wrestling / TV Reports
Winfree’s MLW Underground Episode 5 Review 8.08.20
Image Credit: MLW
Loading...Hey there everyone, Robert Winfree back again for another rebroadcast of MLW Underground. Given some of the financial troubles MLW is currently facing that came to light this week this might be the only thing they air for some time going forward. But enough contemporary issues, back in time to when MLW was just another ECW knock off brand.
Joey Styles is here to run down the card for tonight. We see Christopher Daniels run into Jerry Lynn back stage. OK, jokes about old shows aside that’s surreal to see given how many near misses those two would have over the years in ROH and TNA. Daniels says he’s a believer in redemption and knows Lynn has been stabbed in the back by promoters promising extreme revolution or sports entertainment super stardom, he can see the bitterness in Lynn and offers him salvation. Lynn says Daniels makes good points, but Lynn has one of his own before walking off. Some latin (or faux latin, I’m not up on my latin) from Daniels as Lynn walks off.
Match #1 – Triple Threat Match: Super Crazy vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Fuego Guerrero
This is a pretty serious assemblage of talent, hopefully the match lives up to it. Daniels locks up with Guerrero, and shoves him down then poses. All three men are interacting with the crowd a lot. Crazy tosses Guerrero down as well then sets him in the corner so Crazy and Daniels can square up. Crazy gets a side headlock on Daniels, Guerrero enters the fray and gets knocked down. Some drop kicks for everyone and we get the old indy stand off. That gets an ECW chant, something that wouldn’t go away in the culture for many years. Daniels gets a mic and tells the fans to shut up and appreciate the wrestlers. Crazy gets control early and hits Daniels with a head scissors, Guerrero then hits Crazy with an around the world head scissors.
Back from a cut and Guerrero is laying into Crazy with kicks on the mat. Crazy cuts him off with a gut shot and tries a brainbuster but Guerrero floats over. Daniels enters the ring but gets chopped down by both other men. Crazy gets nailed by Guerrero, Daniels with the tandem clothesline and bulldog onto both men but can’t get a pinfall. Daniels to the top rope, Guerrero cuts him off with a body scissors takedown. Daniels has had enough of that and rolls out, Crazy attacks Guerrero but gets cut off with an arm drag. On the outside now and Guerrero gets chopped and dropped on the guard railing. Daniels whips Crazy into the guard rail, then Crazy tosses him into the ring post. Crazy chucks Guerrero into the guard rail again and all 3 men get back into the ring. Daniels and Guerrero double team Crazy a bit, but he takes them both down with a springboard moonsault. Big face buster to Guerrero but Daniels breaks up the pinfall. Daniels runs into a boot but plants Crazy with the uranage before hitting the Best Moonsault Ever for a near fall. Daniels floats over into the Koji clutch but Guerrero breaks that up. Daniels and Guerrero square off, Guerrero hits the Code Red for another near fall. Not sure if Crazy was slow to break that up or not, but it looked like that. Crazy plants Guerrero with a sitout powerbomb but Daniels breaks up the pin. Crazy tosses Daniels out, sets for a dive but Guerrero cuts him off with a dropkick to the knees. Guerrero hits a dive onto Daniels, Crazy all the way up top and dives onto Daniels as well as Guerrero avoided the move. Back in the ring Guerrero hits a kick, a sweep and a standing shooting star press for the win.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Fuego Guerrero pinned Super Crazy at about 10 minutes shown
Rating: 3 stars
Hard to complain too much about this one, the editing probably hurt it a bit but that’s kind of par for the course on these shows. All three men worked well, they didn’t build much of a story but got to show off what they could do physically and had some pretty good near falls.
Post match Crazy attacks Guerrero and looks to remove the mask. He drags Guerrero around until Los Maximos show up to run him off.
Mike Awesome on a video promo, he says he just got out of the sports entertainment detox facility last week and is here for the opportunity of a lifetime. He says he wont be politically hijacked and driven into the ground, he’s here for the MLW World Title.
Match #2 – Number One Contenders Match: Jerry Lynn vs. Mike Awesome
Awesome mocks the size of Lynn early and over powers him with ease. Clothesline from Awesome takes down Lynn and he looks to abuse him in the corner. Lynn takes a beating for a bit, then avoids a corner rush and hits a cross body for a one count. Awesome turns Lynn inside out with a spear but still can’t get a pin. Lynn low bridges Awesome and he’s on the outside now. Lynn hits a leg drop on Awesome then a pescado and both men are down. Awesome sends Lynn into the barricade, then gets back dropped over it when he charges Lynn. We get some brawling around the ringside area. Awesome backs up and then dives over the barricade to wipe out Lynn. Lynn is sent back into the ring, but hits Awesome with a drop kick on the apron. Lynn charges into a shoulder block but Awesome still can’t put him away.
