wrestling / TV Reports
Winfree’s MLW: Fusion (Ep. 177) Review 8.10.23
Image Credit: MLW
Loading...Well everyone, it’s MLW time again. The show had a pretty poor outing last week, but let’s see if it can rebound here. I’m not overly optimistic as we’re still using the last of material from the super Series taped back in February.
First, a Calling video. Raven wonders why Jacob Fatu didn’t join The Calling, he really should have made the right choices. Well now he’s going to have to pay. RSP is coming for him, like a tidal wave sweeping over American Samoa.
We’re still in Tijuana for this episode. Tonight we’ll get updates on Lance Anoa’i and the Fury Road card, plus Alex Hammerstone will be in action. Again, this was taped in February when he was still champion and was allegedly for the belt. Doing these things out of order like this is a real headache, but it’s among the last matches they have from Hammerstone so I suppose they might as well air it.
To the ring for our first match.
Match #1 – 4-Way Tag Team Street Fight: Los Macizos (Ciclope and Miedo Extremo) vs. Anton Carillo and Extassis vs. Lucha Solos (Arkangel Divino and Ultimo Taldito) vs. Fantastik and Rayo Star
Well I imagine this will be a car crash. Extremo and Fantasik stare off, as Willie Mack has joined commentary. Some drop kicks go around, some guys just jumping out of the ring, then Divino hits a moonsault to the outside and Taldito dives onto the other pile of bodies to send us to break. We missed something in the cut but I’m not sure how much. Divino and Taldito isolate Extremo with a series of strikes then an assisted crucifix bomb. Fantastik and Star are here now and work over Taldito for a moment including a Canadian Destroyer and a splash from Fantastik but Carillo and Extassis break up the pin. Those two isolate Star, the ring canvas is totally falling apart and it’s tripping things up on occasion. Ciclope and Extremo show up with cookie sheets and clean house with head shots.
More plunder being set up, Ciclope sets up chairs then they put a board between the chairs for a makeshift table. Back in the ring more weapon shots, then Carillo eats an assisted sit out powerbomb but here’s Extassis with a poisoned rana. Everyone gets to get their stuff in, Cutter, Code Red, Tiger Driver 98, then Taldito eats a knee and a neckbreaker. Ciclope and Extremo set up more chairs as even commentary is ragging on the ring set up, they set up a car hood between chairs but Star dives onto both of them through the hood. Carillo hits an Attitude Adjustment to Fantastik but only 2. Extassis is here to get invovled, he and Taldito fight over who’s going through that board on the outside, eventually Fantastik wanders over, puts Extassis on his shoulders and Taldito hits a Doomsday Blockbuster through the table to Extassis. Fantastik has a pane of glass now in the ring, he sets it in the corner and squares up with Carillo. They trade chops then other strikes, Fantastik picks up Carillo but here are three other guys to save Carillo, not sure who they are. Star moonsaults onto the pile of other guys, his shin cracked the barricade in a bad way. In the ring Ciclope picks up Divino and tosses him onto the pile of bodies as well. Carillo then eats some tandem offense from Ciclope and Extremo, they set the pane of glass between a couple of chairs then Extremo gets powerbombed through the glass by Extremo, and Ciclope then hits a bridging German suplex into the broken glass to end this.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Los Macizos won in 10:44
Rating: 2 stars
Thoughts: A bit over long, way too crowded, and pretty uninteresting. I’ve seen plenty of matches like this, this was pretty definitively in the bottom half of the ones I’ve seen.
Some more slow paced brawling on the floor.
In the back Love Doug is here with a guitar. He bothers B3cca, and says he has a gift as beautiful as her voice, then presents the guitar. Apparently it’s hand crafted from Spain, worked on by Spanish cherubs. She takes the guitar, and thinks maybe they can talk some other time. Then she slams the door in his face.
We get a weird little video that uses the general imagery of the time circuits from the Delorean in Back to the Future indicating a destination of Fury Road. Kushida perhaps?
Some Fury Road updates, nothing major has changed since last week.
