MLW Roundup: John Morrison booked for title bout, NZO to fight famous luchador, more!

MLW is stacking up the card for Blood & Thunder on January 7 in Philadelphia. John Morrison was previously announced to return, and now we know his opponent. NZO has a unique luchador challenge in front of him. The Samoan SWAT Team angled into a tag team title fight. Mance Warner will dance with a familiar foe. Davey Boy Smith Jr. has family honor on his mind to right a wrong.

John Morrison will use his newest last name to wrestle as Johnny Fusion, based on MLW’s weekly Fusion broadcast. Morrison will challenge for the MLW National Openweight Championship against Davey Richards. That is also a first-time matchup between the two.

The most unique contest for Blood & Thunder is for NZO. The Certified G will wrestle Microman. The luchador is a fan favorite around the world, and he is looking for payback after NZO eliminated him from the Battle Riot. I’m looking forward to Microman’s reaction when NZO busts out his fancy footwork shuffle.

The tag team gold will be on the line when two undefeated duos collide. Calvin Tankman & EJ Nduka are set to defend the MLW tag belts against Lance Anoa’i & Juicy Finau. In the words of Willie Mack, enjoy the meat slapping.

Mance Warner will have to get hardcore for his next trip to the pay window. The Southern Psychopath will cross paths with Rickey Shane Page. They’ve duked it out with violence on the indies. MLW CEO Court Bauer explained, “MLW was built on hardcore brawls during the MLW Underground era. I think it’s long overdue that we go back to our roots and there’s no one better than Mancer and RSP to take us there.”

The Opera Cup trophy has a special place in the Hart family wrestling legacy. The Opera Cup was a prestigious honor won by Stu Hart in 1948 before the tournament went on hiatus for over 70 years. Davey Boy Smith Jr. helped bring the cup back into prominence for MLW’s annual tournament. Smith even won the prize in 2019. After Alex Kane revealed that he stole the trophy from Davey Richards, Smith is coming to serve a beating for the disrespectful theft.

The Blood & Thunder card currently stands at:

• MLW World Heavyweight Championship: Alexander Hammerstone (c) vs. Yamato
• MLW National Openweight Championship: Davey Richards (c) vs. Johnny Fusion
• MLW World Tag Team Championship: Hustle & Power (Calvin Tankman & EJ Nduka) (c) vs. Samoan SWAT Team (Lance Anoa’i & Juicy Finau)
• Jacob Fatu vs. Ben-K
• Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Alex Kane
• NZO vs. Microman
• Mance Warner vs. Rickey Shane Page

Looking back to the previous episode of Fusion, Shun Skywalker won the MLW World Middleweight Championship from Myron Reed. That cat was out of the bag long ago when MLW broke the news themselves back in September, but now the match is available for your viewing pleasure. Reed hit a dope leaping cutter off the apron crashing down to the floor. He launched for a springboard into the ring, however, Skywalker countered for a dropkick to meet Reed mid-air. Skywalker connected on the SSW sitout powerbomb, but Reed kicked out on the cover. When Skywalker took flight for a moonsault, Reed caught him for a cutter. The action continued with an exchange of roll-ups. Skywalker was able to secure leverage for the three-count to win the belt.

In other results and stories, EJ Nduka flattened Sultan del Aire with a spinning slam for victory. Alexander Hammerstone ran out to rumble, and they brawled onto the stage. Hammer tackled Nduka as the two titans crashed through the structure. Lance Anoa’i & Juicy Finau of the Samoan SWAT Team handled business to defeat Angel Fashion & Mark Davidson via double Samoan drop and flying splash combo. Jacob Fatu was ringside for support, and Willie Mack respectfully challenged him to a future match. It was all love to put on a show for the people.

Super Series championship action continues for the newest episode of Fusion airing Thursday night at 8 pm ET on Pro Wrestling TV. Davey Richards is set to defend the MLW National Openweight Championship against SB KENTo. The challenger arrives from the DragonGate promotion in Japan. The undercard bout will be Star Rogers versus Cosmos.

Alicia Atout returned with the latest installment of MLW Insider. Cesar Duran (alias Dario Cueto) is no longer the matchmaker due a clash with CEO Court Bauer over the mysterious backstage beatdowns plaguing MLW in recent weeks. Atout interviewed Alex Kane. The Suplex Assassin explained why he stole the Opera Cup trophy. He was supposed to be the #1 seed, but MLW had their own agenda and didn’t include him in the tournament. Kane can’t let that slide, so he took matters into his own hands to nab the cup.

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