MLW Superfight 4
February 4, 2024
by Doc Allen
Live from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They're touting a sellout, which means there could be somewhere around 1,000 fans in attendance. Joe Dombrowski and Christian Cole are on commentary.
MLW Middleweight Championship (2 / 3 Falls):
Rocky Romero © (with Salina de la Renta and Jesus Rodriguez) vs. Ichiban
They feel each other out, Rocky hits a shoulder block and imitates Eddie Guerrero for some heat. Ichiban blocks a tope and hits a vertical suplex. Ichiban hits a flying elbow shot for 2. Rocky dropkicks Ichiban's knee into the buckles and a backstabber. Ichiban blocks a sliced bread, but Rocky reverses and Jesus holds Ichiban down for Rocky to gain the first pinfall at 3:30. Rocky continues his assault by targeting the spine. Ichiban reverses a double arm chinlock, hits an overhead arm drag, and a superkick. Rocky briefly stops the comeback, but Ichicban hits a push kick and high crossbody for 2. Ichiban kicks Romero out of the ropes and hits a wild tope. Ichiban plants Romero to win the second fall at 9:20. They trade running corner attacks, but Romero reverses a back handspring attempt into a backbreaker. Tornado DDT by Rocky gets 2. Ichiban blocks another Sliced Bread and hits a leaping superplex! Ichiban withstands Jesus' interference and rolls Rocky into a good pinning predicament. Stunner by Ichiban, then a Destroyer for 2. Rocky answers with a vertical suplex onto the ring frame. Rocky finally hits Sliced Bread, but Ichiban kicks out! Rocky then hits a somewhat awkward Sliced Bread variation from up high, and looks shocked when Ichiban kicks out again. Romero loses his temper and pummels the head. Ichiban refuses to stay down, so Romero hits a crunchie to win at 16:22! Good action on display, the 2 /3 falls stipulation added nothing, ***.Winner and still MLW Middleweight Champion: Rocky Romero
Salina de la Renta gets into a physical altercation with a menacing luchador.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. (with Legitimate Promotor Saint Laurent) vs. 1 Called Manders
Manders aggressively takes it to Smith at the bell. Smith knocks Manders down and snaps his leg. Manders returns fire, forcing Smith to retreat. Manders hits an ugly flying shoulder from the apron. Smith answers with an overhead belly to belly suplex on the floor. Smith works a chinlock and I'm struck by how much he looks like Grandpa Stu here. Manders escapes for a slugfest. Gut wrench suplex by Davey Boy gets 2. Smith draws blood by biting Manders' forehead. Smith slows things down to focus on Manders' bloody skull. Manders slugs his way back into the fight and spears Smith's spine. Back suplex by Manders! Smith answers with a superplex for 2, as does a delayed piledriver. Smith applies a crossface, Manders flips him off but passes out anyway. Cute finish to a lethargic match, **.Winner: Davey Boy Smith Jr.
The fans boo while Smith dons the Canadian flag and Saint Laurent rants about how his guys should get a Tag Team title shot. I think Smith would rather be draping a Tr*mp flag, but I digress. Smith loves gold more than blood and vows to become a champion.
Jacob Fatu vs. Yuji Nagata
They feel each other out and reach a stalemate. Fans chant "Fatu's gonna kill you." Nagata slaps Fatu's chest in an otherwise clean break, Fatu answers with a shoulder block. Scoop slam by Fatu sets up a falling head butt. Nagata dodges a head of steam and delivers a hip toss. Nagata plays a subtle heel and slows things down to work over Fatu's arm. Fatu isn't too injured to hit a handspring moonsault for 2. Nagata answers with an exploder suplex. Nagata punishes with a crossface and armbar, but Fatu gets the ropes. Fatu blocks a suplex, so Nagata hits an enziguri. Thrust kick, Samoan drop, and moonsault by Fatu ends it at 9:02. Overwhelmingly average, straightforward match, which is A-ok for this slot on the card, **½.Winner: Jacob Fatu
The Sentai Death Squad returns to attack Fatu. He fends them off, but Mads Krugger arrives with more troops. They hold Fatu still so Krugger can smash a war club over his skull. Fatu's past coming back to haunt him should make for a good angle.
