MLW Fusion Review - July 13, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

MLW World Women's Featherweight Champion Delmi Exo def. Taya Valkyrie

It's safe to assume this was Valkyrie's swan song from MLW. I know I've been saying that for months now seeing as how she signed with AEW back in March, but there isn't anything left for her to do now that she's lost twice to Exo. Speaking of which, I'm glad they had Exo go over Valkyrie twice to prove she's a worthy champion. It was a quality contest and Exo winning clean was key. I fear Exo may lose the title soon to Mandy Leon.

TJ Crawford def. Ken Broadway

I've heard of both guys but don't think I've seen much of them in action. What's weird is that MLW did nothing to introduce viewers to them beforehand. I'm all for showcasing fresh faces, but we got a match like this a few months ago and I don't think we've seen either of those guys since. It felt like a way to kill time more than anything else, but it was a fun match for what it was and both Crawford and Broadway were impressive.

Willie Mack def. John Hennigan and Lio Rush in an MLW World Heavyweight Championship No. 1 Contender's Three-Way Match

What's funny is that Hennigan is now in AEW, Mack currently competes on ROH TV, and Rush just debuted for IMPACT. That's how old this match is. Nonetheless, this was a great match, which was unsurprising given the level of talent involved. Hennigan's clearly on his way out of MLW, but Rush could have won and it would have made sense. I'm actually glad Mack went over because he never wins when it matters most. Granted, there's no chance he takes the title from Alex Kane, but it should be very good.

Overall Show

I liked that the show started with comments from Alex Kane, fresh off his MLW World Heavyweight Championship win at Never Say Never. Keep in mind that was the only "new" aspect of this episode, as everything else was taped months ago. MLW really needs to do a better job of airing this stuff sooner so it isn't so outdated. That said, this was a thumbs-up episode with all three matches delivering.

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