MLW Fusion is a professional wrestling television program produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW) that originally premiered on April 20, 2018 on beIN Sports USA.[4][5][6][7][8]
| MLW Fusion | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Professional wrestling |
| Created by | Court Bauer |
| Starring | MLW roster |
| Opening theme | “Zero F*cks” by VIOLENT IDOLS[1] |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 194 (as of December 14, 2023) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Sean O'Heir Nelson Sweglar[2][3] |
| Camera setup | Multicamera setup |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | GPW Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | beIN Sports USA (2018–2023) fubo Sports Network (2020–2021) YouTube (2020–2022; 2023) Pro Wrestling TV (2022–2023) |
| Release | April 20, 2018 – December 14, 2023 |
| Related | |
| MLW Underground TV (2003–2004) MLW Fusion: Alpha (2021) MLW Azteca (2022) MLW Underground Wrestling (2023) | |
In 2020, the series moved to MLW's YouTube channel, with beIN Sports now airing replays. From November 10, 2022, to February 2, 2023, the series would stream on Pro Wrestling TV.
A thirteen-part mini-series, titled MLW Fusion: Alpha (stylized as MLW Fusion: ALPHA), aired from September 22 to December 16, 2021. A second mini-series that followed, MLW Azteca, aired from Thursday January 6 to February 3, 2022.[9][10]
History
2018–2020
Major League Wrestling announced their partnership with beIN Sports on March 30, 2018, in which the network would air a weekly television series.[11] Subsequently, MLW announced their television tapings would take place at Gilt Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.[12][13][14] MLW Fusion aired on Friday nights beginning on April 20, 2018.[15] On September 19, MLW announced a deal for the show to be streamed through FITE TV,[16] and to air on beIN Sports in Spanish.[17]
On November 29, MLW announced that Fusion would be broadcast live for the first time on its December 14 episode, during MLW's Zero Hour event.[18][19][20] Since then the company continued to air periodic live specials.
In January 2019, Fusion added its first international broadcast partner, EGO TV in Israel.[21] In February 2019, MLW announced that Fusion would be moving from Friday to Saturday nights.[22]
After the conclusion of the MLW vs AAA Super Series on the May 9, 2020 episode, Fusion went on a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A spinoff series, titled Pulp Fusion, was uploaded weekly on MLW's YouTube channel in the interim beginning on May 29, 2020.[23]
"The Restart", Fusion: Alpha, and Azteca (2020–2022)
On September 10, MLW announced that Fusion would move to Wednesday nights on fubo Sports Network.[24] On October 10, they revealed Fusion would return on November 18 at 7pm EST and new episodes would also premiere on MLW's YouTube channel on the same night.[25] With the move to YouTube and Fubo Sports, Fusion abandoned its original year-round, weekly format; a special "season finale" aired on May 5, 2021.[26][27]
During the premiere of Battle Riot III on July 24, 2021, MLW announced a new season of Fusion to air on "a new home" in the Fall, and a new, four-part mini-series titled MLW Fusion: Alpha (stylized as MLW Fusion: ALPHA) to lead into the new season.[28][29][30] Initially intended to air in August, Fusion: Alpha was later re-announced on September 6, 2021, as "a new season and series from MLW" to premiere on September 22 on MLW's YouTube channel, and would also air on Saturdays and Mondays on Bein Sports.[31][32][33] Beginning October 19, 2021, Fusion: Alpha also streamed on FITE TV.[34]
On December 7, MLW announced that the series finale of Fusion: Alpha would air on December 15, 2021,[9][10] though the final episode would instead air on December 16.[35] MLW also announced a new "anthology mini-series" titled MLW Azteca, which was taped during the MLW Azteca/The Crash show in December 2021. The series premiered on Thursday January 6, 2022 on MLW's YouTube channel and FITE TV, and aired for five episodes.[9][10]
2022–2023
During the January 27, 2022, episode of MLW Azteca, MLW announced that Fusion would return for a new season on February 10.[36][37] On the June 23 episode, they announced that the current season would end with the Kings of Colosseum special on July 14, 2022.[38] During the finale, MLW announced that Fusion would return for a new season in the Fall.[39]
