Major League Wrestling is coming to Chicago for the first time ever. The promotion announced on Monday night that an MLW Fusion television taping will take place on Thursday, November 8th from Cicero Stadium. Tickets for the event go on sale this Saturday morning at MLWTickets.com.

MLW has been taking the wrestling world by storm this year. The weekly MLW Fusion show on beIN SPORTS has been building a strong foundation for wrestling fans who enjoy a state-of-the-art hybrid of various in-ring styles. Each week’s new episode Fusion is uploaded to MLW’s Youtube Channel Saturday nights at 6:05pm EST.

Top performers competing under the MLW banner include:

• MLW World Champion Low Ki
• “Filthy” Tom Lawlor and Team Filthy
• Shane Strickland
• Jimmy Havoc
• MLW Tag Team Champions Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix
• MLW Middleweight Champion Maxwell J. Friedman
• “Bad Boy” Joey Janela
• Sami Calihan
• The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart, Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Brian Pillman Jr.).
• PCO
• LA Park

MLW returns to New York City on October 4th for Fury Road. That show will be a TV taping. MLW also recently announced it will be holding a show in NYC on Thursday, April 4, 2019 at the start of WrestleMania 35 weekend.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1041861870552936448

Major League Wrestling (MLW) has uploaded its recent War Games encounter to their YouTube channel. MLW upload a new show to their channel every Saturday as part of a weekly series entitled MLW Fusion.

The caged warfare sees the MLW debuts of both Tommy Dreamer and Abyss. Both of are competing for the first time in a War Games environment.

Caged Warfare

The YouTube summary provides context as to what has led to the heated matchup. It gives a detailed breakdown for those interested but unfamiliar with the current MLW product:

“Sami Callihan and his Death Machines have targeted underdog Kotto Brazil and the mighty 469 pound Barrington Hughes after taking out their childhood hero MVP. […] All summer long Kotto and Barrington have clashed with Callihan and his Death Machines on MLW FUSION.”

Turning to the team leaders, the official MLW description explains:

“John Hennigan and Callihan collided in the final stages of the Battle Riot match and sources indicate there are undisclosed issues between the two that may be revealed on MLW Fusion in the weeks ahead.”

War Games sees Sami Callihan and his team, the Ravagers – consisting of Jimmy Havoc, the Death Machines (Fulton and Leon Scott) and Abyss – go up against the John Hennigan helmed grouping of Tommy Dreamer, Barrington Hughes, Kotto Brazil, and Shane Strickland.

With major feuds coming to a head inside 2 rings surrounded by steel, available via YouTube for free, it’s a great opportunity for curious fans to see what MLW is all about.

Major League Wrestling will be running an event in New York over WrestleMania 35 weekend. The event will take place on Thursday, April 4th, 2019.

In previous years, MLW has run WaleMania on the Thursday of Mania week.

https://twitter.com/mlw/status/1041013525773135873

Promotion owner, Cout Bauer, also recently asked his followers on Twitter where they would like to see MLW run a show next.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1040634710651793408?s=12

For those unfamiliar with the Blues Brothers, it’s a hint that Chicago will be the next city MLW expands their territory into.

Major League Wrestling in 2018

It’s been an eventful year for Major League Wrestling. From 2002-04, the company produced 34 television shows in a period when alternatives to WWE were scarce.

Bauer would eventually go on to work in creative at WWE and MLW went on hiatus for 13 years. In the summer of 2017, however, Bauer promoted MLW “One Shot.”  The success of that event then led to them announcing they would run a more frequent schedule the next year.

MLW signed a television deal with BeIN Sports and began producing episodes of Fusion earlier this year. Full episodes of Fusion air on BeIN Sports on Friday nights and are posted to YouTube the following Saturday at 6 PM.

The episode which aired last night on the network and will be posted to YouTube later today features a two-ring steel cage War Games match.

The Hart Foundation will be in action against Rich Swann, ACH and a mystery partner when MLW presents Fury Road next month from New York City. The mystery partner will be revealed on Friday night’s special War Games edition of MLW Fusion.

MLW sent in a press release hyping the match, which included the following backstory of this feud:

Never shy for making his thoughts known, Teddy Hart ignited the feud on MLW FUSION in early July when he felt ACH and Rich Swann were mocking him behind his back. Since then, Hart has recruited his cousin Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Brian Pillman Jr. to form a new era Hart Foundation.

Controversy once again struck as the two teams squared off in New York this past July. During the bout, Swann suffered a concussion, which many attribute to the Hart Foundation’s rugged and questionable conduct during the bout. In the aftermath, ACH had words for the Hart Foundation calling them out for exploiting Swann’s dangerous injury for the purpose of winning a match.

The teams now look to settle the score in New York City as they square off in what will be a high-octane trios encounter. The question is WHO is the mystery third member of ACH & Swann’s team? Find out this Friday night exclusively on MLW FUSION!

