By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Major League Wrestling Fusion (Episode 171)
Taped April 6, 2023 in New York, New York at Melrose Ballroom
Streamed June 29, 2023 on the MLW YouTube Page and FITE.TV
Fusion opened with a recap of the Sam Adonis vs. Mance Warner feud to set up their strap match main event… The Fusion opening video aired… The broadcast team was Joe Dombrowski and Matt Striker, and Mike Falvo was the ring announcer…
Entrances for the opening match took place. Clara Carreras came out first. Mandy Leon came out to The Calling entrance with Raven, who accompanied her to the ring, and a henchman who remained on the stage. The broadcast team said Leon is the newest member of The Calling…
1. Mandy Leon (w/Raven) vs. Clara Carreras. Carreras performed an early cannonball. Leon battled back quickly and tossed Carreras across the ring by her hair. Carreras picked up a near fall later in the match. Leon rallied with a pump-handle slam and could have won the match, but she pulled Carreras up. Leon performed a Raven Effect DDT and scored the pin…
Mandy Leon defeated Clara Carreras.
Powell’s POV: MLW continues to be all in on The Calling. It’s not clicking with me and the live crowd reactions suggest I’m not alone.
Footage aired of 1 Called Manders and Matthew Justice giving Mance Warner a leather strap in the parking lot. Juicy Finau and Lance Anoa’i showed up and gave the trio beers. Warner suggested that the SST duo defend their MLW Tag Team Title belts against Manders and Justice. Finau and Anoa’i accepted the challenge and shook hands with their future challengers…
Dombrowski noted that the main event was actually filmed in Philadelphia. MLW Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone was shown arriving in the parking area… [C]
Footage aired of Willie Mack and Microman sharing donuts. Mister Saint Laurent showed up and scolded Microman while saying he’s supposed to be watching his weight. MSL told Microman not to listen to Mack…
Footage aired of Jacob Fatu defeating John Hennigan to win the MLW National Openweight Championship in last week’s main event…
Fatu celebrated his win on what appeared to be a rooftop setting. Juicy Finau and Lance Anoa’i showed up to celebrate with him…
Dombrowski hyped Finau and Anoa’i vs. Manders and Justice for the MLW Tag Team Titles for next week’s show… Entrances for the strap match took place…
2. Mance Warner vs. Sam Adonis in a strap match. The broadcast team said the goal of this style of strap match was to touch all four corners in succession. Adonis dominated the early offense. He walked across the top rope and performed a blockbuster heading into a break. [C]
Warner battled back and executed a neckbreaker on the floor. Warner whipped Adonis into the barricade. Warner whipped Adonis with the strap a few times before he pulled a door board out from underneath the ring.
Warner placed the board in a corner of the ring. Warner continued to get the better of Adonis, but Adonis touched three corners, which Warner eventually did as well. They traded punches while seated on the mat. They stood up and tugged on the strap. Warner speared Adonis through the door board and the referee ruled that Adonis touched the final corner first.
Sam Adonis defeated Mance Warner in a strap match.
Powell’s POV: I don’t mind the finish because it gives Adonis a fluky win that keeps the feud going. I had mixed feelings on Striker calling the Adonis win immediately. Broadcast teams typically act surprised when a heel wins in that matter, but there’s also something to be said for having a broadcast team member actually come off as intelligent rather than clueless.
A Bomaye Fight Club expose aired. The video played up the possibility of Dan Lambert, Shane Taylor, or Wale as the potential mystery benefactor of the Bomaye Fight Club. The narrator revealed that after investigation, they learned that none of them are the mystery benefactor. There will be a second part next week…
Backstage, Mance Warner said Sam Adonis snuck one by him but it won’t happen again. Warner said Adonis can’t run or hide. Warner called for a country whipping fight, which he described as a lumberjack match with the lumberjacks holding belts…
MLW Featherweight Champion Delmi Exo was interviewed on the stage by Sam Laterna. Taya Valkyrie ran out and attacked Exo from behind. Exo was stretchered out while a split screen shot showed Valkyrie call for her contractually obligated rematch… [C]
Powell’s POV: I remain convinced that Taya’s AEW contract will expire before her final appearance on MLW television airs. Meanwhile, I liked the Bomaye expose (hey, that rhymes). They had some interesting suspects before they ruled them out. I’m curious to see who is revealed as the culprit. I’m out if it’s Raven and it leads to Alex Kane and Mr. Thomas joining the damn Calling too. I’m mostly kidding.
Dombrowski hyped the Never Say Never control center. He officially added Mance Warner vs. Sam Adonis in the country whipping match, and Jacob Fatu vs. Calvin Tankman for the MLW National Openweight Championship to the lineup. An Ava Everett promo aired regarding her WXW Title vs. MLW Featherweight Title match with Delmi Exo…
Alex Kane made his entrance and had a bunch of men chanting “Bomaye” on the stage while he and Mr. Thomas headed to the ring. The men followed them and posed with them inside the ring. Kane explained that the rules of his Big Apple Grapple were simple, pin or submit him and win a bag of money.
Shigehiro Irie made his entrance. The broadcast team oddly didn’t act shocked when Irie made his entrance. Kane jawed at Irie, who responded with a headbutt…
3. Alex Kane (w/Mr. Thomas) vs Shigehiro Irie. Irie slammed Kane to the mat and then used the ropes to creatively splash on top of him for an early two count. Kane rolled to the floor. Irie followed and ran Kane into the barricade. Kane came back by running Irie into the ring post. Kane placed Irie on the apron and then splashed him. [C]
Irie took offensive control and executed a cannonball in the corner. Irie caught Kane with a punch and clothesline combo followed by a Saito suplex. Kane came back with a lariat and both men stayed down. Kane ripped off a series of moves that concluded with a big suplex and then he got the three count.
Alex Kane defeated Shigehiro Irie.
Kane took the mic afterward and said it was just a warmup because he’s here for something bigger. Kane said there’s one guy who goes around the world defending “my” world championship. Kane called out Alex Hammerstone.
The MLW Heavyweight Champion made his entrance and was held back on the stage by two referees. Hammerstone said Kane would have been world champion six months ago if he was half as good at wrestling as he is at talking. Hammerstone wanted to fight Kane on the spot. Kane was down. The referees escorted Hammerstone to the back while Kane referred to him as a placeholder champion…
Powell’s POV: A good main event. The presentation felt off with the subdued reaction of the broadcast team to Irie accepting the challenge rather than a scrub. Even so, it was a good win for Kane heading into his title shot at Never Say Never.
Overall, this episode wasn’t as newsworthy as the two previous shows that featured title changes, but the in-ring action was solid and they did a good job of building to Never Say Never. My weekly MLW Fusion audio reviews are available for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
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