Matt Cardona’s MLW debut will be in a Kiss My Foot match.
It was announced today that the former Zack Ryder will face Mance Warner in a Kiss My Foot match at MLW Fury Road on Sunday, September 3. The match will also have a no holds barred stipulation. The loser of the match must kiss the winner’s foot.
MLW revealed last month that Cardona would be debuting for the promotion at Fury Road. Cardona and Kevin Blackwood were the first two wrestlers to be selected in the 2023 MLW Open Draft.
The announcement of the match comes after Warner accepted an open challenge to face Cardona. Mister Saint Laurent, who is aligned with Cardona, was recently attacked by Warner and Microman on MLW Fusion. Saint Laurent then challenged any member of the Second Gear Crew to face Cardona at Fury Road.
Fury Road is taking place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and will air live on Fite+. Here’s the updated card for the show:
MLW Fury Road (Sunday, September 3) —
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Kane defends against Willie Mack
Kiss My Foot match: Matt Cardona vs. Mance Warner
Maki Itoh vs. B3CCA (winner becomes number one contender to MLW Women’s Featherweight Champion Delmi Exo)
New MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Kane is set to make his first title defense.
MLW has announced that Kane will defend his World title against Willie Mack at Fury Road on Sunday, September 3. The show is taking place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and will air live on Fite+.
At MLW Never Say Never earlier this month, Kane defeated Alex Hammerstone to become the new MLW World Heavyweight Champion. Hammerstone had held the title for nearly two years before dropping it to Kane.
After defeating Hammerstone, Kane tweeted out a list of goals he wants to accomplish as MLW World Heavyweight Champion:
The most recent episode of MLW Fusion saw Willie Mack defeat John Hennigan and Lio Rush in a triple threat match to become the number one contender to Kane’s title.
MLW’s first National Openweight Champion will be crowned on tonight’s Fury Road live special from the Waukesha County Expo Center in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Alexander Hammerstone and Brian Pillman are facing off to determine the inaugural National Openweight Champion. This is the final match in a four-man tournament. Hammerstone defeated Gringo Loco to get to the finals, while Pillman defeated Rich Swann.
There will also be another title match on tonight’s live special, with MLW Middleweight Champion Teddy Hart defending against Jimmy Havoc. Hart has been Middleweight Champion since winning the title in a ladder match in December 2018.
Hart is the second Middleweight Champion in MLW history, with the title having been vacated by MJF due to injury prior to Hart winning it. Hart & Davey Boy Smith Jr. also hold the MLW Tag Team titles.
Gringo Loco vs. Myron Reed rounds out the lineup for tonight’s one-hour special. It will begin on beIN Sports at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
**********
Gringo Loco beat Myron Reed
Fast paced match with Reed doing various forms of the Cutter, mostly off the ropes. Reed had a near fall while grabbing the ropes and the ref broke it up. While arguing with the ref, Reed was distracted which allowed Loco to hit a Tombstone piledriver for the win.
Reed beat down Loco after the match
Selena dela Renta announced that she will the executive producer of the MLW show on June 15th.
National Openweight tournament finals – Alexander Hammerstone beat Brian Pillman Jr to become the first champion
People used to always say that Hammerstone looks like Triple H. He looks way more like Chris Jericho with his shorter hair. He’s also supposed to be 6 ft 3 but there’s no way he’s more than 5’11”.
Pillman took it to Hammerstone to start. Crowd solidly behind Pillman. Hammerstone’s Dynasty stablemate Richard Holliday briefly joined the commentary basically to say Pillman’s father would be ashamed of him. Pillman has his hair bleached blond and looks more like Michael Hayes Jr. Hammerstone brutalized Pillman on the outside, slamming him into the barricade and onto the ring apron before rolling him back into the ring.
