By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
Major League Wrestling “War Chamber”
March 29, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Florida at The Coliseum
Streamed on TrillerTV+
The venue is a big fieldhouse with a high ceiling. The lights were on and there was a really good crowd of maybe 400-500. Joe Dombrowski and Christian Cole provided commentary. There were two side-by-side rings because of the War Chamber main event.
* Outside, Salina De La Renta spoke but the crowd noise from inside nearly drowned her out. I truly have no idea what she was saying.
1. Janai Kai (w/Salina De La Renta) defeated Unagi Sayaka to retain the MLW Featherweight Title at 7:09. These two just fought last Sunday in the Los Angeles area with Unagi winning. I compare Unagi to Kairi Sane but with blonde hair. An intense lockup, then they traded forearm strikes. Kai dropped her with a spin kick to the chest for a nearfall at 1:30, then a series of stiff kicks to the spine. Unagi applied a sleeper but Kai ran backward into a corner to escape at 4:00. Unagi hit a Hogan Leg Drop for a nearfall. Unagi tied her in a Gory Special. They traded forearm strikes while on their knees, then while standing. They traded boots to the chest. Kai hit a uranage and a Helluva Kick for the pin. Good match; about half the length of what they did on Sunday.
* A video package aired to highight the next match! AJ Francis came to the ring and got on the mic and was heavily booed. He ripped on the fans in Tampa. He said Kane’s mohwak is “from 2002.” Saint Laurent joined commentary.
2. AJ Francis (w/ St. Laurent) defeated Alex Kane (w/Mr. Thomas) at 7:02. Kane hopped in the ring and they immediately brawled, with Kane hitting a dive to the floor. Kane was in charge as they got back in the ring, hitting an elbow drop for a nearfall at 1:30. AJ hit a suplex and he took charge, hitting a running knee to the chin in the corner. Francis slammed Kane onto the ring apron at 3:30; Kane barely got back in before being counted out. In the ring, Francis hit a shoulder tackle and remained in charge. Kane nailed a spear! He hit a big suplex at 6:00. He hit a back suplex for a nearfall. Laurent left commentary and went to ringside, and he distracted the ref. Francis hit a low blow mule kick and a chokeslam. The referee made the quickest count I’ve ever seen for the cheap pin! The referee vanished the second he finished the quick count.
* Four Black men who were part of the Bomaye Fight Club raised their fists in solidarity and joined AJ Francis! They all left together!
* Outside, Sami Callihan and his Calling faction attacked Akira!
* A guy named Devin Giaz (spelling) walked to the ring; he looks like NXT’s Brooks Jensen. However, Brian Brock (think “Outlaw” Ron Bass) attacked him from behind. Brock got on the mic and demanded a match right now! Out came “Krule” Mads Krugger.
3. Mads Krugger defeated Brian Brock at 3:38. They immediately brawled to the floor. A masked mercenary attacked Brock. Krugger put a chair around his neck and kicked it. Krugger went through a door in the corner in the ring. Brock hit a clothesline and he slammed a door shard over Mads’ head. Krugger hit a chokeslam. Krugger hit a modified Jarrett-style Stroke faceplant for the pin. Good use of a big man local talent; the winner was never in doubt. They got a body bag to put Brock in, but instead they carried him to the back. Dombrowski wondered why they took him.
4. Bad Dude Tito (w/Salina De La Renta) defeated Richard Adonis at 00:46. My first time seeing Adonis, who reminds me of former TNA talent Jai Vidal, as he’s acting like a flamboyant male model. (His bio shows he has had a few AEW Dark taping matches from Orlando, as well as some TNA Explosion matches I haven’t seen.) Adonis attacked at the bell, but Tito is MUCH bigger and hit some LOUD chops and an Exploder Suplex. Tito hit a Tequila Screwdriver (brainbuster) for the pin. Tito got on the mic and vowed to win a title.
5. Matt Ridde defeated Kosei Fujita to retain the NJPW TV Title at 7:01. I wasn’t aware that recent NJPW Young Lion Fujita was going to be on this show! These matches have 15-minute time limits, but Riddle retained quite quickly last month. Quick mat reversals at the bell. They traded chops and forearms. Ridde hit some roundhouse kicks to the chest. Riddle hit a snap German Suplex at 2:00, then running forearms in the corner, then an Exploder Suplex. He hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall and a senton. He went for another but Kosei got his knees up. Kosei hit a huracanrana at 3:30.
Kosei hit a penalty kick to the chest on the ring apron. They went to the floor and traded chop. In the ring, Kosei hit a springboard senton for a nearfall. He applied a Dragon Sleeper and dropped to the mat and the 5:00 call is spot-on. Riddle hit a suplex to escape. He hit a pop-up kneestrike and a German Suplex with a bridge for a believable nearfall. Fujita hit a German Suplex off the second-rope and Riddle may have landed on his head; Fujita got a nearfall but Riddle got a foot on the ropes. Riddle hit a jumping knee, then the Gotch-Style Piledriver for the pin. Good action but the winner was never in doubt. Glad Riddle is okay after that German Suplex.
* Dombrowski interviewed Riddle at ringside. Matt joked that he thought “Fujita killed me with that German Suplex.” (Glad he can laugh about it!) He said he challenged for the MLW title six years ago, but came up short. He wants another shot!
