By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, TNA, MLW, ROH, GCW, and other notable live events. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com
MLW “War Chamber II”
Taped March 29, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Florida at The Coliseum
Streamed April 20, 2024 on the MLW’s YouTube Page
Joe Dombrowski and Christian Cole provided commentary. This is a taped show held at a large fieldhouse, and attendance was maybe 600. We have two side-by-side rings for the “War Chamber” match later.
* Cesar Duran walked to the ring with two Azteca henchmen. He asked the fans if they wanted violence. He introduced Virus.
1. Star Jr. (w/Selina De La Renta) defeated Virus (w/Cesar Duran) at 6:16. I really don’t know either. Virus doesn’t wear a mask; he has paint over his right eye and he has a mullet with a bit of gray showing. Star Jr. wore a black mask and black pants; he’s taller and appears to be younger than Virus. They traded overhand chops at 2:00. Star hit a springboard clothesline for a nearfall. They switched to the second ring. They stood on the ropes in the corner and traded chops at 5:30, and Star Jr. hit a huracanrana. Star Jr. hit a springboard doublestomp. He tied up one arm and one leg, cranked backward, and Virus submitted. Okay opener.
* Backstage, Saint Laurent stood with tag champions Tom Lawlor and Davey Boy Smith Jr. Lawlor was confident they will retain later. He taunted Alex Kane for being a former champion.
* Outside, Matthew Justice and Bill Alfonso spoke. Justice is ready to fight the Contra Unit.
2. Brett Ryan Gosselin (w/Saint Laurent) defeated Budd Heavy at 00:39. Budd is maybe 350 pounds, rotund, and drank a beer on the way to ringside. BRG wore a fur jacket to ringside. He attacked Budd before the bell. He hit a swinging neckbreaker for the pin! That was quick; it felt like a WWF Superstars match when I was a kid. Dombrowski interviewed BRG after the match. Gosselin laughed and asked “is that the best you have, Tampa?” He attacked Budd as Budd was about to walk through the curtain to the back.
* Backstage, Salina De La Renta and another woman (apparently her mother!) celebrated that Star Jr. won his match earlier. Salina said maybe they’ll go to a spa or go shopping. The woman said Salina should “rip his nuts off.”
3. Tom Lawlor and Davey Boy Smith (w/AJ Francis, Saint Laurent) defeated “Bomaye Fight Club” Alex Kane and Mr. Thomas to retain the MLW Tag Team Titles at 5:02. Kane hit an elbow drop on Lawlor. Francis joined commentary and he ripped Kane. Smith, who is still wrestling in blue jeans, tied up Kane’s legs. Mr. Thomas hit a top-rope crossbody block on both opponents at 3:30. He hit a double clothesline and he was fired up. He hit a flip dive to the floor on both opponents. “Everyone knows I can do that move,” Francis quipped. Kane approached Francis at the commentary table and argued with him, and Kane was completely ignoring the action while jawing at AJ. Lawlor hit Mr. Thomas in the head with a title belt and scored the cheap pin. Kane rolled into the ring and hit Lawlor with a chairshot.
* Backstage, Lawlor, Smith and Laurent celebrated. Satoshi Kojima walked up to them and demanded a title shot in Chicago.
4. Zayda (Steel) defeated Sofia Castillo at 8:59. Dombrowski said this was a “standby match” because BRG’s match went so short. Salina joined commentary. Dombrowski said Sofia is a trapeze artist. Zayda walked to the ring with a mic, and said this place is worse than she imagined. Mat reversals early as Sofia tied up the left arm. (We have wording on the screen that says “taped earlier” which makes me wonder why they are stressing that.) Zayda hit a DDT for a nearfall at 3:00. Zayda hit a buttbump in the corner, then a Helluva Kick and she tied up Sofia on the mat. Sofia hit a rolling forearm. They hit double clotheslines at 6:30, then simultaneous Mafia Kicks and were both down. Sofia slammed Zayda to the mat for a nearfall. They traded rollups. Zayda nailed the “I’m Prettier” faceplant for the clean pin.
* A backstage segment with Akira, Jimmy Lloyd, Raven and Jake Crist. They are ready for War Chamber. They then went to the fun, cheesy WTF phone commercial for you to call in to get scoops.
5. Matt Riddle defeated Timothy Thatcher at 11:55. Obviously these two have fought before, including in NXT. (No NJPW Title on Riddle; did they know he would lose it before this show aired?) A video package aired of his prior wins here in MLW. Thatcher slapped away a handshake at the bell. Thatcher immediately grounded Riddle. Thatcher hit a European Uppercut and he tied Riddle in a modified Bow-and-Arrow at 3:30. He switched to a Crossface Chickenwing, then a Fujiwara Armbar at 6:00, but Riddle reached the ropes. He hit a kneedrop on the left elbow and remained in charge.