Hammerstone channelled early Hunter Hearst Helmsley, using the high knee repeatedly to control the match inside the ring. Pillman had a brief comeback after Hammerstone argued with the ref, hitting a superkick and a cross body for a 2 count. He missed a top rope splash, which allowed Hammerstone to hit his finisher, The Nightmare, to get the win and the title.
Hammerstone cut an in-ring promo after the match and lambasted Pillman for his partying lifestyle and living off his Dad’s name. He said he worked hard and earned the title.
Contra attacked Filthy Tom in the parking lot and kidnapped him. They showed a taped vignette with Tom bound and gagged. They then gave him a hair cut and said they could take anything at any time.
Cornette and Bonini explained that Contra Unit not only kidnapped Tom but also took over the production truck and that a couple of those individuals quit as a result and they apologized for what we’d seen and said it would never air again.
Main event for the MLW Middleweight title – Champion Teddy Hart retained his title with a win over Jimmy Havoc
Both these guys were at least weekend’s Double or Nothing show. Havoc was a featured performer in the Battle Royal and later in the show. Hart was wandering through the crowd, posing for pictures with fans, seemingly there for his uncle Bret’s appearance. When we last saw Havoc on an MLW live special, he had a sick match with Tom Lawlor where he stapled Lawlor’s forehead, opening a huge gash, before getting pinned by the World champ.
Hart came out with both his middleweight and tag team title but without stablemates Pillman Jr and Davey Boy Smith Jr. Both guys brought a chair into the ring with them, previewing the violence that’s likely to come in this title match.
Hart took the early advantage with punches and then hit a springboard moonsault for the first two count. Hart worked over Havoc’s arm in a submission attempt as we went to commercial with 6 minutes left in the broadcast window.
Back from commercial and Hart is still in control. Havoc has literally not had any offence thus far. Cornette says they will be commercial free for the rest of the broadcast and will go past the top of the hour if necessary. Hart hit a lungblower and then a backbreaker.
Apparently, Lawlor escaped his captivity and made his way to the ticket window, trying to get into the building. Cornette said they are attempting to get him to the hospital.
Havoc reversed a pildriver attempt and then slammed Hart into a chair that was on the apron. Hart was busted open from that and Havoc hit him in the head with a chair as his head was against the ringpost. Havoc then used an 8×10 photo to cut Hart’s hand and mouth before slamming him into a guardrail. Back in the ring, Havoc hit Hart in the head with a chair again and got a two count.
Hart got the advantage by slamming Havoc into a chair that was wedged into the turnbuckles. Havoc then secured a sharpshooter, which the crowd booed heavily. Hart bleeding like crazy from his forehead as he tries to fight it off and he made it to the ropes for a break. Hart threw a chair into Havoc but Havoc hit a Canadian Destroyer. Havoc missed the Acid Rainmaker and then hit a Destroyer of his own.
Hart then hit a Hammerlock DDT onto a chair for the pin to retain the belt.
The Dynasty attacked Hart after the match but the Hart Foundation was out for the save. They announced that MJF will face Davey Boy Smith Jr on next week’s MLW show.
Flamita will make his MLW debut against Rey Horus at Saturday’s Fury Road television tapings. The show is taking place at the Waukesha County Expo Center in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
MLW noted that Flamita has signed on to be a regular with them and will return later this summer after a tour of Japan in July.
The Von Erichs (Ross & Marshall) and Australian wrestler Adam Brooks will also make their MLW debuts at Fury Road. Ross & Marshall will team with MLW World Heavyweight Champion Tom Lawlor against Contra Unit (Jacob Fatu, Josef Samael & Simon Gotch) in a tornado tag match, while Brooks is facing Austin Aries.
Fury Road will include both a live special and TV tapings. Middleweight Champion Teddy Hart defending his title against Jimmy Havoc, Alexander Hammerstone vs. Brian Pillman Jr. in the finals of MLW’s National Openweight Championship tournament, and Gringo Loco vs. Myron Reed are set for the hour-long live special. It’s airing on beIN Sports at 9 p.m. Eastern time this Saturday.