SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE STARTS A FEW INCHES LOWER)…

MLW TV REPORT
JANUARY 13, 2022 (RECORDED)
TIJUANA, MEXICO
BROADCAST ON YOUTUBE
REPORT BY MARCUS ARIAS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Commentators: Rich Bocchini and Joe Dombrowski

-Video recap of events from last week’s episode.

– Cesar Duran welcomed everyone to the show from his office and mentioned that he was getting “very nasty tweets” about what he did to Alexander Hammerstone last week, but they didn’t matter to him not at all. He trusted his believers before, but they failed his temple. For him, they are no longer believers but rather “dirty renegades”. Since he controls MLW Azteca, he has “unique opportunities” available and everyone, including the MLW Heavyweight Champion, must bow out or face the consequences. He happily said that none of this mattered since the “Cathedral of Violence” had opened its doors.

-Bocchini and Dombrowski were at ringside at an outdoor venue they both dubbed “an underground fight club.” Joe mentioned that there were a lot of questions about where Hammerstone was and how they might be related to why they were in that particular location. Rich quickly jumped in and said 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

Prior to the start of this match, a video package of Rivera and Slice Boogie running on the Von Erichs was shown. The champions accused the Von Erichs of only wanting a title shot because MLW was coming to Dallas soon. Rivera said he doesn’t care about anyone’s last names. He and Slice will leave Marshall and Ross bleeding.

5150 didn’t wait for the bell and quickly jumped on the challengers. Once the bell rang, Slice and Rivera overwhelmed Black Destiny with a flurry of double team moves, including an impressive double assist kick. Skalibur returned to the ring to even the odds, but was cut off by the much larger Boogie. After a short break, the two members of 5150 were outside the ring and were 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 moves from Lucha before Rivera simply got 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 came back and tried to capitalize as Destiny was stuck in the corner. Rivera shifted his attention to Skalibur for a moment and Slice Boogie took the opportunity to smother Destiny under Konnan’s approving gaze.

Rivera made coverage for another two count. Slice scored again and 5150 once again doubled down Destiny. After a quick tag, Rivera connected with an Eddie Guerrero-style slingshot splash that resulted in a two count, infuriating Rivera at the referee. Slice tagged in and overpowered Destiny with brutal forearm shots. Boogie went for cover after a body slam/elbow drop combination and got another close to falling. Rivera scored again and was used as a battering ram by Slice to knock Skalibur to the ground as they defeated Destiny. Rivera went for a dive in the corner, which allowed Destiny to finally take offense with a Missile dropkick. Destiny and Rivera were able to tag their partners. Skalibur came in after a hot tag and landed a big springboard clothesline, which eventually sent the much larger Boogie off his feet. Skalibur attempted to go to the top again but was caught by Slice. Boogie seemed to go for a Death Valley driver, but Skalibur broke free. As Skalibur knocked Boogie to the mat with a drop foot, Rivera tried to help but was thrown through the air by Skalibur, caught by Destiny, and bombarded his partner. A double count led to a near-fall double. 5150 quickly recovered and managed to land 456 Headcrack on Skalibur.

WINNER: 5150 in 8:10.

-After the match, Konnan celebrated with his team and called Drago and Aerostar, who suggested they wanted a shot at the MLW titles. Aerostar and Drago interrupt and a fight ensues.

(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 pretty impressive when given the chance to shine with tougher opponents. small ones he can throw. I never thought the titles were in danger of changing hands here, but that didn’t take anything away from this game.)

-A pre-recorded interview of Alicia Atout speaking with Savio Vega in Puerto Rico is shown. Savio is asked what he thinks of Cesar Duran’s actions. Vega said he was “hot” and wanted his IWA back and beat Pagano, that’s how it’s going to be.

-A recap of KC Navarro being attacked by nZo is followed by a quick segment where Emilio Sparks asks nZo why he attacked his friend. nZo responded by saying that he did KC a favor and taught him respect.

-It has been announced that Davey Richards has signed a multi-year contract with MLW.

-Richard Holliday tries to find more information on Hammerstone’s whereabouts and attempts to fight his way through Cesar Duran’s henchmen. Alicia Atout told him it wasn’t worth it.

