Winfree’s MLW Underground (Ep. 20) Review

Hey there everyone, Winfree back again. Fusion is off this week, but will return next week, so instead we’re back to re-airing old MLW Underground episodes. On this episode the $10,000 bounty match will take place between Terry Funk and Abdullah the Butcher. The EXTREME Horsemen put the bounty on Funk, and Abdullah is here to try and collect. We’ll also have Los Maximos taking on Jimmy Yang and Tony Mamaluke.

Joey Styles welcomes us to the episode, and recaps the current state of the EXTREME Horsemen and their upcoming War Games match against other MLW Legends. Powerman 5000 intro time. Back to Styles, he does some recap of recent MLW events and schills buying DVD’s. He moves back to talking about War Games, if you want to see that match it’s on the EXTREME Horsemen Anthology episode. Styles mentions that the bout between Funk and Abdullah has taken place already and is too violent to show on TV, so we’ll get highlights but the full match is available via MLW home video. Funk is making a run at MLW World champion Steve Corino, he needs a few wins upcoming and then to survive War Games.

To the ring for out first match.

Match #1: Rich Criado vs. Josh Daniels

They circle a bit to start, then Criado with a slap to the back of the head. Another tie up, and we get a break. We come back and Daniels is starting a rope running segment. Criado gets sent out of the ring, Daniels with the obvious suicide dive and they’re both down after he hits it. Daniels back into the ring and he waits as Criado tries to get back in. Daniels with an inverted atomic drop but he runs into a tilt a whirl back breaker then Criado hits a leg drop. Back elbow from Criado then a knee to the head. Criado sets for a dragon sleeper but Daniels fights out, lands a chop then hits a northern lights suplex for 2. Back elbow from Criado to get back in control. The crowd is not interested in his match at all. Daniels tries a full nelson, but Criado runs him into the top turnbuckle then hits a brain buster. Rather than cover he mocks the crowd, eventually he gets a cover but Daniels reverses for a near fall, then Criado hits a clothesline. A few hard chops from Criado, but Daniels fires back with chops of his own. Snapmare from Criado then a slightly modified abdominal stretch on the mat. Daniels fights up with chops, avoids a DDT then hits a German suplex. That gets a 2 count on a follow up pin attempt, Daniels runs at Criado but runs into a Michinoku driver for a near fall. Felt like that should have been the end. Daniels avoids a corner charge and hits a dragon suplex (sort of) to win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Josh Daniels won

Rating: 1 star

Disjointed affair, neither man seemed to have a feel for the match and the crowd didn’t care one single bit.

Styles reminds us that highlights from Funk and Abdullah is still coming up. He then welcomes Joel and Jose to the interview segment, they feel they’re the main event because they’re the best tag team in the world. A little “expect the unexpected” catchphrase to close.

Video of the EXTREME Horsemen, Corino talks about the lack of animosity between the Horsemen but there’s a ton of backbiting between Terry Funk and Sandman. The Horsemen don’t make mistakes, and question if their opponents can even function as a team. Anderson says there’s a history of Steve Williams’ turning on his tag team partners. Simon Diamond says you can feel the animosity on the other side, while they have a way of life and as a unit. They want to sit on top of the professional wrestling mountain, and after 12 years of waiting they’re here.

James Mitchell in the back as well, he loves the smell of burning flesh and talks about Mikey Whipwreck burning Sabu. Los Maximos interrupt, they’re looking for Mikey because he trained them. Mikey is here yelling at them not to interrupt him during happy time and screams at them to get out. Mitchell confirms with Mikey that he trained them, but he’s the mentor of Jerry Lynn and Christopher Daniels. His Legion of Lost Souls is about to turn MLW upside down, and they wont be done with Sabu for a long time. Tonight he plans on having a barbeque with Sabu as the main course. Mikey wants Sabu-kebabs.

Back to Joey Styles, he hypes up the upcoming tournament to crown the first MLW cruiserweight champion. Time for Funk and Abdullah highlights. Actually the way this video is structured we might get the whole thing, I’m not sure. We’ll play it by ear I guess.

