MLW War Chamber Review - March 29, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

MLW World Women's Featherweight Champion Janai Kai def. Unagi Sayaka

I have zero familiarity with Sayaka, but I thought she had a solid showing. It was definitely Kai's most competitive title defense yet and I liked that Sayaka was made to look credible in defeat. I don't know if we're going to see any more of her going forward in MLW, but props to her for making the most of her opportunity here. Kai has been booked so dominantly that it should mean something when she eventually loses.

A.J. Francis def. Alex Kane

These two have done a nice job of building their feud through promos on the last few MLW events, but I knew the match itself would be nothing special and I wasn't wrong. It felt like they brawled for a majority of it and the action was plodding. The most interesting development was Kane getting screwed out of the win and members of Bomaye Fight Club joining Francis afterward. Francis can have as many allies as he wants, but as seen during his WWE stints and so far outside of WWE, his matches remain his biggest weakness.

Mads Krule Krugger def. Brian Brock

This was an impromptu match that came about after Brock attacked some random dude on his way to the ring and demanded an opponent. Brock can be classified as "some random dude" as well because I've never heard of the guy until now. Weapons were used, but otherwise, this was a glorified squash win for Krugger. Contra Unit are in the process of being reestablished and this cemented them as a dominant force.

Bad Dude Tito def. Richard Adonis

Tito has appeared on the last few MLW events, so he's clearly sticking around. He's a talented dude, but  they need to do more to make the average viewer care about him. Giving him more wins is a step in the right direction. There was nothing out of the ordinary about this, but it did serve as a straightforward showcase for Tito and I appreciated that it was kept on the shorter side.

NJPW World Television Champion Matt Riddle def. Kosei Fujita

Riddle continues to rack up wins and successfully defend his NJPW World Television Championship on MLW programming in quality matches. You can add this one to the list. I don't see him dropping the title on an MLW-sanctioned show, but at least the belt being up for grabs has made his matches more meaningful until he inevitably challenges for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship (which he teased in a post-match promo).

MLW World Middleweight Champion Mistico def. Angel de Oro

This took place at Arena Mexico, but I'm unsure when it was taped and for what promotion. Probably CMLL, but I could be wrong. The commentators probably mentioned it and I missed it. Either way, they had a fun, lucha-style match. It's cool that Mistico is taking the title to Mexico and defending it over there. Including this as part of the live broadcast was a weird choice, though.

COZYMAX and Second Gear Crew (Matthew Justice and 1 Called Manders) def. WTF Superstars (Richard Holliday, Josh Bishop and MLW World Tag Team Champions Tom Lawlor and Davey Boy Smith Jr.) in a War Chamber Match

I know MLW has been pushing this faction feud for a while, but personally, I couldn't bring myself to care. The WTF has meant absolutely nothing for the last six months and not enough has been done to make them feel like a legitimate threat in any way. There are bound to be those who enjoyed all of the hardcore crap and the crowd was into most of it, but it came off as more of a mess to me. It got better once everyone was in there, but the finish was lame and abrupt. Contra laid out the babyfaces to end the night.

Overall Show

There were a lot of new faces, which resulted in matches that didn't have any storyline significance. I'm not sure why the other MLW regulars weren't used, but that made this a forgettable event outside of the main event. That was easily the most notable match on the whole card, even if it wasn't my cup of tea. On the bright side, these specials are only two hours long and they don't overstay their welcome, but this did feel like a glorified edition of Fusion.

SEE MORE: NWA Reviews