In addition to this six-man tag team match, MLW has confirmed LA Park (with Salina De La Renta) vs. PCO in what’s sure to be a very physical encounter.

World Heavyweight Champion Low Ki, Shane Strickland, Jimmy Havoc and Sami Callihan are all signed to appear.

MLW presents Fury Road on Thursday, October 4th from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NY. This will be an MLW Fusion TV taping. Tickets start at just $20 at MLWtickets.com.

It appears that James Storm’ appearance at MLW War Games was simply a one-off. According to PWInsider, Storm and MLW have already agreed to part ways.

Storm surprised fans when he showed up at the recent taping from Ft. Lauderdale’s War Memorial Coliseum. During a match between Tom Lawlor and Joey Janella, Storm hit the ring and attacked the leader of Team Filthy. Later in the show, he wrestled a squash match against a local competitor. In light of this latest development, we’ll see if MLW airs the segment with James Storm on Fusion.

MLW Fusion

A special episode of MLW Fusion will air this Friday night on BeIN Sports. The War Games match filmed last week is scheduled to air. The show is posted to YouTube Saturday nights at 6 PM.

It is also being reported that several BeIN Sports executives were in attendance for the War Games event on September 6th. It is being reported that MLW will play a greater role on the network in the weeks and months to come.

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Major League Wrestling returned to the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Thursday night for MLW: War Games. Matches on this show were taped for the weekly MLW Fusion show on beIN SPORTS. War Games is expected to air next Friday night, with the replay being uploaded to MLW’s YouTube channel the following night. 

MLW War Games Results

– Ricky Martinez (w/Salina de la Renta) defeated Jake St. Patrick.

– The Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr & Rey Fénix) made their way out to the ring alongside Konnan where they talked about future plans. This led to Salina de la Renta walking out where they were presented with new contracts to sign. This is when Penta and Fenix grabbed the contracts to rip up.

– The New Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart, Brian Pillman Jr & Davey Boy Smith Jr) defeated The Stud Stable (Michael Patrick, Leo Brien & Parrow) (w/Colonel Robert Parker). After the match, Patrick and Brien attacked Parrow, which marked his removal from the stable.

– Jimmy Yuta defeated El Hijo de LA Park (w/Salina de la Renta).

– Jason Cade (w/Rhett Giddins) defeated Myron Reed. After the match, Jimmy Yuta attacked Jason Cade.

– Brody King vs. PCO ended in a double disqualification.

– MJF & Aria Blake defeated Joey Ryan & Taya Valkyrie.

– Brian Pillman Jr (w/Teddy Hart & Davey Boy Smith Jr) defeated Vandal Ortagun.

– Mexican Death Match: LA Park defeated Pentagon Jr.

– Simon Gotch defeated Gangrel via disqualification.

– Davey Boy Smith Jr defeated ACH.

– Filthy Tom Lawlor defeated Joey Janela by DQ once there was interference from James Storm.

– Teddy Hart defeated Rich Swann.

– James Storm defeated Alan Ocean.

– MLW Championship Match: Low Ki (w/Salina de la Renta) (c) defeated Rey Fénix.

– War Games Match: John Hennigan, Tommy Dreamer, Shane Strickland, Kotto Brazil & Barrington Hughes defeated Sami Callihan, Jimmy Havoc, Leon Scott, Fulton & Abyss.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1037840587330859008

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1037866024476000259

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1037871213203349505

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Major League Wrestling presents WAR GAMES this Thursday night from Ft. Lauderdale, FL at the historic War Memorial Auditorium. The event takes place 15 years after the original MLW War Games was held in the same venue.

MLW is bringing back the double-ring steel-cage battlefield, but that’s not all. The MLW World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line and legendary luchador LA Park will battle Pentagon Jr. in a Mexican Massacre match.

This will be a TV taping for MLW FUSION. The War Games match is scheduled to air on beIN SPORTS next Friday night, September 14th at 8pm ET. War Games will be uploaded to MLW’s YouTube Channel the following night at 6:05pm ET.

If you’re in the Ft. Lauderdale area, there are still a limited number of General Admission tickets available. Be part of history for just $10 and get your tickets now at MLWgo.com.

MLW War Games Card

The following matches are scheduled for Thursday night:

• War Games Match: Shane Strickland, Tommy Dreamer, John Henigan, Kotto Brazil & Barrington Hughes vs. Sami Callihan Abyss, Jimmy Havoc And the Death Machines

• MLW Champion Low Ki (w/ Salina de la Renta) vs. Rey Fenix (w/ Konnan)

• Mexican Massacre: LA Park (w/ Salina de la Renta) vs. Pentagon Jr. (w/Konnan)

• Filthy Tom Lawlor vs. Joey Janela

• PCO vs. Brody King

• Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. ACH

• Joey Ryan & Taya vs. MLW Middleweight Champion MJF & Aria Blake

• Teddy Hart vs. Rich Swann

• Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Vandal Ortagun

• El Hijo de LA Park vs. Jimmy Yuta

• Myron Reed vs. Jason Cade w/ Rhett Giddins

Check back late Thursday for MLW War Games Results.

