MLW Fusion #198 was taped at Cicero Stadium in Cicero, Illinois. This was part of an MLW Lucha Apocalyptico-themed event on February 7, 2026, that sold out the venue. It aired June 13, 2026, on MLW’s YouTube channel, beIN Sports, and Veeps, with commentary from Joe Dombrowski and Tom Lawlor, according to prowrestling.net.
MLW took a four-month break from airing weekly shows. However, they still held big monthly shows to tape the new MLW Fusion shows and to keep fans’ interest in their company. The Kross vs Riddle main event anchors tonight’s show.
Match Results and Promos
MLW World Middleweight Title Match: Kushida (c) defeated Alan Angels (10:14 minutes)
According to ProWrestling.net, the match was moved from last week (June 6) because of a backstage attack. Tom Lawlor noted that Kushida was wrestling barefoot. He said he has “gone back to his martial arts roots.” Throughout the match, both men took to the floor. Kushida hit a running kick on Alan’s left elbow. Then Kushida began targeting it. He hit a double stomp to the chest, proving he was in control. Angels fired up and hit some chops. However, it wasn’t enough to stage a comeback. Kushida hit a basement dropkick. Then he hit some roundhouse kicks to the ribs. Kushida worked Angels’ left arm to break down his defenses. He forced the win by armbar tapout with this arm.
Killer Kross Promo
From Killer Kross’ home, he made some comments with a title over his shoulder. Kross says he faced Riddle before. The stakes are higher this time because of his championship being involved. He said some people don’t take Matt Riddle seriously. “That’s a big mistake,” says Kross. He said Riddle’s joking manner “disarms people.”
Next, we see Alexander Hammstone confront Matt Riddle backstage. Security reacted quickly to keep them separated.
Chicago Street Fight: Josh Bishop defeated Matthew Justice (8:57 minutes)
Justice charged into the ring and started brawling. Biship hit a top-rope superplex. Then, hit a Black Hole Slam onto a garbage can. On the floor, they fought over the guardrail and into the crowd. Bishop was lying across two tables. Justice stood on the balcony. It was more than 20 feet up. Soon, crazily, Justice jumped off a railing. However, the railing moved a little bit, so Justice crashed down a bit short of Bishop. It was just enough for Bishop to use a powerful Crucifix Powerbomb to win the match.
MLW Southern Crown Championship
Joe Dombrowski announced a new Southern Crown title belt. The new title is set to pay homage to wrestling’s Southern roots. The inaugural champion will be decided through a Bunkhouse Stampede match. More details, along with the participants, have not yet been announced. Fans expect to learn more about them in the coming few weeks.
Then, Dombrowski stated that Hammerstone had been ejected from the building.
MLW World Heavyweight Title Match: Killer Kross (c) vs Matt Riddle (No Contest)
Kross and Riddle locked up. Quickly, Kross got a two-count. He held up two fingers to let Riddle know how it nearly ended. Riddle got a rear-naked choke clinched in, but Kross got to the ropes. Riddle gave Kross a swat to the butt. This immediately ticked Kross off because he felt that Riddle wasn’t taking him seriously.
Towards the end of the match, Kross applied a sleeper. hold. Riddle powered to his feet. He fell backward onto Kross for a nearfall. However, Kross applied a sleeper on the mat with Riddle’s arms and legs trapped! It looked like Kross was about to win. Alexander Hammerstone jumped into the ring. He quickly attacked them both. Lame finish to a good match. Hammerstone and Kross traded forearm strikes.
I couldn’t believe this finish. I was really getting into it when Hammerstone entered the ring. Kross and Hammerstone traded forearm strikes until security stopped everything.
Storylines in the Episode
- Kushida’s Heel Turn: After the match, Okumura joined Kushida in the ring. Kushida put on a CONTRA shirt. This signaled alignment with them, according to prowrestling.net.
- Kross–Riddle Stakes: Kross emphasized the higher stakes of this match during his promo. He warned Riddle that he would use the choke again.
- Hammerstone–Riddle Tension: Hammerstone confronted Riddle backstage. This led to a security separation and a threat from Hammer to “watch his back” before the Kross match even started.
Overall
The episode delivered three high-quality matches. The middleweight title match stood out for its technical work and arm-targeting strategy. The main event was set up with strong promo work for Kross and backstage drama with Riddle. It made it a compelling entry in MLW’s recently started weekly Fusion series.
Please continue to follow The Unlocked Info for future results and analysis.