MLW Fusion results: Jacob Fatu vs. Willie Mack

Joe Dombrowski & Rich Bocchini welcomed us to Atlanta, Georgia for the first episode of MLW Fusion in 2023.

Microman (w/ Mister Saint Laurent), Laredo Kid & Komander defeated Gino Medina, Taurus & Mini Abismo Negro (w/ Dr. Dax)

This was a loser leaves MLW match, but only the loser of the fall is saying goodbye for good.

This played off the near year-long feud between Medina and Microman. Microman had pinned Medina during last year’s WrestleMania tapings, and it was another Microman pinfall on Medina that sealed his fate and sent him packing for good.

Komander and Laredo Kid were excellent high flyers here while Taurus was a great solid base for the flyers.

They did some comedy spots behind Medina’s back as they fooled him into thinking Microman was striking him when it was really Laredo Kid. The match then exploded as Laredo Kid and Komander dove to the outside before Microman took Negro down with a tilt-a-whirl arm drag.

They had the traditional three-on-one beatdown and multiple submission spots on Microman as the crowd gave the rudos a lot of heat. The commentary team played up the shady officiating as he allowed the handicap beatdowns as Komander and Laredo Kid took their time to recover and get back into the ring. 

Microman had to try and make his own comeback but needed his tag partners to help him. Did they ever…eventually. Laredo Kid took out Medina and Dax with a headfirst torpedo dive before Komander tightrope walked one side of the ring before jumping off and hitting a twisting plancha to the rest of the heel team. Microman finished off the aerial assaults with a micro frog splash off the apron.

This referee was something else and counting so painfully slow that everyone was kicking out at one.

Taurus and Laredo Kid had a great exchange, finishing with Taurus hitting a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but the pinfall was broken up by a senton atomico from Komander. 

A revolution DDT followed another tightrope walk springboard 450 splash as we saw the reason for the hype around Komander.

Microman came close to rolling up Negro with a victory roll, but Medina made the save.   

The finish came after a series of finishers and impact moves from all involved including Microman hitting a splash from the second rope. This was Komander’s MLW debut and he made sure it was memorable as he again tightrope walked the top rope, only this time backward before he dove off with a moonsault to the floor. 

Medina then teased tossing Microman over the top rope with a gorilla press slam, but he took too long and as Taurus tried to spear Laredo Kid, he moved, Taurus speared Medina, Microman fell on top of him, and the referee counted the pinfall at a normal pace, sending Medina out of MLW.

– EJ Nduka and MLW Champion Alex Hammerstone had been set to face off in a last man standing match, but “The Judge” was said to have demanded too much money for the match and it had to be postponed.

– Mance Warner had an unboxing this week and showed us his David Allen Coe signed guitar, demanding $25 for a song later in the bar.

– Tensions will be running high next week as Davey Boy Smith Jr. will return to MLW and confront Alex Kane and the Bomaye Fight Club. Kane recently stole the Opera Cup, a trophy that Smith’s family donated to MLW, so Smith is out for revenge and has Kane in his sights. Smith will team with his cousins, Mark and Thomas Billington, in their MLW debut against the Bomaye Fight Club.

Jacob Fatu defeated Willie Mack

The big men started with some nice headscissors and rolls before Mack nearly took Fatu’s head off with a flying big boot. This match originated from a friendly regional rivalry and an acknowledgement of their paths crossing before, but this quickly broke down into two men hitting each other as hard as they could and throwing each other into objects around the ring.

Back in the ring, Mack dodged a banzai sit-down drop after a sunset flip but Fatu stayed on top of his opponent until Mack hit a desperation sling blade to stop “the Samoan Bulldozer” in his tracks.

Mack recharged and fired up with heavy strikes, a bodyslam and a big jumping leg drop. Mack hit a Samoan drop onto the Samoan, nipped up, and danced the Macarena into a Rick Rude-style hip swivel before hitting a standing moonsault for a charismatic close two count.

Fatu stopped the Mack attack by handstanding out of a cutter attempt and quickly hitting a superkick and handspring moonsault for a two count of his own.

Mack caught Fatu and slammed him into the corner with an exploder suplex. With Fatu in the corner, Mack climbed to the opposite buckle and hit a huge coast-to-coast dropkick but injured his leg in the process.

The injured leg came into play for the finish when Mack tried to lift Fatu but his leg gave out. Fatu hit a superkick and a pop-up Samoan drop before flattening him with his impressive double jump springboard moonsault from the top rope to pick up the big win on his way to his eventual Battle Riot cash in and rematch for the MLW title.

   Next week:

• The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Mark & Thomas Billington) vs. Bomaye Fight Club (Alex Kane, Myron Reed & Mr. Thomas)
• MLW Middleweight Champion Shun Skywalker defends against Lince Dorado