Abyss has been announced for MLW’s upcoming War Games match. The Impact Wrestling legend is the 5th and final member of Sami Calihan’s team.

With the announcement of Abyss, the teams for MLW’s big War Games match have been finalized. One team will feature John Hennigan, Tommy Dreamer, Shane Strickland, Kotto Brazil and Barrington Hughes. The other time will be Sami Callihan, Abyss, Jimmy Havoc and the Death Machines.

In addition to the two-ring double-steel-cage War Games match, there are several big matches confirmed for this event:

– Low Ki will put the MLW World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Rey Fenix. Fenix will have Konnan in his corner.

– In a Mexican Massacre match, Pentagon Jr. (cornered by Konnan) will face lucha libre legend LA Park (presented by Salina De La Renta).

– PCO will battle Brody King

Also advertised to appear are MLW Middleweight Champion Maxwell J. Friedman, “Filthy” Tom Lawler, The Hart Foundation and more.

MLW War Games takes place on Thursday, September 6th from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at the War Memorial Auditorium. This will be an MLW Fusion taping for beIN SPORTS. Visit AXS.COM for tickets information.

Just hours before the Lucha Bros were to compete on a card in Daly City California last night, the promotion was forced to tell fans neither would make it to the show.

Fenix and Pentagon Jr. were to team up and take on Reno Scum at the event. Fans were told via Twitter that Pentagon was injured and Fenix was having travel difficulties.

It is with deep regret to inform the APW Faithful that @PENTAELZEROM was injured last night in ??. @ReyFenixMx has also informed us that he is experiencing travel issues. We greatly apologize to everyone and wish Penta a speedy recovery. pic.twitter.com/u58whdj4sa

— allprowrestling (@allprowrestling) August 17, 2018

Sucks, traveling all the way from Sac for this match and its cancelled.

— Scoop (@IWillScoop) August 17, 2018

What Is Going On With Pentagon Jr. and Fenix?

The Lucha Bros have been the center of controversy as of late. Reports surfaced 2 weeks ago that WWE had interest in the brothers. At the time, both Pentagon and Fenix were thought to be locked into Lucha Underground contracts. Their contracts were believed to be preventative from them from jumping ship, however.

It has since been revealed that both Pentagon and Fenix are of the understanding they can opt out of their LU contracts following the 4th season. They would have to sit out 6 months following the expiration of their LU deals but then would be free to sign with WWE.

Pentagon and Fenix, who are the MLW tag-team champions, were pulled from an upcoming MLW show amidst the above rumors. The Lucha Bros are arguably the two most popular stars for Impact Wrestling at the moment as well.

Pentagon is scheduled to take on Sami Callihan in a Mexican Death match next week on Impact. Fenix will take on Brian Cage for the X-Division title in 2 weeks.

Major League Wrestling has signed a highly-touted prospect in Brian Pillman Jr. MLW sent in word that this is a multi-year deal that will keep the blue chipper with the conpany through 2020.

“Brian is a franchise player in the making,” stated MLW CEO Court Bauer in a press release.  “Brian has a bright future ahead of him and now MLW fans can look forward to seeing his journey each and every week on MLW FUSION.  This kid has IT.”

On MLW Fusion as of late, the young 2nd generation star has received mentorship from not only his family friends in the new Hart Foundation but also his father’s old rival, Kevin Sullivan.

Sullivan is worried Teddy Hart and Harry Smith will only lead the young Pillman in the wrong direction. Pillman told Sullivan he’s just paying his respects, however.

Brian Pillman Jr.

In an interview earlier this year, Pillman stressed that his character will evolve over time.

“My gimmick is that I’m Brian Pillman Jr. That’s my gimmick,” Pillman told the Sporting News earlier this year. “Eventually I’m going to have to change, I’m going to have to evolve and drop the ‘II’ or drop the ‘Jr.,’ become somebody else, somebody fresh, somebody new. I’m kind of in that process of that. I’m trying to develop my first beyond-the-legacy gimmick.”

He also appeared on Wrestling Observer Radio recently and spoke on how he originally felt his father’s untimely death was a work.

Pillman posted the following after making his independent wrestling debut late last year:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdYc9-kFGzo/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_loading_state_control

Tom Lawlor returns to the cage this Friday night on MLW Fusion.

In recent weeks, a feud has been escalating between Lawlor’s Team Filthy faction and Col. Robert Parker’s Stud Stable. Lawlor issued a challenge for a member of the Stud Stable to step into his world for an MMA Dojo Challenge. Col. Parker accepted the challenge. He’ll be sending the biggest athlete he manages: super-heavyweight Mike Parrow.

