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On a Sunday edition of Wrestling Weekly, we cap off a very newsworthy week talking about the arrival of Jacob Fatu on Friday’s WWE SmackDown, the issues between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre reaching a new level, and, yes, that Dynamite rating.
Thanks for listening and have a great week~!
Welcome to another episode of The Latest with Denise Salcedo, breaking down the biggest wrestling news headlines of the week so far.
Topics:
Wrestling Observer LIve with Jim Valley is back.
Jacob Fatu finally debuts in WWE. Bradley Craig on Drew McIntyre and Clash at the Castle. Plus, how you can win an autographed Cody Rhodes weight belt and help some kids have a productive summer.
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Image: WWE
Subscribers can now read my report from Friday’s WWE SmackDown which saw the surprise debut of Jacob Fatu as the new Bloodline member, more Money in the Bank qualifying matches, and CM Punk bloodied up at the hands of Drew McIntyre.
Jacob Fatu has debuted in WWE.
The son of The Tonga Kid and cousin to Solo Sikoa and The Usos made his long-anticipated WWE debut on Friday’s SmackDown, aligning with The Bloodline in an attack on Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Kevin Owens.
Rhodes vs. Sikoa was the advertised SmackDown main event, but the match quickly ended in a DQ as Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa jumped Rhodes. Orton and Owens ran in for the save, but Fatu’s debut gave The Bloodline the numbers advantage and the babyfaces were laid out.
Fatu posed with The Bloodline to close the show, doing the one finger in the air pose alongside Sikoa, Tonga, and Loa.
32, Fatu is a 12-year veteran of the independent scene. A robbery conviction and a stint in jail as a teenager was often cited as a reason why WWE had not signed Fatu in spite of his lineage and heritage making him a natural fit for The Bloodline storyline.
Fatu has been signed to WWE since at least April according to multiple sources. He finished up an MLW run in March.
Another member of The Bloodline could be headed to WWE.
According to a report from Fightful Select, Jacob Fatu has been telling people he has signed with the company. However, sources within WWE have not confirmed the news and Fatu has not responded to requests for comment.
SEScoops is reporting that Fatu was spotted today in Philadelphia.
Can confirm Jacob Fatu is in Philadelphia, saw him outside the Marriot Downtown this morning taking photos with fans.
Per Fightful, he’s #WWE bound.
Bloodline Rules tonight, possible Bloodline reboot tomorrow ?
— SEScoops (@sescoops) April 7, 2024
Fatu hasn’t wrestled since GCW’s show on March 24 in Rochester, NY.
The 31-year-old is cousins with WWE’s Usos and the son of Sam Fatu, better known as The Tonga Kid or as Tama of The Islanders in WWE. Haku, the other half of The Islanders, also has a son who is expected to debut in WWE shortly. Tama Tonga finished up with NJPW earlier this year and our own Dave Meltzer reports he has signed with WWE.
Fatu posted a photo of his father along with Bobby Heenan and Haku earlier today:
— Jacob Fatu (@jacobfatu_wwe) April 7, 2024
Jacob Fatu was trained by his uncle Rikishi and debuted in 2012. He started with MLW in 2019 and won the promotion’s world title that July from our own Tom Lawlor. He held the belt until dropping it to Alex Hammerston in October 2021. Fatu finished up with MLW at their tapings in Philadelphia on February 3.
Former MLW World Champion Jacob Fatu has entered into free agency.
On Thursday night, WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi made a social media post announcing that his nephew Jacob Fatu is now a free agent. Bodyslam.net confirmed that Fatu’s MLW contract has expired and he is free to sign elsewhere.
Rikishi tweeted: “JACOB FATU @SAMOANWEREWOLF If you know then you know. Has been The baddest talented Indy worker on the scene. Its TIME Who will sign him @wwe or @aew?? He’s been READY. The @SamoanDynasty1 #LetTheWolfEAT”
Fatu will be in action for MLW in Philadelphia this Saturday, facing Yuji Nagata at MLW Superfight. The show is airing live on Triller TV+.
Fatu held the MLW World Heavyweight Championship from July 2019 to October 2021. He’s also a former MLW National Openweight Champion.
On his Hall of Fame podcast recently, Booker T said he wants to get Fatu signed by WWE:
That’s my game plan, man. That’s my game plan. I’m working as hard as I possibly can. Let me just say it right now. I’m giving a big shout out to Jacob Fatu. This is a guy who’s been working his ass off out there on the indie scene, grinding. The thing is, sometimes we make mistakes, but when we atone for those mistakes, that’s when somebody just needs to give you a chance, and for me, someone gave me a chance and look what it’s done for me. Someone needs to give Jacob Fatu a chance and I’m going to be working in his corner as his advisor to get him all the way to that next level and over it if we possibly can. Jacob, if you’re listening to this, just stick with me on this ride.
