MLW SuperFight
February 3rd, 2024
By: John Siino
2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA
Commentary: Joe Dombrowski & Christian Cole
MLW World Middleweight Championship Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match: Rocky Romero (c) (w/ Jesus Rodriguez & Salina de la Renta) vs. Ichiban
No Matt Striker tonight, as Joe Dombrowski introduces Christian Cole as his ‘new broadcast partner’. They mention Rocky Romero dropping the CMLL World Historic Welterweight title to Mascara Dorada recently. They run the ropes a bit until Ichiban gets sent to the outside but he catches a tope from Romero, right into a suplex on the outside. Ichicban sends Romero back inside, but he is able to hit the forever clotheslines. Ichiban follows with a leg drop before trying the 10 punches, but Romero escapes and hits a backstabber. Ichiban tries to catch Romero off the top rope, but Romero falls on him, Jesus Rodriguez holds Ichiban’s foot down for Romero to get the first fall at 3:29.
As Ichiban is complaining to the referee, Romero attacks Ichiban from behind, hitting a backbreaker. Romero stays on the attack, hitting another backbreaker for a two, and continues to work on Ichiban’s back with knees and a Camel Clutch. Ichiban stands up and escapes, dodging Romero in the corner and taking him out with a kick. Ichiban hits a handspring elbow and a top rope crossbody for two. Ichiban sends Romero to the outside and hits him with a tope con giro followed by the Ichibankai for the second fall at 9:12.
Ichiban goes right after Romero in the corner with chops before the 10 punches. Romero catches Ichiban in the corner with a backbreaker and a tornado DDT for two. Ichiban stops a Sliced Rocky attempt, puts Romero on the top rope, and hits a superplex. Jesus gets on the apron, but Ichiban takes him out. The crowd gets behind Ichiban, as he goes for a piledriver on the apron, but Romero counters and hits a suplex followed by the Sliced Rocky for two. They head to the top rope, where Romero hits an avalanche Sliced Rocky, but Ichiban still kicks out at two. Romero hits a kick followed by the Sunset Driver to get the pin and the win.
Winner: Rocky Romero [2-1] by pinfall at 16:20, to retain
Salina sees an Azteca henchman on the ramp and slaps and attacks him, before being pulled off by Romero & Rodriguez.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. (w/Saint Laurent) vs. 1 Called Manders
This is Davey Boy Smith Jr.’s first match in MLW since April 2023. They go right after each other before Smith knocks 1 Called Manders to the mat and goes after his leg. Manders punches away as Smith goes to the outside to regroup with Saint Laurent. Manders takes to the outside, not before jumping off the apron onto Smith, but Smith comes back with a suplex on the outside. Smith whips Manders into the barricade, before tossing him back inside for a one count. They trade forearms before Smith hits a gut wrench suplex for two. Smith stays on top of Manders with shots that cause Manders to get busted open from the forehead. Smith keeps attacking Manders on the outside against the commentary table before Manders crawls back inside the ring and reverses Smith with a backbody drop. Manders stays in control, but Smith stops him on the ropes and hits a superplex for a two. Smith follows with a piledriver for a two and goes right into the crossface. Manders puts his middle finger, before eventually passing out as the referee calls off the match.
Winner: Davey Boy Smith Jr. by referee stoppage at 9:41
Smith kept attacking Manders after, including licking the blood off his face. Christian Cole approaches them and asks Laurent for their thoughts after that match. Laurent says they are heading straight into Court Bauer’s office and asking for a tag team title shot. Smith says the only thing he loves more than blood is gold.
Jacob Fatu vs. Yuji Nagata
As Jacob Fatu heads to the ring, commentary talks about what he’s meant for MLW as it’s been reported this is his final match in MLW, before becoming a free agent. Coincidently, his first MLW appearance was at the 2019 SuperFight, which was also here in Philadelphia. Yuji Nagata continues his Saturday night US tour, making his MLW debut and his first match in Philadelphia, since beating Psychosis on the November 3rd, 1997 episode of WCW Monday Nitro. They start the match by taking each other down, as the crowd chants ‘Fatu’s going to kill you’. Nagata starts clubbing Fatu against the ropes, but he comes right back with a body slam and headbutt drop for a two. Nagata dodges Fatu in the corner and hits a high kick for two before he starts bending back on Fatu’s fingers. Fatu is able to get to the bottom rope, but Nagata continues with the kicks and working on Fatu’s arm. They trade off kicks before Fatu hits the handspring moonsault for two. Nagata stops Fatu with an overhead suplex, before putting on the Fujiwara armbar. Fatu stops a belly-to-back suplex and hits the Alley Uce, followed by the top rope moonsault to get the pin and the win.
Winner: Jacob Fatu by pinfall at 9:03
Mads Krugger & Contra Unit Return
Fatu gets on the mic after but he gets interrupted by the Contra Unit music, as the Sentai Death Squad heads to the ring and starts attacking Fatu, but Fatu takes them all out. Mads Krugger comes out, who hasn’t been seen since September 2022, with more of the Sentai Death Squad as they all hold Fatu, until Krugger takes out Fatu with his club, as this looks to be Fatu’s write-off of MLW.