The Dojo Challenge will be held from Jungle MMA & Fitness in Orlando, which is owned and operated by Team Filthy member Seth Petruzelli.

Tune in to MLW FUSION this Friday night on beIN SPORTS to witness this unique contest.

Tom Lawlor In MLW

“Filthy” Tom Lawlor has been one of the standout performers in MLW since the promotion re-launched last year. He is the leader of Team Filthy, which consists of Simon Gotch and Seth Petruzelli.

Lawlor recently won MLW Battle Riot, which earned a shot at the MLW World Heavyweight Championship “anytime, anywhere.”

The MMA & pro wrestling hybrid fighter was released from UFC earlier this week. “Today I was informed that I will be released by the UFC despite my USADA suspension being nearly over and my previous requests for a release being denied,” said Lawlor. While the timing is unexpected, hopefully, this opens the doors for me to continue with my mixed martial arts career as well as in the squared circle.”

“Filthy” Tom Lawlor was only two months away from his two-year suspension from the UFC being lifted. However, instead of preparing for a grand comeback to the light heavyweight division, the company released him instead.

Lawlor was suspended from the UFC on October 10th, 2016, after failing a USADA drug test for Ostarine, a banned substance and member of the SARM group. The UFC, however, did not release him, so Lawlor segued to pro wrestling, intending to return to MMA once the suspension had been served.

Lawlor has been wrestling on the independent circuit, including Major League Wrestling (MLW). As the leader of the Team Filthy stable, Lawlor recently won MLW Battle Riot and earned a shot at the MLW World Heavyweight Championship anytime, anywhere.

Coffee Culprit

Though the Ostarine amount found in his system was low, Lawlor couldn’t find an explanation as to what caused the test to turn out positive, going so far as to test his coffee in an attempt to understand how it could have happened.

Lawlor, 35, had an MMA record of 10-6 with one no contest, and a 6-5 UFC record. His last fight to take place for the company was on March 6th, 2016, where he lost to UFC ranked No. 6 Corey Anderson via decision.

Interestingly, Lawlor puts forth in an official statement that he had previously asked for his release during the suspension period, but that these requests were “denied.”

“All things come to an end and it was inevitable that so would my time in UFC,” said Lawlor. “Today I was informed that I will be released by the UFC despite my USADA suspension being nearly over and my previous requests for a release being denied. While the timing is unexpected, hopefully, this opens the doors for me to continue with my mixed martial arts career as well as in the squared circle (pro wrestling). Combat sports is one of my life’s great loves and I look forward to showing and sharing that with the fans as soon as possible.”

Tom Lawlor found popularity in the UFC, in particular during weigh-ins, where he would come out in different costumes that paid homage to a range of different people and characters, including Hulk Hogan, Dan Severn, and The Shockmaster.

He had experience within the squared circle prior to UFC, garnering a WWE tryout before being selected for the cast of The Ultimate Fighter Season 8. Before that, he had won three NCWA small college national championships in wrestling whilst at the University of Central Florida.

Major League Wrestling is stacking the deck for the upcoming WAR GAMES event from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. On Monday morning, MLW announced that legendary luchador LA Park will square off against Pentagon Jr. in a ‘Mexican Massacre’ at the September 6th FUSION taping from the War Memorial Auditorium. LA Park will be presented by Salina de la Renta’s Promociones Dorado, while Konnan will be in the corner of Pentagon.

The news of Pentagon Jr.’s involvement at War Games has to be reassuring for MLW Fans. Pentagon and Rey Fenix were pulled from MLW’s return to Queens, NY on October 4th, which fueled rumors that WWE was looking to sign the duo.

If you’re in the Ft. Lauderdale area and you’re interested in checking out MLW War Games, tickets start at just $10 over at MLWgo.com.

As a reminder, MLW Fusion airs every Friday night on beIN SPORTS. Each week, the full episodes are uploaded to MLW’s YouTube channel as well.

In addition to LA Park vs Pentagon, the show will be headlined by a double-ring War Games steel cage match. Participants for the MLW War Games include Jon Hennigan, Tommy Dreamer, Shane Strickland, Koto Brazil and Barrington Hughes vs. Sami Callihan, Jimmy Havoc, the Death Machines and a mystery opponent TBA.

As seen below, Sami Callihan is teasing a new ‘monster’ for his growing stable of killers.

I’m building an army of MONSTERS….and we will paint @MLW’s ring red on Sept 6th. Wait until you see the last MONSTER in my squad. @MLW #WarGames pic.twitter.com/SrXFxpolsS

— Sami Callihan (@TheSamiCallihan) August 12, 2018

Brian Pillman Jr. was a guest on Wrestling Observer Radio over the weekend. The son of the late “Loose Cannon” Brian Pillman spoke with Dave Metlzer and Bryan Alvarez about a wide variety of topics during their half hour discussion.

