Winfree’s MLW SuperFight Review 3.10.22

Alright everyone, time for MLW’s SuperFight! Tonight we’ve got the return of nZo when he battles KC Navarro, but in fights that actually matter the main event is for the MLW World Heavyweight title when champion Alexander Hammerstone defends against top contender Davey Richards. We’ll also have a triple threat when Alex Kane battles Calvin Tankman and ACH, plus a tag team title match when 5150 defend the belts against the Von Erichs.

We get a hype package for Hammerstone vs. Richards then Emilio Sparks finds Richard Holliday and Alicia Atout arriving at the venue. Alicia dismisses him as unnecessary because she’s here. She asks Holliday if he’ll interfere in the main event, he says he’s got business with Cesar Duran and that’s more important.

Match #1 – Triple Threat National Openweight Title Match: (c) Alex Kane w/ Mr. Thomas vs. ACH vs. Calvin Tankman

Kane and Tankman square up, and ACH tries to assert himself but they start brawling and shove him aside. Tankman clocks ACH for getting involved then he Pounces Kane. Better Pounce than last week. ACH hits a very high elevation drop kick to send Tankman out of the ring with Kane then Mr. Thomas trips him up when he tries a dive and that allows Kane to come back in and hit a Spear. Kane stalks Tankman on the outside and they start brawling on the outside. Tankman gets the better of things out there as he tosses Kane into the barricade a few times and lands chops as well. Kane attacks Tankman and lays in strikes then a kick to the face. Next Kane threatens a German suplex on the floor but Tankman elbows his way out of the position before Kane shoves him into the ring post several times. Kane heads back into the ring but is met with strikes from ACH before he catches ACH with a belly to belly suplex. German suplex to ACH but that only gets 2. ACH avoids a corner attack then both men threaten German suplexes but neither finds them. ACH hits a sweep and a low drop kick, then does hit a bridging German suplex for a 2 count. Tankman heads to the apron and ACH drop kicks his legs out from under him, but as ACH tries a pescado he flies into a back elbow from Tankman and ACH is out on the floor. Back in the ring Tankman lays in elbows to Kane then hits a spinebuster. Tankman wants to end things, but he misses an elbow to the back of the head then Kane hits a high crotch back suplex. ACH comes in with a cross body but Tankman catches him then uses him as a weapon to hit Kane before powerbombing him into Kane. Tankman with a backbreaker then a clothesline and Kane heads out of the ring, only for ACH to hit him with a suicide dive. ACH heads up top but Tankman hits him with a palm strike then climbs up to the top rope with him. Tankman wants a superplex but ACH fights free and tries a Sunset bomb, but can’t get Tankman over so he just super kicks the legs. ACH then goes for a Texas Cloverleaf but Kane is in and hits a super kick then tosses Tankman and drills ACH with a leg trap suplex then pins ACH to retain his title.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Alex Kane retained the title in 8:00

Rating: 3 stars

Not much of an in ring story, but Kane retaining while Tankman can still lay claim to a rematch isn’t the worst thing in the world. ACH added a bit of a spark that these two were missing last week. Kane is still very much a developing worker, and his in ring presence is something he definitely needs to work on as well.

Emilio Sparks finds EJ Nduka, and Nduka might not have a match tonight but he’s here to watch the best. He’s keeping an eye on all the titles, and he’ll let us know when he decides which one he’s going after.

The Von Erics walk in the back, but they’re jumped by 5150 with chairs then they Pillmanize the ankle of Marshall Von Erich.

Apparently Gangrel is coming to MLW in the near future.

Emilio Sparks talks with 5150, Rivera doesn’t want to talk and then Julius Smokes says words. Boogie tells the Von Erichs to keep talking but they’re not doing anything. Rivera says MLW doesn’t know what they’re doing, they showed up and have been winning everything and they’re sick of all these trash wrestlers with famous last names getting to rub the genie’s lamp and get wishes. That’s why they’re messing things up, they want the best and biggest, the tag teams that actually matter. Boogie asks who wants the smoke with 5150?

