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Winfree’s MLW Fusion (Ep. 156) Review 11.24.22

November 24, 2022 | Posted by Robert Winfree
MLW Fusion 11-24-22 Image Credit: MLW
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Winfree’s MLW Fusion (Ep. 156) Review 11.24.22  

A very happy Thanksgiving to all of my fellow Americans, and it’s time to head back to the land of MLW for the final bit of content out of the Battle Riot set of tapings from June of this year. This episode features a couple of title matches, Taya Valkyrie defends her belt against Brittany Blake, and Richard Hammerstone defends the MLW World Heavyweight title in a Falls Count Anywhere match against Richard Holliday. It’s a pretty long episode this week, so let’s get to it.

We open with a video for Hammerstone vs. Holliday, Hammerstone brings up the long history with Holliday and how Holliday had been his best friend for 3 years in MLW. Some sneaky little MJF appearances in there as well. Hammerstone says their friendship wasn’t just for TV. Well now Holliday can finally feel special with all the back stabbing and cheap shots. Everything Holliday has done has now led Holliday to a place he doesn’t want to be, across the ring from Hammerstone. Decent video, the promo from Hammerstone is mostly reused stuff from their first title match.

To the ring now and here comes Brittany Blake.

Match #1 – MLW Women’s Featherweight Title Match: (c) Taya Valkyrie vs. Brittany Blake

Blake jumps Taya during the in ring introductions, she lays in some strikes in the corner then goes to mounted punches. Taya tosses Blake away but misses a corner attack and Blake starts choking her, Blake is aiming at the throat a lot with her offense. Blake with a kick to the back then tries a body scissors. Some choking from Blade now then Taya chops her stomach. More control from Blake as she gets a double gift wrap rest hold. Taya powers up to her feet then slams her way out of a sleeper hold. Elbow from Taya then a hip attack in the corner but Blake avoids a double knee attack and grabs a school boy for 2. More choking from Blake now then an enziguri. Corner cross body from Blake then a step up knee strike. Blake heads up top but misses a double stomp and Taya hits a spear as we get a cut.

Blake runs into a Blue Thunder Bomb for a 2 count, then Taya grabs a half Boston crab and starts cranking on it. Eventually Blake gets to the ropes to force a break. Blake is able to trip Taya into the ropes then hits a Backstabber for a 2 count. Taya blocks a DDT and hits a snap suplex for a weird 2 count. Some trash talk from Taya in Spanish, she sets Blake on the top rope and chops her then looks to follow up but Blake slips free and drops Taya on the top rope. Blake with La Mistica then she locks in the Bad Omen (a double leg Tequila Sunrise/Serenity Lock) but Taya gets to the ropes to force a break. Taya hits a clothesline for a 1 count, then turns the kick out into a Curb Stomp. The Loca Lock follows and Blake taps out.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Taya Valkyrie retained the title in 6:12

Rating: 2.5 stars

Decent match, the official runtime at the taping was about 40 seconds longer if you care about that stuff. They told a good little story of Blake having to target a weakness on the bigger and stronger Taya, with Taya’s power and resilience paying off in the end.

A preview of the upcoming MLW events follows.

We’re reminded a few wrestlers have been left unconscious in the back with a card on them over the last few weeks.

We get a hype video for EJ Nduka, mostly reused stuff from the previous hype packages for him.

After that we get an interview with EJ, he doesn’t care about the main event results but wants to know why he’s not getting a title shot. He’ll be in the VIP section and watching the main event, but the Judge is in the building and his time is coming.

Alex Hammerstone walks in the back, and we get a shot of someone in nitrile gloves holding one of those cards that have been left on bodies over the last couple of weeks.

Shun Skywalker is coming for Myron Reed’s MLW Middleweight title.

Mance Warner is outside reminding us he’s back. He puts over a hotline he’s starting, if you want MLW scoops call the hotline and he’ll give you some. He claims that Mads Krugger is actually Doc Gallows under the mask, then talks about being happy with his new truck after hitting the pay window.

Main event time.

Match #2 – MLW World Heavyweight Title Match: (c) Alexander Hammerstone vs. Richard Holliday

Hammerstone’s ribs are taped up after the chair attack from Holliday a couple of weeks back. Holliday jumps into the ropes to avoid Hammerstone, which is an odd move since this should be some flavor of no DQ in addition to Falls Count Anywhere. More stalling from Holliday, then he lands a kick to the ribs. Body blows from Holliday as he keeps Hammerstone in the corner. Hammerstone fights back with a back body drop, then he tries a military press but the ribs give out and Holliday sends him out of the ring with a knee strike. Some ringside area brawling, Holliday controls early but Hammerstone winds up throwing him into the barricade. Hammerstone hits a suplex on the floor to keep both men down. Cover by Hammerstone for a 2 count. Hammerstone starts landing blows to the lower back of Holliday as they fight onto the entrance ramp. They fight up onto the entrance stage, the fight into the back. Some fighting up a stair case with Hammerstone in control, then Holliday cuts him off with a body shot. Hammerstone lands a back elbow then rams Holliday into a door and tries for a pin as they’ve reached the roof of the building, that gets a 2 count. Holliday fights back with body blows, then tries to throw Hammerstone off the roof of the building but Hammerstone avoids that and nails a pump kick for a 2 count. Hammerstone rubs Holliday’s face into some topiary then Holliday hits a thumb to the eye and they start fighting back down the stairs and towards the ring.

