By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
MLW Fusion (Episode 212)
Taped June 11, 2026, in New York, New York, at Melrose Ballroom
Streamed September 17, 2026, on Tubi (Saturdays on MLW’s YouTube Channel and Veeps)
This is my first time watching MLW on Tubi; I presume it will continue to air on YouTube on Saturdays as well? Tubi lists this episode as “Season 8, Episode 19.” NOTE: There are ads. Grrr. If you watch MLW at the listed start time on YouTube, there aren’t any ads.
* This event was recorded on June 11, 2026 (MLW continues to have more than a dozen episodes of TV in its vault). Joe Dombrowski and Tom Lawlor were back on commentary. This is the second episode from this new taping. Last week, the 16-man Opera Cup tournament got underway with two tournament matches, so I presume we have more Opera Cup matches tonight.
* Austin Aries came to the ring, got on the mic, and jawed at the crowd. Aries declared he’s “the greatest professional wrestler in this business.” He listed off some of his big victories in MLW, and he vowed to win the Opera Cup.
1. Austin Aries vs. “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams in an Opera Cup first-round match. I’m not sure if ROH vet Williams has been in MLW before. Dombrowski made it clear that Aries’ MLW National Openweight Title was not on the line. Standing switches to open, and Tracy has the height advantage. Aries hit an armdrag and a basement dropkick, then relaxed in the corner. Tracy hit his own armdrag and targeted the arm. He dropped Aries with a hard chop, and they had a standoff at 2:30. Tracy hit some knee lifts to Austin’s ribs.
Aries hit some punches and a hard back elbow, then a diving elbow to the spine for a nearfall at 4:30. Aries hit his pendulum elbow drop, and he jawed at the crowd. Tracy hit some running back elbows into the corner, then a second-rope superplex for a nearfall at 6:00. Aries applied the Last Chancery submission hold, but Tracy reached the ropes. Tracy tied him in a crossface, but Aries bit Tracy’s forearm to escape! Aries hit a neckbreaker in the ropes at 8:00, then a dropkick into the corner and a brainbuster for the pin. Good action, but this one was never in doubt.
Austin Aries defeated “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams at 8:35 to advance to the quarterfinals.
* Footage aired “from Sri Lanka,” where the Good Brothers are reportedly on tour. (Signs in the background were clearly written in English. That’s unusual for Sri Lanka, yes?) Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson are coming back soon to defend their tag titles.
2. Oddyssey vs. Okumura (w/Ikura Kwon) in an Opera Cup first-round match. My spellcheck desperately wants to change how “Oddyssey” is spelled. Dombrowski noted that Oddyssey had been in Japan for two years. He’s grown a thick beard and now looks like a bigger Willie Mack. Okumura kicked away a handshake offer at the bell. Oddyssey easily knocked him down.
Okumura couldn’t budge him on a shoulder block, then Oddyssey dropped him with a shoulder tackle. Okumura raked the eyes and hit a stunner, then a senton for a nearfall at 2:00. Oddyssey hit a decapitating clothesline and a splash to the mat, then a second-rope splash for the pin. A good use for both men. Rich Bocchini interviewed Oddyssey at ringside, and Oddyssey vowed to win the Opera Cup.
Oddyssey defeated Okumura at 2:44 to advance to the quarterfinals.
* Rich Bocchini interviewed Shotzi Blackheart on the stage. Rina and Kamitani, two Japanese stars from the H.A.T.E. faction in Stardom, approached her and challenged her, and they beat her up.
* Killer Kross was seated backstage. He tried calling Joshua Bishop. Kross told Bishop his neck still hurts from being chokeslammed several times. (Kross dropped several profanities, and they weren’t bleeped out). Kross asked Bishop to team up against Austin Aries and Mistico in an upcoming match. Kross tried to explain to Bishop that “you can’t just set someone on fire,” because that’s what Bishop wants to do!
3. Mistico vs. Trevor Lee in an Opera Cup first-round match. Basic reversals at the bell, and Lee hit a huracanrana at 1:00. Mistico hit some kicks. Lee dropped him snake-eyes in the corner and hit a sliding forearm strike for a nearfall. Lee hit some roundhouse kicks to the chest in the corner, then a release Falcon Arrow for a nearfall at 3:30. Mistico hit a huracanrana. Lee hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall, and he applied an abdominal stretch. Lee hit a knee drop across the forehead and got another nearfall. [C]
Lee hit some punches and forearm strikes. Mistico hit a springboard back elbow at 6:00, then a springboard crossbody block. He hit a dive through the ropes and barreled onto Trevor. A masked man (clearly Austin Aries! You can see his tattoos!) came out and distracted Mistico! Dombrowski said that’s the mask Aries stole from Mistico. Lee and Mistico hit stereo spin kicks to the head. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Mistico snapped off a huracanrana for a nearfall, and they were both down at 9:30. The crowd rallied for Mistico. An awkward moment where Mistico went for a moonsault, but Lee did not get his feet up (like he was clearly supposed to.)
Mistico hit a powerslam for a nearfall. He hit a spin kick to the head. Mistico hit a superkick at 11:30. Lee hit a German Suplex into the turnbuckles, then a German Suplex with a high bridge for a believable nearfall. Mistico hit a top-rope Spanish Fly for a visual pin, but the masked man (Aries!) pulled the ref from the ring. Mistico hit a plancha to the floor, but he struck the ref! Mistico and Aries brawled, and Mistico pulled the mask off Aries. Aries hit a low blow and a brainbuster onto the thin mat at ringside! The ref got in the ring, counted to 20, and counted out Mistico! Mistico slipped as he was trying to get back in!
Trevor Lee defeated Mistico via count-out at 14:52 to advance to the quarterfinals.
* Aries got on the mic and said that with Mistico out of the tournament, he’s the clear favorite.
Final Thoughts: When the MLW-Tubi deal was announced, I wasn’t clear if the “latest episode” was going to be two days BEFORE an episode aired on YouTube, or if it was going to be five days AFTER the YouTube release. So, we now know Tubi will get the new episodes first. I’ll point out there were only two Tubi commercial breaks, so it wasn’t too annoying.
Some strong action across all three matches. I’ll reiterate that their production quality (sound, lighting, commentary) has never been stronger. I assumed Mistico was advancing to face Aries in the second round, but of course, this finish removes him from the tournament without him taking a pinfall loss.
I’ll end by noting I love the younger, fresher faces joining the roster. Oddyssey’s time in WWE was cut so short, it doesn’t really feel like he’s a “castoff.” With Oddyssey joining Diego Hill and LaBron Kozone in the quarterfinals and the debut of the H.A.T.E. faction, it feels like MLW is making some positive moves in the right direction with their roster. This episode clocked in at 51 minutes (a week ago was a mere 42 minutes).
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