Welcome back to MLW Anthology. This week takes place in an era I never even knew about, The Extreme Horsemen era. Steve Corino, Barry Windham, CW Anderson, Simon Diamond, and PJ Walker were one of the stables at the top of MLW. Twisting the Horsemen name and going on a warpath that targeted some of the most legendary men in wrestling. They held gold, took people out in violent ways, and lived the high life during early MLW. This anthology focuses on their greatest hits in hardcore whilst also giving us another Pulp Fusion update. Let’s get into it, shall we?
Florida Deathmatch: Steve Corino defeated Terry Funk and Dusty Rhodes via Bullying a Referee
Steve Corino nails Dusty Rhodes with a trash can!#MLWAnthology | Extreme Horsemen
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— Major League Wrestling (@MLW) June 21, 2020
The first match of the show was the actual founding match of the Extreme Horsemen as Steve Corino took on two of wrestling’s finest in a Florida Deathmatch. None of the men seemed intimidated by own another as they circled the ring. Funk and Corino ganged up on Rhodes in the corner but he quickly fought them off with jabs and Bionic elbows. He kicked Funk in the balls so he bailed and let Corino do all the work. Corino trapped Rhodes in a corner and started beating him down again. Funk interrupted this by throwing a trash can into the ring that clonked Rhodes in the head. Rhodes was smashed in the head with the trash can and subjected to a slew of verbal abuse from Funk. Corino held Rhodes down for another shot and tried to get Funk to hit him again but Funk changed his mind and smashed Corino in the head. Funk battered Corino around the ring then threw him to the floor with the trashcan. Rhodes woke up and got in on the beatdowns, smashing Funk in the head with the trashcan. Rhodes tried to drag Funk out from under the ring but Funk’s tights fell down and Rhodes pulled away in disgust, only to be blindsided by yet another trashcan shot to the head from Corino. He continued to beat down Dusty but was stopped by Corino hitting him in the back with a chair. Dusty took advantage and sent Funk into the crowd with a Bionic Elbow, then smashed Corino in the head with the chair.
The lesson here is to never, NEVER turn your back on Terry Funk.
WATCH: https://t.co/Jc61S6f1IC pic.twitter.com/Oxk2B0fP0I— Major League Wrestling (@MLW) June 21, 2020
More trashcan shots followed as Dusty retrieved a new can and broke it over both men. Funk tried to crawl back into the ring but he was cracked in the back with a chair. He fed Funk to Dusty, who smashed him in the head with a shovel. Dusty tried to warm up with some jabs on Corino but mid-dance, Funk cracked him in the nuts with the shovel. He danced off to the corner and Corino followed with a trashcan. His assault was interrupted by Funk hitting him in the throat with a shovel. Funk used him as a personal punching bag outside but made the mistake of trying to climb a railing and fell to the floor. Corino capitalised and stomped at Funk. Dusty intervened and dragged him away. After another Bionic Elbow, he locked in the Figure Four but changed course and hit both men with the flip flop and fly Bionic Elbows. Dusty was suddenly then taken out by CW Anderson and Simon Diamond, who rushed in from behind and started stomping a mudhole. As this happened, Corino slugged at his legs with a chair and trashcan. Funk saved Dusty and got him taken care of before going back to the ring to teach the other three a lesson. He smashed all three men with a trash can but fell to the numbers and found himself beaten down by all three men. The ref refused to count a DDT finish so Corino took him out and hit him in the balls with a chair. A second ref came out and made a count after being attacked by Corino. Dusty tried to save Funk but couldn’t make it to the ring on his broken legs. Corino and co posed over Funk and the Extreme Horsemen were born. This was a bit of a slow match but man it was kind of special seeing Dusty Rhodes in a hardcore match so late in his career.