Pillman spoke about his decision to follow in his father’s footsteps in becoming a pro wrestler, what he perceives to be his strengths and weaknesses, his father’s legacy and much more.

Pillman was only four years old at the time of his father’s tragic passing. It was such a surreal moment that when his family was called and informed about the tragedy, he thought it was a television angle, “like Austin and the gun.” Young Pillman Jr. was so unsure of the nature of the call versus the reality of it that he actually thought “my dad’s death was a work.”

The second generation wrestler recently made his debut for Major League Wrestling. Pillman, along with Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Teddy Hart, comprise the new Hart Foundation faction that is already making waves in MLW.

Listen to Brian Pillman Jr. on Wrestling Observer Live over at F4WOnline.com.

https://twitter.com/antmaurizio/status/1028745725285421057

Brian Pillman Sr.

Brian Pillman was at the forefront of edgy storylines during the 90s, and seemed to relish the opportunity to push the boundaries of his character and whatever feud he was involved with.

From his time with the Four Horsemen and the initial beginning of the “Loose Cannon” gimmick, where he would court controversy through a myriad of worked shoots, including grabbing the mic during SuperBrawl VI and directly referring to Kevin Sullivan as “booker man,” to the previously mentioned altercation between “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and a more developed “Loose Cannon,” where the infamous WWF segment took place with Austin breaking into Pillman’s home only to be confronted with a gun as the camera faded with the sound of screams, supposed gunshots and carnage. The then WWF would later have to apologise for the entire angle.

With Pillman Sr. being so willing to blur the lines of his own reality and character, it’s not surprising that a four-year-old Pillman Jr. would believe the initial reports of his father’s unfortunate passing were a work.

Randy Orton is known to rub people the wrong way earlier in his career. It seems his actions have caught up with him.

Former WWE writer and MLW founder Court Bauer alleges that Randy Orton would “expose himself” to new WWE writers. An on old episode of MLW Radio (Episode 49: Ribbing and Junk, 2012), Bauer said:

“For every new writer that would show up, he comes in the room puts his hand down his pants, pulls out his d*ck, touches himself, then says ‘I’m Randy Orton, shake my hand…oh you don’t want to shake my hand? Are you big leaguing me? That’s f**ked up man. Should I tell Vince and Steph you won’t shake Randy Orton’s hand?”

Bauer would go on to say that he barely avoided falling victim to Randy Orton’s antics back in 2005. Thankfully, Stephanie McMahon entered the room and interrupted what was about to unfold. Bauer describes that situation as ‘a teacher walking into the room’ and everything going back to normal.

Recently a fan asked Bauer if the story was true on twitter and he responded.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1028032487765803008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1028032487765803008&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrestlingnews.co%2Fwwe-news%2Fwwe-statement-on-alleged-sexually-inappropriate-behavior-by-randy-orton%2F

WWE issued a brief statement to WrestlingNewsCo regarding Randy Orton’s sexual misconduct. The company says they are “looking into” the situation.

Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix have been pulled from MLW’s October 4th TV taping from Queens, NY. The development comes amid reports that WWE is interested in MLW talent.

On Friday, MLW announced Lucha Libre legend LA Park will face Pierre Carl Ouellet (PCO) on 10/4. That will be a fun attraction, but it replaces a previously announced tag title match.  MLW Tag-Team Champions The Lucha Bros. (Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix) had been scheduled to face LA Park & El Hijo de LA Park. That match has been scrapped due to Pentagon & Fenix being unable to fulfill the commitment.

The MLW Fury Road tapings are scheduled for Thursday, October 4th at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York. For ticket information, visit MLWTickets.com.

Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix: WWE Bound?

Earlier this week, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter provided an update on the buzz that Pentagon and Fenix are on WWE’s radar. The brothers have reportedly been reaching out to promoters and informing them they may not be able to honor certain dates brooked through 2019.

We will follow this story as more details become available. Pentagon and Fenix are key players on the rosters of MLW, Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground. Both men are scheduled for All In on September 1st. They would make big additions to one of WWE’s rosters, but this would also be a hit to several other promotions.

Brian Pillman Jr. is set to make his national television debut with Major League Wrestling. The son of “the Loose Cannon” or “Flyin” Brian Pillman made his pro-wrestling debut in late 2017.

MLW CEO Court Bauer revealed the news that Pillman will appear on MLW Fusion this Friday night. The show airs Friday nights on BeIN Sports and is posted on MLW’s YouTube page in full the following evening.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1024293475217559553

Brian Pillman Jr. Wrestling Career

Pillman spent much of 2017 being trained by some of the best in the business. He spent time at the Lance Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary earlier this year. His connection to Calgary runs even deeper, however, as he has aligned himself with Teddy Hart and Harry Smith in MLW.

