MLW x Don Gato Tequila Review - November 20, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Don Gato Fended Off Ikuro Kwon

I normally fast-forward through anything Cesar Duran (which pains me to say because he was always worth watching in Lucha Underground) and Salina de la Renta, but this ended up being more significant of a segment than usual with Kwon interrupting them in the ring, getting physical with Jesus Rodriguez, being fended off by Gato and also getting added to the MLW World Middleweight Championship match later in the show. This wasn't an amazing segment by any means, but at least it wasn't a total waste of time.

Scarlett Bordeaux def. Isla Dawn

I couldn't even tell you the last match I saw Bordeaux have. Maybe a few years ago on SmackDown? I know she wanted to wrestle more, but to be fair, it's not like she's the most dynamic in the ring. This was match was proof of that. It was perfectly fine for what it was but nothing special. Dawn would be a nice fit for MLW's women's division if she sticks around, though.

MLW World Tag Team Champions The Skyscrapers vs. The Good Brothers Ended in a No Contest

Why does it feel like almost every match The Skyscrapers are involved in ends in a no contest? I like both Bishop Dyer and Donovan Dijak, but the non-finishes are exhausting. Otherwise, this was a good match while it lasted. Good Brothers are a welcome addition to MLW's (rather depleted) tag team division. They always seem to fall upwards despite wrestling virtually everywhere over the last decade, so I could see them capturing the tag titles eventually.

Diego Hill def. Stigma and Okumura in a Three-Way Lightning Match

For as little as I care about the Lightning concept, it makes sense to put Hill in these matches based on his exciting style. He was once again the highlight here with his awesome aerial offense. The match was decent while it lasted, but Hill going over was key. Hopefully he can continue to build momentum and eventually end up in contention for a championship.

El Galeon Fantasma def. Los Panthers, Los Felinos and Atlantis & Atlantis Jr. in Don Gato's Gauntlet

El Galeon Fantasma consist of Difunto and Barboza, Los Felinos consist of Felino and Felino Jr. and Los Panthers consist of Blue Panther and El Hijo de Blue Panther. Per the stipulation, there were no tags. These lucha matches never have storyline support, but the crowd enjoys the action and they fill the time well. The seemingly-botched botched was my only real nitpick of the outing.

Shotzi Blackheart def. Priscilla Kelly

It's crazy to think these two were involved in the same stable in WWE NXT earlier this year and then they were both released right after Stand & Deliver. I'm glad they get to pick up where they left off in MLW, albeit as opponents instead of as partners. They had the well-worked match they were capable of. Blackheart went over in the end, so we'll see if the feud continues or if this was it from them.

MLW World Middleweight Champion Templario def. Ikuro Kwon and Guerrero Maya Jr. in a Three-Way Match

I don't know that adding Kwon made the match any better than it would have been with just Templario and Maya Jr., but it did allow the feud between Kwon and Gato to be furthered with Gato costing Kwon the win. The rest of the match was pretty much an afterthought, but there was nothing wrong with it. If anything, it was a fun sprint. I'm sure this is leading to a Gato vs. Kwon match that I probably won't give a crap about, but I applaud them for trying.

MLW World Heavyweight Champion Mads Krule Krugger def. Brock Anderson in a Bunkhouse Match

Brock has no business being anywhere near the MLW World Heavyweight Championship, but I guess he was just another name for Krugger to beat. I must say, Krugger is having a very forgettable run as champion so far. He isn't even headlining a majority of the shows he's on. Nonetheless, this was a fairly basic brawl with the interference from CW Anderson and Arn Anderson designed to convince the crowd that Brock might actually win.

Mistico def. Volador Jr. in the Finals of the 2025 Opera Cup

Unlike Krugger, Mistico is arguably MLW's biggest attraction and thus he belongs in the main event of these shows. I understand why this didn't go on last, but it had higher stakes than Killer Kross vs. Matt Riddle and was the stronger match, even though it ended abruptly. Mistico made history by winning the Opera Cup two years in a row. I'd love to see him be the one to dethrone Krugger, but I don't know if that's ultimately what they're going for.

Killer Kross def. Matt Riddle

I loved the video that aired earlier in the show with Kross visiting Riddle at training and playing up their history as friends because it made this match mean more. I didn't have high hopes for it upon seeing how much time was left in the show, but it turned out to be a hard-hitting main event. Riddle is really settling into the heel role while Kross has the fans behind him. Along with Mistico, Kross belongs in the world title mix before long.

Overall Show

Between Kross, Bordeaux, Dawn, Kelly and Good Brothers, there were plenty of fresh faces on this show. While it's not ideal for MLW to be using so many ex-WWE stars, I'll take most of them over some of the MLW regulars. They've given the brand a much-needed boost and it resulted in this event being an improvement over other ones they've produced this year. Less is more as far as the amount of matches is concerned and the stuff with Gato doesn't interest me whatsoever, but on the whole, this gets a thumbs-up.

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