Former WWE Superstar Carmella has teased a return to the ring. The former WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion reacted to B3CCA using what appeared to be a version of her Code Of Silence submission on AEW Collision this week against Kris Statlander.
‘Mella claimed that there is a “a difference between homage and theft,” and that she “didn’t retire.” Carmella would then tease that she might have to “come back” to show current stars how it is really done.
Carmella has been out of action since 2023, with her last match taking place at Madison Square Garden in a Road to WrestleMania house show where she teamed with Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai & IYO SKY) and Piper Niven.
Could Carmella go to AEW?
Despite ‘Mella reacting to an AEW clip, there’s currently no indication that she will be making her in-ring return, if it does happen, with All Elite Wrestling. There’s no word on whether she’s expected for a WWE return anytime soon either.
hmmm.. there’s a difference between homage and theft…
I didn’t retire, I had two babies… might have to come back and show these bitches how it’s really done🤑 https://t.co/zxRgh3RWDB
Carmella’s last match was a Road to WrestleMania house show at Madison Square Garden in March 2023, where she teamed with Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai and IYO SKY) and Piper Niven.
Is Carmella still signed to WWE?
Her contract status hasn’t been publicly confirmed either way. She remains officially listed on WWE’s roster page, but she hasn’t appeared on television in over two years.
Who is B3CCA?
B3CCA is an independent wrestler that has been appearing on Collision recently. The submission she used on Kris Statlander this week is what prompted Carmella’s “homage and theft” response on social media.
MLW announced today that Delmi Exo will defend her Featherweight Championship against B3CCA at Slaughterhouse on Saturday, October 14. The show is airing live on Fite+.
There was an angle on MLW Fusion this August where B3CCA injured Exo with a guitar shot. After campaigning for a title match against Exo, B3CCA officially earned the opportunity by defeating Maki Itoh at MLW Fury Road earlier this month.
In April of this year, Exo won the MLW Women’s Featherweight Championship from Taya Valkyrie. Exo is only the second-ever wrestler to hold the title since it was introduced in 2022. She’s made three successful title defenses, retaining against Valkyrie, Paris Van Dale, and Ava Everett.
Exo defeated B3CCA when they faced off in MLW earlier in 2023.
MLW Slaughterhouse will emanate from Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena. Here’s the updated card for the show:
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Kane defends against Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Minoru Suzuki vs. Jacob Fatu
MLW Women’s Featherweight Champion Delmi Exo defends against B3CCA
This week’s MLW Fusion was taped at Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena with Joe Dombrowski and Matt Striker on the call.
Ichiban defeated TJ Crawford
This was Ichiban’s first match on Fusion after making his debut at Fury Road by defeating Tracy Williams. Crawford has made a few appearances for MLW so far, all losing efforts. This was a good match to showcase the ability of both and give Ichiban a solid win.
Ichiban is crisp and has a good rapport with the fans. Crawford got the heat by faking an eye injury to delay Ichiban on the top rope, followed by him then crotching the high-flying striker. He hit a nice double underhook sit-down slam but arrogantly went for a cover that Ichiban easily kicked out of.
Ichiban fought back with a stunner, handspring elbow and springboard dropkick. His momentum was stopped, but only momentarily, as he got a close nearfall after a crossbody.
They exchanged strikes until Ichiban hit a long satellite DDT before getting the crowd to chant “one” (Ichiban is Japanese for number one) as he leapt and hit his jumping downward spiral to pick up the win.
As Crawford was leaving, a hooded figure came out and whispered something in his ear before walking off together.
– Backstage, Mance Warner and the Second Gear Crew hyped up Microman and gave him their favorite weapons to use against Sam Adonis. After the match, Warner promised Coronas and “bonitas mamacitas.”
Sam Leterna then interviewed Adonis who called himself Mexico’s top box office attraction and Mexico’s top draw. He says he is going to teach Microman some respect.
B3CCA defeated Tiara James
B3CCA defeated Maki Itoh at Fury Road to become the number 1 contender to Delmi Exo’s MLW Featherweight title. Love Doug, who is smitten with B3CCA, joined the commentary team with roses for her but she brushed him off each time he tried to get her attention.
