MLW Never Say Never Review – July 8, 2023
National Openweight Title Match
Jacob Fatu (c) vs. Calvin Tankman
Jacob Fatu & Calvin Tankman run the ropes until Tankman ducks the Savate Kick from Fatu before they exchange forearms until they both spill to the outside where Fatu goes and reaches to his left knee. Tankman keeps on the attack by 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 then back inside, Fatu whips Tankman into the corner and keeps checking on his left knee.
They go back & forth until Tankman pounces Fatu over the top rope then 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 win.
Winner & Still National Openweight Champion: Jacob Fatu (9:51) (STILL CHAMPION!!!!!)
Rate: 7
After the match 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.
Backstage Sam Laterna is with WXW Women’s Champion Ava Everett & says she’ll leave this cesspool of Philadelphia with 2 titles and bring them back to Germany where the fans are worthy of her presence.
Winner Takes All Match
Delmi Exo (Featherweight) vs. Ava Everett (WXW Women’s)
Match starts off with Ava Everett goes outside then 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 neckbreaker for two then Exo tries to punch her way to a comeback and hits a spinebuster for a two count. Exo pushes Everett to the outside and hits her with the suicide dive. Exo goes to the top rope and hits a missile dropkick & it gets a two count.
Everett comes back with the Y2 Cutter for a two count and starts showing a bit of frustration. Everett starts teasing The Super Kick of Everett but Emo stops her with a leg trap suplex follow by Delmi Driver to get the win.
Winner & Still Featherweight & New WXW Women’s Champions: Delmi Exo (6:44) (NEW & STILL CHAMPIONS!!!!!)
Rate: 6
Tracy Williams vs. Timothy Thatcher
Match starts off with a lock up before they ended 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 2 belly throw for a two count. They go into a chop & 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 count. 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 3 count but the referee stops short of making the count.
Thatcher is slow to move and as Williams goes to lift Thatcher up but he is cooperating so the referee stops the match.
Winner By Referee Stoppage: Tracy Williams (8:26)
Rate: 7
Kevin Blackwood is announced as the 1st draft pick in this year’s open draft.
Before the match Sam Adonis gets on the mic before the match and tells everybody to rise to their feet but they tell him to shut the f*ck 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.
Country Whipping Match
Sam Adonis vs. Mance Warner
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 whips 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 before 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. 2 of the Azteca henchmen run into the ring with chairs and start attacking Warner. Warner tries to fight them off but the 3 on 1 attack is too much.
The henchmen hold Warner up while Adonis whips away but 2nd 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 to get the win.
Winner: Mance Warner (12:37)
Rate: 6
After the match 2nd Gear Crew & Microman celebrate by drinking beer in the ring.
Sam Laterna brings out Mister Saint Laurent and asks about his betrayal of Microman & 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 #1 draft pick in all of pro wrestling’ and says that on September 3rd on Fury Road he is coming to MLW.
World Tag Team Titles Fans Brings The Weapons Match
Samoan Swat Team (Juicy Finau & Lance Anoa’i) (c) vs. The Calling (Middleweight Champion Akira & Ricky Shane Page)
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 Samoan Swat Team and hits a Swanton on Rickey Shane Page. Security comes out and escorts Fatu & Delirious to the back. Samoan Swat Team 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 & 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.
Finau 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. Finau starts using a plunger on Page before Anoa’i & Akira go back & forth before Anoa’i hits him with a Samoan Drop on top of a cactus plant. Some Calling goons run in the ring but Finau takes one out of a Samoan Drop.
Delirious runs out and attacks Finau 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 Finau 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 win.
Winners & New World Tag Team Champions: The Calling (11:18) (NEW CHAMPIONS!!!!)
Rate: 5
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 Title back to him tonight live on FITE+.
We got a special musical performance for Becca with an over the top presentation with someone handing out multiple cards for her introduction. Becca comes out with 4 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. Becca says she’s not like that and loves each and every one of her Beccanators and calls them her criminals which they all chant. She gets them all to chant Becca Forever and says now for the 1st time her new hot single Hot Fun. Becca starts singing in a bad fashion and repeats the words hot summer fun repeatedly as her dancers sing. We get an unidentified appearance from Love Doug & he acts like a crazed fan for Becca.
MLW World Title Match
Alexander Hammerstone (c) vs. 2023 Battle Riot Winner Alex Kane
Match starts off with both men doing wrist control until Alexander Hammerstone takes Alex 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 2 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 & 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 2nd 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 count.
Kane hits another German for another two count as the crowd starts chanting the suplexes for him with Kane hitting his 7th as Hammerstone hulks up to a flurry of boos but he comes back with a powerslam on Kane for a two. Hammerstone hits Burning Hammer but Kane kicks out a two count.
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.
We get more back & 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 count.
Hammerstone hits a suplex then 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 By Submission & New MLW World Champion: Alex Kane (22:28) (NEW CHAMPION!!!!!)
Rate: 7
After the match 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 World Title and they aren’t done here as they are getting all the gold.
Matches Of The Night
National Openweight Title Match
Timothy Thatcher vs. Tracy Williams
MLW World Title Match