In an All Access video for MLW in 2022, Fatu opened up about spending time in jail for a robbery when he was 18. Fatu said seeing The Usos and Tamina on television when he was in jail is what made him want to be a wrestler.
A legendary NJPW wrestler is making their MLW debut next month.
MLW has announced that Yuji Nagata will debut for the promotion at its SuperFight event in Philadelphia on Saturday, February 3. Nagata vs. Jacob Fatu has been booked for the show.
The match is happening because of the strategic alliance between MLW and NJPW.
“The upcoming SuperFight bout between Nagata and Fatu is a testament to the growing collaboration between Major League Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling and wish to thank Mr. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Rocky Romero,” MLW’s Court Bauer said in a press release. “This inter-promotional bout promises to deliver a unique blend of styles, bringing together the best of both wrestling worlds and giving fans something special you won’t see anywhere else.”
The 55-year-old Nagata recently teamed with Minoru Suzuki in NJPW’s World Tag League tournament near the end of 2023. Nagata is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, AJPW Triple Crown Champion, and GHC Heavyweight Champion.
As part of the MLW-NJPW alliance, Satoshi Kojima has competed at MLW events over the past couple of months. Kojima is challenging Alex Kane for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship at SuperFight.
SuperFight is taking place from Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena and will air live on TrillerTV+. Three matches have been announced for the show so far:
MLW’s special year-end Holiday Rush event comes after last week’s season finale of MLW Fusion and ahead of January’s Kings of Colosseum.
Ichiban vs. Salina de la Renta, an MLW Tag Team title match, and Jacob Fatu vs. Hammerstone were the main advertised matches. Those, and the rest of tonight’s matches, were taped earlier this month at the One Shot tapings at the Melrose Ballroom in New York.
Joe Dombrowski and Matt Striker were on commentary.
AKIRA defeated Alec Price, Brett Ryan Gosselin, J Boujii, Love Doug and Nolo Kitano in a scramble match
Doug jumped BRG as he made his entrance to continue their feud over being the love interest of the “International Pop Superstar” B3CCA. These two continually clashed throughout the match and will meet in a blindfold match at the January 6th tapings.
Price, AKIRA, Boujii and Kitano picked up the pace early with a rotation of switching one-on-one highspots. Doug turned a five-way sleeper hold train into a love train by switching from chokehold to hug, but Kitano quickly put a stop to that with a missile dropkick.
AKIRA based a Tower of Doom spot that saw Boujii as the unfortunate top layer of the double superplex.
Doug and AKIRA brought a Santa sack into the match and used it to blindfold BRG before double-superkicking him. Doug and AKIRA then turned their attention to each other. Doug hit a superb looking rebound clothesline, but had to be aware of a roll-up and springboard cutter from Boujii.
This began a series of nearfall finishers as Kitano, AKIRA, and Price – complete with a dive to all opponents on the floor – were all involved, but it was the prizefighter AKIRA who picked up the win after his Death Penalty reverse DDT was enough to put Price away.
After the match, AKIRA got on the mic and cut a babyface promo about his time in The Calling. He called Ricky Shane Page a leech and said The Calling’s storm won’t last. He was interrupted by Page, Cannonball, and a gang of masked goons. AKIRA fought most off, but Page hit his devastating DDT to once again stand over his fallen ex-friend…or did he? AKIRA kicked him low to show he still has fight left. AKIRA will face RSP in a Taipei Death Match at Kings of Colosseum.
– Backstage, we saw Promociones Dorado getting ready for Salina de la Renta’s match against Ichiban, but she was quickly distracted by a bag left in her office. Last week on Fusion, one of Cesar Duran’s henchmen’s masks was left in her office, so it seems she is spooked and may not be as strong and powerful as she tries to show.
– A vignette for the return of Sami Callihan at Kings of Colosseum aired.
Zayda (w/ Saint Laurent) defeated Notorious Mimi and Tiara James in a three-way
James was on the losing end of another three-way last week involving Delmi Exo and Featherweight Champion Janai Kai so she was looking to get back to winning ways here.
Before the match, we saw WTF member Zayda trying to negotiate a future title match for herself. Saint Laurent said he would talk to De La Renta to get a match with Kai.
Mimi hit a tilt-a-whirl slam, but it looked like a missed tilt-a-whirl headscissors by Zayda as she left the ring to leave Zayda and James to work the next spot. James ended up coming off the middle rope with a double dropkick to her opponents and then dropped Mimi with a gutbuster and spinebustered Zayda on top of her too. James looked strong going into the finish.
MSL had to save Zayda and interrupted a pinfall attempt after a rolling neckbreaker. That outside distraction let Zayda hit an Unprettier on James to pick up the win.
– Hyper Misao will make her MLW debut against Kai at Kings of Colosseum in January.
– MLW returns to Chicago on May 11th for Azteca Lucha.