Additionally, Pillman Jr has spent a lot of time training with Rip Rogers.

Pillman doesn’t plan on lean off his father’s legacy, however.

“My gimmick is that I’m Brian Pillman Jr. That’s my gimmick,” Pillman told the Sporting News earlier this year. “Eventually I’m going to have to change, I’m going to have to evolve and drop the ‘II’ or drop the ‘Jr.,’ become somebody else, somebody fresh, somebody new. I’m kind of in that process of that. I’m trying to develop my first beyond-the-legacy gimmick.”

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Maxwell J. Friedman (MJF) is expected to miss several weeks of action due to a knee injury. The cocky Long Island native has been on a roll as of late. In addition to holding the CZW World Heavyweight Championship, MJF became the first-ever MLW Middleweight Champion last week by defeating Joey Ryan at MLW Battle Riot. That match airs Friday night on beIN SPORTS as part of MLW’s 2-hour Battle Riot cable special.

Friedman wrestled for AAW on Saturday night and defeated Ace Steel in a Bourbon Street Fight. After the match, he tweeted this photo of his knee iced up and told the “pimpled up tubby marks” asking about his knee that he doesn’t need their sympathy.

To everyone who’s tweeting and messaging me about my knee…. I don’t need sympathy from a bunch of pimpled up tubby marks. I’ll be good by Monday. pic.twitter.com/BYgCIKJcii

— Maxwell Jacob Friedman™? (@The_MJF) July 22, 2018

MJF’s Injury

He was not ‘good’ by Monday. MJF posted a message on Facebook on Wednesday night and revealed that he suffered a small tear in his lateral meniscus and a tear in his LCL. Recovery time for this type of injury is approximately 2-6 weeks.

MJF had been scheduled to compete for CZW and Beyond Wrestling this coming weekend. Hopefully MJF is back in action soon, just don’t send him any well wishes on Twitter.

Stfu. https://t.co/iDHJtiBnk7

— Maxwell Jacob Friedman™? (@The_MJF) July 25, 2018

Follow Maxwell J. Friedman on Twitter @The_MJF and check out our exclusive interview with him from earlier this year.

On Thursday night, Major League Wrestling made its grand return to New York City with Battle Riot at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NY.

Matches on this show were taped for a 2-hour Battle Riot special that airs next Friday night on beIN SPORTS, as well as future episodes of the weekly MLW FUSION broadcast on beIN. The matches that will air on the 2-hour Battle Riot special include:

• Kotta Brazil vs. Myron Reed
• MJF vs. Joey Ryan to crown the first MLW Middleweight Champion
• 40-Man Battle Riot Match to earn a MLW Championship opportunity

The show was a legitimate sell-out and the card delivered from top to bottom. As fans have come to expect from MLW, the show featured a hybrid of in-ring styles, up-and-comers and veterans and slick production values. MLW returns to the Melrose Ballroom on October 4th with LA Park (La Parka) advertised.

MLW Battle Riot Results

– Fred Yehi def. Richard Holliday. Solid opener with Yehi of Team Filthy being very over with the crowd.

– Kotto Brazil def. Myron Reed. Exciting high-flying match with a lot of near falls towards the end.

– Jake Hager def. Simon Gotch. A lot of solid mat-based grappling.

– Jimmy Havoc def. Brody King. King is quite large in person and moves around really well for a big man. King was in control for most of the match before Havoc pulled out the win.

– MLW Tag Team Champions The Lucha Bros (Fenix and Pentagon Jr.) def. Drago and Rey Horus to retain. This was probably the match of the night – first class lucha libre. Fans threw dollar bills into the ring afterwards as Pentagon & Fenix thanked the crowd.

– PCO def. Homicide. As you’d expect, this was a very hard-hitting match that showcased the monster that is PCO.

– Maxwell J. Friedman def. Joey Ryan to become the first MLW Middleweight Champion. This one went pretty long and allowed both guys to showcase their personalities. Joey Ryan did not do his signature dick spot, but channeled Mr. Socko in using a lollipop on Friedman. MJF was interviewed in the ring after his match and cut a nice heel promo.

– Sami Callihan def. Shane Strickland.

– The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart & Davey Boy Smith Jr. w/Brian Pillman II)  def. Rich Swann and ACH. It’s believed that Swann was concussed during this match.

– MLW World Heavyweight Champion Low Ki def. John Hennigan to retain. Salina de la Renta was ringside with Low Ki. Hennigan hit a lot of acrobatic spots as you’d expect.

