MLW Underground: Terry Funk takes a bite out of Sunny

MLW Underground continues to bring the grit and grime reminiscent of ECW. It is not a polished product, but it gets the job done to satiate the thirst for rugged wrestling action. Let’s catch up on episode 2 (here), episode 3 (here), and episode 4 (here). Terry Funk chomped Sunny’s posterior cheeks, Dusty Rhodes cut a classic promo, Sabu challenged Taiyo Kea to become a top contender, and Raven called out Vampiro.

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Episode 2

Steve Corino and the Extreme Horsemen are here to make Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk become yesterday’s news. It’s time for the old-timers to step aside.

“Dr. Death” Steve Williams & PJ Friedman defeated Afterburn & Eric Adams. This was a short match, or edited to be so. The finish began when Williams crushed Adams with a Doctor Bomb. Afterburn made the save to break the count. Friedman hit Afterburn with a dragon suplex then Williams closed it out with a backdrop driver to pin Giovanni Jabroni, a name Joey Styles dubbed Adams.

Styles revealed the Global Tag-Team Crown tournament bracket. The Samoan Island Tribe was snubbed and vows to make life miserable for the other teams.

MLW Underground

• Mike Sanders & Jimmy Yang vs Dr. Death Steve Williams & PJ Friedman
• CW Anderson & Simon Diamond vs Los Maximos

Fuego Guerrera was inspired by Keiichi Yamada, who donned the Jushin Thunder Liger mask to revolutionize wrestling. Fuego wants to redefine and innovate the sport. Prepare to meet Zero Gravity.

Bill Alfonso admits that LA Park is tough, but he’s not the king like Sabu. They can get extreme anytime, anyplace. The games have just begun. Park crept up on Alfonso and shoved him into the trash. Park then stacked cans on top because Alfonso is pure garbage. Park wants another shot at Sabu and issued a challenge for a Mexican Massacre.

No DQ: Terry Funk defeated Chris Candido. Tammy Sytch (aka Sunny) was ringside. The match quickly turned into a bloody brawl. The top spot early was a piledriver on the floor from Funk. The closing sequence was rambunctious. Candido hit a diving headbutt then missed a second attempt off a ladder. Sytch came in the ring to low blow and slap Funk. He retaliated with a DDT and bit her bare butt.

MLW Underground

The action progressed for Funk to execute a hangman’s neckbreaker onto an elevated chair.

Funk went for an inside toe hold submission, but Candido countered into a small package. Funk reversed position to be on top for the three count to win. Afterward, Candido got Funk with a piledriver.

Steve Corino is the King of Old School. It is no longer Corino chasing Funk. Funk needs to chase Corino to solidify his legend. Corino has done everything Funk has, only better and quicker.

MLW World Heavyweight Championship: Satoshi Kojima defeated Jerry Lynn to become inaugural champ. Kojima learned his lariat technique from Stan Hansen. The story was who could hit their finisher. Kojima went for a lariat, but Lynn ducked and cracked back with a German suplex. Later, Lynn set up his cradle piledriver, but Kojima escaped to hit a spinebuster. In the end, Kojima again escaped Lynn’s cradle piledriver. Kojima attacked with a Michinoku driver then a huge lariat to win.

After the match, Kojima thanked the fans for their support. That’s what Joey Styles claimed in commentary, but I couldn’t hear a word from Kojima on the mic.

The show closed with Raven sending a message to Vampiro. He hasn’t heard from Vamp since he disbanded The Deadpool group, which also included Insane Clown Posse. However, Raven has heard that Vampiro is speaking about him in an unflattering light. That means that Vamp either has a problem with Raven or Vamp is trying to get help from Raven. Raven will be more than happy to find out the reason.

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Episode 3

Steve Corino pulled up in a fancy automobile. He is about class, while Terry Funk is about white trash. He is about money, prestige, and glory. Funk is about getting to the next hick town to sell t-shirts so he can pay rent. Every time Corino thinks of Funk, he respects him less and less. Corino is going to replace Funk as the legend.

GTC Tournament: “Dr. Death” Steve Williams & PJ Friedman defeated Jimmy Yang & Mike Sanders. Yang had the move of the match with a flying corkscrew.

For the finish, Sanders was taken out with a Doctor Bomb by Williams. Yang ran wild with a spinning heel kick, a headscissors takeover, and a dropkick. Yang stepped up to flip off Friedman’s chest, but Williams was waiting to snatch Yang from behind for a backdrop driver to win.

The Samoan Island Tribe is always being blackballed. They threw shade at Rikishi and The Rock. They are not dancing bears with thongs up their butts. They are not the most electrifying men in sports entertainment, but they are the power source. The Samoan Island Tribe is coming to MLW to kick butts and take names.

New MLW World Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Kojima cut a backstage promo with subtitles. He hears Mike Awesome has been talking trash and wants a title shot. Kojima is here to beat the best. He is the champ and the leader of Kojimania. Kojima will be the most fighting champion ever.

MLW World Heavyweight Championship: Satoshi Kojima retained against Mitsuya Nagai. This was a highlight package from All Japan Pro Wrestling. Kojima connected on a Michinoku driver, but Nagai popped up to attack with a running knee. Kojima needed two lariats to win. The music and pumped up crowd noise gave it the feel of a Rocky IV action montage.

GTC Tournament: Simon Diamond & CW Anderson defeated Los Maximos. Top moves were a delayed vertical superplex from Anderson and a back body drop driver by Joel Maximo. In the end, Jose Maximo missed a flying attack to Diamond. Anderson was right there ready and waiting to destroy Jose with a big spinebuster to win.

