MLW Underground TV Review – 05.05.2003

Welcome back to more Major League Wrestling, originally presented for our home viewing in the graveyard hours of regional sports networks (I was aware of it through the Sunshine Network in Florida, which later turned into Sun-Sports). We dipped our toes into MLW waters a while ago, and if you’re reading about it for the first time, they would run a show with 8-9 matches, spread them out across multiple episodes of TV, film some promos, and hype the next live event. In the TV timeline, this is the 5th episode, as we’re finally approaching our next event, with at least three events in the can taped from June through December 2002 (yes, that is quite the gap, but better late than never).

Joey Styles is our host from the MLW Control Room, and it looks like all of the action featured on this episode was taped on December 20th, 2002 at “MLW King of Kings” held in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Raven is sitting around, cutting a more generic promo than we’ve seen in recent weeks. His target has been Vampiro, but last week, Joey Styles mentioned a possible injury working in CMLL (either that or it’s Vampiro, draw your own conclusion), and now Raven’s promo is towards a nameless opponent who will cross paths with him next week. Whoever this person is has been trying to get Raven’s attention and antagonizing him, so now they’ll find out just how irritated he is. Quoth the Raven, nevermore.

Jerry Lynn is WALKING, before being cut off by Christopher Daniels. Daniels says he’s a firm believer in redemption and that is what Lynn is looking for. He’s been offered Extreme Revolutions and Sports Entertainment Stardom, only to be stabbed in the back. He sees Lynn is bitter and vulnerable, but he should trust the Fallen Angel, as he can offer salvation. Lynn says he makes a lot of good points, but he has work to do.

Fuego Guerrero vs. Super Crazy vs. Christopher Daniels:
Last week on MLW Underground, we watched Super Crazy defeat Fuego Guerrero (a.k.a. The Amazing Red) in a match taped from MLW Reload (taped in September from the Manhattan Center), so we’re running it back with Daniels thrown in the mix! Styles paints Super Crazy as arrogant and disrespectful towards Fuego (who is openly identified as Red). Daniels and Crazy take turns locking up with and sending Fuego to the canvas. Crazy tells Fuego to sit in the corner and watch, and he doesn’t appreciate it. All three men throw dropkicks, and we’re back to a neutral position, with Crazy offering sarcastic applause. Daniels grabs the house mic and tells everyone to shut up. Crazy sends Daniels to the floor with a spinning head-scissors, and Fuego with a more elaborate version to do the same to Crazy as we take a break.

We return with Fuego unloading on Crazy with kicks. I just noticed that Fuego’s gear has the MLW logo on them. WHAT A MARK! Daniels finally gets back in the ring and is immediately greeted with a double chop. He fights out of a double suplex and hits a combo bulldog and clothesline for two-counts. Fuego clears the ring again. A baseball slide doesn’t work out and Crazy dumps him across the guardrail. Back in the ring, Crazy with a springboard moonsault, followed by a pop-up X-Factor on Fuego for a near-fall. Daniels plants Crazy with a uranage and comes off the top with a moonsault for two.

Fuego stuns Daniels with a roundhouse kick and hits the Code Red for two as Crazy barely makes the save. Crazy with the Liger-Bomb and now Daniels saves. Fuego cuts off a Crazy dive with a basement dropkick and hits Daniels on the floor with a tope con hilo. Crazy wants in on the fun and follows with a plancha. Fuego with a step-up enzuigiri and standing SSP on Crazy and that’s good for the three-count at 9:56 (shown). Crazy is a poor sport, pulling Fuego off the ropes and attempting to rip off his mask. We all know who is under the mask, it’s just a sign of disrespect! Out come Jose and Joel Maximo to make the save and Crazy bails out before he can pay for his dastardly behavior. The unedited match is listed as 15-minutes, but from what is here, I mostly enjoyed it, as they kept it simple and balanced all three men in the ring enough without being too contrived.

Mike Awesome has words ahead of his match, saying that he just got out of the Sports Entertainment detox center last week, and that MLW gave him the opportunity to face Jerry Lynn for a shot at the MLW Championship. It doesn’t matter if it’s Vampiro or Kojima, he wants the belt, and gives a rude gesture to the camera.

Jerry Lynn vs. Mike Awesome:
As we found out in our pre-tapes, the winner of this match earns the status of #1 contender and will challenge either Satoshi Kojima or Vampiro at a later date. Both matches were taped at King of Kings, and Kojima is NOT scheduled for the MLW show being taped on May 9th, AND Vampiro’s status with the company is up in the air, so… I just lost my concentration typing that.

Awesome tries intimidating Lynn with his size and Lynn shoves him off. Lockup and Awesome sends Lynn crashing to the canvas as Joey runs down Awesome’s time in WCW and WWF (He’s not a 70’s Guy or an Alliance puppet!). He sends Lynn to the corner and charges in with a clothesline. Another whip and this time Lynn comes off the second rope with a body press. Awesome quickly cuts him off, nailing him with a Spear for a two-count. Lynn pulls down the ropes on a charge, sending Awesome to the outside. A guillotine leg drop keeps Awesome on the floor and Lynn follows with a pescado. Awesome’s size and strength again overwhelms, but his lack of speed allows Lynn to dip his shoulder and send him over the guardrail.