Camel clutch from Awesome for a bit to wear down Lynn, also to rest because he was looking just a little winded after the diving sequences. Lynn gets a head of steam and lands some clotheslines but Awesome wont go down, then Lynn hits a hurricanrana to finally get him off of his feet. Lynn hits a tornado DDT but only gets 2. Christopher Daniels shows up for undisclosed but presumably nefarios reasons. Lynn tries the cradle piledrive but Awesome is too big and back drops him. Awesome hits a big boot to Lynn, calls for the Awesome Bomb and hits it but only gets 2. Awesome tries it again but Lynn counters with a DDT. Lynn walks into an overhead belly to belly suplex. Awesome to the top rope, hits the big splash but again only gets 2. I know there’s a valid complaint about contemporary wrestling and guys kicking out of ever finish multiple times, and while it might be more prevalent now it’s hardly a new problem. Lynn escapes an Awesome bomb attempt, but runs into a clothesline. Awesome with a running Awesome bomb, more like a Razors Edge, and we’re done here.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Mike Awesome pinned Jerry Lynn at about 9 minutes shown
Rating: 2.5 stars
They had a decent story going with Awesome over powering Lynn, and then still being good enough in the aerial combat to keep up with him and deny him any real avenue to victory. I feel like they probably went a little too hard on the near falls at the end, Lynn kicking out of 2 of Awesome’s 3 possible finishes just felt like over kill, but a fairly well put together match.
Daniels gets in the ring post match, gets a mic and tells Lynn he’s very disappointed in him. He references the losing streak Lynn is on and runs down some of his high profile losses in MLW including his title fight with Kojima and this match. He tells Lynn that he has to make a decision, stay on the same path he’s on and keep listening to the fans while on this downward spiral or he can join forces with Daniels. Lynn takes the mic, and accepts his offer. They leave together.
Joey Styles puts over Satoshi Kojima as a fighting champion to lead into our next match.
Kojima with some promo time, he’s speaking English and notes all the men he’s beaten and promises to beat Vampiro.
Steve Corino promo time, he’s listening to the sound of Funk’s 38 year career coming to an end. He reiterates he’s younger and better than Funk ever was, then references that he was trained by Dory Funk Jr so Terry’s career will end at the hands of a man trained by his own brother. He says ending Funk will just be another day at the office for him, he already sent Dusty Rhodes out of the promotion. He asks Funk if 38 years was worth it just to see it end in the ring with him.
Match #3 – MLW World Title Match: (c) Satoshi Kojima vs. Vampiro
Parts of this match were on the Kojima Anthology episode. Vampiro is doing his quasi MMA gimmick, so he’s appropriate juiced up. They tie up and break a few times. Vampiro can’t take Kojima over with a shoulder tackle, they start shoving each other then Kojima drops him with a shoulder block. Vampiro to the outside and throws a chair into the ring. Kojima just sits on it, which was legitimately funny. Vampiro back into the ring, hits a go behind and they trade mat wrestling sequences then Vampiro hits a series of headbutts. To the outside, some ringside area brawling follows. Kojima hits a snap suplex onto Vampiro. More brawling through the crowd now, Kojima hits Vampiro with a chair but Vampiro cuts him off and sends him up onto the stage. Scoop slam from Vampiro, then he climbs a bit of scaffolding and dives onto Kojima. That sends us to break.
Back from break as Kojima kicks out of some kind of pin. Vampiro hits a chokeslam, climbs to the top rope and misses a corkscrew moonsault. Kojima hits a powerbomb, then a cutthroat cutter variation but can’t keep Vampiro down. Dragon screw leg whip from Kojima, then a drop kick to the knee, and another one. Another dragon screw leg whip and Vampiro is favoring that knee. Kojima tries to lock up the leg, Vampiro counters with an inside cradle but only gets 2. Enziguri from Vampiro then he runs into a drop toe hold and Kojima locks in an STF. Vampiro gets to the ropes to break the hold, Kojima hits a cutter, then wipes Vampiro out with a lariat to retain the title.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Satoshi Kojima pinned Vampiro in about 9 minutes shown
Rating: 2.5 stars
Perfectly acceptable match, Vampiro is good for a brawl and Kojima was happy to oblige that. The stuff outside of the ring wasn’t all that great, but it rarely is. Again not much story outside of Kojima targeting the knee at the end to weaken Vampiro for his finishing sequence, but that’s better than nothing.
Post match Mike Awesome shows up and the two men stare each other down. They trade slaps and chops, then Awesome hits an Awesome bomb. Awesome gets a table now and sets it up in the corner of the ring and bombs Kojima through it. To close Awesome poses with the title belt.
