By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
Major League Wrestling “Slaughterhouse”
Taped November 9, 2024 in Cicero, Illinois at Cicero Stadium
Streamed November 23, 2024 on MLW YouTube
This was a sellout. Again, I’ve been in this building and it’s a perfect venue for a promotion like MLW. The show that aired Nov. 9 was filled with luchadors, so a lot of the MLW regulars weren’t in action that night, so they should have matches here. Once again, Joe Dombrowski and Tom Lawlor provided commentary.
* “Contra Unit” Ikura Kwon, Krule, Minoru Suzuki and Janai Kai spoke on the entrance ramp and were booed. Numerous babyfaces swarmed them and they all brawled. Matt Riddle hit several of the heels with a chair. Riddle got on the mic and told Satoshi Kojima he is cashing in his title shot on Jan. 11 in Dallas.
* “The Rogue Horsemen” Brett Ryan Gosselin, CW Anderson, Brock Anderson, and Bobby Fish got in the ring. “This is what success looks like,” BRG said, claiming that they are the reasons the show sold out. He said the Bomaye Fight Club “are pissing me off.” This brought out Alex Kane, Mr. Thomas and Kevin Knight. Time for our first match!
1. Alex Kane and Mr. Thomas vs. CW Anderson and Brock Anderson in a tables match. BRG sat down and joined commentary. The action immediately spilled to the floor. Joe said Bobby Fish and Kevin Knight brawled to the back. Two tables were pushed into the ring. BRG got up and was set to cheat, but Paul London showed up and he brawled with BRG to the back. Mr. Thomas was slammed through a table on the floor at 3:40. The Andersons kept beating up Kane in the ring, but Alex hip-tossed CW through a table at 4:39. However, Brock hit a Spinebuster to send Alex through a table. That was shockingly short.
CW Anderson and Brock Anderson defeated Alex Kane and Mr. Thomas in a tables match at 5:15.
* A video clip aired of Paul Walter Hauser talking to Eric Bischoff, with Hauser inviting Bischoff “to come do something with us.” This is a clearly set up scene.
* A sit-down chat with Matthew Justice, who said he has never quit and loves professional wrestling. I like doing segments like this on the taped episodes. He has a belt made of bullets; I hadn’t noticed that before. A very well-done segment.
2. Okumura vs. Ikuro Kwon. They briefly brawled to the floor. Back in the ring, Kwon hit a clothesline at 2:00 and he choked Okumura in the ropes. Okumura hit a Tower of London-style stunner off the ropes for the pin out of absolutely nowhere. A replay showed Kwon got a shoulder up. (This clearly was a planned ‘mistake’ by the ref.)
Okumura defeated Ikuro Kwon at 3:32.
* Tom Lawlor went to interview Barbaro Cavernario, who was eating ribs out of a bag. He was angry at Mistico.
* Backstage, Satoshi Kojima ate some bread. Matt Riddle came up to him and talked about his match later.
3. Kenta vs. Paul London. I’ll reiterate that London is still a bit heavy but he’s slimmed down a lot in the past year. Standing switches and a feeling-out process to open. London hit a dropkick at 2:30. They fought to the floor, where Kenta hit some roundhouse kicks. Back in the ring, they traded blows, and Kenta whipped London’s back into the corner. Kenta hit a DDT for a nearfall at 7:00, then a top-rope doublestomp to the chest for a nearfall. London hit a spinning heel kick for a nearfall. London hit a top-rope doublestomp on Kenta’s back for a nearfall at 9:30. Kenta nailed the Go 2 Sleep kneestrike and scored a (surprisingly) clean pin. Good match, especially considering their ages.
Kenta defeated Paul London at 10:25.
* A Doomsday clock appeared on the screen, and that means Donovan Dijak (w/Saint Laurent) is here! Dijak and Kenta traded blows, and Dijak nailed Feast Your Eyes on Kenta! Dombrowski said Kenta is “seriously hurt.” (He can’t be that hurt! He’s competing in the NJPW World Tag League right now!) Saint Laurent said he has an open contract in hand for anyone to “step the hell up.” This brought out Kevin Knight! (I like Kevin, but he’s giving up a lot of size here!)
4. Donovan Dijak vs. Kevin Knight. Dijak mounted him and hit some punches. Laurent joined Dombrowski on commentary. Dijak hip-tossed Knight all the way across the ring. Knight hit his picture-perfect dropkick at 2:30. He hit a springboard clothesline for a nearfall. Knight avoided a Feast Your Eyes and got a Victory Roll for a nearfall. Dijak hit a superkick in the corner, then a Choke Bomb for a believable nearfall at 5:00. Knight hit his jump-up huracanrana and a splash to the mat for a nearfall. They traded kicks. Dijak nailed his discus Mafia Kick! He nailed Feast Your Eyes pop-up kneestrike for the pin. That was really good.
Donovan Dijak defeated Kevin Knight at 6:38.
* Laurent got back on the mic and said he was glad to dump Lawlor and instead have a beast like Dijak.
* Another vignette telling us that Trevor Lee is coming to MLW.
