MLW Fusion on Thanksgiving Review - November 25, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

TJP def. Calvin Tankman in an Opera Cup Semifinal Match

Speaking as someone who is still relatively new to the MLW product, Tankman will absolutely be one to watch going forward. The kid has a ton of potential and has had quality matches with a variety of opponents so far, including TJP here. This was an enjoyable opener with the interference from Alex Kane protecting Tankman in defeat and sending TJP to the finals. The crowd was very much behind Tankman during this one.

Gnarls Garvin def. Budd Heavy

We've been seeing "coming soon" vignettes for Garvin for weeks and this was our first look at him. The match lasted all of a minute, so while we couldn't get a good grasp of what he's capable of, at least he was established as dominant and I liked his intensity. We also got to hear from him afterward and he cut a decent promo. He's off to a solid start and I'm interested to see more of him going forward.

Alex Kane def. Alex Shelley, Zenshi, Myron Reed and ACH in a Ladder Match to Become the New MLW National Openweight Championship

Alexander Hammerstone recently vacated the Openweight title to fully focus on being the MLW World Heavyweight Champion. I didn't think any one person in particular would win this, so the outcome felt unpredictable. This was shorter than I thought it would, but they made the most of the time they had by producing some pretty sweet spots and keeping the crowd engaged. Everyone had their time to shine, but ultimately, it was Kane who came out on top. He's been embroiled in a feud with Tankman as of late and I expect that to continue over the Middleweight title.

Overall Show

It's cool that MLW has apparently made it an annual tradition to hold Fusion on Thanksgiving. They didn't phone it in, either, as a new Openweight champ was crowned in a crazy Ladder match main event. We also got the second half of the semifinals of the Opera Cup and the debut of Gnarls Garvin, so all in all, it was an eventful and enjoyable episode. Like any ideal Thanksgiving dinner, between the matches and the backstage segments, they packed a lot into the hour and I was left satisfied.

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