– “Filthy” Tom Lawlor outlasted 39 other men to win the Battle Riot match and earn a shot at the MLW World Heavyweight Championship “any time, anywhere.” This match was a lot of fun and should come across great on television. They used a lot of battle royal tropes (including brothers Pentagon & Rey Fenix being the first two entrants, a large group of wrestlers working together to eliminate giants like Barrington Hughes, etc.). Surprise entrants included The Blue Meanie, Spirit Squad members Kenny & Mikey, Fallah Bahh and more. After his win, Lawlor was interviewed by Matt Striker in the ring and said he is achieving his goal of being the face of Major League Wrestling.

Major League Wrestling returns to New York City on Thursday night with MLW Battle Riot live from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NY. Cameras will be rolling for a 2-hour special that will air on beIN SPORTS next Friday night, July 27th.

The headline match will be the first-ever Battle Riot match, a 40-man anything goes battle royal that will begin with two participants in the ring and another new participant every 60 seconds. Eliminations can take place via pinfall, submission or a wrestler being thrown outside the ring to the floor at ringside. The winner of MLW Battle Riot will earn an opportunity to challenge for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship any time they choose. 

There have been some late additions to the card, which you can see below.

If you’re in the NYC area, a limited number of tickets have been made available after MLW finalized the production setup. We’ll be there – visit MLWTickets.com so you can too.

As a reminder, you can watch MLW’s weekly television show FUSION on Youtube, if you don’t have the beIN SPORTS cable channel. New episodes of MLW FUSION are uploaded to MLW’s YouTube channel every Saturday night at 6:05pm ET.

MLW Battle Riot: Final Card

• Battle Riot: 40-Man Anything Goes Battle Royal
• MLW Champion Low Ki vs. John Hennigan
• MLW Tag Team Champions Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix vs. Drago & Aerostar
• Joey Ryan vs. MJF to crown the first-ever MLW Middleweight Champion
  
• Shane Strickland vs. Sami Callihan
• The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart & Davey Boy Smith Jr. w/Brian Pillman II) vs. Rich Swann & ACH
• Jimmy Havoc vs. Brody King
• PCO vs. Homicide
• Kotto Brazil vs. Myron Reed
• Jake Hager vs. Simon Gotch (w/Col. Robert Parker)

MLW was supposed to be “Swerve’s House” but a $60,000 bounty was eventually too much for him. Low-Ki not only cashed-in on the bounty but he took the MLW Heavyweight Championship from Strickland in the process.

The title changed happened last night from the Gilt nightclub in Orlando, FL. As per MLW rules, Low-Ki now must defend the title against any opponents Strickland had been scheduled against.

Low-Ki will defend his newly won title against John Hennigan next Thursday in Queen’s NY.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1017620820649218048

Low-Ki MLW World Heavyweight Champion

Low-Ki becomes just the second champion since the title was brought back into existence earlier this year. Strickland defeated Matt Riddle in the finals of a tournament on April 12th, 2018 in Orlando.

Low-Ki is now the 6th champion in MLW history. Champions 1-4 in the title’s lineage are Shane Douglas, Satoshi Kojima, Mike Awesome, and Steve Corino.

Other MLW Announcements

MLW Battle Riot July 19th

The promotion also plans to air their upcoming Battle Riot event on July 19 for free on BeIN Sports.

The promotion defines a Battle Riot match as:

“A mash-up of a battle royal, royal rumble and anything goes street fight, this super-sized main event will feature 40 wrestlers with new participants entering the ring every 60 seconds.”

The winner will receive a title shot against the MLW World Heavyweight Champion.

MLW War Games Returns

Earlier this week, MLW announced they will be holding a War Games match at the Fort Lauderdale’s War Memorial Auditorium on Thursday, September 6, 2018. The original inception of the promotion also featured a War Games match between Steve Corino’s Extreme Horsemen and Terry Funk’s “Funkin Army.”

Major League Wrestling owns the trademark to the name War Games for the following purposes:

“Entertainment services in the nature of organizing and arranging professional wrestling exhibitions for entertainment purposes; providing information and news about professional wrestling via a global computer network; presentation of live wrestling show performances.”

Major League Wrestling returns to GILT Nightclub in Orlando, FL tonight for the latest round of TV tapings for the weekly MLW Fusion show on beIN SPORTS.

As usual, it’s a stacked card with the top stars of MLW in action, including MLW’s World and Tag Team Champions, Jimmy Havoc, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, Joey Janela, John Hennigan, Jake Hager and many more.

Here’s the final card for tonight’s MLW Fusion tapings:

• $60,000 Bounty Match: MLW World Champion Shane Strickland vs. Low Ki
• MLW Tag Team Champions Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix vs. ACH and Rich Swann
• Grudge Match: Jimmy Havoc vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
• John Hennigan vs. Teddy Hart.
• Falls Count Anywhere: Joey Janela vs. MJF
• Jake Hager vs. Fred Yehi
• Jimmy Yuta vs. Jason Cade.
• Barrington Hughes vs. Leon Scott.
• Simon Gotch’s latest Prize Fight Challenge.

