and says that he doesn’t want to win and tells Raven to go fuck himself. Corino starts with Raven. Corino lies down and tells Raven to pin him but Vampiro tags in and tries cover Corino before he can get up. Raven back in. Corino whips Raven and again lies down. Raven stomps on Corino, Raven hits a DDT and goes for the cover but gets up after the 2 count. Raven tags Vamp and Vamp flips off Raven. Raven hits Vamp with a DDT. Sabu tags in throws a chair at Vamp and hits air sabu. Sabu goes for the pin and Vamp kicks out at 2. Sabu with a triple jump moonsault and Corino comes in to break up the pinfall for his own teammate. Vampiro with a spin kick on Corino for 2. Corino with a cutter and a lariat that turns Vamp inside out. Sabu now breaks up Corino’s pin attempt. Sabu and Corino fire away on each other. Vamp charges and clotheslines both men. Raven tags in and hits a clothesline and knee lift. Raven bulldogs Corino and clotheslines Vamp at the same time. Sabu throws a table in the ring and Raven sets it up in the middle of the ring. Vamp grabs Corino and Raven goes for a superkick but Corino moves. Vamp gets nailed and goes to the floor. Corino and Raven fight near the table and Sabu jumps off the top and puts them both through. Vamp comes in with a mafia kick on Sabu. Vamp covers but gets up at 2. Vamp DDTs Raven puts him on top of Corino and Raven gets the pin fall in 7.01. Vamp grabs a mic and says that Raven has been holding him down for years. Vamp says he doesn’t care about Steve Corino or the title. He wants Raven.
Low Ki vs. Homicide
Low Ki is always so angry looking. He must have had a sad childhood. Homicide is Low Ki’s trainer. They fight over a collar and elbow tie up for over a minute. It’s not just them pushing around the ring either. Low Ki climbs the buckle for leverage they push each other to the mat but keep the tie up on. It’s pretty cool. They arm drag each other and then go for one at the same time. Kicks are avoided by each man. Low Ki starts attacking the leg with kicks. Low Ki with a crossbody and drop kick. Homicide dumps him over the top rope and goes for his dive but Low Ki kicks him in the head sending him stumbling back into the ring. The announcers question how this match got the main event spot. They mention that a power broker got the spot. Low Ki with a butterfly suplex into a bridge for 2. Low Ki with a handspring spin kick to the face of Homicide. Homicide falls to the apron. Low Ki charges with a front kick but Homicide side steps it and pulls the leg down on the top rope. Low Ki goes to the floor and Homicide hits the dive on Low Ki’s shoulder and lands on his feet in the crowd. That looked awesome. Homicide with a hanging vertical suplex. Overhead belly to belly from Homicide. Super rana for 2. Homicide goes up top but misses a head butt. Low Ki fires back hitting chops and kicks. Homicide reverses and goes for a cop killa but Low Ki breaks out and hits a rolling kick. Low Ki with a release german for 2. Low Ki goes for a springboard kick but Homicide catches it and hits a dragon screw. A second one is followed up by an STF as we pass the 13 minute mark. Homicide goes for a slam but Low Ki slips behind and locks in a dragon sleeper. Homicide gets to the ropes though. Low Ki goes for a Ki Krusher but his leg gives out. Homicide hits a clothesline and gets 2. Cop killa but again Low Ki flips out and goes for the dragon sleeper. They fight over the hold and Homicide rolls up Low Ki for the win in 15.07. Jerry Lynn hits the ring and jumps Homicide. Low Ki gets on Lynn and Gary Hart shows up at ringside and tells Low Ki and Homicide to make an example of Lynn and to beat him down. A fan starts yelling at them and Homicide and Low Ki go after the fan and nail MLW Owner Court Bauer. Hart says that tomorrow night Terry Funk’s career will be ended. Homicide cracks Bauer in the head with a broom stick. This match and aftermath were awesome.
My thoughts on the show…
Really good show. Definitely see this one. The previous MLW shows had a very ECW feel to them, they even used the static TV sound in between segments. I never felt that it worked for them. This show however has ROH influences all over it. They were very likely going to put the belt on Funk a few months ago but with the new direction the company seems to be going, I would be very surprised if he wins it tomorrow night.