Josh Bishop (w/ Saint Laurent) defeated Matthew Justice
This played into Bishop’s size and power vs. Justice’s daredevil toughness. Justice rallied time after time in the early going, fighting off a wind-up sidewalk slam, a backdrop to the apron, and a spinebuster into the ring post by diving through the ropes and baseball sliding into his larger opponent.
This tough guy match turned into a weapons bout as a table and chair were brought into the ring. Bishop used a table to ram into Justice’s head as he was on the top rope.
Justice hit a spear for a nearfall, but another interference distraction from MSL let Bishop lift Justice in an Outsider’s Edge position and toss him through the table that was resting in the corner to pick up the pinfall win. Bishop lifted Justice’s MLW Tag Team title belt after the match, and both ended up brawling to the back.
Later on in the show, the two continued their brawl to the roof of the building. A table was set up there for some reason, so Justice used it to hit a death-defying elbow drop after climbing to a higher level of the rooftop area.
Tony Deppen (w/ Griffin McCoy & TJ Crawford) defeated Kevin Blackwood
This was very quick but served as a nice step in the ongoing feud between Blackwood and Deppen’s gang of goons. Blackwood looked in control as he tried to get some revenge for the continued attacks and taunting he had received in recent weeks.
Deppen had pulled the turnbuckle pad off at the start of the match. After being knocked off the apron earlier, McCoy and Crawford interfered again, this time causing Blackwood to collide with the exposed buckle. That gave Deppen the opening to roll up Blackwood and get the tainted win.
– WTF’s Jayda introduced Richard Holliday who complimented her tan before announcing he is officially a member of the World Titan Federation, hyping up his MLW title match vs. Alex Kane at Kings of Colosseum.
– A vignette for the returning Matt Riddle, who will face Jacob Fatu at Kings of Colosseum, aired.
https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1738881706122223710
Wasted Youth (Dyln McKay & Marcus Mathers) defeated The Mane Event (Jay Lyon & Midas Black) and TJ Crawford & Griffin McCoy to earn a future MLW Tag Team title shot
The popular Mane Event were unfortunately on the receiving end of another loss as Wasted Youth won themselves a future tag title shot. Wasted Youth have a bright future as they are an exciting and explosive duo. McCoy and Crawford continued their wicked ways, teaming for the first time here.
Wasted Youth hit a nice backstabber/lionsault combo, but McCoy and Crawford came in with some nice double-team moves of their own — especially a twisting suplex throw into a sit-out power bomb. Lyon ran down the ramp and dove into the ring through the circus hoop to break up the pin.
The action was non-stop and packed with high-flying and double-team moves. Wasted Youth picked up the win after a shooting star press and 450 splash on Black while Lyon was taken out with a Fosbury flop to the floor.
Ichiban defeated Salina de la Renta (w/ Jesus Rodriguez, Janai Kai & Rocky Romero) by DQ
This was short, but it was here to continue the story of Ichiban’s quest towards Romero’s Middleweight title.
Kai, Romero and Rodriguez tried to interfere early, but Ichiban thwarted them all. This left Salina alone, who tried to negotiate with Ichiban before literally blindsiding him with a spray to the eyes. This caused the DQ, but allowed the Promociones Dorado team to lay a beating on Ichiban and remove his mask. Mascara Dorada came out to help Ichiban and chase away the dastardly heels.
Bomaye Fight Club (Alex Kane & Mr. Thomas) defeated MLW Tag Team Champions The Second Gear Crew (1 Called Manders & “Good Brother 3” Mance Warner) by DQ
Freebird Rules were in effect here as the masked Warner, ahem Good Brother 3, stepped into Matthew Justice’s shoes to represent the champions.
With no ongoing storyline between the teams and with both being babyfaces, it was a quiet opening as they exchanged holds and slowly warmed up into a strike battle between Thomas and Manders.
SGC hit Thomas with a double suplex off the top rope so Kane had to come in for his team and begin a one-man comeback consisting of suplexes and a splash on the apron.
Kane locked in an ankle lock on Manders, but broke it off when he noticed Jayda and Saint Laurent at ringside. Warner hit his running knee, but Kane regained his focus and suplexed him out of the ring.
Saint Laurent grabbed Kane’s ankle and the champion left the ring to confront the corrupt promotor, but Richard Holliday, with a glass of bubbly, also appeared at ringside. Kane and Holliday came face to face and Kane ended up with the champagne in his face. They came to blows as the referee called for the bell and called a disqualification win for the Bomaye Fight Club which also meant no title change.
Tom Lawlor and Josh Bishop came in with chairs to lay waste to the three members of the SGC but this ended up in security pulling them all apart as the commentators hyped up Alex Kane vs Richard Holliday on January 6th.
-Backstage Janai Kai and Delmi Exo confronted each other and came to blows. After being pulled apart two of Cesar Duran’s masked men appeared and handed Exo an envelope… interesting.
