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MLW TV REPORT
JANUARY 13, 2022 (RECORDED)
TIJUANA, MEXICO
AIRED ON YOUTUBE
REPORT BY MARCUS ARIAS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Rich Bocchini and Joe Dombrowski
-Recap video of the events from last week’s episode.
-Cesar Duran welcomed everyone to the show from his office and mentioned that he has been getting “very nasty tweets” regarding what he has done to Alexander Hammerstone last week but they do not matter to him at all. He has put trust in his believers before but they let his temple fall. To him, they are no longer believers but rather, “filthy renegades.” Since he is in control of MLW Azteca, he has some “unique opportunities” available and everyone, including the MLW Heavyweight Champion, must bow or face the consequences. He joyfully said that none of that mattered though as the “Cathedral of Violence” had opened its doors.
-Bocchini and Dombrowski were ringside at an outdoor venue that they both dubbed “an underground fight club.” Joe mentioned that there were a lot of questions about the whereabouts of Hammerstone and how they may be related to why they were at this particular venue. Rich quickly interjected and said that he didn’t want to get in trouble with Cesar and went over the night’s card.
(1) 5150 vs. SKALIBUR & BLACK DESTINY – MLW Tag Team Championship
Before that match started, a video package of Rivera and Slice Boogie running down the Von Erichs aired. The champs accused the Von Erichs of only wanting a title shot because MLW would be coming to Dallas soon. Rivera said that he didn’t care about anybody’s last names. He and Slice are going to leave Marshall and Ross bleeding.
5150 didn’t wait for a bell and quickly jumped the challengers. Once the bell rang, Slice and Rivera overwhelmed Black Destiny with a flurry of double team moves including an impressive assisted double foot stomp. Skalibur made his way back into the ring to even the odds but got cut off by the much larger Boogie. After a quick break, both members of 5150 were outside of the ring and got caught by an impressive tope suicida and corkscrew plancha from Black Destiny and Skalibur, respectively. Destiny brought Rivera back into the ring and unloaded a series of Lucha moves before Rivera simply moved out of the way and punched Destiny in the face. Slice came in and pinned Destiny for a quick two count after a big suplex. Rivera tagged back in and tried to capitalize as Destiny was stuck in the corner. Rivera moved his focus to Skalibur for a moment and Slice Boogie took a chance to choke out Destiny as Konnan watched approvingly.
Rivera made a cover for another two count. Slice tagged in again and 5150 double-teamed Destiny yet again. After a quick tag, Rivera connected with an Eddie Guerrero style slingshot splash that resulted in a two-count, causing Rivera to get upset with the referee. Slice tagged in and overpowered Destiny with some brutal forearm shots. Boogie went for a cover after a body slam/elbow drop combination and got another near fall. Rivera tagged in again and was used as a battering ram by Slice to knock Skalibur down to the floor as they beat down Destiny. Rivera went for a splash in the corner, which allowed Destiny to finally get some offense in with a missile dropkick. Destiny and Rivera were able to make the tag to their partners. Skalibur came in after a hot tag and landed a big springboard clothesline, which finally got the much larger Boogie off of his feet. Skalibur tried again to go to the top but got caught by Slice. Boogie appeared to go for a death valley driver but Skalibur wiggled free. As Skalibur took down Boogie to the mat with a drop toehold, Rivera tried to help but got launched into the air by Skalibur, got caught by Destiny, and powerbombed into his partner. A double count led to a double near fall. 5150 recovered quickly though and they were able to land the 456 Headcrack on Skalibur.
WINNER: 5150 in 8:10.
-After the match, Konnan celebrated with his team and called out Drago and Aerostar, who have suggested that they wanted a chance at the MLW titles. Aerostar and Drago interrupt and a brawl ensued.
(Marcus’ Analysis: 5150 continues to draw parallels to both versions of LAX, taking elements from each. Rivera has a ton of charisma and Slice Boogie is quite impressive when he gets a chance to shine with smaller opponents he can toss around. I never thought the titles were in danger of changing hands here, but that didn’t take anything away from this match.)
-A pre-taped interview of Alicia Atout speaking with Savio Vega in Puerto Rico is shown. Savio is asked how he felt about the actions of Cesar Duran. Vega said that he is “hot” and that he wants his IWA back and beating Pagano is how that’s going to happen.
-A recap of KC Navarro being attacked by nZo is followed by a quick segment where Emilio Sparks asked nZo why he attacked his friend. nZo responded by saying that he did KC a favor and taught him about respect.
