Welcome back to MLW Underground. We take a break from our regularly scheduled bouts of filthiness and modern-day fighting for a dose of old-school violence. On this throwback episode, we’ll see Canadian Dynamite Josh Daniels battle Rich Criado, Los Maximos take on Jimmy Yang & Tony Mamaluke and Abdullah the Butcher was out for blood and money as he accepts the $10,000 bounty on Terry Funk’s head. It was going to get bloody so let’s get into the action.
Josh Daniels defeated Rich Criado via Bridging Dragon Suplex
Criado just planting Josh Daniels with a Michinoku Driver!#MLWUnderground |
? https://t.co/vd4Z7fjwXY pic.twitter.com/K4v0hCSfyU— Major League Wrestling (@MLW) February 25, 2021
Up first was the debut of Canadian Dynamite Josh Daniels as he took on Rich Criado. Daniels would have to fend off the arrogance and American Strong Style of Criado if he wanted to have a successful debut for the company. He started by ringing an arm and after an ad-break sent Criado falling to the floor. Daniels followed him out with a Suicide Dive and an inverted Atomic Drop in-ring. Criado answered back with a backbreaker and a leg drop for two. Daniels broke free from Criado and trapped Criado against the ropes and put him on his back with a Bridging Northern Lights. Criado snapped back with an elbow and stomped on Daniels’ head. Daniels tried to lock on a Full Nelson but Criado rushed to the corner and drove Daniels head-first into it. He quickly followed up with a Brainbuster and spent the time taunting the crowd instead of going for a pin. Daniels rolled him up but also only got two and Criado downed him again with a lariat. A chop battle broke out but Criado stopped that with a thumb to the eye. He put Daniels in a grounded stretch but Daniels fought up and stunned him with a forearm. A German followed and ran right into a snap Michinoku Driver. Daniels managed to kick out and Criado ran himself into the turnbuckles. Daniels used this to his advantage and won with a Bridging Dragon Suplex. What an uphill battle for Daniels. It wasn’t an easy debut but Daniels persevered and got the win after a lot of abuse.
Terry Funk defeated Abdullah the Butcher via Crossbody
Up next was the MLW debut of Abdullah the Butcher. The Hardcore force of destruction was here to claim the bounty on Terry Funk’s head that the Extreme Horsemen had set on him. Steve Corino did a whole bunch of jaw-jacking before bringing out his hired gun. Abdullah attacked from behind as Funk lost his patience with Corino and bounced Funk off a table. Now most of this match was too violent for TV so I’m dealing with clips but a lot of this was Butcher just straight punching Funk in the face and attacking Funk with a spike and his trusty fork. Funk was left a bleeding mess as Abdullah drove him from the ring. Funk returned with chairs but Butcher attacked him with the fork. Funk got his comeback but Abdullah got him with an uppercut and stabbed away again. With a last gasp effort, Funk launched an assault of nutcrackers and Abdullah collapsed to the mat. Funk slammed a chair into Abdullah’s face and Abdullah dropped an elbow onto Funk. The two bloody and battered men brawled a little more and Funk managed to take the win with a crossbody. This was unfortunately massacred by the censors but the blood on display indicates that there was a violent brawl taking place here and a whole lot of stabbing. Funk didn’t even get a rest as Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler came after him the week after, trying to get that bounty.
Between the matches:
.@TheDirtyFunker right on the target launching a chair at Abdullah's head.#MLWUnderground |
? https://t.co/vd4Z7fB7Pw pic.twitter.com/fCZ4WzCcZj— Major League Wrestling (@MLW) February 25, 2021
- The Extreme Horsemen were laughing about being put in a War Games match. Steve Corino, C.W. Anderson, and Simon Diamond were laughing about the solidarity they had whilst the legends were too busy with in-fighting.
- The Sinister Minister addressed the damage that he and his cronies had done to Sabu when Los Maximos interrupted looking for their trainer, Mickey Whipwreck. They found him and got nothing but screamed at them for interrupting his happy time.
- The episode ended with another recap of Kojimania and Satoshi Kojima’s reign with the MLW World Heavyweight Title.
Los Maximos (Joel & Jose) defeated Jimmy Yang & Tony Mamaluke via Double Spanish Fly on Mamaluke
Asai Moonsault from @RealJoelMaximo#MLWUnderground |
? https://t.co/vd4Z7fB7Pw pic.twitter.com/ORjrQl4s9I— Major League Wrestling (@MLW) February 25, 2021
The main event of the show was Los Maximos taking on the rag-tag team of Jimmy Yang and the debuting Tony Mamaluke. They had issued an open challenge claiming to be the best tag in the world and these two had answered the question. Joel and Yang started things as Yang worked around Joel and took him out with a cartwheel dropkick. Yang got too cocky on a fake-out and Joel threw him into a guardrail. Joel tried to go to the top rope but Yang dropkicked him back to the floor and hit him with a corkscrew Pescado. Mamaluke was tagged in and he chopped away at Joel, slamming him into the mat with a back body drop. Joel elbowed Mamaluke away but a failed springboard attempt saw him caught into an armbar. The assault continued on Joel until he launched Mamaluke overhead with an overhead belly to belly. He made the tag to Jose who came out swinging and caught Mamaluke with a massive kick. He sent Mamaluke outside with a clothesline but Yang ran him out with a leg lariat. Joel tried to follow with a baseball slide but Yang blocked it so he climbed the ropes for an Asai moonsault onto the body pile instead.
SPANISH FLY!!!#MLWUnderground | @RealJoelMaximo | @realjosemaximo
? https://t.co/vd4Z7fjwXY pic.twitter.com/NtD6WSCZeD— Major League Wrestling (@MLW) February 25, 2021
Los Maximos hit Mamaluke with a double bulldog and locked on a double submission to both men before hitting Mamaluke with a Camel Clutch Dropkick. Mamaluke drove Jose into the turnbuckle and rammed him into a ring-post. He tagged out to Yang and the pair battled over a Suplex before Yang sent Jose into the corner, flipped off him, and drilled him with another unique heel kick. The Suplex followed but only got two. Mamaluke came back in and winded Jose with a kick and dropped him on his shoulder with a Hammerlock Suplex. The pair went counter for counter until Mamaluke dumped Jose with a flipping arm breaker. Joel saved Jose from another Hammerlock so Mamaluke made another tag and watched Yang kick the hell out of Jose. He strangled Jose with a rope-hung head-scissor and tried for a top rope powerbomb but Jose reversed into a Frankensteiner. Jose made the tag and Los Maximos nearly won with a springboard moonsault neckbreaker. Yang made the save so the pair tried for a Doomsday Device but Mamaluke turned it into a body slam. Yang ambushed the pair with a diving double clothesline but he was launched in the crowd and Los Maximos ended the match with the double Spanish Fly on Mamaluke. This had been one hell of a challenge for Los Maximos but after an entertaining match, they definitely proved their point.
All images courtesy of MLW Twitter, Video courtesy of MLW YouTube