MLW Never Say Never
July 8th, 2023
By: John Siino
2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA
Commentary: Joe Dombrowski & Matt Striker
MLW National Openweight Championship: Jacob Fatu (c) vs. Calvin Tankman
Right away they run the ropes until Calvin Tankman ducks the Savate Kick from Jacob Fatu. They exchange forearms until they both spill to the outside where Fatu goes and reaches to his left knee. Tankman keeps on the attack, keeping Fatu in the corner of the barricades, before putting Fatu on a chair, where he chops away at him. Tankman goes to hit a cannonball off the apron, but Fatu moves as Tankman goes crashing into the seated chair. Tankman stays in control as they continue fighting on the outside (no count outs being enforced, obviously). Back inside, Fatu whips Tankman into the corner and keeps checking on his left knee. They go back and forth, until Tankman pounces Fatu over the top rope, crashing to the outside where Tankman meets Fatu with a suicide dive. Tankman hits the Tankman Driver, but Fatu kicks out at two. Fatu is able to escape from Tankman and hits a springboard moonsault to get a two-count. Fatu tries to go to the top rope, but his knee gives out as Tankman knocks him to the apron. They both go to the top rope where Fatu hits a hurricanrana. Fatu follows with a Swanton, but Tankman kicks out at two. Tankman hits a pop-up back elbow, but Fatu comes right back with a twisting dive off the top rope to get the pin and the win.
Winner: Jacob Fatu by pinfall at 9:51, to retain
Fatu gets on the mic after and tells the crowd to make some ‘god damn noise’. Fatu says even though he lives on the West Coast, it feels like home here and tells Tankman to get back in the ring. Fatu says he wasn’t told to do this but calls Tankman the toughest he’s faced in a long time as they embrace.
Sam Leterna is backstage with Ava Everett who says she’ll leave this cesspool of Philadelphia with two titles and bring them back to Germany where the fans are worthy of her presence.
MLW Women’s World Featherweight Championship / wXw Women’s Championship: Delmi Exo (c) vs. Ava Everett (c)
Right away, Ava Everett goes outside, takes both titles, and starts heading to the back before Delmi Exo runs after her and sends her back into the ring. Exo sends Everett back to the outside with a dropkick, but Everett stops her from diving and snaps her down on the ropes before choking her. Everett keeps kicking away at Exo and hits a boot wash in the corner for two. They start chopping and kicking away before Everett hits a neck breaker for two. Exo tries to punch her way to a comeback and hits a spine-buster for a two. Exo pushes Everett to the outside and hits her with the suicide dive. Exo goes to the top rope and hits a missile dropkick for two. Everett comes back with the Y2 Cutter for a two and starts showing a bit of frustration. Everett starts teasing ‘The Super Kick of Everett’ but Emo stops her with a leg trap suplex and the Delmi Driver to get the pin and the win.
Winner: Delmi Exo by pinfall at 6:44, to retain & also become the NEW wXw Women’s Champion
Upcoming Fights Live on FITE+
· Fury Road – Sunday, September 3rd
· Slaughterhouse – Saturday, October 14th
· Fightland – Saturday, November 18th
· One Shot – Thursday, December 7th
Timothy Thatcher vs. Tracy Williams
They lock up to start the match, until they end up on the mat, where Timothy Thatcher escapes out of a hold and starts bending Tracy Williams back until they regroup in the corners. Thatcher knocks down Williams with a hard uppercut, then starts twisting his left ankle, until Williams applies an ankle lock before Thatcher grabs the bottom rope. They start twisting each other’s hands until Williams traps Thatcher on the mat and bends back his ankle. Thatcher comes back with more uppercuts and a belly-to-belly throw for a two-count. They go into a chop-and-strike exchange before they go to the top rope. Williams head butts Thatcher off, but he pulls Williams off to the mat by his leg. Thatcher starts attacking Williams on the apron before bringing him back in with a side slam for a two. Williams gets pulled by his leg off the top rope again, but this time holds onto Thatcher and hits a DDT for what was an apparent three count, but the referee stops short of making the count. Thatcher is slow to move and as Williams goes to lift Thatcher up, he is cooperating, so the referee stops the match.
Winner: Tracy Williams by referee stoppage at 8:26
Kevin Blackwood Gets Drafted In The MLW 2023 Open Draft
Kevin Blackwood is announced as the first draft pick in this year’s open draft.