Riddle fired back with some flying forearms in the corner and an Exploder Suplex, then a senton at 8:30 for a nearfall. Thatcher hit a second-rope butterfly suplex for a nearfall. He went for a cross-armbreaker but Riddle escaped and hit another senton. Riddle hit a German Suplex, then a top-rope corkscrew moonsault for a believable nearfall at 11:00. Riddle then hit his jumping Tombstone Piledriver for the pin. Good mat-based match that felt fairly authentic but didn’t drag either.
* Dombrowski interviewed Riddle at ringside. Matt said he’s coming for the MLW Heavyweight Title.
* Contra hacked the feed again, and we saw Mads Krugger and others attacking people backstage.
6. Satoshi Kojima defeated Bad Dude Tito (w/Salina De La Renta) to retain the MLW Heavyweight Title at 5:06. Dombrowski immediately noted how Kojima’s knee is not 100 percent. (He barely did anything in the War Chamber match that was taped the same day as this.) Tito dropped him with a shoulder tackle. He hit his rapid-fire chops in the corner at 2:00. Tito hit some kicks and a German Suplex for a nearfall, then a bodyslam and a frogsplash for a nearfall at 4:00. Kojima hit a DDT and a stunner for a nearfall. Tito nailed an F5 faceplant. Kojima hit a clothesline for the pin. Hard-hitting and once again, Tito needed to create all the movement.
* Backstage, Krugger and Contra Unit beat up Davey Boy Smith Jr.
7. Akira, Jimmy Lloyd, Raven, and Jake Crist defeated “The Calling” Sami Callihan, Rickey Shane Page, Cannonball, and Dr. Cornwallis in a War Chamber match at 23:40. Crist was first for his team, while his long-time friend Callihan was first for the heels. Crist immediately whacked Callihan over the head with a garbage can lid. They brawled on the floor; no requirement to stay in the double cage. Back in the ring, Sami pulled ot a fork at 3:30 and stabbed Jake with it; Jake was already bleeding and the crowd chanted “you sick f—!” Sami slammed Jake onto a barbed-wire board. Akira came out at 5:30, but Ricky Shane Page and Cannonball attacked him before he could reach the ring. Meanwhile, Sami gave Crist a papercut between his fingers, then along his mouth.
Akira was crawling toward the ring; Rickey Shane Page came from the back at 7:30 and entered the cage before Akira has. A close-up shows us that Akira is bleeding from the forehead, too. Akira entered and hit a shotgun dropkick, sending RSP through a board in the corner. Lloyd entered at 9:30 to give the babyfaces the 3-2 advantage. Everyone started tossing chairs at each other’s heads. The massive, masked Cannonball entered at 11:30; Dombrowski said he’s 400 pounds. Callihan wrapped barbed wire around Cannonball’s waist. Cannonball climbed to the top-rope and leapt backward, crashing onto Akira, who was lying on a table, and that earned a “holy shit!” chant. Raven entered at 13:30 and he hit all the heels with a kendo stick.
The masked Dr. Cornwallis is last at 15:30 so “War Chamber” is officially underway. Sami hit an Exploder Suplex on Lloyd onto an open chair; Jimmy is bleeding from the forehead, too. Akira tossed a cinderblock at a trash can over Dr. Cornwallis’ groin at 17:30. Cannonball poured thumbtacks on Akira, then into his mouth; he punched Akira and the thumbtacks went flying. Crist climbed to the top of the cage and hit a cross-body block onto everyone at 19:30. Lloyd was slammed onto a door covered in barbed wire. RSP crashed through a table. Akira put a kendo stick in RSP’s mouth but RSP wouldn’t tap out. So, Akira switched to putting barbed wire across his mouth, and he cranked back until Page tapped out.
* Akira got on the mic and said “The Calling is dead!” He thanked the fans and said that MLW is on the rise.
* The show ends with Salina De La Renta and her mother walking toward their car. Cesar Duran is suddenly visible, holding a tire iron, as the show fades to black.
Final Thoughts: Just too much blood and violence for me. Raven really did nothing in that match, which I expected. Riddle-Thatcher was worth checking out and that takes best match. I do really like a lot of the pieces here, from Akira to Tito to Zayda. I can do without so much of Salina De La Renta, Cesar Duran and Saint Laurent.
Be the first to comment