MLW Roundup: Jacob Fatu re-signs long-term, Corino vs Rhodes vs Funk in death match, more!

Let’s catch up on the week’s news in MLW and preview Saturday night’s episode of MLW Underground with Steve Corino vs Dusty Rhodes vs Terry Funk in a death match.

Pulp Fusion

MLW’s world never sleeps as storylines continue in Pulp Fusion.

The format of Pulp Fusion is a quick cut montage of promos intermixed with each other. Let’s break it down.

• The show opened with fancy aerial views of Martha’s Vineyard. Richard Holliday addressed the chatter of having island fights. Even though his presence would sell out shows in Puerto Rico and Hawaii, he calls the shots as Caribbean Champion. Right now, Holliday is only concerned about enjoying his life and launching his Dynastic Coffee line.
• Salina de la Renta was being massaged with her new crew of cronies. She reflected on working so hard. She mistreated her employees with swear words, telling one to stand in the closet, and throwing a fat wad of cash at another. Salina was getting ready to meet up with a man.
• Tom Lawlor returned from the airport after being denied entry to his flight to Hawaii. He was frustrated with Kit Osbourne, who was inside a large suitcase, about Kit trying to use his corner license as identification and weird leather masks as face masks for traveling.
• Gino Medina wanted his six feet of social distancing. This interview was messing with his time for the mamacitas. He was styling in Louis Vuitton.
• Mance Warner received MANCER 2020 bumper stickers
• The Von Erichs were pumped about an island event in Hawaii. Their home is perfect for wrestling, since there are no people there. They discussed plans to tie Team Filthy to trees for coconut throwing practice.
• Myron Reed plugged his album, Bangers 4Ever. A deluxe version is on the way with more heat and more lava. Reed confirmed his GOAT status.
• A bald person sat in the dark analyzing the Contra Unit.
• Alexander Hammerstone scrolled through images of pizza. When served a salad instead, he cried. Hammer was denied ranch dressing since the Hammerstone Invitational for bodybuilding is next week.
• Jordan Oliver continued squawking about fighting Jacob Fatu for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship. There’s no way Fatu could outlast Oliver for 60 minutes.
• Konnan made an offer to Salina de la Renta. He can help her with money issues in exchange for selling Promociones Dorado to AAA.

Salina stole the show this week with her sass. The written recap doesn’t do justice to the comical nature of her rudeness. The big question is who she plans on meeting. Could the man on her phone be a future client?

There was also an interesting twist with Konnan’s offer to buy Promociones Dorado. Hypothetically, the idea sounds intriguing for AAA, however, it wouldn’t be as interesting without Salina. I’d love to see her yap at the Mexican crowds. She could easily work them into a beer throwing frenzy. If AAA let Salina go wild, then they would need to hire security guards to escort her around town. It is not farfetched to think women would try to fight Salina in the street if Salina went full rudo with her trash-talking capabilities.

Speaking of mysteries, who was the person in the dark watching Contra? My guess is Low Ki, due to the bald head. His Hitman gimmick makes him seem like the type of person to plot plans in the dark.

Which scene in Pulp Fusion was your favorite? What are your guesses for the man in the dark?

MLW Underground

Episode 3 of MLW Underground is stacked with a death match, a world title fight, and two tag team tournament bouts.

• Florida Death Match: Steve Corino vs Dusty Rhodes vs Terry Funk
• World Heavyweight Championship: Satoshi Kojima vs Mitsuya Nagai
• GTC Tournament Bout: Extreme Horsemen (Simon Diamond & CW Anderson) vs Los Maximos
• GTC Tournament Bout: “Dr. Death” Steve Williams & PJ Friedman vs Jimmy Yang & Mike Sanders

On paper, this episode looks like a major reason why fans desired the release of Underground for all to enjoy. We are treated to reliving Rhodes fighting Funk. Corino is in there too, so I’m curious what craziness he attempts in an effort to steal the show. Kojima’s title defense should be a physical fight. Both tag tournament bouts look solid, but I’ve got my eye on Los Maximos. I’m not familiar with their work. I have a feeling it is as intense as their promos.

MLW’s weekly program (Fusion, Anthology, and Underground) airs on beIN SPORTS Saturday nights at 10 pm ET / 7 pm ET. New episodes are posted on YouTube Saturdays at 6:05 pm ET. You can also check out MLW streaming on DAZN. In addition, MLW is broadcast in over 20 countries.

Quick hits

ESPN reported that Jacob Fatu re-signed with MLW through 2025. That’s impressive on two fronts. First, it is nice to see MLW lock down one of their cornerstone players for years to come. Second, it is cool to get coverage on ESPN. MLW is moving on up.

MLW.com profiled Fatu’s run as World Heavyweight Champion. It is a concise recap of his path of destruction that is worth a read, especially if your memory is fading.

Alexander Hammerstone went from juicy to lean for his upcoming bodybuilding contest. Here he is with one week to go.

Dominic Garrini visited UFC’s Fight Island at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates as part of his scouting to find a new member for Team Filthy. MLW name-dropped Amanda Ribas, Jose Aldo, and Peter Yan.

We’ll close with Tom Lawlor’s new Filthy Island t-shirt.

Is the re-signing of Fatu a good move for both sides? Should ESPN use their journalistic dollars to delve into the story of the Contra Unit taking over MLW?