* Backstage, Cesar Duran mockingly congratulated Selina De La Renta for signing Bad Dude Tito. He said he will bring his best luchadors to Azteca Lucha in Chicago on May 11, and she should bring her best. The winner will get … a key? … he held in his hands. Back at ringside, Joe and Christian wondered what was the significance of that key.
* A highlight package with Mads Kruegger. He didn’t say anything newsworthy.
* We went to Arena Mexico for a CMLL match! Dombrowski said there are 16,500 fans here. (I wonder what the fans in the arena in Tampa are seeing? Is there a screen I didn’t notice that they can watch this match on?) Really good lighting for this taped match.
6. Mistico defeated Angel De Oro to retain the MLW Middleweight Title at 14:10. A quick internet search shows this match took place March 12, but it’s new to me. Oro is a bit bigger and doesn’t wear a mask. Quick lucha reversals early on. Mistico hit a dive through the ropes at 2:00. In the ring, Oro hit some clotheslines in the corner and a standing moonsault for a nearfall. They again brawled to the floor. Mistico hit a springboard huracanrana, then a huracanrana to the floor at 5:30. Oro hit a second-rope moonsault to the floor and they were both down.
In the ring, Oro hit another second-rope moonsault for a nearfal at 7:30. Mistico got a rolup out of nowhere for a nearfall. Mistico hit an impressive top-rope crossbody block to the floor, getting some great air-time on that splash. Oro hit a Lionsault in the ring for a nearfall at 10:00. Mistico hit a huracanrana off the ropes for a nearfall. Oro hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. Mistico hit a top-rope Spanish Fly for a nearfall. Oro hit a second-rope superpex for a nearfall at 13:00, then another Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. Mistico hit a springboard crossbody block, then he spun Oro to the mat, applied the Fujiwara Armbar, and Oro tapped out immediately. A very good match and I see why MLW opted to air this.
* We return to Tampa and the double cage has been erected and it looks sturdy and professional. There is barbed wire wrapped around the top of the cage. We then headed to a video package setting up War Games, I mean, “War Chamber!” Of course a “random coin toss” earlier in the day (we don’t see it) determined who gets the man advantage. (Why don’t they just do a match where the winner gets the man advantage?) Of course, the heels won the coin toss.
7. Satoshi Kojima, Okumura, 1 Called Manders, and Matthew Justice (w/Bill Alfonso) defeated “World Titan Federation” Tom Lawlor, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Richard Holliday, and Josh Bishop (w/Saint Laurent) to win War Chamber at 24:28. Bishop came out first for the heels; Justice came out first for the babyfaces and they brawled on the floor. Dombrowski said the clock started at first contact. They got in the ring and brawled. Justice hit Bishop with chairs. Lawlor came out right at 5:00, giving the heels the advantage. Manders hit the ring at 7:00 to even the odds. Justice slammed door shards on Justice; no one is really doing any wrestling maneuvers. Smith came out at 9:00 and the heels have the 3-on-2 advantage.
Okumura joined at 11:00; they are remarkably doing well on the splits, and he hit a pump-handle Exploder Suplex on Davey Boy, then he put Lawlor in a Figure Four. Justice hit an unnecessarily hard chairshot on Bishop’s head; I really hate that. Richard Holliday entered at 14:00 so they were a full minute late on that interval. Everyone was taking turns whacking each other with chairs. Kojima entered at 16:00 and he got a nice pop and “War Chamber has officially begun!” Kojima hit his rapid-fire chops on Davey Boy. Davey Boy kicked him in the face. Justice went to the top of the cage and hit a crossbody block onto everyone at 17:30, drawing a “holy shit!” chant.
They all got up, stood across from each other, then traded punches. Bishop hit a double clothesline. Bishop hit a Death Valley Driver on Justice, sending him through a door in the corner at 20:00. Davey suplexed Manders through a door. Holliday hit a stunner on Kojima. Davey Boy hit a sit-out powerbomb on Kojima for a believable nearfall; Davey Boy had an overreaction face to Satoshi kicking out. Bishop accidentally speared Davey Boy through a door! Manders and Justice hit simultaneous spears at 22:30. Lawlor and Justice fought on the ropes, and Justice hit a tornado DDT through a table. Laurent passed a bag of powder to Holliday, but Kojima caught Richard with a running forearm for the pin. Okay match and pretty formula; Kojima must really be hurting as he didn’t do much at al.
* The feed was being “hijacked” by Contra. Mads Kruegger and his masked goons walked to ringside. They broke into teh cage and beat up the babyfaces. A fireball was thrown at one of the faces. Kwon, who had been in MLW in the past, is among the Contra goons. They buried the babyfaces under the Contra flags. I can’t say I was all too excited about Contra “taking over MLW” as the show went off the air. We wrapped up with a commercial for the Azteca Lucha show in Chicago on May 11.
Final Thoughts: MLW didn’t tell us much about this show other than the main event. I’m not a big fan of hardcore action so I didn’t like it as much as others will, but I don’t think anyone bled and we didn’t have the really disgusting weapons. MLW will tape another episode that features Akira’s team vs. Sami Callihan’s team in another War Chamber match. I liked the lucha pre-taped match, and I’ll narrowly go with Kai-Unagi for second, ahead of Riddle-Fujita. I don’t have a problem with two squash matches with local talent, but they shouldn’t have been back-to-back.
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