– After the end of the last match, it was announced that Matthew Justice & 1 Called Manders would defend their MLW tag titles against Josh Bishop and Tom Lawlor at KOC.
Jacob Fatu defeated Alex Hammerstone (w/ Saint Laurent)
Before they started, we had the popular “MEAT!” chant as the two long-term rivals sized each other up.
Hammerstone took the early advantage, but Fatu came back with an early run-up twisting moonsault from the top rope and a dive through the ropes to the floor. A brawl on the floor ensued with Hammerstone going headfirst into the ring post.
Fatu dove off the top with a senton bomb for a two count. Hammerstone then pulled the referee in the way to stop Fatu from hitting a superkick. This slight distraction gave Hammerstone the opening to hit a running pump kick to get the heat.
Hammerstone posed and flaunted as he slowly hammered Fatu, focusing on the lower back. A brief disagreement with the referee let Fatu hit him with a desperation savate kick, a running hip attack, and a Vader bomb for a close two count of his own.
Hammerstone got his knees up on Fatu’s handspring moonsault and then hit a powerslam and underhook suplex for another nearfall.
Fatu fought back and hit an amazing move. With Hammerstone sitting on the top rope, Fatu climbed up from the apron to meet him. Then, from balancing on the top rope, Fatu jumped and hooked Hammerstone with a hurricanrana, sending him the full way across the ring.
As momentum was swinging towards Fatu, Hammerstone desperately pushed the referee into the ropes which meant Fatu crotched himself on the top. Hammerstone then climbed to meet his foe and hit his own impressive top rope move with a top rope overhead belly-to-belly suplex.
A strike exchange followed as fatigue was setting in. Hammerstone slipped out of a Samoan drop and hit his standing pump kick, a release German suplex and a sit-out power bomb for a nearfall. Hammerstone immediately lifted up Fatu and hit his Nightmare Pendulum but somehow Fatu kicked out of that as well.
Fatu caught Hammerstone and hit his pop-up Samoan drop and quickly hit his signature double-spring top rope moonsault but Hammerstone hooked Fatu’s arms during the pinfall and nearly caught him out with a crucifix pin.
Fatu hit two more savate kicks, a Samoan Spike and another double spring moonsault to finally pin Hammerstone for the first time in his MLW career.
Saint Laurent looked disgusted with Hammerstone for losing and walked out on him. Hammerstone rolled out of the ring to meet Fatu at ringside and after a tense moment, they both hugged in a show of respect.
Post-match promo
After the match, Hammerstone got on the mic and said he could be getting himself in hot water but only has good intentions. He talked about his contract situation but said above all else, tonight he feels grateful. He mentioned his failed tryouts for WWE, Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground and they all passed on him apart from MLW.
Without a tryout match, Court Bauer signed him to a three-year contract because he saw something in him. He said a lot of people say things about MLW and Court, and it has not been all sunshine and rainbows but they took a little boy and turned him into a wrestling superstar.
He went on to say that he wants to say that MLW is built with bricks made up of Hammerstone’s DNA, but in reality, Hammerstone is built with bricks made up of MLW’s DNA.
He named Ricky Shane Page, 1 Called Manders, Josh Bishop and Alex Kane being the names to take MLW forward. Bauer came out and hugged Hammerstone before they both walked to the back.
As his MLW contract ends on Jan 1st, if this was his last appearance in MLW, this was a nice send-off for the former champion. Hammerstone was pushed really strong from the start of his MLW run as part of MJF’s Dynasty stable. He will be remembered for his undefeated National Openweight title run and his two-year World title run against numerous top-level names. His recent surprise return as a heel fooled a lot of fans as the story had hints of reality where Hammerstone was airing his contract grievances before showing up and siding with Saint Laurent and the renegade WTF group.
Before going off air, we saw a video Riddle just posted to X from Las Vegas. In it, he said he was excited to get back to MLW because the MLW World Championship has eluded him since 2018. He then said that he was excited to fight the baddest man in the world in January and told Jacob Fatu he would be seeing him soon.
This past Thursday at Wrestling Revolver, former MLW Champion Jacob Fatu wrestled his first ever intergender match against former GCW World Champion and Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champion Masha Slamovich.
I talked to him after the match about intergender wrestling, the WWE Bloodline story, and more.
WWE Bloodline
Fatu is part of the Samoan wrestling dynasty as he is part of the Anoa’i family. He is the son of Samual Fatu (Tonga Kid) which makes him a cousin of the cousins of Jimmy & Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa and Roman Reigns.
Given how intricate and long the Bloodline story has gone on in WWE, I asked Fatu his opinions on the popular storyline.
“They’ve been in there, putting in the work. I mean, we’re talking about three years straight with the storyline, but I’m a fan overall. And the crazy thing is just because I’m related to them when I watch, I think I know what’s going on. Then, they always hit us with that twist. So overall, they’re doing good. Shoutout to the Bloodline, shoutout to the Usos, Fatus, Anoa’is. We’re really all one family.”
