MLW Fusion Review - July 27, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

MLW World Tag Team Champion Rickey Shane Page def. Matthew Justice

I'd say it looks like we're headed toward Second Gear Crew challenging The Calling for the MLW World Tag Team Championship, but it was announced later in the episode that a member of Second Gear Crew will face Matt Cardona at Fury Road. Maybe the two remaining members can get the title shot? It may not matter because Justice lost here, so we'll see. I don't care for The Calling, but this was a solid opener. I don't believe this was billed as a Hardcore match, but there were weapons at ringside and they brought a ladder into the ring at the end.

Mr. Thomas def. J Boujii

This was announced as a Bomaye Fight Club "tryout" with Boujii attempting to earn a spot in the group. He lost, but they accepted him as a member, anyway. This didn't last long (nor did it need to), but Boujii had an impressive outing and the commentators put him over big time. It looks like the Bomaye Fight Club is expanding, which is fine if they intend to actually do something with Boujii and he won't solely be a background player.

"Hot Sauce" Tracy Williams def. Tony Deppen in an Opera Cup Stage 1 Match

This was another Opera Cup semifinal match that they referred to as a Stage 1 match for some reason. That may have made more sense if there were more than two stages. Nonetheless, this was as well-wrestled as you'd expect given the combatants involved. Both guys are super skilled and had great chemistry together. Williams is coming off a win over Timothy Thatcher at Never Say Never, so it was logical for him to advance. He'll face Davey Boy Smith Jr. in the finals.

Overall Show

I appreciate all the attention the Opera Cup has gotten the past two weeks as they've attempted to make it feel as important as possible. MLW has also done a nice job of keeping Alex Kane relevant following his MLW World Heavyweight Championship victory at Never Say Never by airing backstage promos with him. Fury Road isn't until early September, but they've begun building toward the event and that's an encouraging sign. This was a middle-of-the-road show with an enjoyable main event, though I wish they'd finally move beyond the outdated content.

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