Winfree’s MLW Underground (Ep. 23) Review 5.12.21

Hello everyone, Winfree back for more MLW Underground action. This week we finally get the War Games between the EXTREME Horsemen and the Funkin’ Army. That match was part of the EXTREME Horseman Anthology episode that I reviewed HERE if you’re curious. I wont just be doing the old copy paste thing, I’ll watch it again and see if my opinion has changed. Anyway let’s get to the action.

We open with the EXTREME Horsemen, Steve Corino, Simon Diamond, CW Anderson, and the masked man. I know the masked man is Justin Credible/PJ Walker but his identity will be revealed here. Corino gets a mic and will start our talky segment. The crowd gives them a “You Suck” chant, Corino asks if they suck then why do the EXTREME Horsemen hold all the gold in MLW? I’m guess it’s because not a one of them is at risk of going to a bigger promotion. Corino says Steve Williams has no gold, neither does Sandman or Terry Funk, and Jerry Lawler could never hold gold here. There’s four of them and right now only three opponents. Because Vince McMahon realized that MLW isn’t some outlaw wrestling company so the WWE pulled Jerry Lawler from being here, because they’re scared of competition. Only 9 months ago the EXTREME Horsemen became a unit in this building, there were only 250 people in this room and now there’s 1500. That’s all because of him and the EXTREME Horsemen. He addresses Vince through the camera, here’s four men who will never sell out to WWE and don’t care about their product. That’s not entirely accurate, Justin Credible would be back with WWE in a couple of years as part of the ECW revival. MLW, you’re looking at four men who don’t care about sports entertainment, they care about pro wrestling. And one last thing, tonight everyone here gets the chance of a lifetime to see the end of Terry Funk, Sandman, and Dr. Death Steve Williams. Diamond takes over the mic, and says the EXTREME Horsemen have a problem. They needed a fourth man for their squad, someone who could be a teammate, someone who’s been kept down in the wrestling industry and was fed up of office politics. And they knew exactly who to call, after Diamond plays with the crowd a bit they finally get around to Credible taking off his mask. Credible calls himself the most extreme ass kicking S.O.B in MLW. Yes, Credible, a man who’s elevation to the ECW title is largely considered a death knell moment for the promotion, totally kept down by the man. He calls the EXTREME Horsemen the most elite in this entire business, then introduces himself as PJ Walker. CW Anderson gets the mic, and tells everyone to get ready for when these Horsemen take it to the EXTREME. Corino back on the mic, he tells the legends that they’re changing the equation, four of them here but the real surprise is Barry Windham being on their side. Here comes Barry Windham. Corino says it doesn’t take a genius to realize that tonight in War Games it’s 5 on 3. The anti-WWE stuff here didn’t come across as revolutionary, or like a screw you to the powers that be, it just felt kind of whiny and more like “Why not me?” than anything else.

Intro time, the to the ring for our first match.

Match #1 – J-Cup USA Tournament Match: Sonjay Dutt vs. Tony Mamaluke

They circle and mean mug before they trade waist locks. Styles on commentary says MLW is more wrestling, less sports entertainment which isn’t a cheap dig it’s just who they are. Buddy, then who you are is nothing but a cheap dig. They’ve really amped up the anti-WWE stuff for this one, not terribly surprising considering the legal stuff behind the scenes for this event, but it still feels small and petty. They trade escapes then hit the ropes, Dutt lands a shoulder block, back into the ropes and eventually Dutt is sent to the apron and hurricanrana’s Mamaluke over the top rope to the floor. Mamaluke avoids a dive, and hits a chop block on the floor. All the way up top for Mamaluke then he hits a diving front flip senton to Dutt. Back into the ring, shin breaker then a dragon screw leg whip from Mamaluke and right into a stretch muffler but Dutt gets to the ropes. Dutt avoids a shin breaker with a roll up but Mamaluke kicks out and drop kicks the knee. More blows the leg from Mamaluke then he climbs the ropes for a tornado DDT, but Dutt blocks the spin and drives him to the corner. Dutt avoids another tornado DDT attempt, lands a right hand then uses Mamaluke’s position on the ropes to set up and hit a muscle buster, this more the neckbreaker variety than the back bump one. Dutt positions Mamaluke, climbs up top and a ridiculously elevated Hindu Press (Phoenix splash) to win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Sonjay Dutt won

Rating: 2.5 stars

Not much of a story, but if you’re looking for a decent spot fest then Dutt at this point his career will pretty much always deliver.

Styles runs down the War Games match for us, and talks a bit about how Terry Funk has a world title match coming up at a later event so Corino will be trying to injure him. He then sends us to the back, for the coin toss to determine which group has the man advantage.