On October 11, 2022, MLW announced a partnership with streaming platform Pro Wrestling TV (PWTV), bringing the promotion's programming library to the service beginning November 3. The new season of Fusion premiered on PWTV on November 10.[40] On January 20, 2023, MLW announced a broadcast deal with U.S cable channel Reelz to produce a new flagship show titled MLW Underground Wrestling, which premiered on February 7 and featured matches and segments that were originally taped for Fusion.[41] Following its premiere, BeIN Sports ceased airing Fusion, and the show's February 9, 2023, episode was postponed.[42][43]
On the April 11 episode of Underground Wrestling, MLW announced that Fusion would return and feature the 2023 Super Series.[44] On May 11, MLW's website revealed that the new season of Fusion would premiere on Bein Sports and Bein Sports Xtra in the U.S and Canada, on Friday, May 26.[45] The following day, MLW announced that the season would air first on the MLW YouTube channel, beginning on Thursday, May 25.[46][47] On May 16, 2023, they announced that Fusion would also be included with a FITE+ subscription, as part of a larger partnership between MLW and FITE announced on May 2.[48] MLW announced on May 24, 2023, that MLW Fusion would return to BeIN Sports on June 16; airing Fridays on BeIN Sports Xtra, and Saturdays on Bein Sports in the U.S and Canada.[1] Fusion instead returned to BeIN Sports on Saturday June 24, 2023.[49]
Following the 2023 Fusion season finale, MLW revamped their event schedule to air two events every month; a live, premium event for Triller TV+ subscribers, and a free, taped special for Bein Sports and MLW's YouTube channel.[50]
2024
On May 16, 2024, it was revealed on MLW's website that the taped portion of the upcoming June 1 Battle Riot VI event will air as part of Fusion.[51]
Production
Filming locations
Initially, Fusion had been taped at Gilt Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. In May 2018, MLW announced they would be holding television tapings at the Melrose Ballroom in New York City, New York on July 19, marking the first time tapings were held outside the state of Florida.[52] Subsequent tapings have been held at various venues around the United States.
From Fall 2020 until 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MLW returned to Gilt Nightclub to tape their programming behind closed doors.[53] From July to December 2021, MLW programming was taped at the 2300 Arena from the promotion's home base in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[28]
Special episodes
| Episode | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| beIN Sports USA (2018–2020) | ||
| Battle Riot[54] | July 27, 2018 | Featured the first ever Battle Riot match |
| WarGames | September 14, 2018 | Featured the WarGames match |
| Fright Night [55] | October 26, 2018 | Featured the first "Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal" match |
| MLW Fusion Live[56] | December 14, 2018 | First ever live broadcast |
| Christmas Day Special[57] | December 25, 2018 | Featured PCO and Brody King's last match in MLW. The special wasn't included in the series' official episode count.[58] |
| SuperFight[59] | February 2, 2019 | Special live broadcast |
| Intimidation Games | March 2, 2019 | Special live broadcast |
| MLW Fusion presented by Salina de la Renta | May 4, 2019 | First Fusion episode hosted by Salina de la Renta.[60] |
| Battle Riot II | April 5, 2019 | Special live broadcast featuring the Battle Riot match |
| Fury Road | June 1, 2019 | Special live broadcast |
| MLW Fusion presented by Salina de la Renta | June 15, 2019 | Second Fusion episode hosted by Salina de la Renta.[61] |
| Kings of Colosseum | July 6, 2019 | Special live broadcast |
| War Chamber | September 14, 2019 | Featured the War Chamber match |
| Jimmy Havoc's Slaughterhouse | October 19, 2019 | Fusion episode hosted by Jimmy Havoc.[62] |
| "Saturday Night SuperFight" pre-show | November 2, 2019 | The live pre-show to MLW Saturday Night SuperFight |
| MLW Fusion on Thanksgiving | November 28, 2019 | Featured Jacob Fatu vs Ross Von Erich for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship[63] |
| Opera Cup opening round | December 14, 2019 | The beginning of the 2019 Opera Cup.[64] |
| MLW Fusion presented by The Dynasty | February 15, 2020 | Fusion episode hosted by The Dynasty.[65] |
| Fusion 100 | March 7, 2020 | The 100th episode of MLW Fusion [66] |
| AAA vs MLW | April 18, 2020 | The beginning of the Super Series with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.[67] |
| Fubo Sports Network / YouTube (2020–2021) | ||
| The Restart | November 18, 2020 | The return of Fusion after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Opera Cup opening round | November 25, 2020 | The beginning of the 2020 Opera Cup.[68] |
| Kings of Colosseum | January 6, 2021 | Special broadcast |
