MLW Underground Wrestling Review - April 4, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Mance Warner and Matthew Justice Saved Microman From Real1

Real1 beat Warner a few weeks ago and Microman beat Real1 last week, so they were all able to interact here and further their feud. I can't say I particularly cared about any of this, but the segment served its purpose. It's worth noting that it was reported over the weekend that Real1 was released from MLW, so I don't know if this storyline was wrapped up at the last taping or if it will be unresolved.

Rickey Shane Page def. 1 Called Manders in a Hardcore Match

Page is known for having hardcore matches, so I knew this would be fairly extreme. They certainly made the most of the stipulation, I'll say that much. This sort of stuff isn't my cup of tea personally, but they went all out and Page winning was key. Their rivalry with Alexander Hammerstone feels rushed, so they'll need to rack some wins rather quickly in order to feel like a legitimate threat, especially against someone who has been booked as strong as Hammerstone.

Dragon Gate Open the Twin Gate Champions Natural Vibes def. FBI

Natural Vibes consist of Dragon Gate wrestlers Big Boss Shimizu and Kzy. MLW has had a working relationship with Dragon Gate for a while now and we've seen several of their stars on MLW TV, but the problem is that they're rarely ever introduced properly. In this instance, Natural Vibes were randomly thrown out there and the crowd had no incentive to care about them or the match. FBI aren't established enough as a team for fans to care about their involvement, either. It was a decent match, but it was pretty pointless.

MLW World Middleweight Champion Lince Dorado def. Delirious

Dorado has been a nice fit as Middleweight champ due to his ability to work well with a variety of opponents, including Delirious. Delirious has had a handful of matches in MLW and in IMPACT since Ring of Honor's shutdown in late 2021, and although I'm not his biggest fan, he's capable of having quality matches. This was a solid main event, but Dorado vs. Lio Rush (which was set up with the post-match angle) is the more appealing matchup.

Overall Show

We've gotten to the point in whatever television taping this was from where random matches begin to take place. The Dragon Gate tag title match did nothing for me, the ongoing angle with Real1, Warner and Microman doesn't matter because Real1 has since been released, and the rise of The Calling is so abrupt. Dorado vs. Rush is worth looking for to, but better feuds are needed to keep viewers invested.

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