MLW Underground Wrestling Review - March 28, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Microman def. Real1

This was more of an angle than an actual match. I didn't care much for this coming into this episode, but Microman is over with this audience and Real1 gets a ton of heat, so it was a logical match to do. Real1 spent most of the time talking and bullying Microman, only for Mance Warner to get involved and aid Microman to victory. The best thing I can say about it was that it was kept on the shorter side and didn't overstay its welcome.

MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone Called Out The Calling

This is the first time I've heard Raven's group officially referred to as The Calling. They've been targeting Hammerstone for weeks and left him laying following his successful title defense against Jacob Fatu last week, so it made sense that Hammerstone would want his revenge on them. He challenged them to a War Chamber match, and we found out at the end of the episode who his partners would be when he recruited Second Gear Crew.

Akira def. Mike Law

Akira is a member of The Calling and had weapons at ringside. This went through a commercial break, but what we saw was very brief. Akira was dominant throughout and won decisively as he should have. He had a sickle in his hand for most of the match, so that was... interesting. I guess that's one way of putting heat on the new group. Their push came out of nowhere and it feels too soon for them to be taken seriously as a threat.

Alex Kane def. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

This match has been built up for a while, and although the feud has been fine, it just doesn't feel like it's had a ton of momentum. The Bomaye Fight Club just exists right now and that's about it. On the bright side, both Kane and Smith are skilled competitors, so this was a well-worked main event. Kane using shenanigans to win ensures that the feud isn't over yet and that there will be a rematch eventually.

Overall Show

It feels like MLW has only two stories right now between Hammerstone vs. The Calling and Smith vs. Kane, and neither are overly exciting. The MLW National Openweight Championship and the MLW World Middleweight Championship don't feel relevant right now, not to mention that the MLW World Tag Team Championship are a complete afterthought. I've been digging Taya Valkyrie's work as MLW World Women's Feathweight Champion, but we know she's on borrowed time because of her jump to AEW. Plus, Warner vs. Real1 is whatever. This was a decent show, but there was nothing out of the ordinary about it.

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