We come back from a break and there’s no edit in the matches, as we return to where we left off and Awesome dives over the guardrail. Back inside, Awesome with a slingshot shoulder tackle for a near-fall. Lynn creates separation in the corner and comes off the ropes with a series of clotheslines, followed by a hurricanrana and tornado face-buster for two. CHRISTOPHER DANIELS shows up at ringside as Awesome muscles out of a piledriver attempt. Awesome stuns Lynn with a straight boot and connects with a sit-out Awesome Bomb for a near-fall. Lynn counters a second attempt with a DDT for two. Whip to the corner and Awesome with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex, followed by a flying splash for two. Lynn escapes an Awesome Bomb and stacks Awesome up for two. Awesome pops up with a short clothesline and the running Awesome Bomb finishes Lynn at 8:42. This was a fun David vs. Goliath match, with Awesome’s size and strength controlling most of the action, but Lynn’s speed and grit kept him alive until he took one too many bombs.

Post-match, Daniels gets in the ring, letting Lynn know he’s disappointed in him. He had the opportunity at ReLoad and couldn’t get the job done against Satoshi Kojima, and tonight, he blew his shot at the title against Mike Awesome. He’s been pinned on every Major League Wrestling show ever promoted! Lynn has a decision to make, and he can stay on the same path he is, listening to the idiot fans and keep going down his downward spiral, or he can wake up and realize that his (Daniels’) way is the right way and with the Fallen Angel by his side, he can rule Major League Wrestling. Lynn snatches the microphone. He has only one thing to say, and that’s… Daniels is right, and shakes his hand.

Joey Styles asks if there’s a more fighting Champion than Satoshi Kojima. He’s defeated the likes of Jerry Lynn, Johnny Smith and Mitsuya Nagai, and tonight he can add a notch to the MLW Heavyweight Championship if he can defeat Vampiro, who may have Raven in the back of his head (even though the match is taped 5 months ago and Raven was still a WWE employee at the time, but… MAGIC OF TV). We throw it to a pre-tape of Kojima, who is not a man of many words.

Steve Corino standing by with a pre-tape, hyping the show on Friday Night where he finally meets Terry Funk one-on-one. He promises it will be the end to Funk’s 38-year career. It must eat away at Terry knowing that Corino is already better than he ever was, AND he was trained by his own brother! Corino will cement his spot as a God of Professional Wrestling while Terry goes back to the Ranch to play with the great-grandkids.

MLW Heavyweight Championship Match:
Satoshi Kojima (c) vs. Vampiro:
Today’s Main Event and the Main Event of MLW King of Kings. We’re notified before throwing it to the tape that the winner will defend the Championship on June 20th in Fort Lauderdale against Mike Awesome. We’ve got long-term booking plans, people! WE MEAN BUSINESS! Kojima is doing the touring Champion routine with Styles again running down some of his latest victories.

Vampiro offers a handshake and Kojima nopes out of the corner. Vampiro’s left knee looks heavily bandaged. Lockup into the corner and Vampiro breaks, but not without a disrespectful shove. Kojima gives it back and comes off the ropes with a shoulder block. More shoving and Kojima with another shoulder that sends Vampiro to the floor. He tosses a chair in the ring and Kojima sits down and bows. Back inside, Kojima escapes a waist-lock, but Vampiro catches him with a drop toe hold to interrupt his momentum. Vampiro with a pair of headbutts before sending Kojima out of the ring. Those poor guardrails are getting extra work tonight! Kojima brings up a boot and takes Vampiro down with a suplex on the concrete. They wander through the crowd and onto the stage. Vampiro slams Kojima on the exposed wood and dives off a platform with a clothesline!

We come back from a break, with Vampiro getting a two-count in the ring. Vampiro with a chokeslam, but a corkscrew moonsault misses the target. Whip reversal and Kojima counters a hurricanrana with a stack-up Powerbomb for two. Kojima with a dragon-screw leg whip and basement dropkick to the right knee. Vampiro counters a Figure-Four attempt with a small package for two. He stuns Kojima with an enzuigiri, but whatever he had planned was well-scouted as Kojima captures the ankle and locks in an STF, but Vampiro manages to get the rope for a break. Kojima with the Ace Crusher and running lariat for three at 8:24 (shown). This one is trimmed way down from it’s original run time, but what’s here is good enough, and it’s rare for me to compliment Vampiro’s work (at least from WCW and his US indy appearances).

Kojima doesn’t have long to celebrate. Awesome enters the ring, going face-to-face with Kojima and they exchange palm strikes until Awesome hits the sit-out Awesome Bomb. Awesome fetches a table, puts Kojima through it with a running Awesome Bomb, and poses with the belt as the show wraps up.

Final Thoughts: This was a fun episode with three quality matches (though some editing could be credited for at least one of them), and we’re doing a decent job of building up future matches and storylines, even if there’s a bit of trouble by presenting 5-month old footage and hoping some talent will still be available (in this case, Vampiro’s match with Raven is off the books for MLW Revolutions on May 9th). The “these guys are better than the jokes they were in other promotions” stuff gets old quick, but for a 45-minute block of entertainment, this hit the spot.