Winfree’s MLW Underground #1 Review 7.12.20

Hey everyone and welcome to my review of MLW Underground #1. This is a rebroadcast of MLW’s old weekly show Underground, starting way back in 2003. It’ll be interesting to see what this particular way back machine has for us.

I kind of hate to say MLW was just another ECW wannabe in a post ECW world, because I don’t think that’s fair. . . but between the talent being used, Joey Styles on commentary, and the aesthetic presentation they’re clearly trying to evoke that promotion if nothing else. Oh man, Powerman 5000’s one hit wonder When World’s Collide is our intro music, further dating the entire affair. Joey Styles welcomes us to the broadcast, and insists this isn’t “sports entertainment”.

Match #1: Jerry Lynn vs. La Parka (April, 2003)

This is the original La Parka, now going by LA PARK due to some dispute over the rights to the name. Current PARK looks like he ate 2003 La Parka a few times over. La Parka comes out with his LWO branded folding chair. La Parka poses and plays with the chair for the fans. Jerry Lynn comes out now as well, he gets a pretty good reaction. The ref gets La Parka to put the chair away before the start of the match. Lynn mocks La Parka bowing to the chair. La Parka eschews the regular tie up in favor of knees and chops to take control early. Snap suplex from La Parka. Lynn reverses an arm wringer sequences and the pace quickens into the typical running the ropes sequence ending with a bulldog from Lynn. La Parka avoids a corner rush and then misses several of his own. Lynn in control, lands a series of punches in the corner before La Parka cuts him off with chops. Lynn avoids a corner rush and La Parka posts himself all the way to the outside. Top rop dive from Lynn and they’re both down on the outside.

Lynn back into the ring, and he misses a baseball slide then when coming back in La Parka kicks him. Chops from La Parka now. Lynn avoids a corner rush again, but when he charges La Parka he winds up tossed into the corner, then Lynn drops La Parka into the turn buckles. La Parka with a spinning heel kick from the second rope, Lynn outside but La Parka hits a dive over the top rope onto him. La Parka drives Lynn into the ring post, then we head back into the ring. La Parka sets for the twisting senton, Lynn avoids it then hits a tornado DDT for the three count.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Jerry Lynn pinned La Parka at about 6 minutes shown

Rating: 2 stars

Short, not much in the way of story telling or psychology, but everything looked fairly crisp. Mostly this just never felt like they really gelled, you’ve got the bombastic La Parka against the somewhat bland presentation of Lynn. Still, if that’s the worst thing on the show I’ll be happy.

There’s a quick video package for Satoshi Kojima who recently became the MLW world champion but had yet to drop the belt to Mike Awesome. Then a video package for the XTREME Horsemen forming, because I didn’t get enough of that on their Anthology episode.

Some promo time to hype the tag team title tournament coming up, Los Maximos are the ones talking right now. They left in a bit with them asking Court (Bauer I assume) off camera if that was good. Is that deliberate comedy or just a production gaff that really should have been fixed?

Match #2: Taiyo Kea vs. Malice

Malice is already in the ring. A couple of streamers for Kea as he’s announced. Kea avoids Malice early, they tie up and Malice lands an elbow but Kea backs him off with a hard chop. Another tie up, knees to the body from Malice then a flap jack and a clothesline from Malice. Kea to the outside, Malice follows him and gets chopped for his trouble. Malice keeps trying to get offense but is perpetually cut off by chops. Malice with some sustained offense finally, back in the ring he tries a cover but only gets two. Kea catches a stomp and he hits a dragon screw leg whip. Kea takes aim at the knee of Malice. We get a cut, and rejoin the match as Malice hits a superplex for a near fall. Diving leg drop from Malice but he still can’t put Kea away. Malice sets for a powerbomb but Kea counters with a hurricanrana. More working the leg from Kea and a jumping enziguri. Northern lights suplex from Kea and that ends things.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Taiyo Kea pinned Malice at about 4 minutes shown

Rating: 1.5 stars

Malice was really raw and kind of rough here, the cutting down of the match hurt the flow such as it was.

Promo from the Pacific Islanders who apologize now because they’re gonna beat your ass later.

Steve Corino talking now, about the forming of the XTREME Horsemen and his budding feud with Terry Funk. Good Lord, even in 2003 Corino’s forehead was a mess of scar tissue. He calls out Terry Funk for a one on one match and promises to retire Terry Funk for good. Yeah, let me know how that worked out for you Corino.

Styles promises to announce the tag team matches next week for the tag title tournament.

Match #3: Vampiro vs. “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels

Man, Daniels had over a decade of experience back in 2003, nearly 20 years later he’s still working. Vampiro is here as well, sans makeup and dreads but apparently on the juice as Vampiro is bulky as heck. Slow start as they size each other up, Daniels is visibly smaller. They tie up and jockey for position then break cleanly out of the corner. Vampiro grabs a go behind, Daniels reverses but Vampiro overpowers him and gets a modified Fujiwara armbar. Daniels squirms towards the ropes, then comes up on a single leg and grabs the ankle of Vampiro. Vampiro counters with a side headlock, Daniels rolls him over and gets a front headlock but Vampiro is under the ropes and slides free to reset things.

Back in the ring, more mat wrestling from Vampiro, Daniels is hanging with him though. Vampiro with a headscissors, Daniels escapes but Vampiro gets it back. Daniels escapes again and gets a headlock of his own. Back on their feet now, and Vampiro floors Daniels with a shoulder block. Daniels objects and shoves him but Vampiro hits a rolling leg lock and Daniels gets to the ropes to save himself. Daniels selling the leg well, he stalls a bit by going in and out of the ring. When they lock up again Daniels gets a side headlock. Daniels with a thumb to the eye and takes over on offense.

There’s a cut in the action, and we come back with Daniels running into a thrust kick from Vampiro. Vampiro up top and hits a spinning leg lariat but Daniels to the outside. Vampiro after him and he tosses Daniels around the ringside area for a bit. Daniels gets bounced off the announce table, then chopped by Vampiro. There’s a bunch of small cuts going on here, not sure if that’s for time or content that they don’t want on youtube. Daniels back in the ring, Vampiro assaulting his left leg. More offense from Vampiro, then he grabs the hammer for the ring bell and slams that into the groin of Daniels. The ref just lets that go, for reasons. Vampiro runs into a boot then Daniels hits a running neckbreaker. Back to the outside for brawling, Daniels with a springboard moonsault onto Vampiro. Back into the ring, Vampiro takes over with strikes but walks into a powerbomb from Daniels for a near fall. STO from Daniels, he hits the Best Moonsault Ever for another near fall. Daniels back up top, Vampiro cuts him off and heads up with him, hits a massive bell to belly throw but that still only gets 2. Vampiro misses a diving twisting senton to somewhat equalize things.

They trade chops, Vampiro hits a sambo suples (it’s a Rock Bottom) for the finish.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Vampiro pinned Christopher Daniels at about 14 minutes shown

Rating: 2.5 stars

It’s kind of cool seeing these two share the ring when they could both go, and Vampiro trying to work a more reality based MMA kind of style worked rather well for him against the smaller Daniels. They got a little repetitive with some of the ringside brawling and the match never really felt like it had a story going but it was a perfectly fine bout between these two.

Raven is shown backstage burning a picture of someone I don’t recognize, ominous.

5.7

The final score: review Not So Good

The 411

Early MLW seems to have leaned hard into the ECW aesthetic and mission statement in terms of trying to be anti-WWE/establishment. Not a terrible episode of wrestling related television, but nothing special outside of the novelty of Vampiro and Christopher Daniels wrestling.