By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Major League Wrestling Fusion (Episode 179)
Taped July 8, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 2300 Arena
Streamed August 24, 2023 on the MLW YouTube Page and FITE.TV
The Fusion opening kicked off the show… Joe Dombrowski and Matt Striker were on commentary. Dombrowski listed the show’s matches and hyped MLW’s major announcement…
The Calling music played and then Delirious came out with two gas mask wearing henchmen. One of the henchmen joined him in the ring while the other remained at ringside next to their table of weapons. The SST’s Lance Anoa’i and Juice Finau entrance followed. Finally, Matthew Justice and 1 Called Manders made their entrance…
1. “The SST” Lance Anoa’i and Juicy Finau vs. “Second Gear Crew” Matthew Justice and 1 Called Manders vs. Delirious and a gas mask henchmen in a three-way tag team match. Once the bell rang, Delirious and the other Calling members exited the ring and headed to the back. The SST duo went to ringside, and then the Second Gear Crew trio dove onto them.
Once the wrestlers were back in the ring, The Calling returned. Delirious and the henchmen, who actually wrested in a trench coat, attacked both babyface teams. Gas mask guy took a couple of steps on the top rope and then performed a senton.
The SST battled back. Anoai’ performed a dive onto a couple of their opponents on the floor. Finau performed an inverted piledriver on the henchmen. Finau followed up with a Polynesian Plunge. Delirious returned to break up the pin. They cut to a break a short time later. [C]
Manders put the henchmen on his shoulders while Justice was on the top rope, but Delirious broke up whatever the SGC had planned. Manders came back and powerslammed Delirious from the middle rope, and then Justice followed up with a top rope splash and pinned him…
“Second Gear Crew” Matthew Justice & 1 Called Manders defeated Delirious & a gas mask henchmen and Lance Anoa’i & Juicy Finau in a three-way tag team match.
Powell’s POV: The Calling faction still does nothing for me. The company announced today that the faction is expanding with two new members who will debut at the Fury Road taping. Can’t wait? Anyway, Raven wasn’t at these tapings, so somehow they’ll have to get by without him standing at ringside and smirking no matter what’s happening around him.
Footage aired of last week’s segments involving MLW Featherweight Champion Delmi Exo and B3cca. A breaking news graphic was used to announce that Exo would be sidelined for two or three weeks…
A vignette aired for Nolo Kitano and included a graphic that he will journey to MLW…
A video package recapped Davey Boy Smith Jr. winning the Opera Cup tournament…
Dombrowski said it was time for the major announcement. He said there have been rumors for weeks about what Court Bauer and his team had been working on. A video played and listed the MLW and New Japan Pro Wrestling logos next to one another. They were followed by the MLW Fury Road graphic…
Powell’s POV: Well, it’s not the renewal of the television deal with Reelz that I was hoping for, but it’s cool. NJPW works with AEW and Impact Wrestling on a regular basis, so working with them in the U.S. doesn’t feel as significant as it once did. Even so, it’s a nice credibility boost for MLW one would think that they will move some extra tickets for shows that NJPW talent are featured on.
The Fury Road control center segment aired. Kushida vs. Tony Deppen was added to the show. It was framed as NJPW sending Kushida to the show…
Entrances for the scramble match took place. We didn’t have to wait long for Nolo Kitano’s “journey” in MLW to begin…
2. Willie Mack vs. Love, Doug vs. O’Shay Edwards vs. Ken Broadway vs. Nolo Kitano in a scramble match. Doug threw pedals at one his opponent to start. Dombrowski said the match was one fall to a finish. Mack hit an early flip dive onto his opponents heading into a break. [C]
Kitano has run of offense on Broadway. Doug bulldogged Kitano. Broadway returned and acted like he was proposing to Broadway, who kicked him. Edwards returned to the ring and clotheslined both men.
Edwards powered up Broadway and held him up before completing a vertical suplex. Kitano and Broadway worked together to clear Edwards from the ring. Broadway rolled up Kitano for a two count. Kitano wasn’t pleased.