Death Machine Rules:
Sami Callihan vs. AKIRA
The rules are your standard no disqualifications fare, with the addition that the match cannot be stopped due to blood loss. Sami quickly hits a snap piledriver for 2. Sami uses an 8x10 photo of AKIRA to give him sickening papercuts. Sami takes a bite out of a lemon and squirts the juice all over AKIRA's open wounds. Now, that's just mean. Sami is clearly enjoying himself, but AKIRA slices him with a wired bat and broken soda can. Sami takes back the bat and wraps wire around AKIRA's lips. Sami builds a door bridge, AKIRA comes back with a slow Figer Fade Kick. AKIRA hits a cutter through the door bridge, they suffer an awkward landing. AKIRA breaks the rest of the door over Callihan's skull. They trade bites and lemon juice spray. AKIRA brings in a pair of staple guns, Sami begs for mercy, so AKIRA offers him one. Fans chant "Staple fight!" They trade swings and simultaneously staple each other's foreheads. They trade staples and I'd be lying if I said this wasn't very funny. AKIRA staples the groin and takes a moment to gloat. AKIRA piles broken soda cans onto a chair, but Sami puts him through it with a DVD for only 2. AKIRA comes back and wraps a spool of barbed wire around Sami's head in a Muta Lock! Sami escapes and hits a brainbuster for only 1! Sami answers with a piledriver to win at 13:36! Spirited hardcore match, featuring a bunch of clever spots we don't normally get, ***¼.Winner: Sami Callihan
Rickey Shane Page arrives to celebrate with Sami. Masked henchmen handcuff AKIRA to the ropes. Sami and friends point to the stage, summoning Raven to the ring. Raven turns on the bad guys and takes them down with kendo stick shots. AKIRA breaks free and helps clear out the goons. It appears that Raven has taken AKIRA under his wing (pun intended).
MLW is reluctantly forced to play a propaganda video from CONTRA Unit. Mads Krugger is going to kill, murder, annihilate, Jacob Fatu and run MLW.
Averno (with Salina de la Renta and Jesus Rodriguez) vs. Mistico
Cesar Duran returns to introduce Mistico to deliver some violence. Bell rings, and they trade holds until a stalemate and applause. Mistico scores a head scissors takedown, but Averno answers with a power slam. Averno slows things down to get his heat. Averno makes the cardinal mistake of going for the mask, so Mistico makes him pay with a slick tope. Averno regains control for no good reason, but Mistico traps the wrist for a springboard armdrag. Spinning rana by Mistico sets up a flying rana to ringside. Mistico leaps into a sunset bomb for 2. Flipping powerbomb by Mistico gets another nearfall. Averno blocks a back handspring with a dropkick and nails a soaring senton to ringside. Averno counters a springboard senton into a powerbomb. Averno slams Mistico down for an armbreaker, but Mistico gets the ropes. Averno plants Mistico but makes a lackadaisical cover for 2. Mistico no-sells and hits a corkscrew plancha. They both go down, the fans miss the cue for an ovation. Averno nails a crazy double underhook slam from the top rope! Mistico answers with a Spanish Fly! Mistico hits La Mistica to win at 14:45! This was just a bunch of crazy lucha libre stunts with no real narrative, but the fans liked it, so huzzah, **¾.Winner: Mistico
Mistico's win is enough to warrant a shot at Rocky Romero's Middleweight title. They'll see each other in New York City.
MLW World Championship:
Alex Kane © (with Mr. Thomas) vs. Satoshi Kojima
I don't expect there's any possibility of a title change, but let's make the best of this. Kojima held the MLW title years ago during the first incarnation of the company and looks motivated to hold it again. They start by competitively trading holds. Kane resorts to brawling and takes the right to ringside. Kane gives some mocking machine gun chops, so Kojima shows him how it's done. DDT by Kojima, but Kane regains control anyway (which is a theme tonight). Kojima escapes an ankle lock and nails a cutter. Kane surprises with an exploder suplex for 2. Kane punches the kidneys and hits a release German suplex. Kojima answers with a standing lariat and suplex for two. Kojima hits another cutter and PINS KANE at 11:25! Well, don't I look stupid right now. Good match, not exactly an epic, but that's okay. Kojima could do well as a sentimental favorite as champion, ***.Winner and new MLW World Champion: Satoshi Kojima
Kojima grabs a mic and thanks the fans. He enjoys a beer and confesses that he's already drunk. He commands the fans to drink beer, and I'm way ahead of him. Wrestling is fun.
Final Thoughts: Total middle of the road show, but I was not expecting that title change in the main event, so I'm glad I caught a big happening in MLW. Breezy show, this was okay, but don't feel like you need to hunt it down or anything.
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