Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Timothy Thatcher

MLW Fusion January 11: Opera Cup Semi-Finals

Earlier in the evening, Injustice attacked Brian Pillman Jr’s arm as he entered the arena. Pillman flew out of his corner with a dropkick and several chops leading Fusion to a commercial break. Thatcher worked over Pillman’s arm after the break. Continuing with submission moves, Thatcher transitioned to stretch Pillman’s lower back before moving back to the arm. Thatcher moved to a Fujiwara arm-bar next and maintained wrist control as he pulled Pillman to his feet and hit a vertical suplex. Out of desperation, Pillman managed to find a window to hit two super kicks and a flying forearm. Thatcher eventually wrestled Pillman back to the mat and reapplied the Fujiwara arm-bar, which Pillman countered into a cradle for the pinfall victory.

Match Ratings

Six dimensions combine to make up the overall rating. Matches score ratings of 1-10 only if the match lasts for a minimum of 5 minutes.

1. Match Quality– Was the match well wrestled or sloppy?
2. Audience Engagement– Did the live audience care about the match?
3. Competitiveness– Was the match competitive or one-sided?
4. Stakes – Did the match matter?
5. Finish– Did the match end in a satisfying manner?
6. Performance: (1) Poor (2) Below Average (3) Average (4) Above Average (5) Excellent