Tag: battle riot vii

Mistico injury forces change to MLW Battle Riot VII card

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An injury to Mistico has forced MLW to change up its plans for Saturday’s Battle Riot event.

Mistico was scheduled to defend his MLW Middleweight Championship against Templario at the Battle Riot show. That match is now off the card, but Templario will be in action in a three-way bout against fellow CMLL stars Hechicero and Esfinge.

Though he is unable to wrestle, Mistico is still making the trip to Long Beach, California for an appearance at Battle Riot.

“Despite being unable to compete due to injury, Mistico will still be in Long Beach for Battle RIOT VII and the MLW Fan Expo to meet and greet fans. He will also make a special appearance during Battle RIOT VII for an in-ring interview, ensuring that supporters can still see one of lucha libre’s biggest stars,” MLW wrote.

“And although Mistico cannot compete this Saturday, he will be watching from ringside with keen interest, preparing for his in-ring return and scouting the winner of this must-see clash.”

Mistico is dealing with a partial triceps tear, an ankle ligament injury, and lower back pain. As of the most recent update, it was believed that he would not need surgery and will be out of action for 2-3 weeks. He remains MLW Middleweight Champion, having held the title for more than a year now.

Battle Riot will air live on MLW’s YouTube channel for free on Saturday night. It has a start time of 10 p.m. Eastern.

Here is the updated card:

MLW Battle Riot VII (Saturday, April 5) —

  • MLW World Heavyweight Champion Matt Riddle defends his title in 40-person Battle Riot match
  • MLW Women’s Featherweight Champion Delmi Exo defends against Shoko Nakajima
  • Templario vs. Hechicero vs. Esfinge
  • Atlantis, Atlantis Jr. & Star Jr. vs. Ultimo Guerrero, Barbaro Cavernario & Magnus
  • HIMAWARI vs. Janai Kai
  • MLW Middleweight Champion Mistico will appear for an in-ring interview

MLW moves Battle Riot VII to larger venue

Posted on by Joseph Currier

MLW is moving this year’s Battle Riot event to a larger venue.

Citing “overwhelming demand for tickets,” MLW announced today that Battle Riot VII will now be held at Thunder Studios Arena in Long Beach, California. The show was originally supposed to take place from The Commerce Casino & Hotel in Los Angeles before tickets sold out. All tickets that were already sold will be honored at the new venue, and MLW is putting more tickets on sale next Wednesday (March 26) at 10 p.m. Pacific time.

The show is set for Saturday, April 5 and will stream live on MLW’s YouTube channel for free. It’s being headlined by Matt Riddle defending his MLW World Heavyweight Championship in the 40-person Battle Riot, which is MLW’s version of a Royal Rumble. The match is anything goes, and eliminations can happen via pinfall, submission, or being thrown over the top rope.

Here is the current lineup for the show:

  • MLW World Heavyweight Champion Matt Riddle defends his title in 40-person Battle Riot match
  • MLW Middleweight Champion Mistico defends against Templario
  • MLW Women’s Featherweight Champion Delmi Exo defends against Shoko Nakajima
  • Atlantis, Atlantis Jr. & Star Jr. vs. Ultimo Guerrero, Barbaro Cavernario & Magnus
  • HIMAWARI vs. Janai Kai

MLW says that the show has set a new all-time box office record for the promotion.

TJPW star challenging for Women’s title in MLW debut

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Tokyo Joshi Pro star Shoko Nakajima is getting a title shot in her MLW debut.

MLW announced today that Nakajima will challenge Women’s Featherweight Champion Delmi Exo at Battle Riot VII in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 5. The show is taking place at The Commerce Casino & Hotel and will air live on MLW’s YouTube channel for free.

“This championship fight has been brokered between MLW and TJPW, underscoring the continued collaboration between the two organizations,” MLW hyped. “It also comes at a time when MLW’s women’s division is heating up, and Nakajima looks to make an immediate impact by capturing gold in her debut.”

Nakajima is a two-time Princess of Princess Champion for TJPW, most recently holding the title in 2022. She worked a pair of AEW matches in 2019-2020 and has made recent appearances in the United States for indie promotion Deadlock Pro, along with wrestling at Defy and GCW events in collaboration with TJPW.

Exo is on her second reign as MLW Women’s Featherweight Champion. She regained the belt last month from Janai Kai. Only Taya Valkyrie, Exo, and Kai have held the title since it was introduced in 2022 as MLW’s first-ever Women’s Championship.

There have now been two matches confirmed for the Battle Riot VII card:

  • Matt Riddle defends the MLW World Heavyweight Championship in 40-wrestler Battle Riot match
  • MLW Women’s Featherweight Champion Delmi Exo defends against Shoko Nakajima

MLW to make Los Angeles debut in April 2025

Posted on by Joseph Currier

For the first time ever, Major League Wrestling is heading to the Los Angeles area.

MLW announced today that the promotion will make its LA debut with Battle Riot VII taking place from Commerce, California on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Battle Riot is MLW’s version of a Royal Rumble where 40 participants compete in a no-holds-barred battle royal with a future World title shot on the line.

The Commerce Casino & Hotel will host the Battle Riot event. Tickets are going on sale next Monday (December 9) at 10 a.m. Pacific time.

Tom Lawlor, LA Park, Alex Hammerstone, Jacob Fatu, Alex Kane, and Matt Riddle have been MLW’s Battle Riot winners since the match debuted in 2018.

With his Battle Riot title shot, Riddle is challenging Satoshi Kojima for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship at Kings of Colosseum on January 11.

Riddle, Kojima, Lawlor, Alex Kane, KENTA, Minoru Suzuki, Donovan Dijak, Mads Krule Krugger, AKIRA, Cesar Duran, and Janai Kai are among the talent advertised for the Battle Riot VII event. MLW also lists that the show will feature luchadores from CMLL.