Andrew’s MLW Fusion Results & Match Ratings: 7.18.2026

Well last week’s show was…not good. The opening match was really great, but everything after that was a steady fall of worse to awful, with a LaBron enhancement match somewhere in the freefall. I like LaBron, but I hate how they presented Contra Unit. That entire main event was worthless, Kananga was a mystery to who the hell he was until they said his name a couple times, but we know nothing about him and then a throw out finish is stupid.

Can we get a show with decent wrestling and not just rejected TNA 2018 slop ideas? Like I don’t know what the last two weeks have been, aside from gradually getting worse. But let’s hope it course corrects soon.

After @Lady_Scarlett13 challenged @ShotziTCB to a match, @RealLadyFrost inserted herself into the conversation!

Keep up with FUSION, tap in now: ▶️ https://t.co/AYXu8QmdLS pic.twitter.com/BVoIJteyEC

— MLW (@MLW) July 18, 2026

Ratings:

• 4 Way MLW Middleweight Championship: Templario vs Alan Angels vs KUSHIDA (c) vs Taiji Ishimori: Kushida retains via Hammerlock Cradle – *** 1/2
• Sofly Manny Lo vs LaBron Kozone: LaBron wins via Ball Game – SQUASH
• 3 vs 2 Handicap Match: Contra Mercs w/Shotzi Blackheart vs The Skyscrapers: Skyscrapers win via Dirty Cradle – ** 3/4

Results:

4 Way MLW Middleweight Championship: Templario vs Alan Angels vs KUSHIDA (c) vs Taiji Ishimori

Taiji comes out with a little skeleton hood/mask, I wonder if it’s supposed to be a small throwback to his Bone Soldier days.

Early just scrum where they pair off, Angels dumps out Ishimori then goes after Kushida. Templario powders and Kushida and Angels do some back and forth, rope run gymnastics until a Cartwheel dodge and Low Dropkick gives Kushida the advantage. Templario comes in, jaws a little before they go into a quick exchange where Templario hits the Snap Power Slam and Taiji flies in. Some nice back and forth, but Templario stops Taiji’s offense, kicks his feet out from under him, Kushida cuts off Templario from a dive and we go to a commercial.

Back in and Kushida has a Top Wrist Lock on Templario, into a Hammerlock Twist, Spinning Toe Hold into a Figure Four. Angels breaks up the submission but Kushida grabs his foot and starts torquing the ankle. Angels tries to exit, gets caught in the ropes and Kushida kicks him. Kushida and Ishimori both try to take off Templario’s mask, but then Taiji and Kushida throw hands. Kushida goes for low sweeping kicks to the ankle, but Taiji hits the Muta Flashing Elbow off the ropes, wants a Gourdbuster but Angels interrupts. Random stuff, Northern Lights Suplex Hold only gets a two and Angels is distracted arguing like moron so Templario drops him, hits a dive and then of course Angels has to do a Triangle Moonsault into a pile of people. He throws Templario back in and hits a Splash on Templario for two.

Angel’s Wings…nope, Kushida wants the Hoverboard Lock, but then Templario interferes, struggling, Templario turns it into an X Factor, Taiji picks a spot, Superkicks and and Quadruple Lariats spot for them to all fall down. Templario and Taiji take out the other two and then start throwing fists. Taiji with the Jumping Knee, but Templario catches him, Go to Sleep! But Taiji powders immediately! Templario goes to the top and Kushida cuts him off, Handspring Kick Tajiri style. Wants the Avalanche Hoverboard but Angels gets in the way. Angels takes out Templario and a Dive to Taiji, Kushida tries a feet on the ropes Cradle but it’s stifled by Templario. Angels kicks Templario and Kushida grabs the Hammerlock into a Cradle for the pinfall.

Templario complains, Kushida attacks Templario afterwards and steals his mask. Lots of Contra hacking interference visuals. The match was okay, a little too spotfest and Angels is not a believable threat to anyone over the age of 12. 

There’s a video package of a shadowed figure from Contra talking about people thought he was gone for five years. That sounds like Josef Samael since he did start the unit with Jacob Fatu. So I’m assuming he’s back in charge.

Shotzi’s Graveyard Shift is a talk show. Scarlett cuts to the chase, Lady Frost interrupts and they want a shot at Shotzi. Shotzi says she’ll fight them both. Shotzi is chuckling and being kind of condescending, so I guess she’s the heel since Scarlett and Kross are babyfaces. I’m not mad, I enjoy Shotzi and Scarlett a lot. Lady Frost is…okay? I’ve never been impressed with her, but she’s not someone I would call bad. 

Take it from Mistico (@caristicomx): @imdiegohill has a bright future ahead of him!