TJP has a video, he says he’s won tons of titles in this weight class no matter what they call it. He’s coming for the middleweight title, and he’s got a better resume than Myron Reed. But he’s not chasing, Reed will be coming to him sooner or later. He mocks the open door policy and calls himself Leatherface waiting to close the door once they enter. TJP calls himself the greatest cruiserweight, Jr. heavyweight, or middleweight of all time.

As KC Navarro is heading to the ring for our next match he gets jumped by nZo. nZo tosses Navarro into the barricades then crotches him on a barricade. He tries the Razor’s Edge into the ring post again, and it connects. nZo tosses Navarro into the ring, then gets a mic and says this is why he likes Navarro, then tells the ref to ask Navarro if he still wants to have a match. The ref takes the mic and asks Navarro that question, and Navarro asks nZo how he’s doin’ bitch.

Match #2: KC Navarro vs. nZo

nZo starts stomping on Navarro right away then he guillotines Navarro into the top rope. nZo sets Navarro on the top rope then hits a backstabber off of the top. When nZo goes for a pin off of that he only gets 2 though. nZo then catapults Navarro into the bottom rope, heads out of the ring and then chops Navarro on the chest and back (only jerks do back chops) before dropping Navarro onto the unprotected floor. Back in the ring Navarro gets a foot on the ropes when nZo tried to pin him. DonZo follows and nZo pins Navarro.

OFFICIAL RESULT: nZo won in 2:47, this only counts bell to bell but the overall segment was much longer

Rating: 1.5 stars

More angle than match, and while you could argue this was a squash I think the overall presentation and story doesn’t quite allow for that. Post match nZo gets a mic, he saw a meme the other day but it wasn’t the funny kind. It was a kid with a facial deformity asking his dad if he was ugly, and the dad saying “no son, the world is ugly”. nZo says the world is ugly, not everyone who fights you is your enemy and not everyone who helps you is your friend. Wrestling 101, don’t trust anyone. It’s a cold world out there, then he mocks the concept of Navarro being blessed, because everyone who woke up this morning is blessed. Everyone in this ring has a gift, and if you’re lucky enough to recognize your God given gift you better use it and show it to the world. Frankly nZo has a gift, he’s got working arms and legs, he doesn’t have a sensory issue, and he can speak. He’s got the gift of gab and the gift of jab. The biggest fear of so many of his friends is public speaking, but maybe they were afraid to fail. You can’t have success without failure, and if you want to have success in this business the people have to feel you, and they wont feel you until you get your ass kicked. Life isn’t fair Navarro, it’s not about hitting wrestling moves, it’s about how hard you can get hit and how you respond. He puts over Navarro’s heart, and you can’t teach heart. nZo offers a handshake, Navarro accepts but then eats a clothesline and nZo hits another DonZo. A few too many motivational cliche’s in there for my taste and it went a bit too long, but nZo can still talk as a general rule.

They’re calling off the tag team title match after the attack by 5150.

The Battle Riot will take place in New York City on June 23rd.

During the last break 5150 jumped EJ Nduka. Well that’ll be interesting.

Richard Holliday heads down ringside for the main event along with Alicia Atout. Holliday offers a fan a wad of cash for his seat, so he and Alicia can sit front row.

Match #3 – MLW World Heavyweight Title Match: (c) Alexander Hammerstone vs. Davey Richards