James looked good here with a crossbody, gut buster and a running senton. Later, a spinebuster got her a close two count.
B3CCA took advantage and hit a middle rope dropkick and a running big boot in the corner. Her arrogance nearly got the better of her as James was able to sneak in a schoolgirl but she came back with an eye rake and her impressive top rope 450 splash to pick up the win.
After the match, she wanted the camera to follow her and not show Love Doug as he tried to get her attention.
– Salina de la Renta returned to MLW at Fury Road and tonight, we heard from The Empresaria. She told Leterna, who she thought was former MLW interviewer Alicia Atout, that she was behind the disappearance of Cesar Duran, Taya Valkyrie and John Hennigan. She promised to continue dropping bombshells.
– Leterna was earning her keep tonight as she then interviewed Jacob Fatu about his upcoming match with Minoru Suzuki at MLW Slaughterhouse on October 14th. De la Renta interrupted and threatened Fatu after what he did to her at 2020’s SuperFight in his match against LA Park.
Microman vs. Sam Adonis went to a no contest
This had the usual Microman comedy spots with Adonis making fun of his height, plus the usual heat spots with Adonis bullying and teasing to tear off the mask.
Adonis got the heat with a big boot and brought a chair into the ring to repeat what he did last week. Instead, Microman dropped Adonis with a drop toe hold onto the chair and was closing in on victory when Snisky (the former Snitksy) ran out and pulled the referee out for the disqualification.
Snisky backed Microman into the corner and threatened to punt Microman but the Second Gear Crew ran out to save Microman for the second week in a row. They hoisted Microman to the top rope and he splashed Adonis for good measure. They all then shared a beer to celebrate getting one over MSL and his World Titan Federation.
– MLW Champion Alex Kane held a press conference where he questioned who his next opponent was, saying Tom Lawlor ignored his offer to cash in his automatic rematch clause. MSL then interrupted and Kane said he would choke out Davey Boy Smith Jr. again if he had to.
– The Calling were in the house and as Fusion was going off the air, we saw them brawling backstage with the Second Gear Crew who had a little help from Jimmy Lloyd.
Maki Itoh is coming to MLW for the first time ever.
Itoh will make her MLW debut against B3CCA at Fury Road in Philadelphia on September 3. The winner will be in line for a shot at the MLW Women’s Featherweight Championship, which is held by Delmi Exo.
While Itoh is a failed pop idol, B3CCA’s character is that she sings badly but claims to be an “international pop star.”
Itoh competes for Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling in Japan and has become a popular act on indies in the United States. She’s also made several appearances for AEW over the past two years.
Itoh was in action for Defy Wrestling in Seattle this past weekend. Vert Vixon defeated Itoh to retain the Defy Women’s Championship.
Fury Road is being held at Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena and will air live on Fite+. Here’s the updated lineup for the show:
MLW Fury Road (Sunday, September 3) —
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Kane defends against Willie Mack
Matt Cardona makes his MLW debut
Maki Itoh vs. B3CCA (winner becomes number one contender to MLW Women’s Featherweight Champion Delmi Exo)
This week’s MLW Fusion was taped in Philadelphia as part of the SuperFight and Battle Riot tapings earlier this year.
After Christian Cole called the Super Series the last two weeks, Matt Striker returned to join the ever-present Joe Dombrowski at the announcers’ table.
The Azteca Lucha faction (John Hennigan, Sam Adonis and Taya Valkyrie) cut a backstage promo. Adonis called out Mance Warner after he eliminated him from the Battle Riot match while Valkyrie laughed at the thought of Delmi Exo coming for her and her Featherweight title. They will face off next week.
Delmi Exo defeated B3CCA
Ahead of the title match next week, B3CCA must have read the writing on the wall as she came out of the blocks early with a combination of dropkicks, strikes and extravagant taunting. She even went as far as to cartwheel handspring into a simple slap which only seemed to fire Exo up.
She kicked B3CCA in the head and dropped her headfirst with a sit-out fisherman’s buster. B3CCA hit a springboard stunner for a close two count and got her in the Muta Lock and a single crab.