| Salina de la Renta's MLW Fusion | January 13, 2021 | Third Fusion episode hosted by Salina de la Renta. |
| Filthy Island | February 17, 2021 | Special episode of Fusion held in Hawaii at Tom Lawlor's Filthy Island. |
| Never Say Never | March 31, 2021 | Special broadcast |
| Season Finale | May 5, 2021 | Features the first appearance of Azteca Underground's Cesar Duran.[69] |
| Fusion: Alpha | ||
| Opera Cup opening round | October 13, 2021 | The beginning of the 2021 Opera Cup.[70] |
| War Chamber | November 17, 2021 | Special broadcast[71] |
| MLW Fusion on Thanksgiving 2021 | November 25, 2021 | Featured the ladder match for the vacant MLW National Openweight Championship[72] |
| YouTube (2022) | ||
| Season Premiere | February 10, 2022 | Featured Alexander Hammerstone vs Pagano in a Falls Count Anywhere match for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship.[73] |
| SuperFight | March 10, 2022 | Special broadcast |
| Intimidation Games | April 28, 2022 [74] | Special broadcast |
| Rise of the Renegades | June 9, 2022 [75] | Special broadcast; matches were taped at MLW Azteca Underground on April 1, 2022. |
| Kings of Colosseum | July 14, 2022 [38] | Season Finale |
| Pro Wrestling TV (2022–2023) | ||
| Season Premiere | November 10, 2022 | Featured Myron Reed vs. La Estrella vs. Lince Dorado vs. Arez for the MLW World Middleweight Championship. The first episode of Fusion to air on Pro Wrestling TV |
| MLW Fusion on Thanksgiving 2022 | November 24, 2022 | Featured Alexander Hammerstone vs Richard Holliday in a Falls Count Anywhere match for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship[76] |
| YouTube (2023) | ||
| Season Premiere | May 25, 2023 | Start of the 2023 Super Series in Tijuana, Mexico. |
| Salina de la Renta's MLW Fusion | Oct 26, 2023 | Fourth Fusion episode hosted by Salina de la Renta. |
| MLW Fusion on Thanksgiving 2023 | November 23, 2023 | Fourth Fusion Thanksgiving special |
| Season Finale | December 14, 2023 | Featured Rickey Shane Page vs Akira for the MLW National Openweight Championship |
Roster
The wrestlers featured on Major League Wrestling take part in scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers are portrayed as either villains or heroes in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match.
Commentators
| Commentators | Dates |
|---|---|
| Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini | January 11, 2018 – July 19, 2018 August 3, 2019 – October 7, 2019 |
| Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini/Matt Striker | July 19, 2018 – February 23, 2019 |
| Rich Bocchini and Jim Cornette | March 2, 2019 – July 27, 2019 |
| Rich Bocchini and A.J. Kirsch | October 14, 2019 – May 23, 2020 |
| Rich Bocchini and Saint Laurent | November 18, 2020 – March 24, 2021 September 22, 2021 – October 6, 2021 October 20, 2021 |
| Ray Flores and Saint Laurent | March 31, 2021 – May 5, 2021 |
| Rich Bocchini and Joe Dombrowski | October 13, 2021 – January 5, 2023 |
| Joe Dombrowski and Matt Striker | January 12, 2023 – February 2, 2023 June 8, 2023 – December 14, 2023 |
| Joe Dombrowski and Christian Cole | May 25, 2023 – June 1, 2023 |
Broadcast history
MLW Fusion originally aired on Friday nights in the United States on BeIN Sports. In February 2019, the show moved to Saturday nights.
On November 18, 2020, new episodes of Fusion moved to Wednesday nights on fubo Sports Network and MLW's YouTube channel, with BeIN Sports now airing replays on Saturday nights.
With the premiere of MLW Azteca on January 6, 2022, MLW programming moved to Thursdays nights on YouTube; Fusion would return on February 10 of that year.
On November 10, 2022, MLW Fusion moved to Pro Wrestling TV, continuing to air on Thursday nights.
On May 25, 2023, Fusion returned to MLW's YouTube channel, and also began airing on FITE for FITE+ subscribers.
| Channel | Time slot | Years |
|---|---|---|
| BeIN Sports USA | Friday 8:00pm | April 20, 2018 - February 2019 |
| Saturday 9:00pm | February 2019 – May 2020 | |
| Fubo Sports Network | Wednesday 7:00pm | November 18, 2020 – May 5, 2021 |
| YouTube | Wednesday 7:00pm | November 18, 2020 – May 5, 2021 |
| Thursday 8:00pm | February 10, 2022 – July 14, 2022 | |
| Thursday 8:00pm | May 25, 2023 – December 14, 2023 | |
| Pro Wrestling TV | Thursday 8:00pm | November 10, 2022 – February 2, 2023 |
International
In addition to the U.S., MLW Fusion also airs on BeIN Sports in Canada and Puerto Rico. As of 2022, Fusion is currently carried by StarTimes and Wataaa Fight Channel outside of North America, Fight Klub Poland, and MBC in Mauritius.[77]
On July 5, 2022, MLW announced a new broadcast deal with Ayozat TV in the United Kingdom.[78]
