Winfree’s MLW Underground (Ep. 30) Review 7.07.21

MLW is just about ready to relaunch this month, so we’re probably at the last of these old re-airs for a bit. Tonight we’ve got Low Ki in action, Roderick Strong and Matt Cross taking on Dark Fuego (Jack Evans) and Pete Wilson, and a tag team title match between The EXTREME Horsemen and the Samoan Island Tribe. Well let’s get to the action.

We open with some video hype to try and make us care about Steve Corino and Shane Douglas in 2004. After that we get the usual intro, then head to the ring for our first match.

Match #1 – Tag Team Match: Roderick Strong and Matt Cross vs. Dark Fuego and Pete Wilson

Boy everyone looks really young here. Again, maybe I’m just old. Cross and Wilson start us off, while commentary reminds us that Fuego is Jack Evans. Cross gets a Japanese arm drag, our lead commentator is calling Roderick Strong “Roderick Storm”. Cross and Wilson trade escapes and counters and Wilson gets a victory roll for 2. DDT from Wilson and we get a cut. We come back to Wilson eating a double team back drop from Cross and Strong. Strong with a half nelson backbreaker, then he lays in some of his famous chops until Fuego shows up to save his partner. Cross tags back in and they try a double team move but Fuego is in illegally with a double drop kick then a wheel kick and drop kick. Suplex from Fuego then Wilson lays in some forearms. Fuego tags in and comes in with a kick. Another wheel kick from Fuego, then Strong counters a hurricanrana into a powerbomb backbreaker. Wilson illegally jumps in while Fuego moves over on the outside towards Cross. Cross with a split legged moonsault all the way to the floor to take out Fuego. Back in the ring Strong powerbombs Wilson once, then powerbombs him over the top rope and onto Fuego. Cross and Strong head out to abuse Fuego and Wilson more in the ringside area, they toss both of them into the fans. Crowd brawling now, Strong is abusing Wilson while Cross tosses Fuego into a wall. Strong lawn darts Wilson into the wall as well. Low blows from Fuego and Wilson to get back into things. Wilson tosses a trash can at Strong then they both head up to the second story and moonsault down onto both Strong and Cross. Everyone heads back to the ring, Strong and Fuego the legal men apparently. Strong hits a brainbuster, holds on and hits another one then locks in a straightjacket camel clutch but bails on it. Cross drops Wilson with the M-Dog Driver as Strong hits a shock treatment on Fuego. Strong with a crucifix cutter then Cross with a swanton bomb. That isn’t enough apparently, they set for a sandwich style combination of sick kicks but Fuego ducks and they take each other out. Wilson and Fuego head up top, stereo 450’s follow and we’re done.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Dark Feugo and Pete Wilson won

Rating: 1.5 stars

This just tried way too hard, it didn’t need all the stuff that got crammed in and the whole thing wasn’t helped by both Evans and Wilson being nothing but spot monkey’s at this point. For other people this will be much more entertaining but this was mostly a miss for me.

In the back Sean Naes reminds us of upcoming cards. He’s interrupted by Jose Maximo who’s got issues with Dark Fuego, and here’s Dark Fuego who attacks him from behind and says we should expect the unexpected. That wasn’t Jack Evans under the mask this time, for whatever that observation is worth. Joel shows up from the other side of the camera to find his brother down.

Gary Hart and Low Ki talk, Low Ki says Hart proved Low Ki and Homicide are better than MLW. Hart says everyone kept Ki down, Ki was always right and he wants Ki to keep making impressions and not to let the promoters, commissioners, fans, or announcers keep him down. Hart will move around the stuff behind the scenes, all Ki has to do is take care of stuff in the ring. Ki feels he can handle whatever MLW throws at him, they’ll try to stop them but with Hart’s guidance there’s no chance they’ll succeed. Tonight Ki will make an example of Chad Collyer. Low Ki was still finding himself in the promo department, but Gary Hart is one of the best managers wrestling has ever had and he helped set up Ki in his delivery.

Back to Naes, who speculates that Terry Funk will be retiring at an upcoming MLW event. If he did retire it didn’t stick.

To the ring for our next match.

Match #2: Low Ki w/ Gary Hart vs. Chad Collyer

You might recognize Collyer from his brief stint in WWE as an enhancement talent, or his brief time in then TNA in 2003-4, but he’s better known on the indy scene for his time in ROH from 03-06. The man was around for a while in these kinds of roles. They tie up, Collyer gets a headlock and they trade escapes then arm wringers and escapes before Collyer escapes and hits an armdrag. Ki lands a kick and they separate. Greco-Roman knuckle lock, then Collyer transitions to a top wrist lock and starts working the arm on the mat. Ki with some kicks to try and get free but Collyer switches to an arm slam. More arm work from Collyer, Ki moves into a headstand and kicks Collyer to get free. Collyer gets a side headlock, then a shoulder block. They run the ropes, Collyer with a cross body for a 1 count then an arm drag and he’s back to working the arm. Ki moves to the ropes and chops Collyer. Back into the ropes, Collyer partially botches a sling blade style move for another 1 count. European uppercut from Collyer, Ki then lands a kick as Collyer has moved to the apron. Collyer slips free from a suplex attempt and kicks Ki to the apron. Rights from Collyer but Ki avoids one and snaps the back of Collyer’s head over the top rope. Ki with stomps, he’s after the neck of Collyer now. A neck twister from Ki then he locks up a chinlock. A jumping knee drop to the back of Collyer’s head follows. More strikes from Ki in the corner. Some face washes from Ki, then a backbreaker for a 2 count. Collyer is able to fight back up and land rights to the body and head then they trade chops and kicks. Collyer avoids a corner rush and hits a German suplex. Ki misses a jumping heel kick and takes a flurry of strikes from Collyer. Snap powerslam from Collyer for a 2 count. Ki avoids a corner rush and then hits a Shining Wizard. Dragon Sleeper attempt from Ki but Collyer fights out with a bridging German suplex for 2, then he floats into a Gedo Clutch for another 2 count. Ki with an O’Connor roll into a Dragon Sleeper after a cheap shot from Mr. Wu on the outside and Collyer has to tap.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Low Ki won