* A backstage segment with Salina De La Renta and Cesar Duran. This telenovela needs to be canceled.
5. Delmi Exo vs. Gigi Rey. This is Rey’s second MLW match. Delmi carried a Mexican flag to the ring and got a nice pop and the streamers treatment. Basic reversals early on. Gigi hit a double-underhook suplex for a nearfall at 1:30. Exo hit some kicks and a second-rope overhead neckbreaker for a nearfall. Gigi hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. They fought on the mat. Gigi applied a cross-armbreaker, but Delmi was able to roll her up for a flash pin. Solid match.
Delmi Exo defeated Gigi Rey at 3:54.
* Joe Dombrowski interviewed Exo and congratulated her on the win. Janai Kai ran up and attacked Exo from behind. Kai threw her in the ring and kicked Exo in the head. She has a pair of scissors and she cut a full braid off! Janai then took the Mexican flag and wiped her feet on it, then put it on the prone Exo. The crowd loudly booed this. Kai headed to the back, waving around her trophy lock of hair.
* Christian Cole (hey, he’s still here!) was backstage, trying to get an update on Kenta’s health after the attack by Dijak. (Hopefully Cole is back on commentary with Dombrowski at the next taping, then.)
6. Minoru Suzuki vs. Matt Riddle. Riddle dove for Minoru’s knee and they traded intense reversals. They began trading chops and Riddle hit some roundhouse kicks to the chest. Suzuki grabbed an ankle at 2:00 and they fought to the floor. Minoru cracked a chair across Riddle’s back. Riddle hit some forearm strikes, and they got back into the ring. Riddle hit a top-rope corkscrew splash on a standing Suzuki at 4:30. Minoru choked Riddle with a towel, then he applied a rear-naked choke. Matt hit a jumping knee to the chin, then his leaping Tombstone Piledriver for the pin! That wrapped up quickly.
Matt Riddle defeated Minoru Suzuki at 6:02.
* Lawlor got in the ring to interview him. (Recall that Lawlor is ‘injured’ here and was just doing commentary at this taping.) Lawlor reiterated that Riddle will face Kojima in January. Lawlor told Riddle that he thinks they could “do some work together,” and used the “iron sharpens iron” phrase. Riddle agreed to go train with Lawlor.
* Kenta has a ‘dislocated shoulder’ and will be out of action for eight weeks. (In other words, the NJPW World Tag League will mean Kenta misses the next taping.)
* We saw Mistico backstage, who wants that match with Barbaro Cavernario.
* A segment aired with Akira, who was looking through steel bars out a window. (Certainly implying he’s in jail.) He “expects to die a little tonight” when he faces Mads “Krule” Krugger.
* Another video aired telling us that Eric Bischoff will be in MLW on Dec. 5. What does he have planned?
7. Bobby Fish vs. Satoshi Kojima (w/Okumura). Satoshi’s MLW World title is NOT on the line. Fish’s mustache, with a shiny bald head, makes him look like a carnival strongman. They traded reversals on the mat. Kojima knocked him down with a shoulder tackle at 1:30. He backed Fish into a corner and repeatedly punched him as the crowd counted along. They went to the floor, where Fish hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip. In the ring, Fish worked over the damaged knee. Fish hit a jackhammer move for a nearfall at 5:00, and he kept Kojima grounded. Fish kicked at the damaged leg. Kojima hit a Koji Cutter, but Fish hit a T-Bone suplex. Kojima hit a brainbuster for a nearfall, then the stiff clothesline for the pin. Decent match; Kojima looked better here than in most of his recent singles matches.
Satoshi Kojima defeated Bobby Fish at 6:45.
* Backstage, Christian Cole interviewed Kenta, who had an ice pack on his shoulder.
8. Mads “Krule” Krugger vs. Akira in a Weapons Of Mass Destruction match. Several boxes of weapons were placed at ringside. Akira dove onto Krule as he walked to the ring, and they fought on the floor. Akira put on a military helmet. In the ring, Akira hit him with a big crate. Krule shoved a gusset plate into Akira’s forehead at 4:00; that’s just gross. Akira was quickly bleeding heavily from the cut. Krule got a barbed-wire bat. He dumped a container of salt on Akira, and it burned Akira’s open wounds. However, Akira grabbed the barbed-wire bat and repeatedly struck Krule with it. He dove onto Krule and got a nearfall. Krule chokeslammed Akira across an open chair for a nearfall, then he hit a faceplant for the pin.
Mads “Krule” Krugger defeated Akira at 8:41.
Final Thoughts: I wonder what the fans who showed up for a lucha show thought of that violent main event; it doesn’t work for me. Dijak-Knight was easily the best match here and the reason to tune in. While I wish it had been longer, Riddle-Suzuki was good for second. Fish is so good, even at his advanced age (I joke!), he got a passable match out of Kojima for third place. I will reiterate that I really liked that video segment with Matthew Justice. I wish we had a London-Kenta match in 2006, not 2024, but it was passable. With all the topnotch talent out there, why is MLW using Brock and CW Anderson?
Be the first to comment