In the back Corino and Funk set to call the toss, which will be made by the senior ref and overseen by Court Bauer. Funk calls it, and predictably the heels win. Corino mocks Funk and his lack of team mates.

Match #2 – War Games: Funkin’ Army (Terry Funk, The Sandman, Dr. Death Steve Williams, Sabu, and Bill Alfonso) vs. Extreme Horsemen (Steve Corino, CW Anderson, Simon Diamond, PJ Walker, Barry Windham)

Anderson starts things off for the heels, and here’s Sandman for the good guys. Also a reminder this match can only be won by submission or knockout, no pins. Anderson jumps Sandman at the cage door and tries rights but Sandman stops selling those, gets his kendo stick and chases Anderson around for a bit with it. Eventually Anderson lands a right and starts tossing Sandman around the cage. Sandman starts fighting back, gets his stick again but turns into a super kick. Anderson gets the kendo stick and lands a few blows but Sandman avoids him and lands a White Russian leg sweep. They trade punches then Sandman sends Anderson into the cage, after which Anderson visibly blades. Like, full view of the camera blading, Sandman accidentally gigged himself with a beer can during his entrance. Sandman hits a suplex, locks in a Crippler crossface but the clock runs out and here’s Steve Corino.

Corino brings a small coil of barbed wire with him, and immediately lays out Sandman with it. They work over Sandman with the barbed wire, then Corino gets the kendo stick and lays into Sandman with it. They just kind of kill time until Terry Funk makes his way to the ring. Funk brings a chair and his branding iron. Funk lays right into Corino, and whacks him in the head with the chair, then tosses it across to the second ring and hits Anderson in the hip. Hangman’s neckbreaker from Funk to Corino, he’d tossed Corino into the fence several times so now Corino is bleeding. Sandman and Funk team up on Anderson for a bit but here’s Simon Diamond to give the heels the edge again right after Corino eats a piledrive from Funk. Diamond lets Corino get beat down in favor of helping Anderson take out Sandman. Sandman eats a lot of strikes, then gets dropped onto the chair. Diamond gets the chair and smacks Funk with it to put the heels in full control. Some fairly boring stomps and whatnot until Steve Williams comes out for the good guys. Williams runs wild on Anderson and Corino with punches. Now jabs for Diamond as well. Diamond and Anderson get tossed into the cage, while Corino and Funk fight on the top rope. Sandman hits a Rolling Rock, mostly off camera. Eventually Diamond stops the momentum of Williams, and here comes Walker with a terribly cheap looking ladder. Funk jams the chair into the cage mesh and tosses Corino into it. Walker runs wild early, and tosses Sandman into the ladder. Sandman sends Walker into the ladder on a reversal while there’s some punching going on between everyone else. Funk gets the ladder over his head, he can’t do the usual spot so just whacks Diamond then throws the ladder into Anderson. More punching, a lot of that going on, and our surprise entrant to help the good guys is Sabu.

Sabu goes nuts on everyone with rights, eventually throwing Corino into the cage, then Walker as well. There’s a table provided by Bill Alfonso, Sabu sets it up. Williams military presses Corino and tosses him from one ring to the other. Walker chokes Sabu with his t-shirt, Diamond golf swings the chair to drive the ladder into Sandman’s crotch and here’s Barry Windham. Windham piledrives Funk and lays in rights. Fonzie gets a mic, he says 5 on 4 isn’t fair, he might get his ass kicked but he’s joining the Funkin’ Army to even things up. Fonzie runs into a left from Anderson and is down right away. Sabu leg drops Walker through the table, Sandman starts choking out Windham with the cane as Corino puts a Half Boston Crab on Sabu. Williams gets a Boston Crab on Walker but Anderson super kicks him. Funk has had enough of this, he gets his branding iron, lights it on fire, brands Corino, then spits fire into his face, locks on the Spinning Toe Hold and Corino gives it up.

OFFICIAL RESULT: The Funkin’ Army won

Rating: 1.5 stars

I went 2.5 on initial viewing, but this is much worse than I remember it being. There’s no flow to this at all, tons of stalling, no real match layout, not even a ton of internal logic as wrestlers would just meander around at times. To top it off the production timing was off in places, barely catching the action. Not a very good match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9C0IA8Wg4c

5.0

The final score: review Not So Good

The 411

The bulk of this episode is the War Games match, which is kind of a disjointed mess. The opening promo bit from the EXTREME Horsemen went on longer than necessary and came across more petulant and jealous than angry and defiant. Sonjay Dutt and Tony Mamaluke had a decent little match, but didn't have enough time to really turn it into something memorable.