MLW Debuts In Chicago On Thursday
Shane Strickland gets his championship rematch against Low Ki.
Shane Strickland is going for a Hail Mary this Thursday in Chicago.
“Swerve” has been on a major losing streak since July, when Low Ki dissected him and took the MLW World Heavyweight Championship. Then he was attacked by Sami Callihan before entering War Games, immediately taken out of the match. His attempt at revenge was also thwarted as Callihan picked up a victory in their bout. Strickland’s momentum completely derailed last month in New York City after he tapped out to “Filthy” Tom Lawlor in a match to determine the franchise player of MLW.
By optioning his rematch clause for MLW: FIGHTLAND, Strickland is making a last ditch effort to save himself from becoming a one-hit wonder. The odds are certainly stacked against him as Low Ki decimated the former champ in their previous bout, and of course, Salina de la Renta will be lurking at ringside.
Speaking of the malevolent impresario, her new clients LA Park and Hijo de LA Park will challenge her former clients – World Tag Team Champions Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix – at the same event. After the legendary Konnan convinced the champions to rip up their contracts with Promociones Dorado, de la Renta conspired against the Lucha Bros, orchestrating them to be locked up by immigration officials. Thankfully, Konnan assuaged the situation and the title fight will go on as scheduled.
“We wanted a big match for our Chicago debut,” MLW CEO Court Bauer said in a press release. “You have some of the top luchadores in the world fighting for championship gold in a match that will be 100% pure lucha libre. Chicago is in for a great night.”
In another highly anticipated bout, Lawlor will face Callihan in a Chicago Street Fight. The hostility stems from Callihan jumping Lawlor from behind before the FIGHTLAND press conference, choking out the number-one contender with his trusty baseball bat. Callihan received a “heavy” undisclosed fine for the incident, which was seemingly orchestrated by Low Ki and de la Renta.
The Windy City may never be the same after Brody King collides with PCO in a No Disqualification match. King, the 6’5” bounty hunter, battled with the “French Canadian Frankenstein” for the first time in September, with both brawlers being disqualified. As officials tried to separate the two, PCO flew off the top rope with a moonsault onto King outside the ring. The two continued their war backstage as chairs, bodies and bottles went flying everywhere.
As part of the company’s reloaded roster for 2019, Arena Mexico’s greatest sensation Rush will make his MLW debut this Thursday. The leader of Los Ingobernables will meet Sammy Guevara in an intriguing styles clash. “We’ve been working on this deal for over a half year,” Bauer said. “Big players take time to close big deals and Rush is as big as it gets in Mexico.”
The roster reload also includes a new tag team as Joey Ryan joins forces with Swoggle to form “Size Matters.” The King of Dong Style and King of Small Style take on the Dirty Blondes. Plus, Northeast independent standout Ace Austin makes his MLW debut against Myron Reed. In addition, the monstrous Ace Romero goes one-on-one with “Mr. Fun Size” Marko Stunt.
“Ace Romero harkens back to the days of agile super heavies like Bigelow and Vader,” Bauer said. “He’s not only got size, but the agility and technical game to make every match different. That makes him dangerous, but he’s facing an enigma in Marko Stunt. Any and everything is possible when Stunt is in an MLW ring.”
National pride will be on the line in Chicago as Puma King answers MJF’s challenge for a flag match. The MLW World Middleweight Champion caused controversy via Twitter when he blamed luchadores for taking too many spots in the promotion.
God bless @MLW
God Bless the World Middleweight Champion.
And God bless America 🇺🇸 #Betterthanyou2020 pic.twitter.com/MAF98YGwPS
— Maxwell Jacob Friedman (@The_MJF) October 30, 2018
In other action, Trey Miguel meets Kotto Brazil and Brian Pillman Jr. looks to add another legend to his hit list as he takes on Tommy Dreamer.
MLW: FIGHTLAND and MLW Fusion taping takes place at Cicero Stadium right outside of Chicago on Thursday, November 8.
Tickets are available at www.MLWTickets.com.
MLW: Fusion airs Fridays at 8 p.m. EST with a replay at 11 p.m. EST on beIN Sports. For more information, visit mlw.com and www.beinsports.com.
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