-A spotlight on EJ Nduka is played which details his time in the NFL and his transition into professional bodybuilding.

-Back at the fight club, 5150 was talking about Aerostar and Drago before being interrupted by one of Cesar Duran’s minions. He hands them a note confirming that they will be defending their titles against the two Lucha legends next week.

(2) ALEX KANE vs. AEROSTAR – MLW National Openweight Championship

Prior to the match, it was announced that nZo had been suspended indefinitely.

Alex Kane overpowered Aerostar early on, simply fending him off. The crowd started an “Aerostar!” singing as the two men closed in. Once again the smaller Aerostar was tossed aside. After another block, Aerostar was muscled into the corner but was able to get out of the way as Kane missed with a splash. The challenger continues with a corkscrew plancha and a hurricanrana which brings the champion out. Aerostar performed in front of the crowd as Alex collected his thoughts. As Kane returned to the ring, Aerostar tried to attempt a springboard plancha but Kane turned it into a descending slam.

Alex beat Aerostar for a while before his manager, Mr. Thomas got some cheap knocks on Aerostar. Kane got a two count after an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Aerostar tried to excite the crowd again but had several crossed faces for their problem. He was able to counter a vertical suplex with an enziguri. Aerostar landed a double knee attack that sent Kane to the outside. Aerostar had the chance to fly with a top of the range. The challenger brought Kane back into the ring and went for another high-risk move, but 5150’s interference derailed that. Kane choked out Aerostar with the Kata Ha Jime.

WINNER: Alex Kane in 6:00.

(Marcus Analysis: Just like the other title match, I never thought Aerostar would get the win here. The match itself went well. Alex Kane continues to impress me. That can I say? I’m a sucker for a good suplex. )

-Emilio Sparks tried to get an interview with Cesar Duran and asked questions directly about Hammerstone and what was going through his mind right now. Cesar said he couldn’t get help these days and insulted one of his henchmen who didn’t have a uniform. EJ Nduka interrupted Duran and demanded to know where Hammerstone was. Cesar invited EJ into his office and EJ reluctantly agreed.

-Mads Krugger is shown chained up in a dark room, being held by the henchmen. He said Contra is in ashes and he wants a shot at Jacob Fatu. Catrina said he had to earn this chance if he could beat Bestia 666.

(3) SAVIO VEGA vs. PAGANO

Savio Vega came to the ring prepared, armed with a steel chair and a kendo stick. Commentary cut to behind-the-scenes footage of Davey Richards. Pagano came ringing with a chair of his own and two men immediately started brawling. Savio quickly took the lead and hit Pagano with the chair, landing a near pinfall. Pagano responded with a short-arm clothesline.

The killer clown nearly fell after an elbow drop on the springboard. After a series of chops from Pagano, Vega countered another clothesline attempt with a punch to the throat. Savio tried to smother Pagano with the chair. Pagano was able to roll to the outside and was tracked by Savio. The two men fought in the crowd. Pagano smashed Vega’s head into a fence and followed it up with a running ax kick.

Savio is busted after being bitten in the forehead by Pagano. Pagano brought Vega back into the ring and went for a springboard clothesline but Vega responded with another punch. At this point, Vega was dripping with blood. Pagano regained the lead on a break and followed up with a missile dropkick. He placed Vega on the top turnbuckle and emptied a bag of tacks onto the mat. As Pagano attempted a hurricane, Savio was able to overpower his opponent and knock him into the edges. Pagano grabbed a handful of thumbtacks and threw them in 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. It was meant to be violent. All things considered, it was surprisingly tame. I like that Pagano positions himself as an enforcer for Cesar Duran. It suits him.)

-A quick preview of next week’s map is shown but is quickly interrupted by footage of Emilio Sparks walking down a hallway. He walked past doors with Killshot and Salina’s names written on them. A very large door with Hammerstone’s name is shown and the MLW Champion attacks the henchman from earlier who is revealed to be…Richard Holliday! Holliday rescued Hammerstone and they both begin the search for Cesar Duran at the end of the show.

CATCH UP: MLW files legal action against WWE, WWE responds