-It was announced that Davey Richards has signed a multi-year contract with MLW.
-Richard Holliday is shown trying to find more information about the whereabouts of Hammerstone and tried to muscle his way through Cesar Duran’s henchmen. Alicia Atout told him that it’s not worth it.
-A spotlight on EJ Nduka is played which detailed his time in the NFL and his transition into professional bodybuilding.
-Back at the fight club, 5150 were talking trash about Aerostar and Drago before they were interrupted by one of Cesar Duran’s minions. He hands them a note that confirmed that they will be defending their titles against the two Lucha legends next week.
(2) ALEX KANE vs. AEROSTAR – MLW National Openweight Championship
Before the match, it was announced that nZo has been suspended indefinitely.
Alex Kane overpowered Aerostar early on, simply shoving him away. The crowd began an “Aerostar!” chant as the two men locked up again. Once again, the smaller Aerostar was tossed aside. After another lock up, Aerostar was muscled into the corner but was able to move out the way as Kane missed with a splash. The challenger connected with a corkscrew plancha and a hurricanrana that made the champ go to the outside. Aerostar played to the crowd as Alex collected his thoughts. As Kane got back into the ring, Aerostar tried to go for a springboard plancha but Kane turned it into a fallaway slam.
Alex beat down Aerostar for a while before his manager, Mr. Thomas got a few cheap shots on Aerostar. Kane got a two-count after an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Aerostar tried to get the crowd excited again but got several cross faces for his trouble. He was able to counter a vertical suplex with an enziguri. Aerostar landed a double knee attack that sent Kane to the outside. Aerostar got a chance to fly with a step-up tope. The challenger got Kane back into the ring and went for another high-risk move but interference from 5150 derailed that. Kane choked out Aerostar with the Kata Ha Jime.
WINNER: Alex Kane in 6:00.
(Marcus’ Analysis: Much like the other title match, I never thought Aerostar would get the win here. The match itself was fine. Alex Kane continues to impress me. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a good suplex.)
-Emilio Sparks tried to get an interview with Cesar Duran and asked directly about Hammerstone and what is going on his mind right now. Cesar said that he can’t get any good help these days and insulted one of his henchmen that is out of uniform. EJ Nduka interrupted Duran and demanded to know where Hammerstone was. Cesar invited EJ into his office and EJ begrudgingly accepted.
-Mads Krugger is shown chained up in a dark room, being held by the henchmen. He said that Contra is in ashes and that he wants a shot against Jacob Fatu. Catrina said that he has to earn that chance IF he can beat Bestia 666.
(3) SAVIO VEGA vs. PAGANO
Savio Vega came to the ring prepared, armed with a steel chair and kendo stick. Commentary cut to footage of Davey Richards being laid out backstage. Pagano came to ring with a chair of his own and two men started to brawl immediately. Savio gained an advantage quickly and blasted Pagano with the chair, getting a near fall. Pagano answered back with a short-arm clothesline.
The Killer Clown got a near fall of his own after a springboard elbow drop. After a series of chops from Pagano, Vega countered another clothesline attempt with a punch to the throat. Savio tried to choke Pagano with the chair. Pagano was able to roll to the outside and was followed by Savio. Both men brawled through the crowd. Pagano smashed Vega’s head into some fencing and followed it up with a running axe kick.
Savio is busted open after being bitten on the forehead by Pagano. Pagano dragged Vega back into the ring and went for a springboard clothesline but Vega answered back with another punch. At this point, Vega was dripping blood. Pagano regained the advantage during a break and connected with a missile dropkick. He placed Vega on the top turnbuckle and emptied a bag of thumbtacks onto the mat. As Pagano tried for a hurricanrana, Savio was able to overpower his opponent and drop him into the tacks. Pagano grabbed a handful of tacks and threw them into Vega’s face. Pagano draped a chair over Savio and hit a moonsault for the win.
Winner: Pagano in 9:00.
(Marcus’ Analysis: This was never going to be a technical masterpiece. This was meant to be violent. All things considered, this was surprisingly tame. I do like that Pagano is being positioned as an enforcer for Cesar Duran. It suits him.)
-A quick preview of next week’s card is shown but is quickly interrupted by footage of Emilio Sparks walking down a corridor. He walked by doors with the names of Killshot and Salina written on them. A very large door with Hammerstone’s name is shown and the MLW Champion is attacking the henchman from earlier which was revealed to be…Richard Holliday! Holliday has rescued Hammerstone and they both begin the search for Cesar Duran as the show closed.
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