I asked Fatu if we perhaps might ever see him get involved in the story.
“In due time, it could be there, it could be anywhere. Like I said, leave it in God’s hands. If it happens, it happens.”
He went on to say that he’s very proud of his family and recalled Wrestlemania 39 being one of the exciting moments seeing the Usos, Solo Sikoa and Roman Reigns all part of the night.
Intergender Wrestling
At Wrestling Revolver on November 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, California, Fatu wrestled his first ever intergender match against Masha Slamovich.
When I asked Fatu his thoughts on intergender wrestling being a controversial topic, Fatu said that “first and foremost, women make the world go round.”
“I got seven kids. I got girls. And my girls are the toughest right. And not only that, but for real when it comes to matches like that, it’s like, the girls are on the road just as much as I am. You know, we’re all in the same boat so it ain’t nothing but respect.
They feeding their family, taking care of {things} like they know the ins and outs. So but not only that, like, it’s not just a random person. We talk about my son, you know, so absolutely it felt good. It was good opportunity. But to be in there, I was very, very excited today for my first inter-gender match. And it was good.”
Fatu then gave credit to Slamovich for being able to build a platform for herself and said he had “goosebumps” following the match and that the match felt good.
This week’s matches were taped in October at the famous 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Joe Dombrowski and Matt Striker announced the matches.
– Dombrowski and Striker announced that The Calling (Ricky Shane Page & AKIRA) will defend the tag titles against The Second Gear Crew (1 Called Manders & Matthew Justice) in a tag team ladder match at Fightland. These two teams ended last week’s episode brawling all over ringside, a brawl that led to this rematch being announced.
Griffin McCoy defeated Tracy Williams
McCoy got his MLW career off to a winning start against the 2023 Opera Cup competitor. Williams started strong keeping McCoy on the mat and hitting a variety of suplexes, but the debutant eased his way into the mat with some kicks and strikes.
McCoy hit one strike too many as it inspired Williams’ comeback, which consisted of a hard slap, suplex, a face-first drop onto the top turnbuckle, and an STF.
McCoy fought back and went for his Sunset Kick (springboard kick) but Williams caught it into an ankle lock. Williams went for a piledriver but McCoy accidentally kicked the referee.
With the official down, McCoy hit Williams with a low blow, a half-and-half suplex, and his Sunset Kick to pick up the shock win.
– Last week Jacob Fatu stole Matt Cardona’s new car while Alex Kane was confronting him, a car gifted to him by the World Titan Federation leader Mister Saint Laurent. This week Saint Laurent delivered a “State of the Fed” address where he unveiled the new WTF logo and gave his vision of sports entertainment.
MLW Featherweight Champion Janai Kai w/Salina de la Renta defeated Riley Krowe
Another debutee Riley Krowe came up against a tough challenge in Janai Kai. Kai recently defeated Delmi Exo at Slaughterhouse and took no time to take out Krowe here. Straight from the bell Kai ran and hit a strong big boot to knock her out and win via KO.
After the match, Salina took the mic from Sam Laterna and hyped up Kai on the stage while the champion simply stared at the camera and said…“Kick Demon”.
– We then heard from The Calling where they again teased some tension between Ricky Shane Page and AKIRA. Joe Dombrowski and Matt Striker suggested the same which brought out Page to confront the commentary duo, but that brought out Manders and Justice from SGC for an impromptu brawl.
– We heard that if Cardona loses his Loser Leaves MLW match with Mance Warner at Fightland on November 18 then another “superstar” from the World Titan Federation will get the guaranteed title shot at One Shot in December.
– Sam Laterna then interviewed Rocky Romero who talked about his Fightland opponents Mascarada Dorada and Ichiban, calling Dorada a credible challenger but playing down the skills of Ichiban.
– Don King then quickly hyped up the Kane vs. Fatu title fight saying that Bomaye is for the people.
– Ricky Shane Page vs. Jimmy Lloyd for the National Openweight title was signed for One Shot in New York City on December 7.
– “Filthy” Tom Lawlor then announced that he and Cardona will take on Kane and Mr. Thomas in two weeks on Thanksgiving Night Fusion.
The Bomaye Fight Club (Mr. Thomas & O’Shay Edwards) defeated The Mane Events (Jay Lyon & Midas Black)
This was quick and was used to give Thomas and Edwards a strong win on their way up the tag team ranks.
Edwards and Lyon started by taking turns with running shoulder blocks. This developed into a taunt exchange followed by Lyon leaping through his circus hoop with a swift rolling senton to the floor.
The Mane Event’s upperhand did not last long. Edwards tagged in Thomas who hit a big Bossman slam on Lyon and put Black away with a powerbomb.