They fight back onto the entrance stage and Hammerstone stomps on Holliday a bit. Hammerstone with a military press and he tosses Holliday back into the ring but that took a toll on the ribs of Hammerstone. Holliday fights back with a shoulder to the ribs then hits the Randy Orton hanging DDT for a 2 count. Some kicks to the ribs from Holliday then he stomps on the body as well. Hammerstone lands a chop but Holliday kicks him back down. Scoop slam from Holliday then a walking splash for a 2 count. Holliday with more body work then he tears off the bandages around the ribs and hits Hammerstone with them. That’s not quite as dumb as selling a shot from packing peanuts but it’s pretty close. Holliday with more shoulder strikes in the corner then he mocks the usual poses of Hammerstone. More corner work from Holliday, but Hammerstone comes out of the corner with a drop kick to put both men down. Hammerstone starts to Hulk up, he unloads with some strikes then a facebuster and a drop kick with some impressive height on it. Holliday lands a boot but he runs into a powerslam for a 2 count. Holliday rolls to the floor but there’s no reprieve to be found there. Hammerstone stalks Holliday onto the entrance ramp then lays in an elbow strike. They’re on the entrance stage now and Hammerstone unloads with more strikes then kicks Hammerstone down some stairs towards the back area. Now we’re in the back as Hammerstone bounces Holliday off of some walls. Holliday fights back with a body blow then chokes Hammerstone with an electric cord and gets a 2 count. They fight back onto the stage and tries a Camel Clutch around a bit of railing but Hammerstone wont give it up. Holliday tries a 2008 on the stage, they fight back and forth over the position before Holliday bails on it and instead tries a piledriver which he eventually hits for a near fall. They head back to the ring and Holliday sets Hammerstone on the top rope then tries a powerslam but Hammerstone counters, Holliday counters back, then Hammerstone hits a German suplex. Sit out powerbomb from Hammerstone gets a 2 count. Hammerstone calls for the end, he lays in some punches then an overhand chop before setting Holliday on the top rope. They both wind up on the ropes but Holliday blocks the superplex and counters with a second rope 2008, but he’s slow on the cover and Hammerstone is able to kick out at the last second. Holliday wants the crowd to cheer for him, they do not oblige. Some punches from Holliday but now Hammerstone looks to fire up again, he stands and they start trading elbows. Hammerstone has more fire power and gets the better of things until Holliday lands a kick to the ribs. Hammerstone lands a clothesline off the ropes and he wants the Torture Rack. The Torture Rack follows and Holliday gives it up.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Alex Hammerstone retained the title in 21:57

Rating: 3 stars

The original reported run time was just about 19 minutes, so they shot some of the backstage brawling segments either before or after the original match. Not a knock on the decision, just an observation. The match itself struggled at times, there was a lot of the same old brawling we’ve seen time and again in this kind of match, but you could see the elements in there that make it a bit more interesting. And the closing stretch was perfectly fine.

Post match we get news that next week Hammerstone will be defending the title against Bandido, well that could be very fun. Hammerstone gets an interview on the stage, he’s happy to put Holliday behind him. EJ Nduka walks up and puts over Hammerstone as that guy, he says Holliday doesn’t deserve another shot while EJ deserves one. EJ wants the two biggest and strongest people in MLW to go at it, Hammerstone seems amenable as does the crowd. Hammerstone doesn’t turn down fights, and they shake hands. Then EJ wallops Hammerstone with the tag team title belt. EJ batters Hammerstone back into the ring then stomps on him. Some more body work from EJ, then he gets a table and sets it up in the ring. EJ tries for a spinebuster through the table, but the table responds with a declaration of who it is by not breaking. Hammerstone rolls to the floor, EJ sets the table back up, gets Hammerstone again and this time he’s able to successfully put him through the table with The Verdict. EJ stands tall over the fallen champion as the episode ends.

7.0
The final score: review Good
The 411
Good show this week, only two matches and one of them definitely felt long, but they planted a lot of seeds for stuff moving forward. Hammerstone vs. EJ Nduka should be a fun hoss battle when it finally happens, Taya Valkyrie got her title reign up and running, and we're pretty well set to turn the page for the next chapter of MLW action.
legend

article topics :

MLW: Fusion, Robert Winfree