However, the number one contender used her smarts to roll and cause B3CCA to miss a top rope moonsault. This gave Exo the opening she needed for her Delmi Driver package piledriver to pick up the win before her big title shot next week.
This was a good short match and another nice showcase for the women’s division.
– The Mane Event (Jay Lyon & Midas Black) cut a heartfelt, feel-good interview where they spoke out of character about their inspirations (House of Glory and Amazing Red) while we saw true backstage moments from their MLW debut. This felt different and was a very nice package to give the impression they will be in for a strong push soon.
– Sam Leterna interviewed Willie Mack who wasn’t willing to give up any secrets ahead of his Openweight title shot against John Hennigan.
1 Called Manders defeated Yoscifer El
El is an interesting character. Billed from “three to five thousand years ago,” he is a berzerker crossed with a White Walker crossed with Bruiser Brody crossed with a Genghis Khan character. Manders’ character is a bit more straightforward: a country-tough man of the Midwest.
This was a great big hoss fight filled with hard shots and slams with both men using their bodies to ram into each other. As good as it was, it was short-lived as Manders hit El with a big lariat to get the win.
– Ahead of his MLW title match with Alex Hammerstone at Never Say Never on July 8th, Alex Kane was eager to explain of all the injustices he has suffered: being number one in the Battle Riot, his National Openweight championship loss, and being left out of the Opera Cup tournament. He turned it on Court Bauer and told him the Bomaye Fight Club is for the people and he will bring a revolution to wrestling.
At the end of the show, the cameras caught up with Hammerstone who said Kane is talking like he is looking for an excuse and an easy escape for their title match. He thinks Kane is looking for either a cheap cash in or an injury to grant him the win because there is no way he will be a man and step up to a fair one-on-one contest.
– Taya Valkyrie again laughed off Delmi Exo’s chances of beating her next week, making fun of her name and saying she has beaten people all over USA and Mexico and it will be the same next week.
– Timothy Thatcher vs. Tracy Williams was announced for Never Say Never.
MLW National Openweight Champion John Hennigan (w/ Taya Valkyrie) defeated Willie Mack to retain the title
Mack got his shot after he disclosed that he may know the whereabouts of Cesar Duran, blackmailing his way into the match.
Mack put a stop to Hennigan’s early efforts with a massive pounce. Hennigan had to get dirty to get the real advantage where he could then use his array of kicks and strikes to slow Mack down.
After a slap to the face and trying to use Valkyrie as a human shield, Hennigan was on the end of a rampaging Mack who chopped his way into an advantage. But the resourceful Hennigan hit a desperation jawbreaker and a springboard kick to get right back into the match.
Hennigan hit his swinging neckbreaker Moonlight Drive for a close two count as Sam Adonis (at the announcers’ table) speculated that Duran will return in no time and make everything great again in MLW.
Hennigan went to the top rope, but took too long which allowed Mack to crotch him. Mack then joined Hennigan, but the crafty Hennigan was again able to trip him and make him crash to the mat.
The confidence was growing in Hennigan but that came crashing down as well when Mack dodged Starship Pain. Mack then exploded into a comeback with strikes and a red-hot pendulum slam. He then hoisted Hennigan up with ease for a Samoan drop, a kip-up and a standing moonsault for a crowd erupting close two count.
Hennigan slipped behind and struck him with a forearm to the back of the head, but Mack came back with a big pop-up forearm of his own.
Mack had a visual three count after his running step-up kick, but Valkyrie distracted the referee. Hennigan then accidentally kicked Valkyrie off the apron, distracting the referee again. It looked like Adonis was going to interfere and knock Mack out with the belt, but the challenger thwarted the heels’ antics and stunnered Adonis out of the ring.
Mack then hit a pop-up sit-out power bomb for a close two count that got a “this is awesome” chant from the crowd.
The heels still had one trick left up their sleeve. Hennigan kept his title belt in the ring and after a sunset flip, he made the referee get rid of it. As the referee’s back was turned, Valkyrie hit Mack in the back of his head with her title belt to give her man the tainted win and successful title defense.
