By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Major League Wrestling Fusion (Episode 183)
Taped July 8, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 2300 Arena
Streamed September 21, 2023 on the MLW YouTube Page and FITE.TV
Mance Warner, 1 Called Manders, and Jimmy Lloyd stood backstage. Warner spoke briefly and then turned things over to Lloyd, who said he was happy to be in MLW and with his boys. He said he’d traveled all over the world with Warner and Manders. Lloyd spoke about challenging Akira for the MLW Middleweight Championship. Warner said Lloyd would get gold, as would the Second Gear Crew…
The Fusion opening aired… The broadcast team of Joe Dombrowski and Matt Striker checked in from ringside. Dombrowski hyped the show’s lineup and questioned whether Microman was missing… Ring announcer Stephen DeAngelis handled the introductions for the opening match…
1. Ichiban vs. Nolo Kitano. Kitano performed a corkscrew dive from the ring onto Ichiban at ringside. Back in the ring, Ichiban came back with a crossbody block, but Kitano rolled through and got a two count. Both men ran the ropes and collided when they went for simultaneous crossbody blocks.
A short time later, Kitano leapt from the ropes and executed a DDT on the way down for a close near fall. Both men traded big kicks. Kitano put Ichiban down with a leaping spin kick. Kitano went for a springboard move, but Ichiban caught him with a Flatliner style move on the way down and then pinned him..
Ichiban defeated Nolo Kitano.
Powell’s POV: A good, competitive match with a finish that seemed to confuse the crowd. It was one of those spots where it’s hard to tell in the moment which wrestler took the impact. Ichiban’s arrival in MLW was given more hype than Kitano’s, so I’m surprised that this was so competitive, yet I’m also not complaining.
Sam Laterna interviewed Matt Cardona, who boasted that he beat Mance Warner at Fury Road. He said he’s in MLW for everything from action figures to buzz to gold…
Sam Adonis was shown backstage after he was listed as being in action during the previous match. The masked henchmen showed up and dragged him away…
Powell’s POV: Adonis previously announced that he had concluded his run in MLW, so this appears to be the way they are writing him out.
Dombrowski recapped the masked henchmen dragging away Cesar Duran and John Hennigan in the same fashion as Adonis, and it was implied that Salina De La Renta may be behind the abductions…
Powell’s POV: I mean, someone could call the police, right?
A brief Calling video aired…
Mister Saint Laurent hosted his “Sessions By Saint Laurent” on the stage and introduced B3cca as his guest. Saint Laurent danced to B3cca’s entrance theme. B3cca said she was holding a silent vigil for Delmi Exo’s international tour. B3cca said Exo was out with an injury. MSL said he heard rumors that she had plastic surgery and was afraid to show her face. B3cca said she did her a favor if the rumors are true…
A Miami graphic aired. Don King said they just signed “this title fight.” A graphic listed Alex Kane vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. for the MLW Slaughterhouse event. King plugged that it would be available via FITE+ and did the “Bomaye” bit at the end…
Dombrowski hyped Akira vs. Justice for later in the show… [C]
Backstage, Jesus Rodriguez told Court Bauer to start taking Salina De La renta’s calls. Bauer said he would take it under advisement. Mance Warner showed up after Rodriguez exited and showed off some blueprints for something violent that involved beer drinking. Bauer said he liked it…
Domborwski played up the possibility that Microman could be missing…
2. Little Guido vs. Love, Doug. B3cca sat in on commentary for the match. Doug had a nice flurry of offense and picked up a two count off a Michinoku Driver. Guido came back and brought a guitar into the ring with him. Doug avoided the guitar shot and ended up clotheslining the guitar into Guido’s face and then pinned him.
Love, Doug beat Little Guido.
After the match, Doug made his latest play for B3cca by holding up a cake that he brought out for her prior to the match. B3cca slammed Doug’s face into the cake and then spoke about how she would beat Delmi Exo for the MLW Featherweight Title. Doug looked sad and then started eating the cake…
Powell’s POV: The match was fine for what it was. Doug continues to be rejected by B3cca and oddly takes it in stride.
Backstage, Warner, Manders, and Lloyd fired up Justice about his main event match… Dombrowski hyped Akira vs. Justice for after the break… [C]
The MLW Slaughterhouse control center segment aired for the October 14 event that will stream on FITE+. It focused on the double main event of Minoru Suzuki vs. Jacob Fatu, and Alex Kane vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. for the MLW Heavyweight Championship…
Salina De La Renta delivered a promo from within her office. The idea was that Microman was trapped inside a bag on her desk, which she knocked over. She said it’s combat sports, not cartoon sports. “Adios, Microman,” De La Renta said before laughing and leaving the room…
Entrances for the main event took place.
3. Middleweight Champion Akira vs. Matthew Justice in a non-title match. Akira’s back was torn up from something that presumably happened earlier in the taping or on the live Fury Road event. He took a bump on a chair that was set up in the middle of the ring heading into a break. [C]
Justice took an even nastier bump on the chair that was set up inside the ring. A short time later, Jimmy Lloyd showed up at ringside and threw a chair at Akira. The Calling’s Cannonball helped Akira and the match was declared a no-contest.
Middleweight Champion Akira fought Matthew Justice to a no-contest in a non-title match.
Mance Warner and 1 Called Manders ran out to help Justice and Lloyd. Page and Manders ended up fighting to the back. Page got the better of it and set up a ladder. Page placed Manders on a table and then climbed halfway up the ladder and dove off to splash Manders through the table to end the show…
Powell’s POV: The main event was fine while it lasted. Overall, the show had a variety of matches styles, but it felt pretty missable. The Don King appearance was uneventful. It’s cool that MLW has access to him, but they have to find creative ways to make those appearances count. I will have more to say about the show in my weekly audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons) on Friday.
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