Tag: calvin tankman

This week’s MLW Underground was taped in Philadelphia with Joe Dombrowski and Matt Striker on the call.

On tap this week: two title matches, an MLW title contract signing, and a hardcore match to kick off the show.

Before our opening match, Real1 was wheeled out to ringside in his wheelchair after being on the receiving end of a hit-and-run by Mance Warner a few weeks ago. He threatened Warner that he called the cops which brought out the “Southern Psycho.” But, as soon as Warner got on the mic and went to confront Real1, the Calling Card Attackers’ music hit and Ricky Shane Page made his way out.

Ricky Shane Page defeated Mance Warner in a hardcore match

This was a gruesome bloodbath with weapon shots from the opening seconds as Page took weapons from an operating table as he entered. Warner was busted open early on, but fought back and threw multiple steel chairs, garbage cans and wooden boards into the ring.

Warner hit a neckbreaker onto a seated chair and then speared Page through a wooden board for a two count. Moments later Page got his revenge and threw Warner through another board. Three pairs of chairs were then set up facing each other as both fighters found themselves on the top rope where Warner superplexed Page onto the chairs.

The bloody action silenced Real1 on commentary as Warner came close with a lariat and then went face-first into an exposed turnbuckle corner. Warner was able to shake that off and hit a DDT off the apron through another wooden board at ringside.

As Warner was struggling to get into the ring, Real1 popped up from ringside showing no ill effects from the hit and run and smacked Warner with his crutch. This allowed Page to grab him and hit a modified chokebreaker (a knee to the back of the head instead of a backbreaker) to win the match for Raven’s newly formed stable.

– Backstage, Billie Starkz’s photoshoot was interrupted by Taya Valkyrie, John Hennigan and Sam Adonis who, after a few insults, agreed to a featherweight title match, later announced for next week.

MLW Middleweight Champion Lince Dorado defeated La Estrella (w/ Cesar Duran) to retain

Cesar Duran came out to introduce “the next MLW Middleweight champion” in Estrella.

The story of the match was that Estrella left Dorado and Microman high and dry a few weeks ago in a trios match, opting to take Duran’s money and join his Azteca Lucha stable instead.

If Warner vs. Page was the hardcore checkbox of the night, this was the high-flying lucha libre checkbox. Estrella took the champion out early with a twisting Fosbury Flop through the middle rope, but Dorado came back to hit a series of hurricanranas, superkicks and his handspring cutter for a two count.

Dorado then hit a top rope hurricanrana to the apron, sending Estrella to the floor. They hit a mirror image handspring twisting kick spot that left Dorado’s arm draped over Estrella for another two count. Dorado then hit a trifecta of moonsaults on each rope, but Estrella got his legs up on the third.

Estrella hit a sliding German suplex, a missile dropkick, and a poisonrana for a close near fall of his own.

Dorado hit a standing super hurricanrana from the top rope, but Duran interrupted what would have been the match-winning pinfall. Microman then appeared from under the ring to help Dorado and he took out a Duran henchman with a dive from the apron.

Microman then threatened Duran with a Singapore cane which prevented him from interfering again. Dorado reversed a suplex with a power bomb before making his way to the top rope to hit his shooting star press to pick up the win. 

– Alex Kane announced backstage that in two weeks, he will take on Davey Boy Smith Jr.

– MLW owner Court Bauer hosted the Hammerstone vs. Fatu contract signing. During the signing, we had a cut-in from Raven’s Calling Card Attackers with a short video clip. Live in the arena, the signing finished with another pull-apart brawl.

– Backstage, Duran was kidnapped by two of his so-called henchmen. They grabbed him and put a sack over his head before dragging him away.

Samoan SWAT Team defeated Hustle and Power to win the MLW Tag Team titles

Calvin Tankman and EJ Nduka jumped Juicy Finau and Lance Anoa’i as they made their entrance. This kicked off the brawl-filled, hard-hitting title match that eventually saw Anoa’i picking up the title-winning pinfall on Nduka after hitting his top rope splash.

Both teams brawled around ringside before the bell rang, so they used chairs and the guardrail legally to hammer each other. Nduka flipped off the apron onto Finau before Anoa’i took everyone out with a tope con hilo.

The match officially began with a table set up in the corner of the ring that Anoa’i went through via a Nduka spinebuster.

After a break, Anoa’i made a comeback and Finau got the hot tag to run wild and squash the champions in the corner with an avalanche and a hip attack. Finau then hit a running double crossbody before defying gravity with a dive through the middle rope to the floor. Anoa’i then hit a top rope splash on Tankman for a very close near fall.

Finau teased a top rope splash, but Nduka pushed him off the top. Tankman pounced Anoa’i before the champions hit a double team spinning suplex/neckbreaker combination, but only for a two count as Anoa’i heroically kicked out.

Nduka then tried to take the easy road out and bring powder into the match, but Anoa’i kicked it out of his hands, Finau hit a Samoan drop and Anoa’i hit another top rope splash on Nduka to get the three count and pick up both the win and the titles for the Samoan SWAT Team.

Having Tankman kick out of the splash and Nduka take the loss was smart given Nduka’s future lies away from MLW.

Jacob Fatu, Samu (Lance’s father) and other members of the family came into the ring to celebrate with the new champions as the announcers hyped up next week’s Fatu vs. Hammerstone title match, suggesting it could be the second Anoa’i family title win within two weeks.

Next week:

• MLW Champion Alex Hammerstone defends against Jacob Fatu
• MLW Featherweight Champion Taya Valkyrie defends against Billie Starkz