Country Whipping Match: Sam Adonis vs. Mance Warner
Sam Adonis gets on the mic before the match and tells everybody to rise to their feet, but they tell him to ‘shut the fuck up’. Adonis continues about how 10 years ago he would have lost his mind about being here, but now he headlines baseball stadiums in Mexico City and this building is nothing but a dump full of crap. Adonis starts running down Mance Warner until Warner comes out for the match. Both men get short leather straps to hold as the bell rings. Warner drops his strap right away and starts punching Adonis in the corner. Adonis escapes to the outside and starts looking under the ring before grabbing a chair to sit on. Warner holds the chair and tosses it into Adonis’ face before smacking his back with it. They start whipping each other with the strap on the outside before Warner gets whipped hard into the barricade. Adonis brings in a toolbox and a couple of wooden boards into the ring, but Warner stops him with another chair to the face. Adonis grabs a screwdriver and starts digging it into Warner’s forehead. Warner is gushing blood down his face while egging on Adonis to keep whipping him. Adonis grabs a much longer screwdriver and keeps digging into Warner’s cut. The commentary team gives a medical update and says that Thatcher got diagnosed with a concussion. Warner uses a chair on Adonis, but Adonis catches him and puts him through a wooden board in the corner with a Death Valley Driver. Two of the Azteca henchmen run into the ring with chairs and start attacking Warner. Warner tries to fight them off, but the three-on-one attack is too much. The henchmen hold Warner up while Adonis whips away, but Second Gear Crew’s Matthew Justice & 1 Called Manders (with Microman on his shoulders) run to the ring and chase the henchmen away. Microman stays and attacks Adonis back with a Kendo stick but gets kicked down. Warner hits Adonis with a low blow and choke slams him through a wooden board followed by a knee to the face for the pin and the win.
Winner: Mance Warner by pinfall at 12:37
The Second Gear Crew & Microman celebrate by drinking beer in the ring.
Matt Cardona Gets Drafted In The MLW 2023 Open Draft
Sam Leterna brings out Mister Saint Laurent and asks about his betrayal of Microman as the crowd chants ‘You sold out’. Laurent says that Microman tried to steal his glory and attention as the biggest genius in the history of MLW. Microman is old news and a figment of his brilliant imagination that everybody fell for. Laurent says Microman is over and it’s on to the future. Laurent gives a scoop and says he has one of the top draft picks in the MLW Open Draft for his new venture; the World Titan Federation and presents a video of the next draft pick. The video shows Matt Cardona smoking a cigar and saying ‘pro wrestling has a lot of free agents but he’s The Agent, The Indy God, The Death Match King, and the number one draft pick in all of pro wrestling’ and says that on September 3rd on Fury Road he is coming to MLW.
MLW World Tag Team Championship Fans Bring The Weapons Match: Samoan Swat Team (Juicy Finau & Lance Anoa’i) (c) vs. The Calling (Rickey Shane Page & AKIRA)
The Calling’s goons on the outside start attacking Samoan Swat Team before the bell rings, including Delirious who runs out to assist in The Calling. Jacob Fatu runs out to help out the SST and hits a Swanton on Rickey Shane Page. Security comes out and escorts Fatu and Delirious to the back. SST start tossing trash cans full of weapons into the match before heading inside with chairs. Lance Anoa’i hits a splash and cannonball to both Page and AKIRA in the corners while using trash cans, before Juicy Finau hits a big splash with the trash can himself. AKIRA starts using a video game system wrapped in barbed wire on Anoa’i. They all end up on the outside where they start using trash cans and lids on each other before Anoa’i sets up a table. Juicy goes to do the same as The Calling takes over with AKIRA hitting a running boot to Anoa’i who was seated on a chair. Juicy starts using a plunger on Page as AKIRA is busted open bleeding from the forehead. Anoa’i and AKIRA go back and forth before Anoa’i hits him with a Samoan Drop on top of a cactus plant. Some Calling goons run in the ring but Juicy takes one out of a Samoan Drop. Delirious runs out and attacks Juicy with a lead pipe, but Fatu runs back out and attacks The Calling including a twisting dive to the Calling goons on the outside. They start fighting on the apron where AKIRA hits a Meteora off the top rope to Juicy putting him through a table on the outside. Anoa’i kicks Page on top of a table and goes to the top rope but Page stops him and hits a super Raven Effect DDT to Anoa’i off the top rope, through another table to get the pin and the win.