The finals of the GTC Tournament will be a three-way with Steve Williams & PJ Friedman, Simon Diamond & CW Anderson, and Hot Commodity (EZ Money & Julio Dinero).

Dusty Rhodes cut a classic Dusty promo. Check it out (timestamped here). He doesn’t like any of the Funks. There is long blood between the two. Dusty is so pretty that he should have been a girl. Dusty is so quick that he should have been a speed racer. Dusty is so strong (smells armpit) that he’s bad.

Cameras caught up to see the remnants of a beatdown on Los Maximos. They were lying in pain on the ground. The culprits were most likely the Samoan Island Tribe.

Mike Awesome came to MLW to make an impact. He needs to be champ to do that. Awesome will go through Masato Tanaka first, then he will challenge Kojima. Awesome channeled his inner Hulk Hogan by backpedaling off screen.

Florida Death Match: Steve Corino defeated Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk in a three-way. This bout had enough blood and bionic elbows for all. Corino and Funk double-teamed Dusty until Funk turned on Corino with a trashcan shot to the head. Later, Diamond and Anderson ran down to attack Dusty with chairs. Dusty was out of commission and had to be taken to the back. Funk fought all three Extreme Horsemen with his trusty trashcans, but the numbers game quickly got to him. Corino planted Funk with a DDT. The Extreme Horsemen went for a triple cover. The referee refused to count, so Corino grabbed him for a DDT. The backup ref did do the three count after being threatened.

Raven questioned if Vampiro was jealous. Maybe it is time for the protege to beat the master. If Vampiro continues, he will be going down a long, lonely, and painful road. Vampiro will end up in a mental and physical hell in Raven’s Clockwork Orange House of Fun.

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Episode 4

Super Crazy defeated Fuego Guerrera. Joey Styles explained that Fuego Guerrera is actually Amazing Red. This bout was high energy and high flying. The top move was a corkscrew moonsault from Fuego down to the floor on top of Super Crazy. The match finished with Fuego missing a senton. Super Crazy picked him up for a sitdown powerbomb to win.

Vampiro won’t break his silence about Raven until he sees him face to face. Styles informed us that Vamp injured his knee wrestling in CMLL, but he will still compete against Satoshi Kojima for the heavyweight title.

Steve Corino was driving and calling CW Anderson on his 2003 car phone. It was funny to see considering our current technology. Corino is giving us a taste of how the elite live. Money, power, glory. His message was that Terry Funk’s time is done. It is now a new era. Corino is a king, and Funk is a commoner.

“Dr. Death” Steve Williams sparred in the ring with PJ Friedman. He will teach PJ a few tricks. We’re looking at the next tag champs. They are the toughest team in the world.

LA Park defeated Shocker. This was a jamming lucha libre exhibition. The craziest moment was Park blasting Shocker with a chair on a suicide dive. Park prevailed in the end with a corkscrew body block to win.

Styles stated that Mike Awesome will wrestle Jerry Lynn for the #1 contender spot. The winner will have to immediately defend that position. That could lead to Lynn vs Paul London or Awesome vs Masato Tanaka.

Simon Diamond and CW Anderson agree that PJ Friedman is a blue chipper, but they plan on exploiting his lack of experience when they wrestle in the tag team tournament final.

Terry Funk laughed at Corino’s nerve. Funk knows Corino is no god, and Funk doesn’t consider himself to be a legend. Funk is an ornery old bastard. Corino won’t shove him aside. Funk will teach Corino a lesson.

Taiyo Kea defeated Sabu. Bill Alfonso was ringside to lend assistance to Sabu. Kea returned from Japan after turning on his mentor, Great Mutah. Kea now had a sinister appearance with the goal of winning the MLW World Heavyweight Championship. This contest was quite exciting. The big move was from Sabu with a springboard leg drop through a table.

Sabu controlled much of the pace throughout, but Kea had his number in the end. Kea hit three consecutive heavy maneuvers culminating with a H5O to win.

Raven believes Vampiro has a desire to become a martyr for his pain. Vamp wants to antagonize Raven to the point where Raven is forced to hurt him. If anyone is going to be a martyr for society’s pain, it will be Raven.

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MLW Underground passes the test for binge watching. You only need to see the names in the ring to know the type of action heading our way. All the matches delivered on expectations. Emphasis on expectations given that Terry Funk and Dusty Rhodes were well-aged by then. There were some minor issues, such as Joey Styles spoiling match results (mentioning Taiyo Kea beat Sabu during episode 2 when the match was in episode 3). Overall, the show does a very good job of building anticipation for feuds and future fights.

The presentation of Satoshi Kojima makes him feel like a big deal as World Heavyweight Champion. Steve Corino is fantastic at picking a fight with Terry Funk. Corino’s brash arrogance builds a strong desire for Funk to kick his ass. Taiyo Kea is being built strong as a credible threat to take the title from Kojima, while Mike Awesome is waiting in the wings for the champ. All of Raven’s closing promos are ratcheting up the intrigue for a violent confrontation with Vampiro.

Each episode also has at least one classic moment to live on in our memory. 2 was Sunny taking a DDT and Funk biting her butt. 3 was Dusty Rhodes’ promo. It contained the signature ‘long blood’ line from MLW’s opening package. 4 saw Sabu leg drop through a table. What made that special was how the table leg was broken, so Bill Alfonso had to improvise by using the guardrail for leverage.

What were your favorite moments from the past three episodes of MLW Underground? Do you think the show stands up well for viewing today? Which upcoming bouts are you most eager for?

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