By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Major League Wrestling Fusion (Episode 138)
Taped February 26, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina at Grady Cole Center
Streamed March 24, 2022 on the MLW’s YouTube Page and FITE TV
Fusion opened with a video package that spotlighted the Jacob Fatu vs. Mads Krugger main event… The Fusion opening aired and then the broadcast team of Rich Bocchini and Joe Dombrowski checked in and hyped the main event…
Footage aired from last week of Cesar Duran gleefully announcing that he would strip Alex Hammerstone of the MLW Heavyweight Championship if he didn’t appear on this episode…
1. Killer Kross vs. Budd Heavy. Heavy was already in the ring and then Kross made his entrance. Kross has short hair now rather than his old shaved head look. Kross put his arms behind his back after telling Heavy to take his best shot. Heavy threw a punch that Kross blew off.
Kross told him to take one more shot. Heavy through a discus punch that Kross laughed at. The crowd chanted “Kross is gonna kill you.” Kross dropped Heavy with a big boot. Kross threw strikes in the corner and then another big boot.
Kross gave Heavy a Saito suplex. Kross waited for Heavy to stand up, then hit him with a forearm to the back of the head. Heavy landed face down on the mat. Kross threw forearm shots to the back of Heavy’s head until the referee stepped in and stopped the match.
Killer Kross defeated Budd Heavy via ref stoppage.
Kross teased leaving, but he stopped when the crowd called for more. Kross gave Heavy another Saito suplex and then played to the fans before leaving the ring…
Powell’s POV: Man, I thought this was Budd’s night. Okay, fine, it was the all out squash that everyone knew was coming. Hopefully Kross will be back for more in MLW so that they can book him in some compelling matches.
Footage aired from “last night” of Marshall Von Erich and Ross Von Erich meeting Ricky Morton and Kerry Morton outside the building. Ricky asked Marshall about his knee injury, and then spoke about the history of the venue…
Bocchini announced that the MLW Featherweight Champion will be crowned this summer…
Richard Holliday was shown walking backstage. He ran into Mister Saint Laurent and congratulated him on Microman. An excited MSL started talking about his ideas until Holliday blew him off. Holliday approached a masked henchmen and adjusted his shirt while telling him to loosen up…
An ad aired for the MLW Azteca show on April 1 in Dallas…
Richard Holliday made his entrance. He was immediately attacked by Alex Hammerstone, who took him into the backstage area. Holliday shoved the masked henchmen at Hammerstone and fled the scene…
A Los Parks cooking segment aired. A man had an issue with his sandwich. LA Park shoved the sandwich in his face and then roughed him up while telling him to eat it…
Gnarls Garvin made his entrance and spoke in the ring about how he came to MLW for fights. He complained about his opponents being underwhelming and said he wouldn’t come back if his opponent was another letdown. Gangrel made his entrance…
2. Gangrel vs. Gnarls Garvin. Garvin got the better of an early punch exchange and then they headed to the floor. Gangrel ducked a chop, causing Garvin to chop the ring post. Gangrel returned to the ring and caught Garvin as he tried to follow. Gangrel dropped an elbow on Garvin.
Garvin came back with an atomic drop and a dropkick. They headed to ringside. Gangrel grabbed the sickle that he brought to the ring with him and used it on the forehead of Garvin heading into a break. [C]
Garvin was bleeding from the head coming out of the break. Garvin eventually came back with a bodyslam. Garvin dove at Gangrel, who moved, causing Garvin to fly through the ropes and crash on the floor. Gangrel smiled. Gangrel followed Garvin to the floor and clotheslined him.
Back in the ring, Garvin went to the ropes and was crotched by Gangrel, who then threw punches at him. Gangrel joined Garvin on the ropes. Garvin punched Gangrel, who fell to the mat. Garvin went for a top rope splash that Gangrel avoided. Gangrel kicked Garvin and put him away with an Impaler DDT…
Gangrel beat Gnarls Garvin.
Powell’s POV: The live crowd popped for Gangrel’s entrance but was pretty quiet during the actual match. Gangrel is 53 and moves gingerly, but the effort was there. Garvin worked hard to make the veteran look good, but the match overstayed its welcome.
Cesar Duran was on the phone in his office when TJP interrupted him. TJP said he’s the lock on Duran’s open door policy. He said the open door policy sucks. EJ Nduka was also in the room. TJP spoke about getting a title shot and Duran was willing to give it to him.
Nduka said nobody is getting a title shot before he does. He complained about being spray painted by 5150. He said he doesn’t need a tag team partner to face them. A masked henchmen entered the room and handed a note to Duran, who got flustered and left the room…
Powell’s POV: This one could have used a second take. TJP and Duran were fine, but Nduka has had better performances.
