| Fightland (2023) | |
| Promotion: | Major League Wrestling |
| Date: | November 18, 2023 |
| Venue: | 2300 Arena |
| City: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Liveevent: | y |
| Lastevent: | Slaughterhouse |
| Nextevent: | One Shot |
| Event: | Fightland |
| Lastevent2: | 2022 |
| Nextevent2: | 2024 |
Fightland (2023) was a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW). It took place on November 18, 2023, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was the fifth event under the Fightland chronology. The event streamed live on FITE, with additional matches taped for future episodes of MLW Fusion.
MLW Fightland was first held in 2018 as a television taping for MLW's weekly program, MLW Fusion. On May 2, 2023, a new partnership between MLW and FITE was announced, in which the promotion would produce live events for FITE+ subscribers. MLW would subsequently announce four upcoming FITE+ specials on July 8, 2023, with Fightland announced to be taking place on November 18, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; making it the first edition to air live.[1] [2]
The card will consist of matches that result from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches, with results predetermined by MLW's writers. Storylines are played out on MLW Fusion, and the league's social media platforms.[3]
On the October 26 episode of Fusion, Salina de la Renta, who served as executive producer of the show that night, announced that Alex Kane will defend the MLW World Heavyweight Championship against Jacob Fatu.[4] Additionally, she also announced a "Lucha Rules" tag team match in conjunction with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), where MLW World Middleweight Champion Rocky Romero will team with Bárbaro Cavernario to face potential middleweight contender Ichiban and Máscara Dorada.[5]
For the past several months, The Second Gear Crew (Mance Warner, Matthew Justice, and 1 Called Manders) have been feuding with Mister Saint Laurent's World Titan Federation, ever since MSL betrayed his former client Microman and aligned with Davey Boy Smith Jr.. At Fury Road, Warner faced MSL's newest client Matt Cardona in a No Holds Barred Kiss My Foot match in a losing effort. He was then forced to kiss MSL's foot rather than Cardona's, but instead bit the foot of MSL in retaliation.[6] On November 1, MLW announced a rematch between Warner and Cardona, this time in a Loser Leaves MLW match.[7]
The World Titan Federation also recently began a feud with Alex Kane's Bomaye Fight Club, stemming from Slaughterhouse where Matt Cardona interrupted Kane after he had retained over Tom Lawlor (a substitute for Davey Boy Smith Jr. who was pulled from the show for emergency surgery). Lawlor then attacked Kane and his BFC teammates Mr. Thomas and O'Shay Edwards, before confirming his alignment with the WTF.[8] On October 31, MLW announced a tag team match for the Fusion taping, where Thomas and Edwards will face Lawlor and a new mystery member of the WTF.[9]
In the ongoing feud between the Second Gear Crew and The Calling, The SGC's Matthew Justice and 1 Called Manders challenged The Calling's Akira and Rickey Shane Page for the MLW World Tag Team Championship in a tables match. The match ended in a no contest when Justice and Akira went through a stack of tables at the same time.[10] The two teams continued to brawl afterward, with Mance Warner and the rest of The Calling joining in. The SGC would challenge The Calling to a ladder match for the titles at Fightland, which was accepted and made official by MLW on November 6.[11]