Winners: The Calling (Rickey Shane Page & AKIRA) by pinfall at 11:18, to become NEW MLW World Tag Team Champions
Who Is Behind The Bomaye Fight Club?
After weeks of mystery, we find out who the power broker and the financier behind the Bomaye Fight Club is, and it is famous boxing promoter, Don King. King says he’s the man with the plan at Bomaye and tells Alex Kane to bring the MLW World Heavyweight Title back to him tonight live on FITE+.
B3CCA Forever
We got a special musical performance for B3CCA with an over-the-top presentation with someone handing out multiple cards for her introduction. B3CCA comes out with four backup dancers and says she has some unfortunate news and that Doja Cat who was supposed to open for her cannot make it because she said she feared for her life because this city was so dirty and riddled with crime. B3CCA says she’s not like that and loves each and every one of her ‘B3CCAnators’ and calls them her criminals, which they all chant. She gets them all to chant ‘B3CCA Forever’ and says now for the first time her new hot single ‘Hot Fun’. B3CCA starts singing in a bad fashion and repeats the words ‘hot summer fun’ repeatedly as her dancers sing. We get an unidentified appearance from wrestler Love, Doug who acts like a crazed fan for B3CCA.
MLW World Heavyweight Championship: Alex Hammerstone (c) vs. Alex Kane (w/ Mr. Thomas & O’Shay Edwards)
The crowd seems to be fully behind Alex Kane here with ‘Bomaye’ chants which prompt Alex Hammerstone to not even throw his shirt into the crowd. Hammerstone gets booed during the ring introductions as well and they chant for ‘new champ’. They start with wrist control until Hammerstone takes Kane down with a throw. Kane comes back with a takedown of his own as they start to grapple on the mat. They continue trying to take each other down using shoulder tackles before getting into each other’s faces and trading strikes before Kane captures Hammerstone into two suplexes but gets tossed to the outside while trying to put a choke on. Hammerstone gets on the top rope but gets booed, as Kane meets him on the outside and they start fighting until Hammerstone drops Kane back first onto the apron. They trade strikes back and forth until Kane tosses Hammerstone onto the barricade. Hammerstone stays in control attacking Kane on the apron before they head back inside where Kane knocks him down with a spinning forearm and a flying clothesline off the second rope. Kane follows with a splash to Hammerstone on the apron. Kane continues on the attack with an over-the-head suplex and a German suplex for a two. Kane hits another German for another two as the crowd starts chanting the suplexes for him, with Kane hitting his 7th as Hammerstone ‘hulks’ up to a flurry of boos. The crowd starts chanting ‘same old shit’ to Hammerstone, but he comes back with a power slam on Kane for a two. Hammerstone hits a Burning Hammer, but Kane kicks out a two to a big ‘Bomaye’ chant. Kane puts on a choke on Hammerstone, but he’s able to escape by grabbing the bottom rope. Hammerstone comes back with a chokeslam for a two, but Kane comes back with an Angle Slam. Hammerstone goes for the Nightmare Pendulum, but instead puts Kane on the top rope and hits a superplex. More back and forth, until Hammerstone hits the Nightmare Pendulum, but Kane is able to roll to the outside to avoid being pinned. They head to the top rope where Kane hits a gut wrench suplex for a two. Hammerstone hits a suplex, a powerbomb, and got for another Nightmare Pendulum but Mr. Thomas gets on the apron to distract Hammerstone. Kane knocks off Thomas by accident, before putting on a chokehold on Hammerstone who taps out.
Winner: Alex Kane by submission at 22:28, to become the NEW MLW World Heavyweight Champion
Bomaye Is For The People
Huge reaction from the crowd and the commentary did a really good job putting over how big a moment this is. More than a dozen Bomaye Fight Club members join Kane in the ring who says Bomaye is for the people and the world championship is for the people. Kane talks about the fans being there for him when he was just a young prospect into the better man and better performer he is now from when they booed him heavily to now with them all behind him and it happened organically. Kane talks about hitting up Don King and getting the colors changed for the belt and they aren’t done here as they are getting all the gold. A great heartfelt moment here for Kane.
