By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
MLW Fusion (Episode 217)
Taped June 12, 2026, in New York, New York, at Melrose Ballroom
Streamed October 15, 2026, on Tubi (Saturdays on MLW’s YouTube Channel and Veeps)
Tubi lists this episode as “Season 8, Episode 23.” This is the first episode from a new taping. Joe Dombrowski and Tom Lawlor provided commentary; Joe Coffey also joined for one match. I’ll reiterate that the production quality of MLW has never been better than the tapings throughout 2026.
* Footage aired of last week’s episode, with Josh Bishop beating up Killer Kross. Bishop (in a tag match) got the first-ever pin on Kross in MLW.
* Killer Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux came to the ring. Huge ovation for both, with a “You deserve it!” chant. Kross said that MLW doesn’t hold back great talent, and that includes Josh Bishop. Kross can be the “devil you know or the devil you don’t.” Josh Bishop and Donovan Dijak came out of the back. Dijak got on the mic and berated the crowd. The crowd chanted, “Asshole!” at him, and other profanities. Bishop wanted to get on the mic, but Dijak wouldn’t relinquish the mic. The crowd chanted, “Let him talk!” Donovan demanded he be granted a title shot. Kross agreed!
1. Tiara James vs. Zamaya. Tiara came out first and spoke. She bashed the 76ers, and that got boos. Philadelphia is filled with ugly people, poor people, and bad food! Zamaya marched into the ring and hit a spear! Tiara rolled to the floor. We haven’t had a bell yet. Zamaya threw her into the ring, and we got a bell at 00:42. Zamaya hit a Death Valley Driver and scored the pin! Tiara’s mic skills lasted much longer than the match!
Zamaya defeated Tiara James at 00:52/official time of 00:10. [C]
* We were supposed to have the debut match of CJ Gallows (the 18-year-old son of Doc Gallows, but Dombrowski informed us that “CJ never made it to the building and checked in today.”
* A vignette aired for Masha. (This clearly was added in post-production; her debut hadn’t happened yet when this episode was taped in Philadelphia.) Again, just a first name for her, no reference to “Mashavich.” Anyhow, Josef Samael narrated this segment about bringing her back to compete. “Her exile is over,” Samael said.
2. Okamura (w/Ikuro Kwon) vs. Love, Doug in a Lightning match. Doug threw rose petals as a distraction and got a quick rollup. (I find Lightning matches to be absurd, because almost no MLW matches reach 10 minutes.) They went to the floor, and Okamura hit some open-hand slaps. In the ring, Doug hit a bulldog for a nearfall. Okamura hit an Iconoclasm. He applied a cross-armed modified Camel Clutch, and Doug submitted. Quick and to the point.
Okamura defeated Love, Doug at 1:58 in a Lightning match.
* Footage aired of the confrontation last week between Austin Aries and Matt Riddle. Rich Bocchini then interviewed Aries, who again was wearing his “Phantom of the Opera” mask that covers half his face. “I don’t let people pressure me,” Aries said. “There is nothing you can do to make me give you a title shot.”
* Footage aired of fans lining up outside the former ECW Arena for the show. Don Gato was drinking with them.
3. Mark Coffey (w/Joe Coffey, Wolfgang) vs. Matt Riddle in an Opera Cup first-round match. Dombrowski noted this is Matt’s first Opera Cup. Joe Coffey joined commentary. They tied up, and Matt immediately went for a cross-armbreaker on the mat. He hit a suplex. Mark hit a leaping back elbow and stomped repeatedly on Riddle, then an Irish Whip for a nearfall at 1:30. Mark tossed Riddle to the floor, where Wolfgang hit a few punches and threw Riddle back in. Coffey got a nearfall. [C]
Back from the two-second break, Mark hit a second-rope flying shoulder tackle for a nearfall at 3:00, and he kept Riddle grounded. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Riddle hit a German Suplex, and they were both down. Matt hit a jumping knee to the chin at 5:00 and a flying forearm, then an Exploder Suplex. He went for the bro-ton, but Coffey got his knees up. Riddle hit a headscissors to flip Mark to the floor. Matt then hit a twisting Asai Moonsault onto both Mark and Wolfgang.
