History was made on MLW FUSION as Josh Bishop did what nobody had been able to do in an MLW ring: pin Killer Kross.
From a sold-out New York City, the World Heavyweight Champion was planted with Exit 187 and pinned for three stunning seconds in a wild New York City Street Fight. Elsewhere, CONTRA Unit tightened its grip on the Opera Cup, Austin Aries declared the tournament his destiny, JUMBO nearly broke the ring, and the world saw the trailer for the debuting Tessa Blanchard .
Watch MLW Fusion free on Tubi every Thursday at 8 PM ET: https://tubitv.com/series/300022585/mlw-fusion
CONTRA CHEATS ITS WAY FORWARD
CONTRA Unit came to New York with one objective: get its hands on the Opera Cup. Ikuro Kwon took the first step against Andrew Everett, who pushed the Concrete Dragon to the brink with his freakish athleticism and nearly sent CONTRA packing with a spectacular springboard tornillo.
But with Josef Samael lurking at ringside, Everett was never fighting just one man. As Everett appeared to be closing in, the Serpent grabbed him from the floor, creating the opening Kwon needed. Kwon blasted Everett with poisonous mist, leaving him blinded and vulnerable to a Shining Wizard for the three-count.
Winner: Ikuro Kwon
CONTRA survives, and so does Samael’s sickening promise to capture professional wrestling’s oldest tournament trophy and melt the Opera Cup into a saber. Kwon now advances to face the winner of Matt Riddle vs. Mark Coffey.
ARIES: THE OPERA CUP IS MY DESTINY
Austin Aries has no regrets. Rich Bocchini confronted the National Openweight Champion about his role in Místico’s shocking Opera Cup elimination, but Aries wasn’t interested in apologies.
According to Aries, everything unfolded according to plan. Místico was a two-time Opera Cup winner standing between Aries and history, so Aries made sure he was eliminated. Now the self-proclaimed “Greatest Man That Ever Lived” believes the path has been cleared for him to fulfill his destiny and become the 2026 Opera Cup Champion.
There is, however, a rather significant obstacle waiting for Aries in the quarterfinals: Trevor Lee.
BATTLE OF THE BASTARDS
Nearly 650 pounds of bad intentions collided when Glasgow Boys On Top enforcer Wolfgang went head-to-head with CONTRA’s 345-pound Beast of Belfast, Big Damo. This wasn’t going to be decided with finesse. It was two wrecking balls trying to find out which one would crack first.
Wolfgang refused to be intimidated, taking the fight directly to Damo and somehow launching the massive CONTRA heavyweight with a thunderous superplex. Damo kept coming. The longer the fight went, the more the Beast of Belfast imposed his size and raw power, eventually overwhelming Wolfgang and putting him down for three.
Winner: Big Damo
Just like that, Josef Samael went two-for-two. Kwon and Damo are both moving forward, giving CONTRA two soldiers in the Opera Cup quarterfinals and bringing Samael dangerously closer to getting his hands on more than 140 years of wrestling history.
KOZONE HASN’T FORGOTTEN
LaBron Kozone finally got a measure of revenge by eliminating Joe Coffey from the Opera Cup, but don’t mistake that victory for closure. Speaking with Rich Bocchini, Kozone revealed he had spoken with Teddy Long, who offered him one simple piece of advice: keep winning.
That’s exactly what Kozone intends to do. He warned that his problems with Glasgow Boys On Top are far from finished and there is more payback coming, but revenge can wait. Right now, Kozone’s number-one priority is winning the Opera Cup.
BIG 400. BIG PROBLEM.
Rich Moya never had a chance against JUMBO. The 6-foot-6, 400-pound super heavyweight charged across the ring almost immediately after the bell, crushed Moya with a massive corner splash and ended the fight in a matter of seconds.
Winner: JUMBO
The impact was so violent that the entire ring visibly shifted, forcing MLW’s crew to make adjustments before the main event. Big 400 didn’t just make quick work of his opponent; he left the ring itself needing attention.