The Second Gear Crew talk outside somewhere, they talk about doing stuff in Tijuana and Manders apparently punched a donkey. Mance Warner wants them to spend one more night here, they want to go drinking again, specifically they want to party with Microman in Tijuana. OK then.
Last week Lance Anoa’i got attacked by The Calling, now we hear from Jacob Fatu. He curses and tosses tuff around a loading dock, he promises to dog walk The Calling. He asks if they really want to see this side of him, and he promises the body count is about to rise. I mean, fine enough from Fatu but that hardly constitutes an update on Lance.
A video for someone arriving, it’s all spacey and just promises “Soon”. OK then.
We’re reminded that Alex Kane has been mocking Willie Mack, but because he’s so poor at being interesting on the mic we get commentary over it. Mack talks again, he claims that Kane just surrounds himself with goons to keep people out while Mack wants to bring people in. He’s going to show everyone that you can accomplish anything. I like Mack in general but he seems to be sleepwalking through some of these promos.
Main event time. Danny “Limelight” Rivera is out first and gets a mic, he trash talks Tijuana in Spanish then goes to English to remind us he’s been out of MLW for a while. But he’s not starting at the bottom, he’s aiming straight for the top dog and if only he didn’t have to come to Tijuana to do it. Some more generic trash talk about the location, then wants Hammerstone to come down so he can smack the crap out of him.
We get a Calling video, Rickey Shane Page and Akira talk about injuring Lace Anoa’i and how it made them hungry. Akira wants steak, but he plans on trusting in Raven. Raven does have steak, and a gas mask goon has a small butane torch and uses it to cook a small piece of meat. OK then. I mean, that’s one way to cut around your then world champion coming out with the belt I guess.
Match #2: Alex Hammerstone vs. Danny Limelight
Limelight attacks at the bell, then gets hit with a back body drop. Hammerstone picks him up and slams him into a corner, then again. Limelight tries to fight back but Hammerstone cuts him off with a northern lights suplex for 2. Hammerstone avoids a corner rush then Limelight attacks the leg of Hammerstone. Limelight wraps the leg around the post. Back in the ring more leg work from Limelight as we head to a break.
We come back, we missed something but I doubt it was too much. Limelight with more leg work in the corner, then some leg kicks. Chop block from Limelight, then a spinning toe hold into a cover but not even a 1 count. Hammerstone lands a body blow but Limelight hits a jawbreaker to cut him off. Corner clothesline from Rivera, then a hilo to the knee of Hammerstone for a 2 count. Some trash talk from Limelight, but Hammerstone fires up and lands an elbow but Limelight kicks his knee, only to run into a press slam into a Catatonic and both men are down as Hammerstone sells the knee again. Hammerstone looks to fire up with clotheslines, then catches a running Limelight with a powerslam for 2. Hammerstone wants the finish, but Limelight avoids the Nightmare Pendulum and pump kicks Hammerstone out of the ring. Limelight with a dive onto Hammerstone, then they head back into the ring. Limelight heads up top, hits a Frog Splash but only 2. Hammerstone lands an elbow to the back of the head, then a spinning back suplex into a facebuster, nice move, but only a 2 count on the pin. Limelight looks pretty lifeless, Hammerstone hauls him up but Limelight kicks the leg then grabs a rolling half crab. Hammerstone kicks Limelight off but Limelight comes off the ropes with a punt kick. Diving DDT from Rivera but Hammerstone stalls him out, hoists him up, Nightmare Pendulum and that gets the 3.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Alex Hammerstone won in 8:51
Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Decent match technically as both Limelight and Hammerstone are capable workers, but the editing hurt and this is one of those matches that’s kind of dead on arrival because we kind of know it doesn’t mean anything. I’m not sure what the future holds for Hammerstone at this point, though with Richard Holliday having been backstage at AEW recently I wouldn’t at a Dynasty reunion in that promotion.
Hammerstone celebrates in the ring.
Next week we’ll get Jacob Fatu and RSP, plus the finals of the Opera Cup as Davey Boy Smith Jr. takes on Tracy Williams.
We close with a video recap of the Opera Cup this year plus hype up the finals next week.
