MLW Roundup: Hammerstone vs. Fatu world title fight on REELZ, more!

Major League Wrestling is bringing arguably the biggest match in company history to REELZ on Tuesday night (Mar. 21, 2023).

Alexander Hammerstone will defend the MLW World Heavyweight Championship against Jacob Fatu. This bout is MLW’s two biggest stars clashing for the top prize in the promotion.

Gather around for the simplified backstory. Fatu was world champion as part of the nefarious Contra Unit faction. Despite Fatu’s dominance, it seemed like he was ducking rising star Hammerstone. Hammer earned his shot through winning Battle Riot III, so there was no denying his opportunity at gold anymore. Hammerstone battled through adversity to dethrone Fatu and win the title in October 2021. Hammerman has stood tall ever since with the MLW World Heavyweight Championship. The cycle is one step shy of repeating itself. Fatu won Battle Riot IV, and now he has his shot to regain the lost gold. Fatu has become a fan favorite over that time span, while Hammer is the face of MLW.

If you are unfamiliar with the MLW product, this will be a fight with two massive dudes ready to kick ass. Tune in, and hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised. Get hyped with the promotional video. Don’t ask about the choice of music, because I have no answers.

On the undercard, Taya Valkyrie will defend the MLW World Women’s Featherweight Championship against 18-year-old prodigy Billie Starkz. Taya is the inaugural champion, and her ego is riding high as a recently turned ruda to align with Cesar Duran (alias Dario Cueto). She has arrogantly dismissed the youngster’s ability. Time will tell if La Wera Loca eats crow.

Moving on to future news, MLW has two upcoming live shows to be taped for television. War Chamber takes place on April 6 in New York City, and Battle Riot rumbles on April 8 in Philadelphia.

The War Chamber card added a few more bouts. Keep in mind that these matches are subject to change in the case that championships change hands. The lineup so far includes:

• MLW National Openweight Championship: John Hennigan (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
• MLW World Middleweight Championship: Lince Dorado (c) vs. Lio Rush
• MLW World Women’s Featherweight Championship: Taya Valkyrie (c) vs. Delmi Exo
• NZO vs. Willie Mack
• Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Calvin Tankman
• Alex Kane vs. Shigehiro Irie
• Billie Starkz vs. B3CCA
• Mandy Leon vs. Clara Carreras

I’ve got my eye on Dorado versus Rush. Dorado has been exciting as champion, but he’ll have to take his game to a higher level against Rush. That is exciting matchmaking.

Battle Riot V is similar to the Royal Rumble with the winner earning a world title shot. This week’s batch of fresh names entered into the contest include Raven, Rickey Shane Page, Lince Dorado, 1 Called Manders, Sam Adonis, Lance Anoa’i, and Alex Kane. They join John Hennigan, Jimmy Lloyd, Mr. Thomas, Willie Mack, and Shigehiro Irie already announced for the contest. That makes 12 out of 40 contenders.

Closing with a positive update from Richard Holliday on his recovery from cancer.

Share your thoughts on the happenings in MLW.