In the entire world, there's no better place for Major League Wrestling to host Slaughterhouse than the iconic 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, nestled at the intersection of Swanson and Ritner Streets. This corner has likely seen more street brawls and jaw-dropping moments than any other crossroads on Earth.
Philadelphia has always loved its blood and guts. A blue collar city that birthed everything from Rocky to Broad Street Bullies to ECW, Philly wants to get behind someone who's willing to fight for what they believe in. Win or lose, busted nose, broken teeth and shattered dreams or not, if you give everything you have to the fight, Philadelphia will stand by you. It's a city that doesn't flinch at the violence, it doesn't get repulsed by the crimson mask and it will stand and cheer when someone who deserves a beating gets it.
So, where else in the world could Major League Wrestling present Slaughterhouse, but Philadelphia's infamous 2300 Arena on the corner of Swanson and Ritner Streets, the corner that has probably stood witness to more street fights and broken jaws than any cross streets on Planet Earth. On Saturday October 14th, MLW will return to the scene of many crimes, adding even more bad acts to the list of criminal accolades that are celebrated in South Philly.
October is the month of the macabre to be sure and with nothing holding them back, the creatures who enter into combat every month in Major League Wrestling look to horrify and humiliate their opposition, painting the town red, literally, as they seek to carve their names into the history books for all time, live on FITE+.s
Slaughterhouse will be headlined by the new reigning and defending MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Kane stepping into combat against globally traveled second generation star Davey Boy Smith Jr. In a match made by the legendary Don King, the mastermind behind the Bomaye Fight Club, MLW's suplex king will take on one of the most dangerous men in the World Titan Federation fold. Smith himself is a man who has mastered the art of the suplex, training under so many famous relatives in the Hart Family Dungeon. Having wrestled for every major promotion in the world, Smith has accomplished it all in the United States, Canada and Japan, with the exception of a World Heavyweight Championship victory.
There is no denying that under the auspices of Mister Saint Laurent, Smith's tenacity and ferocious nature in the ring has doubled, but Don King is no fool. He set this match up for Alex Kane for a reason and it wasn't to make the new MLW Champion a tin can, but to force him to ascend to even greater heights by sharpening steel against steel. This battle will undoubtedly be physical as these supreme athletes are both known for suplexing, throwing and grinding their opponents into submission - but with the MLW World Heavyweight Championship on the line, which of these tremendous physical specimens will be the first to make a mistake and leave themselves open for attack? That may be the key to victory among these top flight combat sports artists.
MLW recently announced a new strategic alliance with not just New Japan Pro Wrestling but Mexico's CMLL, setting the stage for athletes from around the world to come to MLW and test themselves against Major League Wrestling's finest players. The extreme debate over what "could" happen will soon be replaced by the historical moments when these stars step into battle with each other, with the first such attractions taking place live on FITE+ from Philadelphia at Slaughterhouse.
Since New Japan Pro Wrestling made it known they were sending their stars to MLW, former MLW World Heavyweight and National Openweight Champion Jacob Fatu dared any of them to cross the line and step to him inside the ring. It didn't take long for one of NJPW's most twisted and sinister brawlers, the legendary Minoru Suzuki to take Fatu up on the challenge with this first-time ever encounter taking place at Slaughterhouse, promising some truly bruising, physical insanity. As always, Suzuki will be seeking to break down and brawl with all in his path as he carries the banner for New Japan Pro Wrestling but Jacob Fatu is no mere mortal. Indeed, in the entirety of his run in MLW, Fatu has never backed away from a fight, bringing his primal ferocity and insane athletic ability to the forefront of every battle. In a fight that promises chops, headbutts, striking and flying splashes, the very balance of power between two promotions lies at stake.
Another international incident waiting to happen also threatened to explode at Slaughterhouse live on FITE+ on October 14th as CMLL's World Middleweight Champion, the insanely talented Rocky Romero returns to Major League Wrestling to combat the MLW Middleweight Champion AKIRA in a mind-bending battle of very unique hybrid competitors. Romero has meshed the best of the Japanese strong style with lucha perfection but AKIRA has taken the most violent aspects of Deathmatch wrestling and married it to his own Catch Wrestling and martial arts background, creating a two-pronged attack that throttles and dazes most competitors.
