MLW Azteca #2 Report: Savio Vega vs. Pagano, Two championship matches

John Siino reviews MLW Azteca with two championship matches, a hardcore match between Savio Vega & Pagano, and a cliffhanger ending.

Photo Courtesy: MLW

MLW Azteca #2

January 13th, 2022

Espada Underground Fight Club – Tijuana, Mexico

By: John Siino

Commentary: Rich Bocchini & Joe Dombrowski

Filthy Renegades

We start the show from Cesar Duran’s office where Duran wishes us a Happy New Year and welcomes us to MLW Azteca. He says he’s received some very nasty tweets about what he’s done to Alex Hammerstone, but it doesn’t matter to him as he once put his trust in his so-called believers, and they let his temple fall. They are not believers at all, but filthy renegades, but it’s a new year filled with unique opportunities and he’s in complete control. Duran says that Hammerstone should be a lesson to every man and woman here that even the MLW World Heavyweight Champion has to bow down to Duran. And to be El Jefe you have to show complete power and show the world there are consequences for not respecting his power. Hammerstone is reflecting on that even now, but none of that matters when the capital of violence has opened its doors.

Commentary welcomes us to this underground fight club and says the reason why they could be there could be due to the whereabouts of Alex Hammerstone.

MLW World Tag Team Championship: 5150 (Rivera & Slice Boogie) (c) (w/ Konnan) vs. Skalibur & Black Destiny

5150 have a video promo where they talk about The Von Erichs being entitled to getting a title shot only because it’s in Dallas, Texas, but regardless they will leave them bleeding as it’s an ass whipping, they have never witnessed before saying they don’t give a fuck about Texas. 5150 attack them before the bell rings, before double teaming on Destiny. Ends up being Boogie and Skalibur as they go to commercial.

When we come back Destiny and Skalibur hit dives to the outside taking out 5150. Rivera takes Destiny down with a big clothesline before Boogie comes in and hits a suplex for a 2 count. They keep Destiny in their corner with chokeholds before the referee has to intervene. 5150 takes turns trading tags before Rivera takes out Skalibur off the apron before going for another pin attempt on Destiny. They continue keeping Destiny in their corner, but Destiny is able to dodge River and take him out with a missile dropkick before tagging in Skalibur who takes down Boogie with a drop toe hold, tossing Rivera onto Destiny who powerbombs him onto Boogie. All four men go at it, ending in a DDT/German suplex combo to take out Destiny followed by Rivera hitting a double stomp off the top rope onto Skalibur who’s on Boogie’s shoulder which they call the 4-5-6 Head Crack as Boogie gets the pin on Skalibur.

Winners: 5150 (Rivera & Slice Boogie) by pinfall at 7:47, to retain

Konnan gets on the mic and says they just demonstrated why they are the best tag team in the world, and they have two loudmouths talking a lot; Aerostar and Drago which prompts them to come out and brawl with Slice Boogie and Rivera.

I Want My Company Back

Alicia Atout is seen in San Juan, Puerto Rico with Savio Vega where they are discussing the beaches before Alicia asks how he feels about Cesar Duran. Vega says he spoke to him because he’s not happy with what happened to Alex Hammerstone and also that he wants his IWA company back. Duran told him if he beats Pagano he will get his company back, and that’s exactly what he will do.

Never Turn Your Back

Emilio Sparks is seen in the parking lot stopping nZo where he asks him why he beat up KC Navarro, especially since he’s known him since he was a little kid. nZo says everyone who fights you ain’t your enemy and everyone who helps you ain’t your friend. He loves KC, and he just taught him a valuable lesson in this business; never turn your back on anybody, that’s disrespect.

They announce that Davey Richards has signed a multi-year contract with MLW, before showing him coming into the arena with his Opera Cup.

Where is Hammerstone?

We see a tweet from Court Bauer that asks ‘Where is Hammerstone? MLW needs answers. Now.’ We cut to a video from Emilio Sparks where he stops Richard Holliday who asks him if he knows where Hammerstone is, Sparks doesn’t, and Holliday asks not to have his time wasted. Holliday goes to a shut down that’s guarded by three of Cesar Duran’s henchmen. Holliday tries to fight them off but gets stopped by Alicia Atout who says it’s not worth it.

Show Up & Show Out

We get another video package from EJ Nduka this time highlighting his accolades in football. He says football was everything for him and his dream was to play in the NFL. He got an opportunity in 2012 to go to the NFL Compound where he broke the record for the bench with 33 reps at 225 at his position, he jumped a 42 inch vertical, a 10’2” in his broad jump, and came to show up and show out. After his professional football stint, he still had that drive and he wanted to compete, so he started bodybuilding and compete in the NPC and after a year and a half, he was able to turn pro something that takes people 10 to 15 years. He ends this video by saying MLW is coming to Dallas, and it’ll be his homecoming.

Slice Boogie and Rivera are backstage and are upset that Aerostar and Drago attacked them, but they get interrupted by one of Duran’s henchmen that passes them a note, which says ‘Will you please wrestle Aerostar & Drago for the MLW World Tag Titles, yes or no?’, in which they agree to for next week.