Riddle rolled Mark into the ring and hit a fisherman’s buster for a believable nearfall; I thought that was it. Coffey hit a flying leg lariat for a nearfall at 6:30. Coffey got a rollup, but Matt hit another leaping knee to the chin and a spinning back fist, knocking Coffey through the ropes to the floor. Wolfgang threw him back in before a count-out. However, Matt immediately hit an RKO stunner and his leaping Tombstone Piledriver for the pin! More competitive than I anticipated.
Matt Riddle defeated Mark Coffey at 7:45 to advance to the quarterfinals.
* A vignette aired that Tessa Blanchard is indeed coming to MLW! I guess they worked out their issues.
* Bocchini narrated a segment about the MLW PPV on November 7 in Cicero (suburban Chicago), headlined by Killer Kross vs. Joshua Bishop in a last man standing match!
* Backstage, Josef Samael approached Zamaya and praised her for the quick win. He warned her that she had attracted the attention of someone.
* Footage aired of CJ Gallows arriving at the building earlier today, but the Glasgow Boys On Top beat him up, so he never made it inside!
* Next week will feature Saya Kamitani vs. Lady Frost and Trevor Lee vs. Austin Aries.
4. Shotzi Blackheart vs. Rina for the MLW Featherweight Title. A clean lockup to open, and Shotzi threw her to the mat. She avoided a kick and hit an arm drag and a 619, then a spin kick to the head. Rina hit a shotgun dropkick. She stood on Shotzi in the corner and was booed, then she did a hair-mare toss across the ring at 2:00. Rina went for a cross-armbreaker, and she snapped the arm backwards! Ouch! Rina choked Shotzi in the ropes and was booed some more.
Shotzi hit some kicks and a knee lift, then she slammed Rina face-first into the mat. She suplexed Rina into the corner at 4:00, then hit her rolling cannonball for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Rina flipped her to the mat, and she hit a second-rope flying double knee drop to the ribs for a nearfall at 5:30. Shotzi hit a pumphandle back suplex, and they were both down. Lawlor was livid that Shotzi “grabbed Rina’s costume” to complete the move. Rina hit a swinging back suplex for a nearfall.
Shotzi got an inside cradle for a nearfall, then a Low Ki-style rolling Koppo Kick, sending Rina to the floor. Shotzi dove through the ropes at 7:00 and barreled onto Rina! Rina hit an STO uranage on the ring apron. The ref checked on Shotzi on the floor. As the ref reentered the ring, Rina kicked the rope to crotch the ref! Rina grabbed a Cat-O-Nine-Tails whip and struck Shotzi with it! Rina hit a Gory Bomb for a believable nearfall at 8:30! Rina went for a second Gory Bomb, but Shotzi blocked it and got a rollup. Shotzi then hit a top-rope senton splash for the pin! That was really entertaining.
Shotzi Blackheart defeated Rina to retain the MLW Featherweight Title at 9:33.
* We again saw the red hat, and this time we saw the logo for MLW. Yota Tsuji appeared on the screen and said he’s coming to Chicago for MLW Superfight! “Are you ready?” he asked, as the show faded to black.
Final Thoughts: A deeply satisfying episode. Both Shotzi-Rina and Riddle-Mark Coffey were quite entertaining. I was amused at watching Rina crotch the male ref so she could whip Shotzi while he was down.
The Masha vignette, of course, was not referenced again the rest of the episode, which just feels odd (especially if you didn’t know she didn’t debut in MLW until September). You would think that if Dombrowski had seen it, he would have gotten excited and exclaimed to viewers, “Masha is coming! What a coup for MLW to land her!” Something like that. Also good to see MLW has ironed out the details to bring Tessa Blanchard to MLW. YES, I know a lot of you readers have issues with Tessa Blanchard and Masha, but that’s a conversation for another day.
I’m also pleased for MLW that they have signed a deal to bring Tsuji to the Chicago PPV. That said, Tsuji just wrestled in the city in July for the NJPW G1 Climax. So it’s not like area wrestling fans didn’t just have a chance to see him.
No real complaints. I don’t mind the quick losses for Doug and Tiara James. I probably would have aired the matches in a different order, so you have: short squash, Riddle match, short squash, Shotzi match.
MLW had sent out a press release just a few weeks ago, saying they were committed to putting shows on free streaming sites (this was in the press release announcing the Tubi deal). How will fans feel knowing that a Kross-Bishop match is airing on a PPV after that public vow for free wrestling? Check this out on Tubi, or on Saturday on YouTube.
