By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Major League Wrestling Fusion (Episode 193)
Taped November 18, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 2300 Arena
Streamed November 30, 2023 on the MLW YouTube Page and FITE.TV
Fusion opened with a recap video that focused on the feud between Bomaye Fight Club and World Titan Federation…
Matt Cardona delivered a backstage promo and introduced Steph De Lander as the Queen of New York. She added that she’s the Queen of Wrestling. Cardona said he would walk out of New York as the MLW Champion. Cardona said he dealt with the real Kane and was pushed off the stage in a wheelchair, then questioned what Alex Kane could do to him. Cardona said he’s the champion “then, now, forever”…
The Fusion opening aired and then the ring announcer conducted the introductions for the opening match. The broadcast team of Joe Dombrowski and Matt Striker checked in…
1. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Cannonball (w/two gas mask henchmen) in a Thumbtack Pit of Death match. There was a table set up at ringside with a layer of thumbtacks on the top. Cannonball executed a corner splash and then put Lloyd down with a clothesline. Cannonball used a piece of paper in between Lloyd’s fingers and then across the side of his mouth.
The match spilled over to ringside where Cannonball placed tacks in the mouth of Lloyd and then hit him. Lloyd also bled from the forehead. Back inside the ring, Lloyd fought back and slammed a chair on the hand of Cannonball. Back at ringside, Lloyd slammed Cannonball’s hands on the tack.
Lloyd grabbed a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire from The Calling’s table at ringside and then hit Cannonball with it. They fought to the back where Rickey Shane Page attacked Lloyd. Akira showed up and fought with Page heading into a break. [C] An ad aired for Thursday’s MLW One Shot on FITE+.
Lloyd stumbled back onto the stage. Cannonball followed and hit Lloyd before they headed back to ringside. Cannonball ran Lloyd into the ring post. Lloyd fought back from the ring while Cannonball was on the apron. Lloyd slammed the seat of a chair over the head of Cannonball, then hit him with it again.
Lloyd hit Cannonball with the chair again (Cannonball put his hands up) and then slammed the chair over his head one more time before Cannonball fell onto the table covered with thumbtacks, which broke the table and ended the match…
Jimmy Lloyd beat Cannonball in a Thumbtack Pit of Death match.
Powell’s POV: A slow paced garbage brawl. I’ve seen worse chair shots to the head in MLW, but I’m still really disappointed that Court Bauer continues to allow any whatsoever in his company. Hey, I wonder if this is why he’s too busy next week for… Er, never mind.
1 Called Manders delivered a promo from an outdoor setting and spoke about how he was going to miss Mance Warner. “The Masked Good Brother No. 3” showed up with a 12-pack of Coors. He claimed he had wrestled with a lot of legends and then stated that he’s un-retired.
Powell’s POV: I know Ron Simmons wearing a Doom mask when I see him! Wait, what? That was Mance Warner?!? I don’t believe it.
The Mane Event made their entrance. It’s kinda cute the first time you see it, but it loses its appeal. The entrances of the other teams in the three-way tag team match followed….
2. “The Mane Event” Midas Black and Jay Lyon vs. “Wasted Youth “Dyln McKay and Marcus Mathers” vs. Lucky 13 and Austin Luke in a three-way tag match. In the end, Mathers performed a rolling senton on 13. McKay followed up with a shooting star press and then stood up and performed a dive onto the other opponents on the floor. Mathers capped off the sequence with a 450 splash on 13 and then pinned him.
“Wasted Youth “Dyln McKay & Marcus Mathers” beat Lucky 13 & Austin Luke and “The Mane Event” Midas Black & Jay Lyon in a three-way tag match.
After the match, Dombrowski spoke to the Wasted Youth duo at ringside. A “Wasted Youth” chant broke out. McKay said he and Mathers started their training together years ago. He said they have been searching for a place that doesn’t treat them like outcasts and he said he thinks they found that place. Mathers said they were looking for the hottest tag division and MLW has it. He said it got a lot hotter with Wasted Youth…
Powell’s POV: I haven’t seen much of Wasted Youth and I believe this was my first time watching 13 and Luke, so I just sat back and watched the match rather than attempt to keep up with the recap. The match was enjoyable and crowd liked Wasted Youth. They came off well in their promo, but they laid it on too thick while talking about MLW having the hottest tag team division.
A video package recapped the storyline of Alex Hammerstone asking for his release. In a storyline, Hammerstone was given his release and then he joined World Titan Federation at the MLW Fightland event… [C]
Mister Saint Laurent, Alex Hammerstone, Tom Lawlor, and Josh Bishop delivered a promo in front of a WTF logo…
Dombrowski hyped the Rocky Romero vs. Mascara Dorada match for the MLW Middleweight Championship at One Shot. Romero and Salina de la Renta delivered a promo from inside Salina’s office…
3. Zayda vs. Gia Scott. Both entrances were televised. Zayda was introduced as being “from a place you could never afford to go to.” Striker questioned the grammar of her introduction. Funny. Scott picked up a couple of near falls, but Zayda eventually tripped her up and then put her feet on the ropes for leverage while scoring the pin.