WarGames: The Funkin’ Army (Terry Funk, Sandman, Dr. Death Steve Williams, Sabu & Bill Alfonso) defeated The Extreme Horsemen (Steve Corino, Barry Windham, CW Anderson, Simon Diamond & PJ Walker) via Texas Toe Hold
OMG!!! Terry Funk just hit @StevenCorino with a branding iron and follows up spitting fire into his face!#MLWAnthology on @beINSPORTSUSA pic.twitter.com/rMQf4L1DSe
— Major League Wrestling (@MLW) June 21, 2020
As the Horsemen grew, so did their list of enemies. They always went after legends and eventually, the list was long enough for the ultimate blow-off, WarGames. Team Funk, an army of everyone the Extreme Horsemen wronged would take on their enemies in the famous double-ring cage of doom. It started with Sandman and Anderson, Sandman taking about five minutes with his entrance to douse everyone in beer and bust himself open. Anderson jumped him the second he got into the ring and didn’t let up, continuously pounding away with strikes and forearms. Sandman got a breather and took out Anderson with a can assisted White Russian Leg Sweep then the two slugged it out on their knees. The match skipped ahead after Anderson was launched into the cage and locked in a cross-face. Corino was next into the match and rushed the ring with a fist wrapped in barbed wire. He introduced that to Sandman’s head and continued to grind it into his forehead. Corino and Anderson worked Sandman over with their weapons then awaited the arrival of Terry Funk. He brought in a chair and attacked Corino and Anderson with it, Anderson getting it thrown into his side. Funk went after Corino, repeatedly slamming him into the cage and hitting him with a neck breaker whilst Sandman attempted to recover. Funk and Sandman then attacked both Anderson and Corino with the barbed wire and Sandman’s Singapore cane. Simon Diamond was next out and worked with Anderson to double-team Sandman. Funk tried to help but received a chair to the head for his trouble and found himself double-teamed. Steve Williams entered the fight next and started pounding away at everyone, treating Diamond like a pinball. As Williams and Sandman stomped down on Anderson and Diamond, Funk and Corino fought near the top of the cage. Funk slipped and got crotched across the ropes.
Missed #MLWAnthology? Well you missed THIS!
WATCH: https://t.co/Jc61S6f1IC pic.twitter.com/odLTT0CMeK— Major League Wrestling (@MLW) June 21, 2020
They continued to brawl until PJ Walker entered the match with a ladder. Both Sandman and Walker were thrown into that as Corino treated Funk like a punchable yo-yo in the ropes. Funk got a little payback taking Anderson and Diamond out with the ladder as the next competitor, Sabu. A surprise reinforcement for the Funkin’ Army. He came in like a lightning bolt and targeted everyone. The army took control, with Sabu setting up a table and wailing on Corino. Sabu went top rope but Walker dragged him down and choked him out with a t-shirt. Last but not least was the Extreme Horsemen’s bounty hunter and mercenary, Barry Windham. He strolled to the ring and got into the action. Alfonso, who had accompanied Sabu to the ring, called out the BS in the numbers and got into the cage. He regretted that decision immediately as Anderson knocked him out. Sabu made up for it though as he jumped off the top rope and put Walker through a table. The match could end at any moment now so everyone jumped on submissions. Corino attacked Sabu but didn’t see Funk retrieve a branding iron. He jabbed it into Corino’s back and blew fire into his eyes. He then locked on the Texas Toe Hold and submitted Corino. Funk had gotten a win over the champ and gravely wounded him in the process. The Funkin Army won in one hell of a Wargames match.
Pulp Fusion Update
Last but not least, Pulp Fusion. The weekly update show giving us a little look into the minds of MLW’s top stars. Low Ki started by speaking Japanese into the camera which King Mo instantly ridiculed by claiming he’d messed Low Ki up so bad he didn’t know what country he was in. Mance was in a very important phone call with Dirty Dutch about a Bear fight. Los Parks and the Von Erichs were training for their separate rivalries. Filthy Tom Lawlor was trying to expose a Von Erich conspiracy and dropped the hints about his upcoming NJPW LA Dojo trip. Myron Reed talked more of Injustice’s mantra and talked about his rap album. Konnan addressed Salina de la Renta’s return. Hammerstone played his guitar then drank some muscle candy coffee then went Hulkamania mode in training. Low Ki returned speaking English and mocked Dan Lambert for seeking legal advice to keep him away. Logan Creed stared menacingly at the camera. Salina de la Renta closed out the episode by telling people not to think about where she’s been but to wonder what she’s done. Hopefully, we get more hints next week after the CONTRA Unit anthology.
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