Next week:
MLW Featherweight Champion Taya Valkyrie defends against Delmi Exo
MLW Middleweight Champion Lince Dorado defends against AKIRA and Lio Rush in a three-way
An update on Jacob Fatu’s injury status and news on his return
This week’s season finale of MLW Underground was taped in Philadelphia during February’s SuperFight taping and April’s Battle Riot taping with Joe Dombrowski and Matt Striker on the call.
We saw highlights from last week’s victory by Alex Kane in the Battle Riot match. He now has a shot at MLW Champion Alex Hammerstone’s title whenever he chooses.
This week’s show opened with Kane and his Bomaye Fight Club coming out.
MLW Champion Alex Hammerstone defeated Mr. Thomas (w/ Alex Kane) in a non-title match
Kane got on the mic before the match and got the Philadelphia crowd to chant “Bomaye is for the people” along with him. Thomas then said no one backstage can take him on, specifically naming Davey Boy Smith Jr, Jacob Fatu and Hammerstone. This brought out the champion who had his groin area taped up due to his recent adductor tear.
Thomas took advantage early, but the champion fired back, knocked some Bomaye Fight Club members off the apron, and put Thomas away with the Nightmare Pendulum.
Hammerstone looked to be in a lot of pain as he delivered the move and briefly celebrated before The Calling came out, stood on the stage and sent masked henchmen one-by-one after the champ who fought them off.
Jacob Fatu and the SST (Juicy Finau & Lance Anoa’i) came out and brawled with the main members of The Calling on the stage to aid Hammerstone.
After some speculation on commentary, it was confirmed that Kane will get his shot at the title on Saturday, July 8th at Never Say Never, MLW’s first live event on FITE+. This was heavily hyped and promoted throughout the episode.
With this being the season finale of Underground, it will be replaced by the return of Fusion on beIN Sports in just a few weeks. This season will see the 2023 Opera Cup tournament and the Super Series which AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo is advertised for.
– After brawling during the Battle Riot, Mance Warner had some words for Sam Adonis, calling him out and saying he wants to beat him up.
MLW Tag Team Champions Samoan Swat Team (Lance Anoa’i & Juicy Finau) defeated The Mane Event (Midas Black & Jay Lyon) to retain the titles
The ringleader Midas Black led his lion-masked partner Lyon to the ring for an automatic title shot in their MLW debut. The challengers impressed here and showed some very innovative double-team moves throughout.
Lyon dove through a hoop circus-style onto the champions on the outside before they hit the Flying Trapeze: a leapfrog into a splash with a face-first DDT combination. After the break, the champions were still reeling as the challengers hit a double team-assisted standing moonsault, back elbow, and slingshot spear.
Finau rebounded from a double superkick with a running crossbody before crushing his opponents in the corner. A superkick, Rikishi driver and top rope big splash followed which gave the champions a hard-fought victory.
B3CCA defeated Brittany Blake
“The International Pop-star” B3CCA (party hat and all) “sang” her way to the ring to the dismay of both the Philadelphia crowd and her opponent. A good character with some solid in-ring moves, B3CCA could be a potential title challenger in the future.
She hit a superkick but got caught with a Blake forearm on a dive to the floor. Blake came back with a 619 to the outside, but it wasn’t long before B3CCA was back on top with a hard boot to the face, a second rope missile dropkick and a somersault senton to the floor.
Once back in the ring, B3CCA took to the sky again and got a nearfall after a crossbody, but Blake came back with an enzuigiri and a hard knee for a nearfall of her own.
Back on their feet, B3CCA hit a German suplex followed by a top rope 450 splash to pick up the win.
– New featherweight division signing Delmi Exo met with Sam Laterna and said her one goal is to be champion.
– A big brawl between the Samoan Swat Team and The FBI broke out backstage that explained their absence in the next match.
MLW Openweight Champion John Hennigan vs. Jacob Fatu did not take place
The advertised main event did not take place because as Fatu was making his entrance, he was jumped by Ricky Shane Page and The Calling.
Page hit Fatu in the back with a chair and AKIRA hit a running knee to the back of his head. Raven briefly stood over the fallen SST member as this season of MLW Underground came to an end.