Both men take their time, slowly circling before they tie up. Hammerstone gets a side headlock then hits a shoulder block but Richards trips him up and grabs an Ankle Lock that Hammerstone rolls through, then Hammerstone threatens the Nightmare Pendulum and Richards heads out of the ring to recover. Richards charges Hammerstone when he’s back in the ring but Hammerstone drives him into the corner and lays in shoulder strikes and chops. Hammerstone keeps tossing Richards around then hits a belly to belly suplex and Richards heads out of the ring again to try and recover himself. This time Hammerstone follows him out and starts laying in punches on the floor. Richards gets tossed into the barricade but Holliday distracts Hammerstone and the delay in his next move allows Richards to avoid a knee strike and Hammerstone knees the barricade. Richards lays in kicks, then boots the knee of Hammerstone. As a technical note there’s a slight desync between the video and audio right now. Back in the ring Richards continues to attack the leg of Hammerstone. Richards grabs a reverse figure four position to snap at the leg of Hammerstone. Hammerstone avoids a suplex but Richards floats over, picks the ankle and locks up a Figure Four leg lock. Hammerstone starts to fight the hold but he can’t turn Richards over yet. Richards breaks the hold of his own volition to switch into a Trailer Hitch. Hammerstone starts crawling to the ropes but he is able to get there and force the break.

Richards gets right back to attacking the leg after a small cut in the match, and the sync issues seem to be fixed. More kicks to the leg from Richards, but Hammerstone keeps fighting up to his feet. Richards wants a brainbuster, but he can’t get the big man up so he settles for Kawada kicks but that just fires Hammerstone up. Another leg kick and Kawada kicks from Richards but again Hammerstone fires up only to get dropped with more strikes and a punt kick from Richards. Hammerstone sits up and regains his feet, then calls Richards on for more. Richards obliges and they start trading strikes, Richards lands a few kicks then leg kicks but he runs into a military press into a swinging uranage. Hammerstone looks to retain control, he hits a clothesline in the corner and looks to unload on Richards. A bevy of clotheslines from Hammerstone then he tries another avalanche but this time Richards slips to the apron to avoid it and he debates a Dragon Screw leg whip through the ropes, eventually he decides to do it and Hammerstone is down again. Richards heads up top but misses a double stomp then runs into an exploder suplex from Hammerstone that sends him into the corner for a near fall. Hammerstone starts stalking Richards as Richards tries to recover on the apron, he heads to the apron with him and looks for a suplex but Richards blocks it. Some clubbing blows from Hammerstone but he still can’t find the suplex so he just lands a super kick. Richards heads into the ring and again hits the Dragon Screw leg whip through the ropes. More leg work from Richards, he drapes Hammerstone’s leg across the middle rope then heads up top and hits a double stomp to the leg. Richards up top and hits a double stomp but only gets a near fall. Ankle Lock from Richards, Hammerstone kicks him off but Richards lands a punt kick. Richards tries a brainbuster but Hammerstone counters into the Nightmare Pendulum and Richards rolls out of the ring to save himself from getting pinned. Hammerstone follows Richards out of the ring, he’s limping all over the place as he sends Richards back into the ring. Hammerstone wants another Nightmare Pendulum, but Richards counters into a small package for 2. Richards lands a kick and fires up with a series of strikes that has Hammerstone wobbled but Hammerstone then turns him inside out with a lariat. Hammerstone hits the Burning Hammer but Richards kicks out. Please don’t use the Burning Hammer ass a transition move, it hurts my soul. Hammerstone follows it up with another Nightmare Pendulum and pins to win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Alexander Hammerstone retained the title in 19:14

Rating: 3.5 stars

Slightly generous on the 3.5 but I think these two worked well enough to earn it. I really dig the chemistry they had, Richards knows how to work the technical smaller man vs. the bigger Hammerstone and Hammerstone sold the leg quite well. The outcome was never really in doubt but the ride was pretty enjoyable.

Post match Hammerstone poses, then winds up getting into it with Holliday. Alicia maces Hammerstone then Holliday jumps him and sends him into the ring post. Hammerstone is bleeding now and Holliday gets to cover his white suit with blood and he mocks Hammerstone as security and other officials have to separate the two men.

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

Pretty solid event, the KC Navarro and nZo match was mostly an angle and the opening triple threat was OK but rather generic as far as triple threats go. This was mostly about the main event, which was a pretty good match. There was a fair bit of set up for later things as well, so overall I'm calling this one Good.