MLW One Shot delivered a range of big moments and diverse action. It feels cliché to say again that MLW and its flagship show, MLW Fusion, are building more momentum, like a snowball rolling downhill and gaining traction. But the promotion is.
With the return of a big name from MLW’s past, the continuation towards the next chapters in three of the company’s biggest rivalries at present, news this week that MLW has settled its lawsuit with WWE, and rumors of an influx of cash to the promotion, you can’t help but be optimistic.
This week’s MLW Fusion will have many questions from One Shot to answer, so let’s begin with a recap of…
🍞 KOJIMA. @cozy_lariat
Catch the replay of #MLW One Shot NOW on @FiteTV! pic.twitter.com/JzhqHdsdrB
— MLW (@MLW) December 9, 2023
What happened at MLW One Shot:
- Rocky Romero defeated and retained his CMLL World Historic Welterweight Championship and MLW World Middleweight Championship against Mascara Dorada.
- Satoshi Kojima beat Tom Lawlor, and to celebrate, the crowd in celebration tossed bread into the ring!
- Jacob Fatu disrupted Saint Laurent’s Bodies Bodybuilder Contest after Alex Hammerstone was declared the winner. Fatu destroyed Hammerstone’s trophy.
- Miyu Yamashita retained her TJPW Princess of Princess Championships against Delmi Exo.
- MLW National Openweight Champion Rickey Shane Page beat Jimmy Lloyd.
- Jania Kai bested Maki Itoh to retain the MLW Women’s Championship.
- Alex Kane bested Matt Cardona to remain MLW Heavyweight Champion. Interference from Steph De Lander was countered by Masked Good Brother #3.
- After the main event, Alex Kane challenged someone to step forward to step up and face the champion at Kings of Coliseum. Richard Holliday returned and donned a WTF cap, signifying his allegiance to the World Titan Federation.
The Return of Richard Holliday
Do we have the newest World Titan Federation Superstar® in @MostMarketable? pic.twitter.com/m5HtSjMSju
— MLW (@MLW) December 9, 2023
Richard Holliday returns to MLW for the first time since he left to battle Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Holliday has been on a tear in the indies, competing with other companies like GCW (which you can read about in my profile and interview with Richard Holliday).
What will “the Most Marketable” man have to say about being back in MLW?
Why has he sided with WTF? Why does the “Air Pod God” think he has what it takes to beat Kane when WTF allies Alex Hammerstone, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, and Matt Cardona have all failed?
The Road to Hammerstone vs. Fatu III
MLW have already announced the third in the trilogy of perhaps their greatest rivalry: Hammerstone vs. Fatu (which you can read about in full at Hammerstone vs. Fatu III).
How will Alex Hammerstone react to the “Samoan Werewolf’s” assault and the vandalism of his trophy? What will Jacob Fatu’s justifications be? What else will be said or done to stoke the flames of this feud?
You can imagine that Saint Laurent is also going to have a lot to say on the subject, as well as reacting to Holliday’s return and Lawlor and Cardona’s losses.
What’s next for WTF’s Tom Lawlor and Matt Cardona?
Both men lost at MLW One Shot, and now they must pick up the pieces. Recalibrate. Start again. Cardona might look to blame outside interference for his loss.
As MLW’s X account confirmed, Masked Good Brother #3 is definitely not Mance Warner. Warner had to leave MLW after Cardona beat him at Fightland, with help from Warner’s fiancé, De Lander, who picked money over love. Cardona is unlikely to let this rest.
As for Lawlor, where will his attention go? We’re going to have to wait and see if there are any developments on this latest episode of MLW Fusion.
MLW Fusion Match Card for the Evening:
National Openweight Championship: Ricky Shane Page (c) vs. AKIRA. The two former teammates and MLW World Tag Team Champions collide. Both men have held the National Openweight Championship this year. The bitter blood between both men could be spilt in tonight’s contest. Former members of The Brotherhood of Carcosa collide.
Featherweight Championship Three-Way: Jania Kai (c) vs. Delmi Exo vs. Tiara James. The Kick Demon is on a tear, coming off of a successful title defense last week against Maki Itoh.
Delmi Exo is granted her championship rematch clause, but another up-and-coming contender, Tiara James, who has made her presence known in the division, also gets her chance. The odds are against the champion in a match like this, so will one of the challengers be able to capitalize?
Kevin Blackwood vs. Tony Deppen. Deppen has been suspended from the league since his brutal post-match beatdown that put Blackwood on the shelf.
Deppen has made his disgust known online, but a hooded figure has also made their presence and opinion on Deppen’s suspension clear. They have also recruited allies in Griffin McCoy and TJ Crawford. Tonight, it seems Blackwood will get his chance of revenge and unleash his frustrations on the man who has kept him out of action. All that and more on this week’s exciting MLW Fusi0n!
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – MLW – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. MLW FUSION airs every Thursday on YouTube at 8 PM EST and every Saturday on beIN SPORTS at 10 PM EST.