Watch FUSION: ▶️ https://t.co/AYXu8QlFWk pic.twitter.com/t4ne4mRQEL

— MLW (@MLW) July 18, 2026

Yikes…Diego Hill is a terrible actor. I’m glad Mistico showed up to save whatever this was, because…even his Spanish felt poorly acted. 

Sofly Manny Lo vs LaBron Kozone

I like LaBron so far, but where did they find this jobber? Why do jobbers have such dumb names anymore? 

Tie up and LaBron hits a Headlock Takedown, Manny tries to get out of it, LaBron Kips Up, and No Sells a few chops. Swinging Slam, Springing Elbow into a two count. Uppercut and bear paw overhand Chop, into a Knife Edge Chop to drop Manny. Capture Suplex sends Manny flying and he powders looking for how to move. LaBron collects him, then Manny hides behind the referee to hit some kick combo. Tries a Crossbody but LaBron catches him and Flips him into a Back Breaker and then hits his Lariat. He wins, but still needs to do a little more with the Lariat to make it actually look like a finish.

Contra Mercs w/Shotzi Blackheart vs The Skyscrapers

So the…fan favorites have the numbers advantage over the heel tag champions? Oh but Bishop Dyer shows up. So it’s 3v3? Oh…unexpected, but at least makes more sense from a wrestling perspective. Bishop Baron Corbin on two shows this week!

Dijak and LG throw hands and Dijak rocks LG, but Reverse Whip, they trade Big Boots, LG with his dorky corner punches. LG misses the Splash but lands a Thrust Kick, causing Dijak to roll to his corner and tag out to Baron Dyer. LG tags in Sexy Karl, but Dyer just kicks him and starts working him over in the corner. Karl fires with some Knife Edge Chops, but Dyer just grabs him and throws him into the corner. Dyer charges but eats an Uppercut. Dyer tags in Bishop, but Karl gets away and tags in Krule. Bishop with a few Chops, Krule no sells. Then Bishop no sells Krule’s Chops. Bishop skins the cat and then we break down into a ballyhoo! The Mercs clear the ring except for Bishop, they triple team him a bit, Karl is legal apparently, but Bishop tries a Throat Chop to get some momentum bac, but Karl keeps fighting through. Dijak low bridges Karl when he’s trying to hit the ropes and then the sharks swarm.

Karl keeps trying to fight back but Dijak keeps him isolated. Dyer and Dijak with a Tandem Back Drop, Dyer keeps working over Karl. Dyer distracts the ref while Dijak gets in some cheap shots. Karl tries to fire but he gets dropped and then Dyer tags back in Dijak. More isolation tactics and showboating. Karl starts to fire up, then jumps but Dijak grabs him and hucks him. Dijak with the Discus Boot to knock down LG, but Krule no sells the Forearm. Karl hits a Desperation Spinebuster,  and then Big Damo comes out and wipes out Krule! Damo…might be working with Contra?

LG gets a Superman tag from Karl, and LG starts working everyone over and throwing hands. Muy Thai Kick, they want the Magic Killer but Dyer takes out Karl and Dijak wins via Cradle with feet on the ropes and Bishop holding the feet.

Killer Kross (@realKILLERkross) has an answer for Satoshi Kojima’s (@cozy_lariat) challenge: he accepts!

For more developments, check out FUSION: ▶️ https://t.co/AYXu8QmdLS pic.twitter.com/ObuIJApzXP

— MLW (@MLW) July 18, 2026

Overall Score: 5.5/10

Okay, so I’ll be honest, cohesively the show was more tolerable than the turd of last week, but it’s still not great. Too many shenanigans finishes in main events is really starting to get stupid. No one liked it when AEW ended every show with a brawl, TNA has been the laughing stock of things for like 20 years because of these dumb pull apart, bullshit “something randomly happens” finishes. Do I like seeing Damo in a decent promotion? Sure, yes. But did it have to be then? LaBron getting a squash match every week isn’t really selling him very well. Angels is a jobber, Okumura is over the hill and Sofly Sloppy Jo or whatever…stop it. He needs more windup or something on his Lariat to sell it as devastating and he needs someone who doesn’t look like a jabroni.

If the “head of the snake” is Josef Samael, come back to reclaim Contra, I’m totally good with that, I always liked his character. But can Contra go back to feeling menacing instead of like Temu Bullet Club? They used to have aura, now it’s just old guys or fat guys who use shortcuts to win. The years of Samael, Gotch and Fatu were tough guys who had aura, even the Krule era and with the Sentai Death Squad nerds, that had something to it. This just feels like a random assortments of idiots, and Kushida who just wants to be a bad guy for a little while.

Maybe the Lady Frost, Scarlett and Shotzi triple threat will be something interesting, maybe whenever we get the Kross versus Kojima that will be worthwhile. But so far, many of these main events aside from Trevor Lee vs Austin Aries, have really left a sour taste at the end of shows. Stick the landing better if you want to do bingo hall TNA carny crap.