Of course, Romero is not most competitors, having built an international resume that most in professional wrestling are envious of. This battle between champions would be fascinating enough even if it wasn't the first meeting between CMLL and MLW combatants after the forging of the new strategic alliance by Salina De La Renta. The pride and majesty of not just two champions, but two very different and prideful professional wrestling cultures are on the line, live on FITE+.
October, of course, is the month of the macabre, so it's only fitting that once again the demonic spectacle known as Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal rises from the graveyards of Philadelphia, where this attraction was first forged back in 1992 when Sting fought Jake "The Snake" Roberts live on pay-per-view at the Philadelphia Civic Center. Now, over 30 years later, the wheel will spin and the deal will be made, with MLW National Openweight Champion Rickey Shane Page, representing Raven's The Calling, battling challenger Mance Warner in whatever stipulation match is chosen at random by the horrific wheel.
Page and Warner have been battling each other in MLW and beyond, spilling blood and destroying the other in the name of pride, vengeance and now at MLW Slaughterhouse live on FITE+, they step into the hellish landscape once more with the National Openweight Championship at stake. With Page coming off a major victory against Jacob Fatu, the brawling brute is obviously at the top of his game, but ol' Mancer's popularity continues to shatter all expectations as the pride of Bucksnort, TN is seeking to play his hands on some gold the old fashioned way, by fighting his way to victory with his fists. Could Philadelphia be the site where magic is made? FITE+ subscribers will see live as it happens in all its bloody gory, er, glory.
Of course, Philadelphia will also be the site of Raven's The Calling defending their MLW World Tag Team Championship belts against Mancer's cohorts The Second Gear Crew, Matthew Justice and The 1 Called Manders inside the Chamber of Horrors. Indeed, MLW will prove to be the only promotion sick and twisted enough to bring back one of the most reputed professional wrestling spectacles ever seen during the season of the watch. Justice and Manders will enter a steel cage structure and have to battle their way through the different traps and obstacles while avoiding being placed upon the legendary Chair of Torture, which once almost ended the legendary career of Abdullah the Butcher. The Calling's Talon and Cannonball shocked the world by ending the Tag Team title reign of the Samoan SWAT Team, but could they stun the world yet again by destroying the Second Gear Crew?
As if all that insanity and the aforementioned professional wrestling powderkegs ready to explode was not enough, FITE+'s Slaughterhouse broadcast from Philadelphia will also see MLW's reigning and defending World Featherweight Champion Delmi Exo return to battle to take on a mysterious mystery challenger.
One wonders how this twist of events will change Exo's strategy and planning for Slaughterhouse as she had been preparing to face pop sensation B3cca, who uncharacteristically pulled out of this championship encounter. Exo has racked up a series of incredible wins over the last year, beating Taya Valkyrie, Trish Adora and Ava Everett, among other stars, but can she successfully plunge into the unknown? Is this all the latest twisted attempt by B3cca to conspire against Exo? Could it be someone new is instead on the horizon? Exo will need to be at the top of her game to surpass this latest challenge. Will her Featherweight Championship dream live?
Philadelphia has always loved a good fight and on Saturday October 14th, Major League Wrestling will crash into the City of Brotherly Love and present a cavalcade of professional wrestling wars, some built on the prestige of championships, some centered around sheer hatred and all featuring combat sports superstars seeking to make their legend known forever. In a city where no one is innocent and everyone is guilty as charged, MLW and FITE+ once again team to bring one of the most twisted and insane evenings one can imagine, streamed directly to your FITE Devices! The doors to the Slaughterhouse are open, and no one is safe.
Mike Johnson is the lead reporter for PWInsider.com and has been writing about professional wrestling since 1996. He can be found on Twitter @MikePWInsider and MikeJohnsonWrites.com.
