MLW PIT-FIGHTERS Review - September 26, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Bobby Fish def. Kevin Knight

Brett Ryan Gosselin cut a promo hyping up The Rogue Horsemen beforehand. I'm not enamored with the group itself, but I'm glad Gosselin is getting more mic time because that's where he really shines. Fish and Knight had a well-wrestled match. Knight impressed me during his time in TNA, so I hope he gets showcased even more in MLW. Accepting Bomaye Fight Club's post-match invitation to join them is an encouraging sign he'll be sticking around.

MLW World Women's Featherweight Champion Janai Kai def. Delmi Exo in a Taekwondo Rules Match by Referee Stoppage

Both women wore gis. Was that the extent of the taekwondo rules? This feud has been building for at least a year, so this was a weak blow-off (assuming it was the blow-off). What we got was fine, but it ended too abruptly. If the idea was to make Kai look more dominant, then mission accomplished. I'm not sure who else is waiting in the wings to challenge Kai, though.

Matthew Justice def. Jesus Rodriguez in a Barrio Brawl

Rodriguez rarely wrestles in MLW and he's always an enhancement talent whenever he does, so I must have missed why this match was made. I guess Rodriguez was just an easy opponent for Justice to beat? This would have been a quick squash if it were a standard singles match, but they had fun with the stipulation (it was your basic Street Fight/No Disqualification brawl) and the crowd was into the action. Bad Dude Tito Escondido attacking Justice afterward indicates Justice will be next to challenge him for the MLW National Openweight Championship.

Randall Royce vs. Danny Stratos Ended in a No Contest

Considering this wasn't advertised coming into this event, I immediately suspected it wouldn't have a decisive finish. I haven't heard of either of them as Royce is a jujitsu guy and Stratos is a boxer, so I didn't care about their clash of styles and neither did the crowd. That's why Dijak was received as such a fan favorite when he destroyed them both. Isn't he supposed to be a heel given Mister Saint Laurent is his manager? Regardless, Dijak is off to a solid start in MLW and I like that's he's just wrecking dudes.

Alex Kane def. Brett Ryan Gosselin in an Atlanta Street Fight

More of Gosselin is never a bad thing. Not only is he getting more mic time, he's being made to look like more of a threat in the ring. Granted, he lost again here, but he looked credible in defeat. I don't understand how this stipulation was much different than the Barrio Brawl from earlier, but I enjoyed this for what it was. Post-match, The Rogue Horsemen laid out Bomaye Fight Club.

MLW World Tag Team Champion Ikuro Kwon def. AKIRA in a Taipei Death Match

The hands and wrists of both competitors were covered in glass per the stipulation, so this was quite the bloody affair. Then again, I should've expected that with AKIRA involved. He fought valiantly before falling short. This sort of stipulation isn't my cup of tea, personally, but they did what they could to make it worthwhile. I was shocked Kwon won because he's largely been a Contra henchmen up to this point.

Matt Riddle def. "Filthy" Tom Lawlor in a Vale Tudo Fight by Referee Stoppage

Don't ask what the rules of this Vale Tudo Fight entailed because I had no idea. What I do know is that both Ridlde and Lawlor have well-documented fighting backgrounds, so they were probably the best two people to make this work. Ernest "The Cat" Miller was a judge at ringside in case it came to a decision. It certainly felt like a fight, so I'll give them that. Riddle had to win since he still has that guaranteed MLW World Heavyweight Championship opportunity. Lawlor was "fired" by Laurent as his client afterward and attacked by Dijak. Sign me up for Dijak vs. Lawlor eventually.

Overall Show

This was essentially MLW's version of what the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view used to be in that every match had a gimmick attached to it except for the opener. The MMA-esque stipulations were unique but didn't make for the most interesting matchups in my opinion. MLW specializes in hardcore matches, so while this show had its fair share of entertaining moments, the stipulation overload was ultimately overkill. At least it was under two hours.

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