MLW Azteca Lucha Review - May 10, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

MLW World Tag Team Champions Los Depredadores def. Dark Panther and Blue Panther Jr.

Magnus and Rugido (Los Depredadores) won the MLW World Tag Team Champion from COZYMAX at a CMLL vs. MLW event in Mexico last week, which they aired footage of before this bout. COZYMAX were treating those titles like paperweights, so I have no issue with giving the belts to two CMLL guys. Plus, this was better than any other tag title match I've seen in MLW in a long time. It was an enjoyable opener, though Los Depredadores cheating to retain wasn't clearly caught on camera (I'm still confused where exactly the low blow happened but that might've just been me). The post-match angle set up a rematch in Mexico.

Alexander Hammerstone def. Satoshi Kojima

I wasn't sure if Hammerstone was here to stay in MLW after returning in Battle Riot, but it looks like he might be, at least for a little while. This was a good match for him to have with Kojima also being a former MLW World Heavyweight Champion. They had a well-worked match and Hammerstone winning was obviously the right call, especially after what we saw from him later in the show.

Myron Reed Attacked Azteca 13

I don't know what match Azteca 13 was scheduled for, but Reed showed up and laid him out before it could come to fruition. Reed cut a quick promo about being back in MLW and promising that "justice will be served" without addressing anyone in particular. Reed has been gone from MLW since 2023 and actually made a few appearances in TNA last year, so it's cool to see him return.

Esfinge and Atlantis def. CMLL Mexican National Middleweight Champion Guerrero Maya Jr. and Hechicero

As I've said before, I've become a big fan of Hechicero from the matches I've seen him have in AEW, Ring of Honor and MLW, so I loved that he was involved here. This was a nicely-paced matchup with all four guys getting some time to shine. This wasn't a match that served much of a purpose considering there wasn't anything on the line, but the crowd was certainly into it for as long as it lasted.

MLW National Middleweight Champion Ultimo Guerrero def. ​Barbaro Cavernario and ​Zandokan Jr. in a Three-Way Match

The MLW National Middleweight Championship also changed hands at the CMLL vs. MLW event last week with Guerrero taking the title from Matthew Justice. This was a quality three-way, even if I didn't get the sense the title was truly in jeopardy. Hammerstone was interviewed on the stage afterward and attacked Guerrero, confirming he'll be a heel going forward and that his sights are set on the National Middleweight title.

MLW World Heavyweight Champion Matt Riddle def. Donovan Dijak

It's hardly surprising that two great wrestlers would have a great match. Riddle isn't for everyone, but he continues to deliver in each of his title defenses. I would have been totally fine with Dijak beating Riddle for the belt, but I figured that wouldn't be the case. I could've done without Mads Krule Krugger attempting to cash in his title shot, but I understand they want to remind viewers that it's in play.

Mistico def. Ikuro Kwon and NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champion Templario on a Three-Way Match (Non-Title)

I legitimately thought I missed something and Kwon was the MLW World Middleweight Champion, but he's just been in possession of the belt after ​Mistico had to vacate it. Why not just put the title on the line here to crown a new champ? This was fun and I assume Mistico pinning Kwon will get him one step closer to regaining the gold. On a show called Azteca Lucha, this made sense as the main event.

Overall Show

The stars of CMLL have largely been carrying the MLW product for the past year, so if you aren't into the lucha libre stuff, then you likely didn't care much for this event. On the whole, I thought it was a solid show. Although it was light on significant storyline advancement, MLW doesn't do a ton of that these days anyway, so I can't say I expected otherwise. That said, they did announce who the War Chamber match will consist of on June 7th, so that was worth noting along with Reed's return and the tease of Shotzi's debut at the Summer of the Beasts event on June 26th.

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