MLW Fusion recap: Jacob Fatu beats John Morrison to win National Openweight Championship

The Bloodline runs deep, even into MLW country. Jacob Fatu of the Samoan dynasty is a champion once again after beating John Morrison to win the MLW National Openweight Championship.

That match was the main event for MLW Fusion episode 170.

There were some intertwining stories that unfolded during the title bout which need to be addressed first for the sake of smoother comprehension.

First up is Mance Warner. Ole Mancer could barely talk after being hung with a leather strap by Sam Adonis last week. He was taken to death’s door. Adonis tried to end Mancer, but nobody can end Mancer. Warner wants Adonis next week in a leather strap match.

Taya Valkyrie was in a mood backstage after losing the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Championship to Delmi Exo. She was in disbelief that a nobody beat her.

The Calling had a message for Fatu. Raven warned that the Samoan is all alone. Jimmy and Jey won’t be there to save him. A tsunami is coming to drown Fatu.

John Hennigan (Morrison) and Sam Adonis were fined $2,500 each for the attack on Warner. They have seven days to pay or else be suspended. Hennigan warmed up with rooftop calisthenics. He was looking to put Taya in a good mood. She gets turned on when Johnny beats people up.

Let’s get ready to fight! Ring the bell for the main event. Adonis sat in on commentary, and Taya was ringside accompanying her loverman.

Johnny used speed and agility to keep Fatu at bay. The Samoan Werewolf had power in his advantage. Early on, Taya entered the ring as a distraction for Johnny to clip the knee. Fatu regrouped to rough up Hennigan on the outside.

The match progressed with Fatu in control for a flying crossbody and a handspring moonsault. Johnny kicked out to continue the fight. He managed to hit Moonlight Drive, but he missed the mark on Starship Pain. That’s when chaos erupted.

Adonis rose from commentary to distract Fatu. Hennigan grabbed a chair, but the referee confiscated the foreign object. No worries for Lucha Azteca. Taya popped Fatu with the title belt. Johnny scored a roll-up, but Fatu kicked out.

Exo ran in to even the odds by fighting with Taya. Warner punched Adonis. Backstage, the Calling attacked Lance Anoa’i. In all the hullabaloo, Fatu landed a moonsault. 1, 2, Taya pulled the referee out to prevent the three-count. Juicy Finau picked up La Wera Loca to carry her away.

Inside the ring, both competitors were down. Johnny picked up steam with a poison rana, a knee strike, and Starship Pain. Fatu kicked out. Johnny unloaded strikes. When he turned to run for added oomph, Fatu followed to smash Johnny on the corner. A thrust kick led to a pop-up Samoan drop. Fatu finished with a double springboard moonsault to win.

The new champion celebrated with the New York City crowd. “Grab a drink, light a blunt, and let’s get this shit going.”

In other title action, the Samoan Swat Team successfully retained the MLW World Tag Team Championship in a triple threat against the Mane Event and the FBI. Lance Anoa’i and Juicy Finau handled business. with their size advantage. Juicy flattened Jay Lyon, then Lance crashed down on a flying splash for the win.

The middle bout on the card was an epic tale of David versus Goliath when Microman rumbled with Beastman. Microman was full of courage in his 3-foot frame across the ring from the 394-pound behemoth. That didn’t amount to much with Beastman military press powerslammed his opponent.

Never count out the mini wonder. Beastman missed a flying butt drop, then Microman took Kimchee’s stick to hit Beastman in the cojones. A tilt-a-whirl DDT cemented the upset victory.

In other news, the Never Say Never control center announced Delmi Exo versus Ava Everett in title versus title with both the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Championship and the wXw Women’s World Championship up for grabs. (Full details here.)

MLW also revealed the return of the Opera Cup tournament. Davey Boy Smith Jr. was the first official entrant. Alex Kane was banned from the competition as punishment for thieving the Opera Cup trophy last year. Kane claimed a conspiracy to keep him down. The Suplex Assassin turned his attention to next week’s prize fight challenge, Big Apple Grapple II: Search for More Hoes.

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This week’s edition of MLW Fusion was a popcorn episode. It was mostly harmless fun until the main event. The opening tag title three-way had plenty of action with a comedic tone. Personalities were shining in that bout. Microman slaying the beast was goofy fun, if you buy into the spectacle. Mance Warner brought the thunder in his promo, and The Calling provided intrigue in their riddled message. Everything gelled together for the main event.

Once the wackiness calmed, Jacob Fatu and John Hennigan went face to face for a solid finish. Even though Fatu definitely deserves to carry a title in MLW, I was still surprised by the win. Hennigan is the kind of cheating competitor that always has a trick up his sleeve. And even when his schemes run out, he can still rely on supreme skill. Johnny’s luck ran out. The MLW National Openweight Championship is in good hands with Fatu. He should deliver excitement in each title defense.

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