Richard Holliday ran down a flight of stairs. MSL yelled Holliday’s name before trying to talk to him again. Hammerstone showed up and roughed up Holliday, who ran away again… [C]
Dombrowski announced 5150 vs EJ Nduka and a partner for the MLW Tag Titles for next week’s show…
Savio Vega was shown entering Duran’s office after the masked henchmen left. Vega opened a briefcase and took some cash. Microman emerged from a suitcase and whispered to Vega, and then they left the room together. Dombrowski chimed in on commentary to question how long Microman had been in the office and wondered what he might have heard…
Ring announcer Tim Barr delivered introductions for the main event. Ladders were set up in the entrance aisle. Each man had a weapon hanging above the ring…
3. Jacob Fatu vs. Mads Krugger in a Stairway To Hell match. Krugger was in the ring first and hit Fatu with a big boot when he tried to enter. Fatu punched Krugger from the floor. Fatu grabbed one of the ladders, but Krugger dove onto him from the ring.
Krugger slid the ladder inside the ring and eventually set it up under the weapons and pulled down a tire iron. Fatu knocked Krugger off the apron. Fatu bodyslammed Krugger and then tossed a ladder onto him. Fatu performed a handspring into a standing moonsault onto the ladder and Krugger.
Fatu set up the ladder and wanted to pull down his weapon – a cane wrapped in razor wire – but Krugger pulled him down and gave him a vicious powerbomb. Fatu rolled to the floor and Krugger followed. Krugger pulled a chair out from underneath the ring and slammed it over the back of Fatu multiple times.
Both men returned to the ring. Krugger leaned a ladder in one corner of the ring. He tried to whip Fatu toward it, but Fatu reversed it and sent Krugger crashing onto the ladder for a “holy shit” chant. Fatu set up the ladder and went for his weapon. Krugger climbed up the other side and was headbutted off the ladder.
Fatu pulled his razor wire cane down and then worked over Krugger with it. Fatu was censored for something he said heading into a break. [C] Fatu placed chairs in front of a seated Krugger in the corner. Fatu grabbed a second chair and then performed a Coast To Coast dropkick, which drew a more deserving “holy shit” chant.
Krugger was bleeding from the head when Fatu covered him for a two count. Fatu went to ringside and brought his cane back, which he slammed over the head of Krugger. The fans chanted for tables. Fatu obliged by setting one up in the ring.
Krugger shot up and grabbed Fatu by the throat. Fatu escaped and then superkicked Krugger twice. With Krugger lying on the table, Fatu climbed the ladder. Krugger recovered and climbed up the other side of the ladder. They traded shots. Krugger got the better of it and superplexed Fatu off the ladder and through the table for another “holy shit” chant.
Krugger rolled onto Fatu and got a two count. When Fatu kicked out, he ended up on top of Krugger and got a two count of his own. A “this is awesome” chant broke out. Both men got to their feet. Fatu superkicked Krugger and then performed a spinning uranage slam for another near fall.
Ikuro Kwon ran to ringside and distracted Fatu. Krugger hit Fatu with his tire iron. Krugger performed a face-first Full Nelson slam on Fatu and then pinned him to win the match.
Mads Krugger defeated Jacob Fatu in a Stairway To Hell match.
After the match, Krugger took the mic and spoke about Contra. Fatu hit Krugger from behind with a chair and then took out Kwon. Security and referees ran out and pulled Fatu toward the back…
Backstage, Hammerstone caught up with Holliday and worked him over. Hammerstone ripped Holliday’s pants off. Holliday kicked Hammerstone and then ran out of the building past one of Duran’s henchmen and dove into the back of a limo where Alicia Atout was waiting. The limo drove off as Hammerstone ran toward it…
Powell’s POV: A good main event brawl. Fatu won their previous match, so it will be interesting to see what they come up with for the rubber match. I wonder if they’ll go with a cage match with the idea of keeping Kwon out? I don’t know where things stand with MLW and Josef Samael, but his mic work work is missed.
I wasn’t as high on Hammerstone beating up Holliday throughout the episode. The Holliday turn was so good and I think they would have been better off holding off on Hammerstone getting his hands on him until their first match. There also wasn’t much of a payoff to the Duran and Hammerstone story, though in retrospect I believe the idea was that Duran left his office in a hurry because he was upset that Hammerstone had shown up at the building. I have poor hearing and I struggle to catch everything Duran says.
Overall, the main event carried the show. The Kross match was just a squash, and the Gangrel vs. Garvin match was nothing special and probably should have aired on another show to avoid having back to back brawls. I will have more to say about this episode in my weekly audio review of Fusion for Dot Net Members.
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