RIDDLE AND ARIES COLLIDE
Matt Riddle hasn’t forgotten what Killer Kross owes him. Before joining the World Champion in the main event, Riddle again made it clear that helping Kross comes with a price: another shot at the MLW World Heavyweight Championship.
Austin Aries interrupted with a different opinion. The National Openweight Champion argued that if anyone deserves the next crack at Kross, it’s him. Riddle told Aries he would “smoke” him, prompting Aries to fire back that he’s Austin Aries, not Mary Jane. Riddle promised he could knock Aries out “any time, any day,” only for Aries to walk away after adding one important qualifier: just not today.
Two men with championship ambitions now have another reason to keep an eye on each other.
BISHOP SHOCKS THE WORLD
The main event was supposed to settle a score. Instead, it changed the entire MLW World Heavyweight Championship picture as Killer Kross and Matt Riddle entered a New York City Street Fight against Donovan Dijak and Josh Bishop.
With no disqualifications and no count-outs, restraint disappeared almost immediately. Steel chairs flew, kendo sticks cracked across bodies, a trash can became a weapon, and all four men fought throughout ringside. Despite their complicated history, Kross and Riddle were remarkably in sync. Years spent training together — and fighting each other — showed as the former rivals repeatedly came to one another’s aid.
Across the ring, the Skyscrapers remained a far more volatile proposition. Dijak wanted to call the plays while Bishop wanted Kross, and Bishop’s obsession with the World Heavyweight Championship seemed to grow more intense with every exchange. Things became even more personal when Dijak pie-faced Scarlett Bordeaux. Scarlett responded with a slap across the face before Kross and Riddle made the towering Skyscraper pay for putting his hands on her.
Bishop, however, simply would not stay down. He choked Kross with a kendo stick and absorbed punishment that would have finished almost anyone else. Dijak nearly put Riddle away with a chokeslam and moonsault combination, but Riddle somehow kicked out, allowing Kross to fight his way back into the fray.
Then came the moment that stunned New York.
Kross drilled Bishop with the Diamond Cutter, a maneuver that should have ended the threat. Instead, Bishop rose back to his feet almost immediately. The sold-out crowd could scarcely believe what it was seeing as Bishop grabbed the World Champion, hoisted him up and sent him crashing down with Exit 187.
The referee counted three.
Winners: The Skyscrapers — Josh Bishop & Donovan Dijak
Josh Bishop had pinned Killer Kross. Not survived him, not taken him to his limit, but put the MLW World Heavyweight Champion’s shoulders on the canvas for three seconds.
It marked the first time anyone has pinned Kross during his MLW career. The champion was left hurt and disoriented as Bishop stood victorious, having accomplished something no one else could. In Chattanooga, Bishop proved he could push Kross to his absolute limit. In New York, he proved something far more dangerous: Killer Kross can be beaten.
Now the question hanging over Major League Wrestling is unavoidable: is the MLW World Heavyweight Championship headed down Bishop Road?
TESSA BLANCHARD IS COMING TO MLW
The night delivered one more major development as a trailer touting Tessa Blanchard’s Major League Wrestling debut on the horizon. The standout member of the CMLL roster is headed to MLW, adding one of wrestling’s most talked-about competitors to an increasingly loaded landscape.
More information on Blanchard’s arrival is coming soon.
NEXT WEEK ON FUSION
The fallout continues next Thursday when MLW Women’s World Champion Shotzi defends the championship against STARDOM’s RINA, following H.A.T.E.’s attack on the champion. Plus, the next generation arrives as 18-year-old CJ Gallows makes his MLW debut.
WATCH MLW FUSION FREE ON TUBI
MLW FUSION streams free every Thursday at 8 PM ET on Tubi: https://tubitv.com/series/300022585/mlw-fusion
Replay Information: FUSION is available on demand following its Tubi premiere. Replays are also available on YouTube and VEEPS, with MLW FUSION available internationally on NJPW WORLD.