Match #2: Terry Funk vs. Abdullah the Butcher

Steve Corino comes out before Abdullah. Funk has a mic, he mocks Corino but some of what he’s saying isn’t picked up. Corino gets the mic, he says there’s no one alive that he hates more than Funk because Funk is everything wrong with professional wrestling. At 212 Funk should have retired 160 years ago. Corino reminds us he’s the champion, then says Funk represents the morons who pay to see him. He claims he canceled Abdullah’s appearance and will take his place. That’s basically Abdullah’s cue but he misses it as Funk goes after Corino, and finally Abdullah shows up. They brawl around the ringside area with Abdullah using the spike. We cut ahead, Funk rolls into the ring and Abdullah slowly goes in after him. Abdullah’s back brace is very evident. More jabs from the spike to the head and upper arm of Funk. The video keeps cutting out when Abdullah goes to stab Funk, so we’re heavily chopped up here. Funk falls out of the ring, Abdullah can’t physically follow him so Funk starts throwing chairs at him. Funk back into the ring, more stabs from Abdullah. Cut ahead, Funk blocks a fork shot and take the utensil from Abdullah. Another cut and Funk is laying in punches. Abdullah’s infamous scar tissue is bleeding. Cut forward, Funk is hitting low blows and Abdullah falls over. Both men are bleeding, and it looks like Funk’s knees are giving out on him as he walks around. I for one am shocked by both of those developments. Funk throws a chair at Abdullah. Cut forward, Abdullah back to stabbing Funk with a fork. Another cut, and Abdullah lands an elbow drop for a near fall. Funk runs the ropes and hits a low cross body to win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Terry Funk won

Rating: .5 stars

What a train wreck. Slow paced, sloppy brawling, the novelty of Abdullah wore off almost immediately, and both men were clearly in some rough physical shape. I have no idea if the editing hurt or helped this match.

Styles reminds us that next week Jerry Lawler will be here next week trying to claim the bounty on Terry Funk. A little vamping from Styles as he speculates about the future of Satoshi Kojima, and pimps an upcoming card before heading to the ring for our main event. Joel gets a mic and says they’re here to prove themselves the best tag team in the world That brings out the other half of the equation.

Match #3 – Tag Team Match: Los Maximos (Jose and Joel) vs. Jimmy Yang and Tony Mamaluke

Yang and Joel start us off. They tie up, Yang with a quick go behind and then mocks Joel. Yang grabs a side headlock, hits a shoulder block then a drop kick and Joel is out of the ring. Joel avoids a dive and heads up top, Yang kicks him down then hits a corkscrew dive onto Joel. Kicks in the corner then Mamaluke is tagged in. A chop from Mamaluke and a back body drop. Joel hits a back elbow but is caught in a fujiwara armbar. We get some kind of video edit, and come back to Joel hitting a belly to belly suplex then tagging Jose. Jose lands a right, misses a kick but hits a jumping kick. Mamaluke gets clotheslined out of the ring, Yang kicks Jose out of the ring and heads out with him. Joel misses a baseball slide, but then hits an asai moonsault as the crowd lets him know he botched the baseball slide. Back in the ring, a double bulldog to Mamaluke, then stereo submissions. Drop kick to Mamaluke for a near fall. Jose tagged in, Mamaluke tosses him into the second rope then posts him in his corner and tags Yang. Yang with shoulder blocks then they fight over a suplex, Yang avoids a clothesline and hits a wheel kick. Suplex from Yang for a near fall. Mamaluke tagged back in, he starts working the arm of Jose. Jose fights out of a full nelson, they trade escapes then Manaluke eventually hits a single arm DDT and uses a bridging hammerlock but Joel is in to break that up. Yang tags in now and unloads with kicks to the body and head. A modified tarantula from Yang, but Jose catches him on the top and hits a top rope hurricanrana. Both men tag out and Joel runs wild for a bit. Manaluke gets caught up and eats a combination moonsault and neckbreaker but Yang is in to save the match. Los Maximos want a doomsday move, but Mamaluke catches the flying Jose with a powerslam and Joel breaks up the pin. Chops from Joel, Yang comes flying off of the top rope with a double clothesline. Manaluke hits a brainbuster on Jose. Joel intercepts the climbing Manaluke, double Spanish Fly then ends things.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Los Maximos won

Rating: 2 stars

A bit spotty, it centered around creating spots rather than telling a story. It doesn’t help that Los Maximos don’t do a whole lot for me as a general rule.

The episode ends with a little video highlight of Satoshi Kojima.

4.0

The final score: review Poor

The 411

Not a strong episode this week, the first match was a near total bust and the encounter between Terry Funk and Abdullah the Butcher was kind of sad. The main event was a serviceable tag team bout, but I kind of feel like if you've seen one Maximos match you've basically seen them all.