Check back here later tonight for results from these tapings.

Below, you can check out the latest full episode of MLW FUSION:

On Monday night, Major League Wrestling announced that MLW War Games is coming to Ft. Lauderdale’s War Memorial Auditorium on Thursday, September 6, 2018.

Since then, fans have been wondering how MLW could feature the War Games name, which was created by the National Wrestling Alliance in the mid 80’s, later used by WCW at the annual Fall Brawl pay-per-view and most recently used by NXT last November at their Takeover event from Houston TX.

As it turns out, MLW LLC is the official owner of the “WAR GAMES” trademark. MLW actually has two trademarks on the “WAR GAMES” name, with their usage covering:

“Entertainment services in the nature of organizing and arranging professional wrestling exhibitions for entertainment purposes; providing information and news about professional wrestling via a global computer network; presentation of live wrestling show performances.”

WWE never actually trademarked the name WAR GAMES – and MLW’s usage of the event back in 2003 pre-dated NXT co-opting the show for an event 14 years later.

The original MLW War Games event took place on September 19, 2003 from Ft. Lauderdale, FL during Major League Wrestling’s initial run.

When asked if we’ll see September’s War Games event televised at some point, MLW CEO Court Bauer made it clear that is definitely in the works. Next week’s MLW Battle Riot event from New York City will be airing on beIN SPORTS as a 2-hour television special, so we could very well see a similar rollout for War Games.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1016761025507610626

For more on MLW’s upcoming War Games event, visit MLW.com.

MLW War Games is coming to Ft Lauderdale, FL on Thursday, September 6th. MLW CEO Court Bauer confirmed the 2-ring steel cage match will headline MLW’s return to the War Memorial Auditorium for the first time in 15 years.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1016496414120177664

Tickets for MLW #WarGames go on sale Monday, July 23rd at MLWgo.com and  AXS.com. Talent scheduled to appear includes World Tag Team Champions Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix,
Barrington Hughes, MJF, Sami Callihan and Salina de la Renta.

The original MLW War Games event took place from the same venue on 9/19/2003. The War Games match saw The Funkin’ Army (Bill Alfonso, Sabu, Steve Williams, Terry Funk & The Sandman) defeat The Extreme Horsemen (Barry Windham, CW Anderson, PJ Walker, Simon Diamond & Steve Corino).

MLW has two big upcoming events ahead of War Games in September. This Thursday, MLW returns to GILT nightclub in Orlando, FL the next round of MLW Fusion TV tapings.

Next Thursday, MLW will bring Battle Riot to New York City. That show will air as a 2-hour special on Friday, July 27th on beIN Sports.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScXkWejH2jo

On July 19th, 2018, Major League Wrestling will air a special 2-hour event on BeIN Sports.

The featured match of the evening will be the 40-person Battle Riot match itself but the promotion recently announced 2 new championship matches to take place on the card.

MLW World Heavyweight Champion, Shane “Swerve” Strickland, will defend his title against Sami Callihan.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1014142652231667712

Callihan may also have members of his Death Machines present for the match.

MLW has also announced that Pentagon and Ray Fenix will defend their tag-team titles against Aerostar and Drago.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1014141743124631554

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScXkWejH2jo

Updated MLW Battle Riot Card

• John Hennigan vs Low-Ki
• the New Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart & Davey Boy Smith Jr) w/ Brian Pillman II vs ACH & Rich Swann
• MLW World Middleweight Championship (Vacant)
  Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs Joey Ryan
• MLW Tag Team Championships
  Pentagon & Ray Fenix (c) vs Aerostar and Drago
• MLW Heavyweight Championship
  Shane “Swerve” Strickland vs Sami Callihan
• 40-Person Battle Riot Match
  The winner will receive an MLW World Title shot

Battle Riot Confirmed Participants

• Tom Lawler
• Pentagon Jr.
• Pierre Carl Ouellet
• Rich Swann
• Jason Cade
• Joey Ryan
• “Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan
• ACH
• John Morrison
• Lance Anoa’i
• Swoggle
• Konnan
• Jake Hager
• “Worldwide Desperado” Sami Callihan
• Davey Boy Smith Jr.
• Teddy Hart
• Barrington Hughes
• Jimmy Yuta

“A mash-up of a battle royal, royal rumble and anything goes street fight, this super-sized main event will feature 40 wrestlers with new participants entering the ring every 60 seconds.

Elimination is by pinfall, submission or by throwing an individual over the top rope.”

Court Bauer on MLW Battle Riot Airing Live For Free

“I heavily considered pay per view, but I want to give the fans something special and do it for free,” Bauer said. “Some promoters put a price tag on everything and I could see the temptation here, but I want to reward fans that have been supporting us. Disruption is key for MLW, and a free two-hour special is the ultimate disruption. BeIN is a great partner and I’m glad they agree.”