Mack and Doug ended up in the ring together. Edwards shoved Mack into Doug, who tumbled to ringside. Mack ended up at ringside and was run into the barricade by two opponents.
In the ring, Edwards hoisted up Broadway and then ran him into Doug and Kitano in opposite corners before powerslamming him. Kitano and Doug teamed up on Edwards and seated him on the top turnbuckle. Kitano and Doug couldn’t power up Edwards bfor a double superplex, but Mack returned and turned it into a tower of doom.
Broadway caught Mack with a kick in the corner. Broadway put Kitano down, but Mack splashed Broadway and then pinned him.
Willie Mack defeated O’Shay Edwards, Ken Broadway, Nolo Kitano, and Love, Doug in a five-way scramble match.
After the match, Mack took the mic and told the crowd that it’s the Summer of Mack and no one will stop it…
Powell’s POV: There wasn’t much mystery regarding the outcome due to Mack challenging for the MLW Heavyweight Championship at Fury Road. That said, it was a fun match with some of MLW’s new characters. I’m happy to see that Edwards will be a regular in MLW.
Dombrowski hyped Alex Kane vs. Willie Mack for the MLW Heavyweight Championship for the Fury Road event. They also played up the NJPW relationship starting at Fury Road… [C]
The time video that MLW has been using revealed that it was for Kushida…
Akira made his entrance for the main event. He set up a chair in the ring, took a seat, and then told the crowd, “You were cheering for me.” He held up the mic and let them react. He said they were cheering for their MLW Middleweight Champion.
Akira said they were in ECW Arena, the home of hardcore. Akira said his body is hardcore with scars all over it. Akira spoke to Jacob Fatu. He said he’s bled for everything he has while Fatu was given everything because of who he was born to be. Akira said he put his knee to the back of Fatu’s head and wasn’t afraid to do it again. Akira told Fatu to come get some.
Fatu made his entrance and had a mic. Fatu asked Akira what gives him the right. He asked if he thinks he’s over because he has a belt and is getting a push. Fatu said he can really fight and dog walk Akira’s “bitch ass.”
Fatu was about to enter the ring when he was grabbed from behind by security guards. Akira went up top and held his chair out while crashing onto Fatu at ringside. Fatu fought off security and fought Akira. Fatu threw a chair at Akira and then threw him in the ring to start the match…
3. MLW National Openweight Champion Jacob Fatu vs. MLW Middleweight Champion Akira. Fatu went for an Alley Oop Samoan Drop, but Akira hooked him into a pin for a two count. Fatu came back with a superkick.
The Calling’s gas mask henchmen ran in. Fatu took one out and then hit the Alley Oop Samoan Drop on the other. The bell rang to end the match due to outside interference.
Jacob Fatu defeated Akira by DQ.
After the match, Fatu performed a suicide dive on Akira at ringside. Rickey Shane Page came out and hit Fatu with a baseball bat wrapped in barbwire. Page put the barbwire bat in front of Fatu’s face and then ran him into the ring post. Striker said The Calling seem to be chasing the high of violence
Following replays, Fatu was still down on the floor. Dombrowski speculated about how one of the barbs may have gotten in Fatu’s eye, then said he didn’t want to speculate. The show concluded with Fatu down on the floor…
Powell’s POV: More of an angle than a match. I am usually a fan of Fatu’s mic work, but the insider references ruined this one for me. Meanwhile, Akira’s promo style doesn’t fit with the brooding Calling gimmick. But he showed confidence on the mic and came off like a good cocky heel.
MLW finally started airing footage from their most recent taping! It looks like we’re finally past the New York and Philadelphia tapings from April, and hopefully they’ve completely run out of all footage from their February show in Mexico. Here’s hoping that the shows will be more timely going forward. Overall, this episode was solid. There’s nothing truly must see and yet they kept it under 40 minutes and the show flowed nicely. My Fusion audio reviews are available weekly for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
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