Rating: 3 stars

Maybe a touch generous, but this felt enough better than 2.5 to justify it. They told a solid story here of Collyer trying to out wrestle Low Ki but ultimately falling to his intensity and slightly more diverse offense. Really good stuff from these two men.

Post match Gary Hart has to pull Low Ki out of the hold and then talk Ki down from further violence. Mr. Wu goes over and kicks Collyer out of the ring before they head out.

A video package for the upcoming return of Fuego Guerrero (Amazing Red).

Naes with more selling of upcoming events before he’s interrupted by Matt Martel. Some talking from Martel, a lot of it had to be censored then he shoves off Naes to pimp his new column on MLW’s website.

Darth Friedman tells Norman Smiley that he has just seven days until they go face to face. He promises to drop Smiley on his head, and Vampiro will be next. Friedman is not a good talker.

In the back Gary Hart and Low Ki debrief. Hart likes that Ki kept his promise to make some half smart wrestler quit, to let the world know they’re not toys and shouldn’t be played with. He sees no strings on Ki, so who’s trying to treat him like a puppet. Once the bell rings no one else has anything to say about what happens. Ki talks, he made an example out of Collyer by damn near breaking his neck, and there’s many more to come. Homicide and Low Ki with the guidance of Gary Hart are unstoppable. Hart has all the confidence in the world in Ki, Ki might be the end of his legacy as he doesn’t know how much time he’s got left but he’s willing to give what he has to help Ki. That’s slightly ominous in hindsight, Hart would pass away just about 4 years after this.

Match #3 – No DQ MLW Tag Team Title Match: The EXTREME Horsemen (Simon Diamond and CW Anderson) vs. Samoan Island Tribe (Samu and Mana)

The Samoans toss garbage cans and chairs into the ring to get us going. They settle on just the chairs and menace Diamond and Anderson as the champs make their entrance. Eventually the chairs are tossed down and Mana starts us off with Anderson. They tie up and hit the corner then Mana lands a chop. Anderson with a knee strike but that just annoys Mana. Mana with headbutts and chops. A series of falling headbutts from Mana, then he gets a chair but Anderson avoids his swing and lands a haymaker but Mana just headbutts him in retaliation as we head to a cut.

We come back to Mana and Samu standing tall over downed Diamond and Anderson. Anderson and Samu head out of the ring and Samu abuses Anderson around the ringside area while Mana lands headbutts. Samu crotches Anderson on the ring post while Mana abuses Diamond in the corner. Diamond lands a super kick, then Anderson follows up with one of his own but only a 2 count on the cover. Diamond body slams Samu then collapses selling his lower back. This time it’s Diamond with a chair and he starts abusing Samu with it. Diamond up to the second rope but as he jumps off Samu tosses the chair into Diamond’s face. Corino has left the broadcast and jumps Samu from behind. Anderson is handling Mana on the outside while Corino and Diamond hit a double team flapjack on Samu. Corino winds up for a lariat but hits Diamond instead and Samu squashes Corino with a Samoan drop. TKO from Samu to Diamond but here’s Anderson with a chair to break up the pin. Mana drags himself back into the ring, then no sells a couple of unprotected chair shot the to the head, then Anderson winds up and clocks him with a third that drops things. Corino is getting the table from the broadcast position and gets it into the ring. Anderson sets up the corner in the table, Mana decks him with a clothesline and sets up a chair. He sets Anderson in the chair in front of the table, but charges into a spinebuster through the table but all for a 2 count. Anderson with a super kick to Samu, Mana spears him then turns into a super kick from Diamond. Samu is up, and posts himself charging at Diamond. Oh, here’s JJ Dillon to help out Anderson. Anderson shoves Dillon and kicks the chair at him, so Dillon hands the chair to Mana. Mana menaces Diamond and Anderson with the chair, but swerve Dillon cracks him in the back of the head with his shoe, Diamond and Anderson with a super kick party to the chair, and they both pile onto Mana to retain the titles.

OFFICIAL RESULT: The EXTREME Horsemen retained the titles

Rating: 1 star

What a clown fiesta. This just got dumber as it went on, it’s one thing to try and get the Samoan’s over as monsters but there was just too much going on here. Another example of garbage wrestling.

Post match Corino gets the belts and hands them to Diamond and Anderson. Samu chases Dillon out of the ring area while the EXTREME Horsemen pose. A hype job for the upcoming tour closes the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjfDNUAffQg&ab_channel=MLW

5.5

The final score: review Not So Good

The 411

Kind of a rough episode tonight, the opening tag team match was a decent stunt reel but a poor wrestling match and the main event was a garbage brawl. The Low Ki and Chad Collyer match was easily the best wrestling all event. Hart and Ki's interactions were good but not enough to elevate the overall show promo wise, with the other segments of mic time being generally poor.