MLW Roundup: nZo’s first opponent, Alex Shelley debut in Opera Cup, more!

The world of MLW never sleeps. Let’s catch up on all the news from the past week.

nZo was officially announced as coming to MLW at the War Chamber event in Philadelphia on November 6. Now, the Real 1 has an opponent. Matt Cross will travel the open roads to tango with the certified G.

MLW

In addition to nZo’s debut, MLW matchmaker Cesar Duran (alias Dario Cueto) booked a rematch between Aramis and Arez. The kicker this time will be the winner receiving a briefcase full of cash. That stipulation is hilariously on point with Duran’s character back when he ran the Lucha Underground fight promotion.

The War Chamber lineup so far includes:

• War Chamber: Alexander Hammerstone, Richard Holliday, EJ Nduka, & ??? vs. Jacob Fatu, Josef Samael, Mads Krugger, & Ikuro Kwon
• Opera Cup final
• National Openweight Championship ladder match: Alex Shelley vs. Myron Reed vs. Zenshi vs. Alex Kane vs. wild card wrestler
• LA Park vs. Homicide
• nZo vs. Matt Cross
• Aramis vs. Arez (winner receives briefcase full of cash)
• Willow Nightingale vs. Holidead

Tickets (here) are currently available for live attendance.

Moving on to more pressing news, episode 6 of Fusion: ALPHA airs tonight (Wednesday, Oct. 27) at 7 pm ET on MLW’s YouTube channel. The card is packed with four matches. TJP battles Alex Shelley and Bobby Fish tussles with Lee Moriarty in a pair of Opera Cup opening round contests. Mads Krugger rumbles with Dr. Dax in a hoss fight, and Calvin Tankman will be in action against an unnamed opponent. Those last two bouts will likely be squashes.

The Opera Cup is where the more intriguing fisticuffs will occur. Shelley is making his MLW debut, and TJP is coming in off a loss to Davey Richards. Both men have a lot at stake in not only competing for the Opera Cup but also looking to impress Cesar Duran for future opportunities. In an unintentional Forbidden Door matchup, Fish and Moriarty have both signed with AEW since this bout was taped. Fish has the experience edge, but Moriarty may pull a surprise from his Taiga Style bag of tricks. I’m rolling with Shelley and Fish to advance.

The official preview teases a shocking twist for War Chamber, however, the most curious piece of intrigue is if there will be consequences for Alicia Atout slapping Duran’s champagne glass out of his hand after King Muertes won the Caribbean Championship from Richard Holliday. Atout is fully aware of Duran’s reputation.

What are your predictions for the Opera Cup matches on Fusion: ALPHA?

Running through other odds and ends, if you missed the Fightland special on Vice TV, no need for remorse. MLW posted the middleweight title fight (here) between Myron Reed, Tajiri, Aramis, and Arez, as well as the world title fight (here) with Jacob Fatu and Alexander Hammerstone. Both are uncut versions available for viewing on YouTube.

Tajiri is back in Japan celebrating his success with other champions, such as Jake Lee.

That has MLW CEO Court Bauer brainstorming about potential matchups.

Would you like to see Tajiri versus Atsuki Aoyagi pop up on Fusion? Who else would excite you in getting a shot at the MLW World Middleweight Championship while Tajiri is in Japan?

Richard Holliday’s Micro Brawler is as real as it gets. Notice the AirPods.

For fans of NCIS, keep your eyes peeled for a future appearance from Rivera (aka Danny Limelight). The 5150 member scored a guest role.

Closing with a drop of happy news, Marshall Von Erich’s family grew by one.