Winfree’s MLW: Fusion (Ep. 189) Review 11.02.23

Well everyone, back to the land of MLW. Last week was kind of a dud, this week we’re getting the tag team title match between the Second Gear Crew and The Calling as our big selling point. We’re still using the tapings from Slaughterhouse but if we get something else I’ll try and let you know.

Brief video from The Calling to open, they claim to be taking apart MLW piece by piece as we get highlights from that group rising to prominence and eventual war with the Second Gear Crew.

World Titan Federation next, Mr. Saint Laurent promises that whoever the world champion is after Alex Kane and Jacob Fatu get done with each other will have to defend against Matt Cardona. In the long history of the MLW world title has some good champions, but no superstars or sports entertainers. That’s just patently false, if nothing else Swerve Strickland was champ when MLW returned to action in 2018 and he qualifies for that category, and arguments could be made for both Shane Douglas and Steve Corino fitting that particular description too. Anyway once Cardona wins the title they’re rebranding it the WTF title. MSL then ends on a laugh that just makes me question how many worse takes were left on the cutting room floor.

A quick recap of last week when Alex Kane vs. Jacob Fatu was announced.

Talon of the Calling is out and in the ring next.

Match #1: Mance Warner vs. Talon

Talon jumps Mance at the bell and lays in stomps, then a corner dropkick follows. Talon goes up top but misses a double stomp and Mance with some jabs then a bionic elbow. Pretty tame crowd thus far. Lariat from Mance then a headbutt. High angle spinebuster from Mance, then a running knee to the face gets the pin.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Mance Warner won in 1:33

Rating: Pattypan SQUASH
Thoughts: Been a while since I could bust out my list of squashes, kind of nostalgic. Not much here to talk about though, Mance squashed a jobber member of a stable that feels a little directionless now that MLW has crammed a couple of more factions into their product.

A minor recap of Tony Deppen and TJ Crawford attacking Kevin Blackwood, also Deppen is still suspended.

In the parking lot Matt Cardona arrives and MSL talks with him. MSL has a gift for Cardona because he’s going to win the belt, and brings out a car. Cardona is quite happy and makes out with the hood. OK then.

Alex Kane promo, oh joy. He says Fatu used to be the baddest man on the planet before Kane arrived. But now it’s suplex season, he then yells bomaye because of course he does and we cut to somewhere in the parking lot and see that Mr. Thomas has been attacked. If Kane were about a foot taller his promos would be right at home in the 80’s, as it stands it’s just artificial and repetitive.

Hype video for “Filthy” Tom Lawlor since he returned to MLW recently. Lawlor has gotten some unfortunately poor deals over the years, USADA and the UFC completely stole his MMA career then after he pivoted to wrestling he lost his chance to wrestle for AEW due to no fault of his own and wound up back in MLW. It’s a shame, because frankly he earned that shot in a bigger promotion.

Lawlor and MSL are in MSL’s “office” that is clearly just a hotel room. MSL rants about twitter/X for a bit. Lawlor claims he can do anything. MSL wants to change MLW, no more death match goofs like Mance Warner and Lawlor will be leading the charge. That was pointless.

A video from The Calling next, lots of videos this week. Rickey Shane Page says the Calling is always ready for a war and they’ll make an example of the Second Gear Crew. The weak, he looks at Akira, will be made an example of.

In the back Jacob Fatu talks with Sam Laterna, Fatu is getting ready for the title match. He isn’t sure why Salina de la Renta made the match, and Fatu talks about not trusting anyone right now. Ultimately that belt is coming back home. MSL crashes this and says Cardona will be waiting at One Shot for whoever the champion is, and then rushes off to a photo shoot with Cardona’s new car. This seems to inspire mischief in the mind of Fatu. Fatu being isolated now that Juicy Finau and Lance Anoa’i have been granted their MLW releases complicates things for him as the rest of the roster all seem to be joining groups.

Matt Cardona gets an interview with Sam Laterna. He puts over MSL for bringing him to MLW and knew all that Cardona can do for MLW. Kane and Fatu might be good, but they’re not Cardona and they can’t do for MLW what he can. One Shot is in New York, and he’s the king of New York. No one has been counted out then come back more than him, constantly he has to reinvent and win titles, and at One Shot it’ll be the same. Fatu, Kane, that criminal Don King, the cameraman, doesn’t matter, no one can stop him. He’s here for the title, that’s it. I’m half rooting for him at this point, Kane feels like a lame duck and while this whole WTF thing is passe in general Cardona at least feels like there’s some life to him.

Fightland update time, mostly Kane vs. Fatu gets hyped up. Our new match announced this week is Mance Warner vs. Matt Cardona in a Loser Leaves MLW match. Plus everything else from last week is reiterated.

J Boujii heads to the ring for our next match.

Match #2: J Boujii w/ O’Shay Edwards vs. Brett Ryan Gosselin

Gosselin attacks Boujii while Boujii is taking off his shirt, he then stomps him in the corner and then plays with the crowd. Boujii fires some chops to no reaction, then rope running and go behinds eventually Boujii lands a flying forearm to drop Gosselin. Eye poke from Gosselin then a running back elbow. Some corner offense from Gosselin then a short arm clothesline for 2. Some mounted punches from Gosselin then he mocks Bomaye to try and get some heat, moderate success. Jabs from Gosselin but Boujii counters with a weak Pele kick as commentary say Gosselin was trained by Mike Bennett and Matt Taven, Striker: “I wont hold that against him” and I have to echo that sentiment. Gosselin grabs a sleeper hold but Boujii gets free only to eat a shoulder block. Gosselin misses a Stinger splash then Boujii with a rebound German suplex. Clothesline from Boujii then a running neckbreaker for 2. Gosselin avoids a rush and sends Boujii to the apron then they fight over a suplex spot and Boujii tries a Sunset Flip but Gosselin sits on him in a rana pin, and grabs the ropes for extra leverage to get the 3 count.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Brett Ryan Gosselin won in 4:34

Rating: 2 stars
Thoughts: Decent, Boujii doesn’t seem to have much personality beyond yelling bomaye to try and get the crowd involved, so he fits right in with the rest of that group. Gosselin seemed to generate decent heat as a character so there’s at least that. The action was just kind of there.