Death Machine Rules Match: Sami Callihan vs. AKIRA
The rules for this match are anything goes, weapons legal, no disqualification, and this match cannot be stopped due to blood loss. They start the match by spitting at each other before the match starts, as we see other members of The Calling roaming on the outside. Sami Callihan starts the match right away with a piledriver for a two, before taking an AKIRA 8×10 and giving AKIRA a paper cut in between his fingers with it. Justified ‘you sick fuck’ chants’. Callihan takes a lemon and puts the juice in AKIRA’s open cut. Callihan starts with a chair before pulling the barbed wire baseball bat. AKIRA is able to stop him and starts cutting Callihan’s mouth with a half-cut Coca-Cola can. Callihan tosses a board into AKIRA’s face and sets up a wooden board on two chairs on the outside. They fight on the apron, as AKIRA sends Callihan through the table with a cutter. AKIRA keeps attacking Callihan on the outside but Callihan him with bites. AKIRA, now busted open, finds two staple guns under the ring, before tossing one to Callihan for a dual. The crowd chants ‘staple fight’, as they both end up stapling each other in the forehead and chest. They do it to their hands next, before AKIRA hits a split and staples Callihan right in the balls. AKIRA brings in more barbed wire and soda cans in the ring and puts the cans on a chair, but Callihan grabs him and puts him through the chair with a Death Valley Driver. They go back and forth before AKIRA puts on a Muta Lock with the barbed wire in Callihan’s face. Callihan comes back with a brainbuster, as AKIRA kicks out at one. AKIRA tries to headbutt Callihan, but Callihan catches AKIRA right into the Cactus Driver ’97 for the pin and the win.
Winner: Sami Callihan by pinfall at 13:37
Raven Returns
Rickey Shane Page and Cannonball enter the ring and keep attacking AKIRA, duct-taping him to the bottom rope. The Calling points to the entranceway as Raven makes his return and enters the ring. They hand Raven a kendo stick but he takes out RSP, Callihan, and Cannonball with it instead. AKIRA takes out the rest of the Calling goons and poses with Raven.
Minoru Suzuki is Returning
They announce that Minoru Suzuki will return to MLW, and will face off against Satoshi Kojima at Intimidation Games, on February 29th in New York City.
Contra Will Reign Once Again
We go to a Contra Unit video where Mads Krugger asks Jacob Fatu if he truly believes that this war is over. For two years, his sleeper cells have waited and now the time to strike is here. The war that Fatu started never ended, and on February 17th he will put him in the funeral parlor, and Contra Unit will reign once again.
Averno (w/ Salina de la Renta & Jesus Rodriguez) vs. Mistico (w/ Cesar Duran)
Salina de la Renta gets on the mic and says she’s tired of these games and she’s not scared of these masked pendejos. She is the queen of Lucha Libre and a trailblazer. She gets interrupted by a returning Cesar Duran who says Salina has been naughty and consequences must be paid, as he introduces Mistico, who is making his MLW debut tonight. They start the match trying to take each down before having a standstill. They run the ropes, with Mistico getting the upper hand before Averno sends Mistico flying to the outside where he powerbombs him right into the ring post. Back inside, Averno double-stomps Mistico in the corner before putting him on the top rope and starts ripping away his mask, but Mistico stops him. Mistico comes back with a springboard elbow, a Tiger Faint kick and a hurricanrana sending Averno to the outside, where he meets him with a dive. Averno attacks Mistico, as Mistico kicks away, with an arm drags off the ropes and dives onto Averno on the outside, turning it into a hurricanrana. Mistico hits a Code Red for two but gets drop-kicked to the outside as Averno dives right onto him. Averno catches Mistico into a powerbomb but only gets two. Averno gets a two after the Devil’s Wings, as Mistico sends Averno right back to the outside and hits him with a corkscrew plancha. Mistico puts Averno on the top rope, but Averno catches him and hits him with an avalanche Devil’s Wings, for a close two. Averno heads to the top rope, but Mistico joins him and hits a Spanish Fly for two. Mistico runs the ropes, right into La Mistica as Averno taps out right away.
Winner: Mistico by submission at 14:44
They announce that Mistico will challenge Rocky Romero for the MLW World Middleweight Championship at Intimidation Games on February 29th in New York City, as well as Jacob Fatu vs. Mads Krule Krugger in a Baklei Brawl on Burning Crush (taping the same day as this) that’s airing on February 17th for free.
MLW World Heavyweight Championship: Alex Kane (c) (w/ Mr. Thomas & Faye Jackson) vs. Satoshi Kojima (w/ Shigeo Okumura)
They start the match locking up a couple of times, followed by Satoshi Kojima escaping out of a choke attempt by Alex Kane. Kane follows Kojima to the outside and starts attacking him against the barricade, before sending him back inside for a two count. Kane starts working on Kojima’s arm before he starts stomping away at every limb of Kojima. Kojima bounces off the ropes with a clothesline, before they trade off chops in the corners. Kojima heads to the top rope, but Kane stops him and presses him off. Kojima comes back with a DDT, but Kane hits a Saito Suplex. With Kojima laying on the apron, Kane hits him with his apron splash. Kane puts on the ankle lock, but Kojima grabs the bottom rope. Kojima comes back with the Koji Cutter, but Kane stops him from hitting the Koji Lariat, hitting an exploder suplex and a German suplex. Kane hits a suplex bomb, but Kojima kicks out at two. Kane stays on top of him with another suplex for two, but as Kane picks up Kojima he takes him out with a lariato and a suplex for one count. Kojima comes back with another lariato to get the pin and the win.
Winner: Satoshi Kojima by pinfall at 11:23, to become NEW MLW World Heavyweight Champion
Drink Beer & Eat Bread
The finish came out of nowhere, and even this crowd was taken aback. Kojima becomes the first ever 2-time MLW World Heavyweight Champion, after holding the title originally back in 2002. Kojima grabs a mic, thanks the crowd and says after more than 20 years he has achieved glory again. Kojima says his English is very shit, but he has passion and thanks the fans here. Yuji Nagata shows up and hands Kojima and Okumura some beers to celebrate with him. Kojima says he’s already drunk and tells everyone to drink beer and eat bread.
