Major League Wrestling will present the 3rd Battle Riot event on July 10th when it runs its first show in months from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. The signature match features 40 of MLWs top wrestlers entering at intervals of every 60 seconds. Eliminations occur by pinfall, submission, or being tossed over the top rope. The winner will earn a shot at the MLW World Championship currently held by Contra Unit’s Jacob Fatu.

“You couldn’t ask for a bigger way to kick off the new season than a huge match with BIG stakes,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “Philly was set to get the Battle Riot last July before the pandemic hit, so I felt I had to make good on that promise and deliver it this July.”

Additionally, MLW is stating that the winner of this year’s Battle Riot will be able to cash-in the opportunity at any time.

“The winner gets a World Heavyweight Title Shot anywhere, anytime!  It could be that night; it could be in 6 months – you just don’t know. The challenger has the key to unlock an instant title shot against whoever the champion is!”

The news was first revealed by Alicia Atout during MLW’s latest draft. Azteca Underground selected Arez. The former Dario Cueto, now known as Cesar Duran, made the pick.

Tom Lawlor won the first Battle Riot in 2018. He then defeated Low-Ki for the MLW World Championship. LA Park won the 2nd Battle Riot in 2019 but was later defeated by Jacob Fatu.

Major League Wrestling returns to the Melrose Ballroom in New York City to jumpstart WrestleMania weekend.

MLW is holding two nights of shows: Thursday (4/4) and Friday (4/5). Both nights will be TV tapings for MLW Fusion. Friday night’s 40-man Battle Riot battle royal airs live on beIN SPORTS.

The winner of Battle Riot earns a shot at the MLW World Heavyweight Championship. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor reigned supreme at the inaugural Battle Riot and went on to capture MLW’s top prize from Low Ki.

MLW has announced the first three participants or Battle Riot II:

• Pentagon Jr.
• Davey Boy Smith Jr.
• Minoru Tanaka (representing Pro Wrestling NOAH)

If you’re in the NYC area during WrestleMania weekend, visit MLWTickets.com for details on how you can attend these live shows for just $20.

For more details on MLW Battle Riot II, check out the latest Battle Riot control center:

On Thursday night, MLW Fury Road took place from the Melrose Ballroom in New York City. It was previously announced that MLW would be returning to NYC on Thursday, April 4th during WrestleMania 35 weekend. Due to high demand, MLW has added a second NYC that weekend – and it will be headlined by Battle Riot II.

Major League Wrestling sent in the following press release on Friday with all the details:

MLW: BATTLE RIOT II TO HEADLINE NIGHT 2 IN NEW YORK CITY ON APRIL 5; TICKETS ON SALE THIS WEDNESDAY 10/10 AT 10 A.M.

NEW YORK – Major League Wrestling (“MLW”) announced today that the league has added a second night to its return to New York City in April 2019 with a Friday April 5th card and TV taping at the Melrose Ballroom featuring the return of the 40-wrestler BATTLE RIOT®.

MLW: BATTLE RIOT II joins the already announced Thursday April 4th FUSION TV taping event, which also takes place at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NYC. Both are MLW FUSION TV tapings.

Tickets go on sale for both events 10/10 at 10 a.m. at www.MLWTickets.com. Tickets start at just $20.

Both cards have a start time of 7:00 p.m. and should conclude by 10:30 p.m.

There will be special Night 1/Night 2 packages for fans looking for bundled ticketing options to ensure they have great seats both nights at a great price.

“We don’t price gauge. This is a big weekend for wrestling fans and we want them to enjoy it all,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “You won’t just get 2 great nights of MLW but you’ll get a great deal that allows you to come out to MLW while not breaking the bank for the rest of your weekend.”

While the Friday night card will now feature the 40-wrestler Battle Riot® as its main event, speculation continues to grow over what or who will headline the April 4th card.

“All I can say is… this is going to be a BIG one. How big? I’ve been working on this one for months. You won’t see this main event anywhere else anytime soon,” said Bauer.

Minutes from the center of Manhattan, the Melrose Ballroom is easily accessible by subway, car or bus.

ABOUT THE BATTLE RIOT®

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.

There will be surprises! There will be legends! There will be WTF entries… and there will be no disqualifications!

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

Anything is possible in a Battle Riot!

What does the winner get?

The winner gets a World Heavyweight Title Shot anywhere, anytime! It could be that night; it could be in 6 months. The challenger has the key to unlock an instant title shot against whoever the champion is!

Matches will be announced in the coming months at MLW.com.

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)

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.”

Major League Wrestling’s upcoming Battle Riot show (7/19) from New York City has been announced as the promotion’s first-ever 2-hour network special.

MLW: Battle Riot will air on BeIN Sports on Friday night, July 27th at 8pm ET.

The news was first reported by Sports Illustrated.

MLW CEO Court Bauer told SI that he strongly considered offering MLW Battle Riot as a traditional pay-per-view event, but ultimately it was decided that a 2-hour broadcast on beIN SPORTS was the best way to reach (and reward) MLW’s growing audience.

“I heavily considered pay per view, but I want to give the fans something special and do it for free,” said Bauer. “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.”

The card for MLW Battle Riot is stacked (more on that below) and will be headlined by the first-ever Battle Riot match. 40 wrestlers will compete in this unconventional battle royal, with eliminations taking place when someone is pinned, submits or is thrown over the top rope. The match will start with two participants, with a new entrant every 60 seconds.

The winner of MLW Battle Riot gets a shot at the MLW World Heavyweight Championship (currently held by Shane Strickland) “anytime, anywhere.”

If you’re in the NYC area, it’s going to be a wild show – and we’ll be in attendance. Visit Eventbrite.com for ticket information.

Updated Card for MLW: Battle Riot

Here’s the current card for MLW Battle Riot, which takes place on Thursday night, July 19th from Melrose Ballroom in Long Island City:

Battle Riot Battle Royal 

Participants include John Morrison, Pentagon, Teddy, Davey Boy Smith Jr., “PCO” Pierre Carl Ouellet, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, Hornswoggle and many more.

– The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr. with Brian Pillman II) vs. ACH & Rich Swann

– John Hennigan vs. Low Ki

Also signed to appear on July 19th:

• World Heavyweight Champion Shane Strickland
• MLW Tag Team Champions Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix
• Salina de la Renta
• Barrington Hughes
• Maxwell J. Friedman
• Sami Callihan

For more, check out the MLW Battle Riot Control Center, hosted by Tony Schiavone:

https://youtu.be/ScXkWejH2jo

Major League Wrestling’s upcoming “Battle Riot” has gained another confirmed participant. The show will take place on July 19th from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NY.

As of this writing, the event is scheduled to be a television taping for the promotion’s Fusion show which airs Friday nights on BeIN Sports. A report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter last week stated they were looking at possibly broadcasting the event on traditional pay-per-view, however.

MLW announced recently that the 18th participant in the Battle Riot match will be “Filthy” Tom Lawler.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1011561467160784896

On the most recent episode of Fusion, Lawler, and stablemate, Simon Gotch, played a prank on manager Col. Rob Parker. Although not shown on camera, it is believed Lawler left a deposit of sorts in Parker’s hat.

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

Konnan will be coming out of retirement for the match.

“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.”

“Filthy” Tom Lawler

Lawler is currently signed to UFC but is suspended for a USADA doping violation. He’s wrestled 6 matches for Major League Wrestling and another two which have yet to air on the promotion’s television show, Fusion.

In MLW singles matches, Lawler has a 4-1 record with his only loss being to the King of Bros, Matt Riddle. He’s defeated Jeff Cobb, MVP, ACH, and Fred Yehi.