MLW Slaughterhouse recap: Lawlor takes Kane to limit in world title fight, Cardona calls next

Bomaye! Bomaye! Bomaye!

Alex Kane proved once again that he is the top dog in MLW. Kane defended the MLW World Heavyweight Championship against Tom Lawlor in the main event of Slaughterhouse (Oct. 14, 2023). Filthy Tom was a late replacement for Davey Boy Smith Jr., who underwent emergency surgery for appendicitis and diverticulitis on the week of the fight. Lawlor was a worthy challenger as a former MLW champion, and he took Kane to the limit.

Kane and Lawlor kicked off the action with competitive grappling. Kane gained the early edge with a hefty strike, a suplex, and a jumping splash on the apron. Lawlor took control on the outside. The crowd was excited for Lawlor’s erotic dance to remove his denim shorts. Filthy Tom ran around the world to punt the champ.

The match progressed into submissions and suplexes. Lawlor worked the shoulder and arm with painful holds. Kane stepped up his game like the Suplex Assasin he is for a T-Bone superplex.

Lawlor rallied with enziguri kicks, a bicycle knee, and a suplex. Lawlor worked an armbar into a triangle choke. Kane powered out with a suplex to break free. Both fighters exchanged furious fisticuffs. Lawlor exploded for rapid-fire strikes. Kane answered with a discus punch and a lariat. Kane and Lawlor traded chokeholds and counters. Lawlor blasted Kane with a straitjacket knee to the back of the head. Kane kicked out to much surprise from Lawlor.

Lawlor went for a rear naked choke. Kane drop stepped to counter into a choke of his own. Lawlor grappled his way to snatch Kane’s neck again. Kane outsmarted Lawlor by using the corner to flip over the top and trap Lawlor’s shoulders to the mat while the choke was still tight. Lawlor couldn’t escape the pinfall, and Kane was declared the victor.

Kane’s celebration was ruined when Matt Cardona stepped on stage to call his shot. Insults were exchanged, and a donnybrook popped to close the broadcast.

MLW’s next PPV offering is Fightland on November 18. Based on the post-match chaos, it seems that there is a good chance Kane versus Cardona for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship becomes the main event for that show.

Let’s boogie through the rest of the Slaughterhouse card.

MLW vs. NJPW: Minoru Suzuki defeated Jacob Fatu. Suzuki was just plain tougher than the Samoan Werewolf. He took Fatu’s strikes and laughed in his face. The finish came when Suzuki countered a uranage into a sleeper then a Gotch piledriver. Suzuki won the dream match. (Full details here.)

MLW Women’s World Featherweight Championship: The Phantom Challenger defeated Delmi Exo to win the title. The mystery person was revealed to be Janai Kai, who was now managed by Salina de la Renta. Kai relied on Muay Thai striking to put Exo in serious trouble. The champ worked for a package piledriver finisher, but she could never execute the move. Kai escaped and blasted kicks to the spine. Exo tapped out to a dragon sleeper, and a new champion was crowned. (Full details here.)

MLW National Openweight Championship in Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal: Rickey Shane Page retained against 1 Called Manders. The Iowa Hawkeye spun the wheel, and the stipulation was Falls Count Anywhere. This match started early in the show, then it went backstage and continued throughout the evening with updates. RSP and Manders eventually made their way back to the ring. Manders had the edge after tackling RSP through a wooden board on the outside. RSP kicked out, so Manders loaded up for a lariat. Akira sauntered down as a distraction. RSP shoved his teammate into Manders’ lariat and pounced for a Raven Effect DDT on the concrete floor to win. Afterward, Akira was upset with RSP’s actions, but the champ didn’t care. The Calling looks like it will be breaking up soon.

MLW vs. CMLL in Title vs. Title: Rocky Romero defeated Akira. The CMLL World Historic Welterweight Championship and the MLW World Middleweight Championship were up for grabs. Salina de la Renta managed Romero, and Jesus (Ricardo) Rodriguez handled Azucar’s personal introduction. Salina paid dividends with a timely distraction, then she slugged The Calling’s goons with a kendo stick. Akira survived three Sliced Breads during the match to rally with fire. Romero shoved Akira into the referee and landed a low blow. Azucar finished Akira with a sunset piledriver for victory. (Full details here.)

Chamber of Horrors: Second Gear Crew defeated The Calling. Mance Warner and Matthew Justice battled Cannonball and Talon inside a steel cage. The only way to win was to strap a man into the electric chair and pull the lever. It was a rambunctious brawl with a handful of wild moments. Warner put a pumpkin over Cannonball’s head, and Justice whacked him with a flying chair shot. Justice climbed the cage for a coast-to-coast cannonball into a wooden board onto Cannonball in the corner. In the end, Warner secured Talon into the electric chair, and Justice pulled the lever for victory. Sparks popped as Talon fried. (Full details here.)

Overall, Slaughterhouse was a fun show. It offered different styles of wrestling throughout the night from hardcore with the Chamber of Horrors and Spin the Wheel to a surprise in the women’s title change to a hard-hitting dream match to a slick middleweight affair to a heavyweight grappling duel. Even if one doesn’t enjoy the weaponry, there are still plenty of other pieces to appreciate.

Alex Kane continues to establish himself as a main-event talent in MLW. He put on another entertaining battle defending the world title. Tom Lawlor worked hard as a tough opponent dragging Kane deep to check his fighting spirit. Lawlor has improved a lot since last time in MLW. He leaned deeper into his grappling style to develop creative execution of holds and transitions.

The dream match between Jacob Fatu and Minoru Suzuki was satisfying. I wouldn’t put it on an epic level, but they delivered on expectations for a rough striking match. The finish added a bit of spice for an unpredictable result.

At the end of the night, MLW has me hooked on what’s coming next. The tease from Matt Cardona sets him up to get his ass kicked by Kane. And who doesn’t enjoy when Cardona gets his ass kicked? Akira was a stud in the ring, and now there is turmoil amongst The Calling. Salina de la Renta snatched power with title wins from Rocky Romero and Janai Kai. It should be amusing to see Salina and Rocky soak up the spoils of victory.

The replay for MLW Slaughterhouse is available through the Fite+ package on Fite TV.

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