By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Major League Wrestling Fusion (Episode 158)
Taped September 18, 2022 in Norcross, Georgia at Space Event Center
Streamed December 8, 2022 on Pro Wrestling TV
Fusion opened with a recap of the conclusion of last week’s show with Cesar Duran discovering several people laid out at the hands of the mystery calling card attacker… The Fusion opening aired…
The broadcast team of Rich Bocchini and Joe Dombrowski checked in from ringside and hyped the show’s lineup. Willie Mack made his entrance and sat in on commentary. He said he’s been watching online and MLW has a great locker room…
1. “Samoan Swat Team” Juicy Finau and Lance Anoa’i (w/Jacob Fatu) vs. Mark Davidson and Angel Fashion. Mack put over SST as the most dominant team in MLW. He said he’s been in the ring with all three men and they are no joke. Mack also played up his history with Cesar Duran.
The SST duo no-sold early offensive attempts by Davidson and Fashion. Finau performed a corner splash on both men. Anoa’i followed up with a cannonball splash on both opponents heading into a commercial break. [C]
Anoai’ performed a flip dive onto both opponents coming out of the break. Finau went for a cannonball splash, but his opponent moved and he crashed into the barricade. Davidson and Fashion double teamed Anoa’i inside the ring. One of the broadcast team members said he could tell Mack was having fun. “Oh, yeah, I love to see some knee slappin'” Mack said. Both broadcast team members cracked up.
Finau returned to the ring and put both opponents down simultaneously with clotheslines. Finau performed a double Samoan Drop and then Anoa’i hit a top rope splash and scored the pin…
“Samoan Swat Team” Juicy Finau and Lance Anoa’i defeated Mark Davidson and Angel Fashion.
Rich Bocchini interviewed SST at ringside. Fatu said the Samoan Dynasty is unstoppable. He said he has unfinished business with Real 1. Fatu spotted Willie Mack and welcomed him to “the major league.” Mack joined the interview. He said that he and Fatu have torn it up on the West Coast and said fans would be in for a treat if Fatu wanted to meet. Fatu said it’s respect and agreed to the match. Fatu said they are both from the west and said they would show people how they ride out…
Powell’s POV: Another dominant win for SST. The live crowd was hot for the duo’s power moves. Mack is a really nice addition and I’m looking forward to his match with Fatu.
Dombrowski hyped the main event and then said league officials would be meeting with Alex Kane and his attorneys were refusing to meet with MLW officials about the Opera Cup tournament (Kane stole the Opera Cup)…
An Alex Kane promo aired from what appeared to be his home gym. Kane spoke about the main event and said the Bomaye Fight Club is going international…
Davey Richards checked in from a dojo and said Kane has been on his mind. Richards said he trained with a friend from overseas. He said Kane would find out who that person is soon enough. Richards said that as good as taking the MLW National Openweight Championship from Kane felt, it would feel even better to take back the Opera Cup…
Dombrowski said that MLW CEO Court Bauer was in the house and was unhappy with Cesar Duran for things going off the rails. He said the duo were scheduled to meet behind closed doors…
One of the broadcast team members read through the upcoming fight schedule while a graphic appeared on the screen. Next week’s Fusion features Davey Richards vs. SB Kento. He also hyped MLW Blood & Thunder for January 7 in Philadelphia, the MLW SuperFight event on February 4, and the War Chamber event for April 6 in New York…
A broadcast team member hyped EJ Nduka as being in action after the break… A brief video hyped Lio Rush as returning soon… [C] An ad aired for the MLW Blood & Thunder event…
A camera was shown outside Court Bauer’s office door. There was bickering inside the room. Duran stormed out of the room. Bauer walked out and flashed his mean face…
A Mads Krugger video aired. Krugger said Mance Warner never should have returned to MLW. Krugger said he would make Warner beg for his life…
The end of the Fatu and Mack angle was replayed. Fatu vs. Mack was officially announced as “the first match of 2023″… Entrances for the next match took place…
2. EJ Nduka vs Sultan del Aire. The broadcast team played up the change in Nduka’s personality while he used his power to take the early advantage. Nduka performed a spinebuster. Nduka picked up a stuffed animal that del Aire had in his corner and then punted it.
