In the build-up to MLW War Chamber 2021, the Hammerheads are still short a member. Actually, in watching the recent episodes of MLW Fusion ALPHA, I never saw the fourth member announced. Let’s see if this episode of MLW Fusion ALPHA catches things up before the episode nine premiere.
MLW Fusion ALPHA #8
Trios Match: Los Parks vs. 5150
12-Man Survival Tag Team Match: EJ Nduka, Richard Holliday, Savio Vega, The Blue Meanie, Warhorse, and Zenshi vs. Ikuro Kwon, KC Navarro, King Mo, Gino Medina, Kevin Ku and The Beastman
Opera Cup Semi-Finals: Davey Richards vs. Bobby Fish
The Sizzle
MLW Fusion ALPHA opens with three members of the Hammerheads—leader Alexander Hammerstone, Richard Holliday, and EJ Nduka—backstage. A backstage interviewer runs up looking for a scoop for War Chamber 2021 only to be sent away.
At this point, Cesar Duran struts up offering a fifth member for the Hammerheads. Obviously, they don’t trust him and since they don’t have a fifth person in mind, they agree to Duran’s offer.
Duran has his key—the one that had Matanza locked away in Lucha Underground. It looks like they will have to jump through some hoops for the key. Before the opening match, Jacob Fatu is shown being held back by security. He’s pissed about something.
Usually, when there’s a recent CONTRA Unit promo it’s more or less the same but this time Josef Samael brought a little extra by insulting Philadelphia fans who are supporting the Hammerheads.
After that, the brawl between 5150 and Los Parks has spilled backstage. Random Jacob Fatu storms through but doesn’t get involved in the melee. Hilarious. El Hijo de LA Park has his mask snatched off prompting his father and brother to cover him as 5150 is ushered away.
After the breezy 12-man elimination tag bout, Willow Nightingale meets with Cesar Duran about her future in MLW. She says she is going to take the Featherweight title and make the title. It appears that their meeting is positive until Duran’s Lucha Goon shows up with news about Fatu. He’s still rampaging backstage and Duran has to deal with it.
After a break showing that Nzo is coming to Major League Wrestling soon, we have Jacob Fatu tearing up Duran’s office while the matchmaker sits leisurely. Fatu wants his title back. This has had him pissed for weeks now, it seems and he’s just getting a meeting with Duran about it.
Duran mentions that the rematch clause stands but Josef Samael hasn’t signed off on it. This is a surprise to Fatu who manages to walk off before Duran can further drive a wedge between CONTRA’s heavy-duty bulldozers.
In the last sizzle segment, Alicia Atout is talking with Dynasty and EJ Nduka about their last team member for the Hammerheads. It was mentioned that Savio Vega was on the team—which Holliday wasn’t a fan of at all.
The discussion came to Duran’s key and Nduka noted that it used to lock away Duran’s brother Matanza. Atout gets word that Richard Holliday was getting a World Championship shot against Alexander Hammerstone.
Instead of going into the dramatic look or stare down knowing that it could break up Dynasty, the two of them acted out the cliché teammate turns on a partner trope.
It was even completed with Holliday holding the title up over his head. Both Nduka and Atout looked confused until Hammerstone noted he wants to face Holliday and Nduka because he’s a fighting champion and it won’t change the dynamic of the Hammerheads.
The Steak
In the opener, we have what starts off as a chaotic six-man tag match between Konnan’s 5150 and Los Parks. Patriarch LA Park was attacked before the match but it’s a tag match as Smokes is outside as a manager.
Homicide comes out and joins 5150 in fighting Los Parks. It’s mentioned that he’s the one who likely attacked LA Park—who had to be chasing after Homicide because he comes out moments after him.
Smokes has so much energy as a manager. He’s all over the place and kind of reminds me of Jimmy Hart or Scott D’More when he was over Team Canada in TNA. His seizure selling of a chairshot was both refreshing and hilarious.
The match eases into a one-on-one before being thrown out after LA Park uses a chair. This match was a mess. After the match, it’s…a quasi-brawl between the two sides where they take turns with their offense. It’s weird but still violent.
For some reason, a 12-man tag match just seems like it would be a mess but the first two eliminations of Warhorse and King Mo established the pace of the eliminations. The heel team of Ikuro Kwon, King Mo, Gino Medina, Beastman, and KC Navarro had the numbers advantage for most of the match.
This was down to Beastman rolling through three members of the face side before EJ Nduka finally put him away. While at a disadvantage, it was Nduka who sealed the win for his side after doling out spinebusters. He must have got them 4-for-1 on sale or something.
Overall, it was way better than I thought it would be. It gets the thumbs up from me. Another match that gets the thumbs up is the main event which was an Opera Cup semi-final bout between Davey Richards and Bobby Fish. High gear Davey Richards is my favorite Richards mode.
Sure, he can fly if needed or do a technical match that is either way too speedy or way too sluggish but when he’s right in the middle and turns the physicality and aggression to anywhere between 8 and 11, that’s him at his best.
Bobby Fish is someone most fans would be more familiar with since Richards was away from wrestling for a couple of years. In that time, Fish was getting his shine via his team with NXT star Kyle O’Reilly and he’s always been a high-gear wrestler as well.
When these two clashed in the semi-finals, it was what you’d expect: hard-hitting with some aggressive mat work. This isn’t super elegant, flashy counters technical wrestling. It was more beat on your opponent to the point that they leave openings that you can exploit with practical but effective holds. That’s the technical wrestling I dig the most.
The pace did pick up towards the end of the match and it looked like Fish could be facing TJP in the finals but Richards managed to pick up the submission victory following an almost mirror opponent.
MLW Fusion ALPHA #8 Verdict: Silver Medal (3.1/5)
Episode seven was more of Major League Wrestling getting MLW Fusion ALPHA getting back on track pace-wise. This was a pretty good episode throughout. The tag team survivor match really surprised me. I figured that it was going to be a rambling, long mess of a match but it was actually a good showcase for EJ Nduka.
Hell, Beastman even looked solid here and my first impression was “Who is this guy?” I don’t know what happened with Los Parks vs. 5150. It should’ve been a banger of a brawl but it didn’t hit that mark at all. The match of the episode honors goes to Davey Richards vs. Bobby Fish.
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