Hammerstone Set For Huge MLW World Title Rematch

It's official, the "Samoan Werewolf" is getting a chance to regain the MLW World Heavyweight Championship.

Alex Hammerstone is set to defend his MLW World Heavyweight Championship against Jacob Fatu in the main event of the promotion's next pay-per-view, the company announced Wednesday.

Hammerstone has held the MLW world heavyweight title for a year and a half now, making him the independent promotion's longest-reigning champion of all time. Hammerstone first won the belt by defeating Fatu in a title vs. title match in early October 2021, in which his MLW National Openweight Championship was also on the line. He would relinquish his openweight title weeks later, having also been the first and longest reigning MLW National Openweight Champion in the promotion's history at 865 days.

Hammerstone's long-awaited rematch with Fatu is being billed as "the biggest title fight in MLW history," capping off what it has called "the biggest rivalry in MLW." The match – "Hammerstone vs. Fatu 2" – will be the main event of MLW SuperFight '23 on February 4 at the 2300 Arena, a.k.a. the "Old ECW Arena," in Philadelphia. 

Fatu had earned a world title shot last June when he won a 40-man battle royale at MLW's Battle RIOT IV event in New York City. Since then, Fatu has gone 4-0 in singles competition on MLW television with victories over Willie Mack, Lio Rush, Ben-K, and Real1 (fka Enzo Amore in WWE).

Hammerstone, who MLW has called an "unlikely hero" for having defeated Fatu, won the belt off the former MLW World Heavyweight Champion after having first won the promotion's Battle Riot III battle royale himself back in the summer of 2021.