Nduka ate an overhead kick and then came right back with a clothesline. Nduka went for del Aire’s mask and the opted to slam his head onto the mat. Nduka performed a spinning sit-out slam and scored the pin.
EJ Nduka beat Sultan del Aire.
After the match, Nduka grabbed a mic and told the crowd to keep their mouths shut. MLW Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone came out and clotheslined Nduka over the top rope. Nduka pulled Hammerstone to ringside and ran him into the barricade. Hammerstone and Nduka fought their way to the stage where Nduka put Hammerstone down with a big boot. Nduka played to the crowd and got heat. Hammerstone got back to his feet and dove onto Nduka, causing both men to fall off the stage through a table below. Hammerstone came up bleeding and was tended to by referees…
Jacob Fatu was shown backstage. The broadcast team wondered if Fatu was considering the idea of cashing in the golden ticket he won by winning the Battle Riot…
A video hyped the return of Davey Boy Smith Jr. to MLW… [C]
Powell’s POV: The match was another spotlight for Nduka heading into his eventual title match with Hammerstone. I’m a little worried about that match. I’m not the type of viewer who feels every match needs to be a classic, but Nduka hasn’t been asked to do much in the ring and typically looks a little shaky. Nduka didn’t get much heat during his match, but he was able to draw good heat afterward.
The broadcast team said Fatu decided against cashing in his golden ticket because he decided he didn’t want to do it that way… The broadcast team hyped Taya Valkyrie vs. Lady Flammer for the MLW Featherweight Championship for Fusion in two weeks…
Dombrowski said Cesar Duran left the building and that Court Bauer and league officials would resume matchmaking duties while Duran was away…
Dombrowski said Hammerstone had a hole under his bottom lip and was refusing medical attention…
A tale of the tape was shown for the MLW Middleweight Championship match… Ring announcer Tim Barr delivered introductions for the main event…
3. Myron Reed vs. Shun Skywalker (w/Davey Richards) for the MLW Middleweight Championship. Alex Kane came out with Bomaye Fight Club faction mate Reed and then sat in on commentary. Skywalker performed a nice suicide dive early in the match. [C]
Reed caught Skywalker with a nice superkick and then followed up with a draping Flatliner style move. Skywalker came back with a running kick to the head. Skywalker put Reed down again a short time later with a DDT and then went for a backflip knee driver that Reed avoided.
Reed went for a crucifix, but Skywalker stuffed it and then performed the backflip into the knee driver, which resulted in a near fall. Reed came back with a cutter. Reed dropkicked Skywalker and then leapt over the top rope and hit a cutter that pulled Skywalker off the apron to the floor.
Back in the ring, Reed went for a springboard move, but Skywalker dropkicked him in midair. Skywalker followed up with an sit-out powerbomb for a good near fall. Skywalker went for a moonsault, but Reed caught him on the way down with a cutter for a near fall of his own.
Reed went for a springboard move, but Skywalker caught him. Both men traded covers and then Skywalker hooked Reed into a pin and got the three count.
Shun Skywalker defeated Myron Reed to win the MLW Middleweight Championship.
After the match, Richards entered the ring and put the title belt around the waist of Skywalker. Reed and Kane fumed at ringside… A brief vide spotlighted next week’s main event to close out the show…
Powell’s POV: A good match that felt like an upset considering this was Skywalker’s MLW debut. That said, it’s not the first time that MLW has put its middleweight championship on a Japanese wrestler, as Tajiri had a run with the belt in 2021. Reed is one of MLW’s most consistent performers in that he can always be counted on to have quality matches and he works well as either a babyface or as a heel.
Overall, an enjoyable episode. This week’s show was just 46 minutes in length, so it’s a quick and easy watch. I will have more to say about it in my weekly MLW Fusion audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons) coming up on Friday.
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