The premiere of MLW Fusion Alpha aired this past Wednesday, and was headlined by Davey Richards taking on TJP. Additionally, the Von Erichs faced Kit Osbourne and Kevin Ku in a Bunkhouse Brawl, and Gino Medina squared off with KC Nevarro. Footage of MLW’s first episode of Fusion Alpha can be viewed below:
Strong Points of the Show
- Extremely excited that there is officially a women’s division in MLW. I am not familiar with the majority of the announced talents thus far, but I am pumped to see these competitors in action in the future.
- Cesar Duran and Matt Cross’s interaction was intriguing. I appreciate that their past in Lucha Underground was acknowledged during their backstage segment. I hope that Cross and Duran’s relationship is explored a bit more in the coming weeks.
- I expected a different outcome for the match between Gino Medina and KC Navarro. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how the match turned out. More so, I am glad that both men were booked strongly throughout the contest.
- Davey Richards and TJP put on an absolute clinic. Davey does not look like he has missed a beat after a four year hiatus from wrestling. I am looking forward to seeing what Richards does in MLW doing forward. Kudos to TJP as well for his antics throughout the match. He antagonized the crowd perfectly throughout the bout.
Weak Points of the Show
- I thought that the Bunkhouse Brawl match would end the feud between Team Filthy and the Von Erichs. However, based on the match’s aftermath, it seems that the feud is not finished. For me, this program has unfortunately gotten stale and less enjoyable over the pandemic. I sincerely hope the storyline between the two teams ends sooner rather than later.
- TJP’s promo was not the strongest in this episode. He got his point across well enough, but I feel like he talked in circles at times.
- 5150 does not feel as fresh to me as I would hope. I am really glad that the group features new talent like Slice Boogie, Dr. Julius Smokes and Rivera. However, with Konnan as their manager, the group’s formation feels more like a rehash of LAX storylines rather than something new.
Match Results
- Bunkhouse Brawl: The Von Erichs defeated Kevin Ku and Kit Osbourne via pinfall.
- Gino Medina defeated KC Navarro via pinfall.
- Davey Richards defeated TJP via submission.