– Backstage we saw Mance Warner and 1 Called Manders talking tactics ahead of the Second Gear Crew’s ladder match with The Calling. Warner called for gold and violence followed by busting AKIRA open and hitting the pay window for the tag titles. Their tactic talk was interrupted by AKIRA and Ricky Shane Page for another backstage brawl.
Alex Kane vs. Jacob Fatu contract signing for Fightland
Court Bauer attempted to host the contract signing but as soon as both appeared the insults started and they had to be pulled apart. Saint Laurent and Cardona appeared and got in between the pair which only escalated the tension in the room. Fatu and Kane began swinging at each other and again had to be pulled apart. Fatu broke free and got a few more shots in as officials and Bomaye Fight Club members were only semi-successful in keeping them apart. The camera caught Saint Laurent laughing from the side of the room as his plan worked out perfectly.
This week’s episode was taped in October at the famous 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Joe Dombrowski and Matt Striker announced the matches.
– Ahead of the main event, we opened with a long video package highlighting The Second Gear Crew vs The Calling feud, followed by Saint Laurent announcing that the winner of the upcoming Alex Kane vs Jacob Fatu title match at Fightland on November 18th will face Matt Cardona at MLW One Shot on December 7th. I guess the outcome of the Loser Leaves MLW match on November 18th between Cardona and Mance Warner that was announced earlier in the week has been spoiled?
– On the topic of spoilers, just moments later they showed a graphic for One Shot advertising Kane vs. Cardona as the title match!
– Continuity was all over the place as next the commentators announced that a Fatu vs Mr. Thomas match was happening “Next”, just before Talon made his way to the ring for his match with Mance Warner…
Mance Warner defeated Talon
Another chapter in The Second Gear Crew vs The Calling feud here and it was a decisive win for Warner ahead of his Loser Leaves MLW match with Cardona at Fightland on November 18th.
Warner shook off Talon’s early offense, hit a Bionic Elbow, hard lariat, and a Knee Pad-up, Knee Pad-down running knee to pick up a quick straight forward victory.
– Tony Deppen is currently serving a suspension for not paying a fine for attacking Kevin Blackwood. This week we heard that his suspension has been extended after he took his frustrations to Twitter.
– In the parking lot Saint Laurent met with Cardona to let him know he is the next contender for the world title. He also presented him with a new beautiful BMW car.
– The same Fatu vs Mr. Thomas graphic was shown again as being “Next”.
– Kane then told Fatu that Kane is the new generation before he was interrupted and told to run to the parking lot where Mr. Thomas was lying in a heap of cardboard boxes after being on the end of a mystery attack. The commentary team said they were scrambling to change the card as apparently, Mr Thomas is unable to compete now.
– We saw a highlight package of all the accomplishments of the latest World Titan Federation member “Filthy” Tom Lawlor before we cut to live footage from Saint Laurent’s office where he and Lawlor talked up Filthy’s 5-star podcasting abilities, phenomenal singing skills, and set Lawlor as the new figurehead who will lead the charge for the WTF.
– The Calling then told us that The Second Gear Crew and the weak will be made examples of.
– Sam Laterna met with Fatu in a pre-taped conversation. They mentioned Salina de la Renta who booked his world title match with Kane but also put Fatu on notice for his previous runnings with Salina and Promociones Dorado. Saint Laurent interrupted, failed to befriend Fatu, and unintentionally told Fatu that Cardona has a new car in the parking lot… Fatu’s wheels started moving in his head as he conjured up a plan involving Cardona and the car.
– Sam Laterna then switched to a live interview with Matt Cardona. Cardona thanked Saint Laurent for bringing him to MLW and bigged himself up saying no one else has come back as many times as he and he promised to win the world title at One Shot in his hometown New York.
– Matt Cardona vs Mance Warner in their Loser Leaves MLW match was officially announced for Fightland on November 18th.
Brett Ryan Gosselin defeated J Boujii w/O’Shay Edwards
This was advertised as the replacement for the Fatu vs Thomas match that can no longer take place due to the attack on Thomas.
Gosselin was making his MLW debut and has a very cocky character. He made a quick start after jumping Boujii as he was taking his shirt off.
Gosselin looked quite good as we heard he was trained by Matt Taven and Mike Bennett but was on the receiving end of a German suplex and a running neckbreaker for a close two count.
Boujii looked to be in control until Gosselin held onto the ropes during a Boujii sunset flip and picked up a shocking and underhanded victory in his debut match.
– Outside of the 2300 Arena Love Doug was camped out in a tent waiting for B3CCA. He mistakenly jumped out at a passerby and was slapped for scaring her. Enter Minoru Suzuki who took one look at Doug and gave him another slap for his trouble.
– Backstage an irate Kane was on the lookout for who attacked Thomas. A backstage worker told Kane he had footage showing it was Fatu, so Kane stormed away looking for Fatu. Seconds later Saint Laurent appeared and paid the backstage worker for giving Kane that incorrect information.