Outside in a tent Love Doug waits for B3cca but winds up accosting a woman just walking by. This is allegedly comedy. Minoru Suzuki walks up, slaps the crap out of Doug then glowers at the camera and stalks off. See, Suzuki understands comedy.

Alex Kane walks around in the back yelling, as usual. Seriously, is that man’s volume setting busted? Anyway he accosts random people wanting to know who jumped Mr. Thomas. Someone claims he knows it was Fatu, Kane walks off yelling about hoes and bomaye as MSL pays off the dude who claimed Fatu attacked Thomas. I get what they’re trying here but there’s just not the talent or production to make this compelling.

Salina talks to the camera, she’s celebrating and claims last weeks got the best ratings for MLW. I call BS. She promises that Janai Kai will be in action next week. OK then.

Don King will send in a recorded message stumbling over the names of wrestlers next week to try and hype up Kane vs. Fatu. Associating with King remains one of the more skin crawling things this promotion has done, and I do not feel good about it as a reviewer.

In the back security does a very poor job of separating Fatu and Kane so they basically have to restrain each other. Some goof comes up with a phone claiming it was Cardona and Lawlor who jumped Thomas. Kane promises to beat those hoes and exits the scene. Man this is tedious.

Main event time. Akira grabs a barbed wire baseball bat as he and RSP head to the ring. RSP is holding a spike, and there are tables in the ring. Calling goons attack Manders and Justice during their entrance, they fight back then Akira jumps onto the pile of bodies just before the bell rings.

Match #3 – MLW Tag Team Title Table Match: (c) The Calling (Akira and Rickey Shane Page) vs. Second Gear Crew (1 Called Manders and Matthew Justice)

RSP sets up a table on the floor, apparently the deal with this tables match is that both team members have to go through a table. Not at the same time, but you do have to get them both through the wood to win. Akira with some bat shots to Manders. Justice attacks Akira as RSP tries to suplex Manders through a table but Manders fights that off. We get a cut as RSP and Akira share a moment of tension despite being in control.

I don’t think we missed much with that cut. RSP with a chair shot to Justice but Manders then fights him off and cracks him with the chair. Akira with some chair shots to Manders then he wraps a chair around the neck of Manders for a bit. Some more kicks from Akira to Manders. Justice posts RSP then hits a Cactus elbow drop. Manders chops away at Akira but Akira slings him into the ring post. In the ring now RSP and Akira set up a table, then argue about where it should be positioned then shove each other. Justice and Manders have chairs and toss them into the heads of RSP and Akira. Some corner offense to both RSP and Akira including some avalanches. Cannonball waddles down to the ring and hits a double clothesline then a double avalanche in the corner to both Manders and Justice. Akira gets a chair now and wraps it around Justice’s neck then RSP tries to throw a chair at Justice but Justice avoids it and there’s more acrimony between RSP and Akira. Akira sets up another table in the ring but Justice has a chair and whacks both Akira and RSP with it. RSP throws a chair into Justice’s head at inadvisable velocity. On the apron now RSP and Manders fight and Manders tosses RSP through a table, then Akira kicks Manders to knock him through another table. Akira sets Justice on a table in the ring, but Akira takes a bit too long and he and Justice head up top. Justice tries a slam but Akira grabs at a modified Octopus Stretch, then we get either a slam or a crucifix driver and both men go through the two tables at about the same time. The ref is confused but calls for the bell. Apparently we’ve got a No Contest in a Table’s Match. OK then.

OFFICIAL RESULT: No Contest in 8:21

Rating: 1.5 stars
Thoughts: There was an attempt at brutality but it just felt slow, poorly structured, and kind of boring overall. I might have gone a bit higher, but then we also had the somewhat bogus ending. Is there some reason we wouldn’t just go sudden death rules here after that last spot?

Post match Manders lays out the ref with a lariat. Cannonball waddles back down and we’ve got more brawling but there’s three members of The Calling. Mance Warner shows up to make the save for the Second Gear Crew, security goons show up now and we’ve got more brawling from both groups now. Eventually the SGC get a mic in the ring. Mance says they’re never done fighting, they get paid to commit felonies in this ring. All those freaky masked boys want to try and put them down, well they don’t have what it takes to put down guys like the SGC. Mance wants beers, and then says Justice and Manders got robbed by that ref. They’ve broken everything in the building, but they don’t have gold yet, and Mance hands the mic to Justice. Justice says the next time they cross paths with The Calling they want a new level of violence, they want everything The Calling has, and a Ladder Match is hinted at.

In the back Cardona is warned that something happened to his car. Alex Kane walks up on Cardona claiming they’ve got problems, but then we see Fatu drive off in Cardona’s new car. The world champion is the least interesting part of this trio and it’s kind of unintentionally funny. That ends the episode.

5.9

The final score: review Not So Good

The 411

Almost Average this week, but the lack of quality wrestling, a slightly overlong run time, and kind of dead middle section of the episode drag it down. Anytime we get a focus on the Calling and SGC things tend to dip overall, and this was no exception. We did get some more seeding for the WTF stuff but it still feels kind of passe and hokey, even by wrestling standards. The chemistry between Cardona, Kane, and Fatu is going to be key going forward, and I'm not sure how that's landing just yet. Better than last week, but Fusion still feels a little subpar overall.