MLW National Openweight Championship: Alex Kane (c) (w/ Mr. Thomas) vs. Aerostar

As this match is about to start, we get word that nZo has been suspended due to his attack on KC Navarro and refusing to give an apology. Kane starts the match pushing Aerostar down after a couple of lockups, but Aerostar dodges Kane in the corner and hits him with a corkscrew plancha and a hurricanrana to take Kane to the outside. Kane goes back inside and catches Aerostar off the ropes for a fall-away slam. Kane starts choking Aerostar on the ropes, as Mr. Thomas chips in as Kane distracts the referee. Kane hits an over-the-head suplex for a two-count. Kane starts clubbing away on Aerostar with cross faces before trying another suplex, that Aerostar escapes on. Aerostar hits double knees knocking Kane to the outside, where Aerostar hits a step-up tope onto Kane and Thomas on the outside. Aerostar goes on the top rope but gets attacked by Slice Boogie and Rivera, as the referee is a bit distracted. Kane puts on a chicken wing-like choke until the referee raises Aerostar’s arms and stops the match.

Winner: Alex Kane by referee’s decision at 6:05, to retain

Nduka Needs Answers

We go back to Emilio Sparks who tries to get a word with Cesar Duran and asks where Hammerstone is and what’s on his mind. Duran says what’s on his mind is not being able to find good help anywhere these days and he’s not in the right frame of mind right now. One of his henchmen shows up and Duran yells at him where he was, before handing him a note and telling him to go and place the package in the least conspicuous location. EJ Nduka comes in and asks Duran where Hammerstone is at, and Duran asks Nduka to step into his office.

The Demon in Hell

We get another video for Bestia 666 ‘rising soon’ and then go to a dark video for Mads Krugger who is chained up and trying to fight off Duran’s henchmen. We overhear Karlee Perez who says this is the very arena where CONTRA Unit staged their occupation, and that history will not repeat itself. Krugger says that CONTRA lies in ashes and MLW is no longer his concern, and asks for ‘The Betrayer’, ‘The Judas’, Jacob Fatu. Perez comes into the picture and says she can feel Krugger’s anger and its intoxicating, but he has to earn his vengeance. Krugger asks her to name her price, Perez mentions a ‘demon from hell’ and for him to face him, as we see a video of Bestia 666. Krugger says he’ll do anything to claim his trophy, so she makes it official, Mads Krugger vs. Bestia 666.

Upcoming Schedule

·       Next Week: Tijuana Street Fight – Mads Krugger vs. Bestia 666

·       January 21st – MLW Blood & Thunder in Dallas, TX

·       February 26th – MLW Superfight in Charlotte, NC

We go to Emilio Sparks once again, who is outside and spying on Duran’s henchmen. We see one of them talking to two others, telling them to leave the stairs that they were guarding, before heading down the stairs himself. Sparks follows him down the stairs as well.

Hardcore Match: Savio Vega vs. Pagano

As Savio Vega is making his way to the ring, we see that Davey Richards has been laid out backstage and it looks like his Opera Cup is missing. Vega attacks Pagano right away, choking him out in the corner with his boot before punching him around. Vega grabs a chair and starts smacking Pagano in the back with it. Vega hits a clothesline and a couple of chops for a two-count. Pagano comes back with a big clothesline of his own before taking Vega down with a hard chop followed by a springboard elbow for a two count. Pagano hits a flurry of chops as the crowd seems fully behind him. Vega comes back with a throat chop before choking Pagano out with the leg of the chair. They head to the outside, brawling all around, taking it to these steel bars that are near the ring. Pagano hits a running boot and punches Vega in the head a bit busting him open. Pagano grabs a wooden stick and throws it and Vega back inside as they go to commercial.

When we come back, Pagano hits a springboard dropkick before placing Vega on the top rope. Pagano pours thumbtacks all over the ring and tries to superplex Vega but gets thrown onto the thumbtacks stomach first instead. As Pagano gets up, he grabs a fist full of thumbtacks and throws them at Vega’s eyes. Pagano puts the chair on top of Vega, heads up to the top rope, and hits a moonsault for the pin.

Winner: Pagano by pinfall at 8:25

Next Week

·       MLW World Tag Team Championship: 5150 (c) vs. Aerostar & Drago

·       Jacob Fatu breaks silence

·       Tijuana Street Fight: Mads Krugger vs. Bestia 666

Ghosts of Lucha Past

As the show is about to sign off, commentary gets word that Emilio Sparks is streaming so they cut to him. Sparks is in a dark basement alley passing doors with one labeled ‘Salina’ where we hear sounds of a female crying, another labeled ‘Killshot’ (Shane Strickland, the former Isiah ‘Swerve’ Scott), before Sparks finds a way to the henchmen who went down the stairs earlier. The henchmen are at a door labeled ‘Hammerstone’, where a hand comes out and grabs the henchman just for him to reveal himself to be Richard Holliday. Holliday opens up the door and lets Hammerstone out, who seems to be recovering from a beatdown asking where Cesar Duran is.

About John Siino 406 Articles
New York native and reporter at POST Wrestling. He is also Associate Producer at POISONRANA, co-host of 'Collision Course' and the host of the 'Shot in the Dark' podcast.