– Last week Salina de la Renta hosted the episode of Fusion and during the episode, she exchanged papers with Saint Laurent that supposedly exposed some secrets from when MSL was an MLW Executive. This week Salina announced that Janai Kai will be in action next week.
– After being fed the wrong information, we saw the inevitable confrontation between Kane and Fatu, only to be corrected by a Bomaye Fight Club member who correctly identified Cardona and Lawlor as Thomas’ attackers. Kane again stormed off to “beat these hoes’ asses”.
The Calling (AKIRA & Ricky Shane Page) vs The Second Gear Crew (1 Called Manders & Matthew Justice) went to a no contest in a tag team title tables match.
The second Calling vs SGC match of the night ended in a no-contest as both AKIRA and Justice crashed through tables at the same time.
AKIRA was hinting at dissension within The Calling from the beginning as he looked disinterested in choosing a weapon from The Calling’s selection they have available for every match.
The other Calling masked goons attacked SGC as they made their way to the ring, but as quickly as they attacked they were pushed to the side for Manders and Justice to focus on the main players in Raven’s heel stable.
Later once The Calling were in control Page grabbed AKIRA’s face to tell him something, but you could tell from the way AKIRA stared at Page that he was not too impressed with the way Page grabbed him. Again later they argued over where a table should be placed and had some miscommunication throwing chairs at their opponents.
Cannonball entered the action and squashed The SGC in the corner. Page nearly took Justice’s head off when he threw a chair at him. Manders and Page then ended up going through tables in quick succession.
In the ring AKIRA went to the top rope, Justice joined him but AKIRA locked in an Octopus hold and both fell off the top and went through a table at the same time. The referee called the match a draw and no contest due to both going through at the same time.
Cannonball re-joined the match and the brawl continued after the match. Mance Warner joined in too which brought out security to try and keep these two teams from destroying each other.
On the mic, Warner set up Justice to challenge The Calling to a match with the belts hanging above the ring. They didn’t mention a ladder match but I can only imagine it will be a TLC match of sorts.
– Backstage in the parking lot Matt Cardona was not too pleased to see his new car being stolen by Jacob Fatu as Fusion went off the air.
Next week:
MLW has revealed the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Alex Kane.
Kane will put his championship on the line against Jacob Fatu at MLW Fightland on Saturday, November 18. The show is taking place from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and will air live on Fite+.
Fatu is looking to become the first person to hold the MLW World Heavyweight Championship twice. His first reign with the title lasted from July 2019 to October 2021.
Fatu is also a former MLW National Openweight Champion.
This July, Kane defeated Alex Hammerstone to become MLW World Heavyweight Champion. He’s made title defenses against Willie Mack and Tom Lawlor since then. The latter title defense was originally supposed to be Davey Boy Smith Jr. challenging Kane, but Smith had to withdraw from the match. Smith underwent emergency surgery to remove part of his appendix and colon.
Kane vs. Fatu will be the main event of Fightland. MLW has also announced that the show will feature a tag team match with Rocky Romero & Barbaro Cavernario facing Mascara Dorada 2.0 & Ichiban.
This week was a special edition of Fusion as Salina de la Renta was in charge. The matches were taped in October at the famous 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, plus a special showing of Volador Jr. vs. Rocky Romero from CMLL NJPW Fantastica Mania from June this year. Joe Dombrowski and Matt Striker announced the matches.
Jesus Rodriguez, the master of ceremonies for the night, introduced Salina but she was quickly interrupted by Ichiban and his interpreter looking for a shot at Romero and the MLW Middleweight title. Instead of Romero, Ichiban was forced to face Rodriguez immediately.
Ichiban defeated Jesus Rodriguez w/Salina de la Renta
Ichiban continued his quest for the heavily hinted Middleweight title shot by extending his undefeated streak to four wins. He previously put away Tracy Williams, Nolo Kitano and Love Doug, and took little time to put away Rodriguez here.
To give him credit, Jesus did keep Ichiban floored initially by using his size advantage to slow the pace. Salina also got her shots in from ringside when she could. She distracted Ichiban with powder and then choked him on the ropes behind the referee’s back.
Ichiban made a brief comeback with a jawbreaker and missile dropkick but Rodriguez floored him again. Rodriguez missed a middle rope moonsault, which let Ichiban come back again with a bulldog and his face-first finisher to pick up the pinfall win.
– After the match Romero and Janai Kai jumped Ichiban and Romero dropped him back first onto a seated chair.
– Salina had some big news about the upcoming MLW Fightland show. She announced that Romero would team with CMLL Light Heavyweight champion Barbaro Cavernario to take on Mascarada Dorada 2.0 and Ichiban. Plus she later announced that Jacob Fatu would challenge Alex Kane for the MLW World title at Fightland.
