If you had high hopes on seeing the MLW National Openweight Championship bout between John Morrison and Jacob Fatu, then prepare to be disappointed. Thanks to Raven’s crew of hooligans, the title fight was canceled on the season finale of MLW Underground on REELZ (May 2, 2023).
Morrison and Fatu were all set and ready to roll. MLW even hyped a tale of the tape.
MLW Underground
Fatu entered the stage first. Then, boom! The Calling attacked him, and the show ran out of time. Fight canceled for this episode.
There is context for this attack, which stems from last week’s Battle Riot V contest and from earlier in this same episode. The Samoan Swat Team and the Calling clashed in the Battle Riot to eliminate each other and brawl all night long. The bad blood carried over to the start of MLW Underground.
Alex Kane issued a prize fight challenge against Mr. Thomas. They name-dropped Alexander Hammerstone, so the champ answered the call. Hammerman finished Thomas with the Nightmare Pendulum. Bomaye Fight Club scurried away.
That’s when the Calling entered on stage. They had an injured Hammerstone outnumbered, then the Samoan Swat Team came out throwing fists at Raven’s lieges.
That’s the backstory for the Calling’s attack on Fatu to ruin the evening’s main event.
The Samoan Swat Team duo of Juicy Finau and Lance Anoa’i were in tag title action against the Mane Event. Midas Black and Jay Lyon had some nifty circus moves, such as Lyon leaping through a hoop on a suicide dive. Juicy had more bounce to the ounce and took control of the match. A savate kick from Anoa’i sent Black tumbling out of the ring. A piledriver from Juicy set up a flying splash from Anoa’i to pin Lyon. The Samoan Swat Team retained the MLW World Tag Team Championship.
Later, the SST brawled with the FBI backstage, because that is what Samoan swat teams and full-blooded Italians do.
In other action, B3cca defeated Brittany Blake. Even though Blake put up a fight, this was more of a showcase for B3cca. The international pop star sang a ditty in front of the crowd. They promptly booed her vocal abilities. B3cca finished Blake with a 450 splash.
Also in the women’s division, Delmi Exo has arrived in MLW with a quest to take the featherweight championship from Taya Valkyrie.
On the news tip, MLW held a press conference to announce Hammerstone versus Kane for the world heavyweight championship as the main event of Never Say Never on July 8. The show will stream live though Fite+.
The first season of MLW Underground on REELZ is over, but that doesn’t mean MLW is going away entirely. A new season of MLW Fusion returns May 25 on YouTube and beIN SPORTS with the Super Series in Tijuana.
Last but not least is Mance Warner doing some drinking and thinking. Ole Mancer spoke about drinking three light beers and mixing in raw eggs to gulp down like Rocky Balboa. The focus of his ire was Sam Adonis. Warner is thinking up ways to beat up that rudo.
Overall, this was an okay episode of MLW Underground, but it did leave the door open for major criticism.
The positives were highlighting their cadre of kooky characters. Personalities are off the wall in a way to bring a mix of chuckles and violence. The tag team championship bout was amusing. The Mane Event were creative, and the Samoan Swat Team showed that they are legit as titleholders. Hammerstone’s Nightmare Pendulum was sweet.
The negatives start with not delivering Morrison versus Fatu. It was a letdown in general not to see a cool matchup. As a season finale cliffhanger, it downright stinks. It would be one thing if we knew we would get the match next week, but we’re left in the lurch with no idea when MLW Underground will return on REELZ to resume giving us our weekly fix of renegade action. Kane working the fans like a babyface was odd. He has been a heel through and through his entire run in MLW, and then he went right back into heel mode when confronting Hammerstone.
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