Zayda beat Gia Scott.
After the match, Dombrowski tried to interview Zayda at ringside, but Mister Saint Laurent came out and told Zayda not to answer any of his questions. MSL told Dombrowski to get his “creepy ass” out of the ring. MSL said they were turning this into an episode of Sessions By Saint Laurent. MSL said Zayda has what it takes to be the first ever Federette. MSL offered her a contract, which she signed while adding that she likes money…
Powell’s POV: The match was nothing special. MLW is all in on the WTF. It feels like they are spoofing the old school WWF more than the modern day WWE. I’m not crazy about another company spoofing sports entertainment, but WTF is an upgrade as the company’s top heel faction over the lousy Calling faction that they were shoving down the throats of viewers.
MLW Heavyweight Champion Alex Kane delivered a promo in front of the MLW backdrop. He said he would take Matt Cardona to Suplex Island at MLW One Shot. He added that he would take Steph De Lander to Ho Island. Finally, he said he would take MSL to fat camp… [C]
A video package listed Satoshi Kojima as the original MLW Heavyweight Champion and hyped his return for MLW One Shot…
Tom Lawlor delivered a promo in front of the MLW backdrop. He said WTF was finally going to get their hands on Bomaye Fight Club. Lawlor said he was “looking forward to the future” and facing a name from the past in Kojima. Lawlor said he is the best former MLW Heavyweight Champion. Lawlor said he doesn’t care how hungry Kojima is, he has more than his mouth could ever handle. He said he would send Kojima back to Japan in a pine box…
Dombrowski hosted the MLW One Shot control center segment and added Rickey Shane Page vs. Jimmy Lloyd for the MLW National Openweight Championship.
MSL delivered a promo and said he was holding a “Bodies by Saint Laurent Bodybuilding Contest” at One Shot. He said he tried to get an Aretha Franklin hologram to sing “America the Beautiful” but it fell through. He said they would have “a legitimate American Idol singer” perform the song at One Shot.
Dombrowski ran through the rest of the One Shot lineup for Thursday’s show in New York’s Melrose Ballroom…
The upcoming fights schedule listed One Shot for Thursday, a Christmas Eve edition of Fusion, Kings of Colosseum for January 6 in Philadelphia, and SuperFight for February 3 in Philadelphia…
Powell’s POV: Good lord, it’s actually happening. I joked last week about the secret cabal of pro wrestling promoters who are out to make sure there is pro wrestling on every major holiday. I thought Christmas Eve would be an exception. Nope. Gather around the television, kids, it’s time to watch some garbage wrestling before we open gifts. Seriously, why? I would understand if Christmas Eve fell on Fusion’s normal Thursday night and even then I would suggest putting the show out a day or two early, but MLW is actually going out of their way to release a show on Christmas Eve. Strange. And, yes, I’m old enough to remember when the territories ran successful shows on Thanksgiving and Christmas night. Times change.
4. “World Titan Federation” Tom Lawlor, Josh Bishop, and Alex Hammerstone vs. “Bomaye Fight Club” Mr. Thomas, J Boujii, and O’Shay Edwards. The entrances of both teams were televised. MSL sat in on commentary. A few minutes into the match, Thomas performed a flip dive onto his three opponents heading into a break. [C]
Boujii performed a springboard cutter on Lawlor coming out of the break. Thomas followed up by tossing Boujii from the top rope onto Lawlor. Boujii had the pin, but Bishop broke it up. Hammerstone suplexed Thomas. Lawlor and Bishop performed a double chokeslam on Boujii. Lawlor had Boujii beat, but Edwards broke up the pin.
Edwards and Bishop fought to ringside where Edwards ran Bishop into the barricade. In the ring, Hammerstone put Boujii down with a big boot and then followed up with the Nightmare Pendulum. Lawlor covered Boujii and got the three count.
“World Titan Federation” Tom Lawlor, Josh Bishop, and Alex Hammerstone beat “Bomaye Fight Club” Mr. Thomas, J Boujii, and O’Shay Edwards.
After the match the WTF trio put the boots to Boujii. Edwards laid over Boujii to shield him. Alex Kane made his entrance to help, but Matt Cardona attacked him from behind. Steph De Lander also came out and joined MSL at ringside. The WTF members put the boots to Kane once he was inside the ring. Security ran out and were roughed up and cleared from the ring by WTF. The Bomaye Fight Club wrestlers fought back and cleared the WTF members from the ring to close the show…
Powell’s POV: A logical win for the WTF crew to go over heading into the One Shot event. The Bomaye Fight Club is all about Alex Kane. The others just haven’t been established as meaningful wrestlers, though that may change as this feud continues. Overall, this episode was a bit longer than usual with the show clicking in around 63 minutes, and it provided a good final push for Thursday’s One Shot.
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