Highlights of Rocky Romero defeating Volador Jr to retain the CMLL World Historic Welterweight title (taped in Arena Mexico in June 2023 at CMLL NJPW Fantastica Mania).
– Salina introduced the new MLW Featherweight champion “Kick Demon” Janai Kai, fresh from defeating Delmi Exo for the title at MLW Slaughterhouse. We saw a highlight video of Kai’s array of kicks and strikes.
– Delmi Exo then confronted Salina backstage and said she will get her rematch. The cameras followed Salina where she then met Mister Saint Laurent as they brokered a deal: Salina got exclusive documents from when MSL was MLW Vice President, and MSL got a guaranteed title shot for a member of his World Titan Federation whenever he wanted.
– Mance Warner and 1 Called Manders were drinking beers in the parking lot and talking about their title shot next week. Salina interrupted but she was then interrupted by Jacob Fatu who ended up getting a future dream match in Mexico against Mistico.
– MLW World Heavyweight champion Alex Kane met with Salina for the big Fightland announcement. Salina brought out Kane’s next challenger, Jacob Fatu. The two went face-to-face as the crowd chanted “Holy Sh*t” and Fusion went off the air.
Next week:
– The Second Gear Crew (Matthew Justice and 1 Called Manders) will challenge The Calling (AKIRA and Ricky Shane Page) for the MLW Tag Team Titles in a tag team tables match.
MLW presented Slaughterhouse on Saturday night at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.
Two new champions were crowned, Matt Cardona came out to challenge the main event winner, and a member of the Calling was electrocuted inside Chamber of Horrors.
Notes from the show are below.
https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1713349958261202953
The Halloween-themed show kicked off with a Chamber of Horrors match pitting The Second Gear Crew against The Calling. It featured an electric chair in a caged ring, much like the original match from Halloween Havoc 91 did. The Calling’s Talon was electrocuted after being strapped into the chair by Mance Warner and Matthew Justice flipped the switch.
https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1713357846094504114
Rocky Romero defeated AKIRA to win the MLW World Middleweight Championship. He hit a low blow and a Sunset Driver for the win. Romero was also defending his CMLL World Historic Welterweight Championship in this title vs. title match.
In storyline, Romero was brought into the promotion by the recently returned Salina de la Renta and her Promociones Dorado faction. Jesus Rodriguez (FKA as Ricardo Rodriguez in WWE) performed as ring announcer for Romero’s entrance as well.
A video announcing TJPW’s Miyu Yamashita is coming to MLW aired.
https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1713362454774694287
Janai Kai won the MLW World Featherweight Championship in her debut with the promotion. She was revealed by Salina de la Renta as Delmi Exo’s mystery opponent on the show. Kai just returned from a tour with GLEAT in Japan and regularly performs with GCW. The finish of the match saw Exo tap out to a Dragon Sleeper after Kai landed a series of kicks.
https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1713393501621113141
Minoru Suzuki defeated Jacob Fatu in singles action. The finish saw Suzuki briefly lock in a rear-naked choke and then land a Gotch style piledriver for the win. The two shook hands and Suzuki raised Fatu’s hand after the match.
https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1713368364867858824
Rickey Shane Page defeated 1 Called Manders in a Falls Count Anywhere match to retain the MLW National Openweight Championship. This was a Spin the Wheel Make A Deal match. The match actually took place in two parts, as the cameras were unable to keep up with the wrestlers when their brawl made its way backstage. The two fought back to the ring area after Suzuki vs. Fatu.
The Calling’s AKIRA made his way to ringside, seemingly to help his stablemate but RSP shoved him into a lariat from Manders. RSP then hit Manders with a Raven Effect and got a three count. After the match, RSP and AKIRA got into an argument and RSP shoved AKIRA to the floor and walked to the back.
https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1713375785069822060
After Davey Boy Smith Jr. had to be pulled from the card due to emergency appendix and colon surgery, our own Tom Lawlor, a former MLW World Heavyweight Champion, was brought in as a last minute replacement.
Alex Kane defeated Lawlor to retain the MLW World Heavyweight Championship in the main event. It was a Roddy Piper vs. Bret Hart WrestleMania VIII finish as Lawlor had Kane in a rear-naked choke but Kane reversed it into a pinning combination for the win.
https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1713379124222300410
After the match, Cardona came out to the stage area along with Mister Saint Laurent. He said he should be MLW Champion and wants to save the company. Lawlor then hit Mr. Thomas from behind with a chair and the show closed with a brawl around ringside.
I won the @WSWWrestlingAUS Championship in Australia yesterday…showed up at @MLW in Philadelphia today.
INDY GOD!!! pic.twitter.com/qH8PI0Ndn8
— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) October 15, 2023
Up next for MLW is Fightland on November 18. The show will once again take place from Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena.
MLW Slaughterhouse results:
