MLW Fusion on Thanksgiving
November 25th, 2021
2300 Arena – Philadelphia, PA
Commentary: Rich Bocchini & Joe Dombrowski
2021 Opera Cup Semi-Final Match: TJP vs. Calvin Tankman
Tankman comes out with his head bandaged up from his attack from Alex Kane and King Mo. Tankman starts the match tossing TJP into the corner and the mat. TJP comes back with a dropkick and works on the injured forehead of Tankman, but Tankman comes back with big chops and tosses TJP with one arm to the other side of the ring. TJP takes and holds Tankman down with a side headlock until Tankman easily breaks out. TJP gets frustrated he can’t shoulder tackle Tankman down, so he escapes to the outside for a breather and some water as we go to the commercial.
When we come back, Tankman has TJP in the corner and tosses him yet again to the other side. Tankman misses TJP on the ropes and ends up on the outside, but he takes TJP with him, throws him into the barricade, but when he tries to dive onto him, TJP disappears. As Tankman is looking for TJP he sees Alex Kane and a big new bodyguard that’s by his side, being Thomas Sharp aka Blaster McMassive who is unidentified. Tankman eventually finds TJP under the ring, but he throws water in Tankman’s eyes and hits him with a cross body off the top rope. TJP keeps working on Tankman with an arm submission before keeping him in the corner. Tankman picks up TJP, but TJP turns it into an Octopus Stretch and eventually sends Tankman to the outside. As TJP distracts the referee, Alex Kane and Sharp start attacking Tankman, with Kane hitting a suplex to Tankman on the outside. Tankman gets thrown inside as TJP scrapes his boot across his face, but Tankman gets right back with a burst of energy and pounces TJP down. Tankman grabs TJP off the top rope and hits a backbreaker and clothesline for a two-count. Tankman goes for the Tankman Driver, but TJP escapes out. Tankman lands strikes and a spinning back fist, he goes for another back fist but TJP ducks it and rolls up Tankman for a two. TJP comes back with a Tornado DDT, goes to the top, and gets stopped by Tankman. Tankman joins him up top, gets knocked down, and catches TJP. TJP rips the turnbuckle loose and as the referee is attending to him, Kane and Sharp toss Tankman into the exposed turnbuckle knocking him out. TJP goes to the top and hits the Frog Splash for the pin and the win.
Winner: TJP by pinfall at 15:04, to advance
Alicia Atout catches TJP on the stage and says he should be ashamed of how that match ended. TJP says a hard-working city such as Philadelphia would appreciate that a job is done right when you do it all by yourself and delegating the work is a pretty tough job. TJP will meet Davey Richards in the finals of the Opera Cup next week.
Ho Ho Lun Steps Through the Open Door
The commentary goes over MLW installing a brand new, open-door policy that is engineered to deliver dream matches against MLW’s top contracted competitors and it will commence in December. Amongst those to walk through the door is Ho Ho Lun, who is debuting on January 21st at MLW Blood & Thunder in Dallas, Texas.
The Most Interesting Person from Parts Unknown
Alicia Atout is backstage with Warhorse and asks him how it feels to be Parts Unknown’s Most Interesting Person in 2021, as he’s holding an award for it. Warhorse says it feels damn good, but it would be more interesting if they spelled his name right. Alicia says it is spelled right, and Warhorse says no, it should be in all caps as he gets Alicia to start yelling his name. KC Navarro comes in and takes a seat next to them and asks who the most interesting man from parts unknown is. Warhorse gets upset that he interrupted him, and they start brawling.
Don’t Mess with My Money
Emilio Sparks is backstage and tries to get a word with Calvin Tankman who is banging on the wall in frustration. Sparks asks him if this would have happened, he joined Alex Kane’s fight team, but Tankman tells him this is not the time to ask that. Sparks repeatedly keeps trying to ask him, until Tankman holds him against the wall and says Kane is fucked, plain and simple and he busted his ass since he came into this company, and he messed it up. This was his opportunity to show he’s one of the best in the locker room, but Kane had to mess with his money and ask Sparks what happens when people fuck with his money. Myron Reed comes in and pulls Tankman off and tells him to calm down and he needs to get an eye for an eye.
We get a video that says Nzo will debut in 2 weeks.
40 Year Drought
We go to the Von Erichs in Kauai, Hawaii where they wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving, and Marshall thanks for their kind words and messages for his newborn son Archie Ross Von Erich and he’s catching up to his granddad with two boys and three more to go. Now they want to get back to work and they want to do it big, with the Von Erichs not getting a title match in 40 years in Dallas, so they ask for it on January 21st.
MLW x AJPW
They announce that for the first time in 18 years an MLW world championship will be defended in AJPW, as Tajiri will defend his MLW World Middleweight Championship against Atsuki Aoyagi and it will air in two weeks on MLW Fusion.
Gnarls Garvin vs. Budd Heavy
Gnarls Garvin makes his debut and is being referred to as the ‘Trailer Park Version of Meng’ by Rich Bocchini. Garvin goes right after Heavy with strikes and headbutts before dropkicking him down. Garvin hits a big crossbody to Heavy who was on the ropes, followed by a side suplex for the quick win.
Winner: Gnarls Garvin by pinfall at 51 seconds
Alicia Atout gets a word with Garvin and congratulates him on his MLW debut. Garvin tells her to get out of here and fetch him some beer. He introduces himself and says he came here for one reason to chew up talent and spit them out. A great good and personal friend from Nashville, Tennessee sent him here and he doesn’t care who it is, he lines them up and he will eat them up for breakfast, dinner, and lunch. Big Beef is here in MLW.
Holliday for the Holidays
Alicia Atout is backstage with Alex Hammerstone and Richard Holliday and says they must be riding on an absolute high after their win at War Chamber and it could signal the end of CONTRA. Hammerstone says this is definitively the end of CONTRA, but Holliday stops him as they knew the babyfaces would prevail. Hammerstone questions if Holliday is even a babyface, a tweener at best. Holliday says Alicia should have asked him the differences between the holidays and the Hollidays and knows Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in August, with Alicia correcting him by saying it’s October. Holliday mentions his family having the holidays at his house/winter residence again, and Hammerstone mentions if they’ll have the eggnog muscle milk, but Holliday mentions almond or coconut milk instead. Cesar Duran’s henchman walks in and hands Holliday over a box of Rolex watches, but Hammerstone says that’s just bait from Duran. Holliday really wants them, but Hammerstone says it’s a no and walks away.
Upcoming Fights
· December 1st – Opera Cup Finals: Davey Richards vs. TJP
· December – MLW Azteca in Mexico
· January 21st – MLW in Dallas (The Von Erichs will challenge for the MLW World Tag Team Championship)
Introducing Mr. Thomas
Emilio Sparks is trying to catch a word with Alex Kane and asks who his mystery bodyguard is, but Sharp tells him to mind his business before something bad happens. Kane says this is the newest addition to his team, the Bomaye Fight Club and that is Mr. Thomas, but now they have a ladder match to focus on. Calvin Tankman tries to rush in but is being held back by security. Kane plays it off as him being nothing and continues to tell Thomas about the ladder match and how he’s going to win.
Ambitious or Fearless
We went to Cesar Duran’s office where he had brought in Emilio Sparks and Alicia Atout to ask them simple questions, why does he need two reporters. They try to say it’s because they need different aspects and a lot is going in. Cesar lets them continue explaining, with Alicia saying she’s been doing this since she was 16 years old, and she loves discovering things about people and connecting with them on a personal level and not just the wrestling aspect. Sparks says no disrespect to that, but it’s cute and asks Cesar if he wants cute as it’s a warzone and he’s in the trenches during wartime reporting. Sparks and Alicia start bickering until Karlee Perez walks in and says she likes Alicia as she’s ambitious and Emilio is fearless, but only time will tell if it’s bravery or foolishness. Cesar and Karlee discuss what to do with them and Karlee suggests cutting a pool cue, locking the door, and seeing who makes it out alive, but Cesar says that’s a waste of a good pool cue. They admit they both love what they are both doing, and they want more scoops and exclusives and kick them out. The henchman walks in and returns the box of $35,000 Rolexes and Cesar seem upset.
They announce that next week we will get The Sea Stars vs. the debuting Top Dogs as well as Warhorse vs. KC Navarro.
MLW National Openweight Championship Ladder Match: Alex Shelley vs. Alex Kane (w/ Mr. Thomas) vs. Zenshi vs. Myron Reed vs. ACH
ACH returns to MLW as Cesar Duran’s handpicked wild card entry. They start the match all attacking Kane, but Kane fights back with a double clothesline and double suplex taking out all four men. Thomas brings in a ladder and tosses it in the ring for Kane, but ACH stops him. Shelley pulls Kane to the outside and ACH dives onto Shelley. Kane tries to toss another ladder in the ring, but it gets dropkicked out by Zenshi. Zenshi tries to springboard off the ropes and grab the title but misses it and gets taken out by Reed. Reed starts climbing the ladder, but Zenshi stops him. As Zenshi heads to the top, Reed pushes the ladder down. Zenshi gets on the apron and gets taken out by another ladder. ACH tries to climb the ladder, but Shelley stops him by trapping ACH’s leg in the ladder. Shelley tries to climb but gets back suplexed by Kane. ACH and Kane start brawling with the ladder until ACH hits a tornado DDT. ACH tries to climb but Reed stops him by hitting a springboard cutter. As Reed tries to climb, Shelley stops him by hitting an STO on the ladder. Kane tries to hit a double chokeslam on Reed and Shelley, but Reed fights back with another springboard cutter, but Zenshi can push a ladder right under Reed when he lands followed by a senton to him by Zenshi. Zenshi and Shelley start fighting with the ladder until ACH hits a suplex to Zenshi off the elevated ladder. Kane comes in and suplexes ACH onto the ladder. Kane tries to suplex Reed but gets taken to the outside by Reed and hits with a flying crossbody. Reed and ACH set up ladders and climb them as well as with Shelley and Zenshi as all four men start brawling on the top. Shelley is the last person standing but gets taken down by Kane who climbs the ladder and grabs the title.
Winner: Alex Kane at 10:57, to become NEW MLW National Openweight Champion
Calvin Tankman tries to rush the ring to attack Kane but gets held back by security and officials.
