Tag: mlw battle riot vi

Matt Riddle wins MLW Battle Riot VI

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Matt Riddle is the winner of the sixth Battle Riot.

Riddle won the battle royal at Saturday’s MLW event in Atlanta. The final four in the match were Riddle, Sami Callihan, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Timothy Thatcher. The finish had all four men tumble over the top rope. Thatcher and Smith eliminated each other while Riddle held onto the ropes, sending Callihan to the floor. As a result, Riddle has now earned a future MLW World Championship match.

The forty-man battle royal also featured the likes of Minoru Suzuki, Tom Lawlor (who entered three different times), Paul Walter Hauser, Violent J, Earnest “The Cat” Miller, Scotty Riggs, and Mistico.

Riddle has made regular appearances in MLW since being released by WWE last year. He also briefly held the New Japan World Television Championship before losing to Zack Sabre Jr. in April.

Other matches at Battle Riot VI saw MLW World Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Kojima defeat Lawlor to retain the title, Alex Kane defeating AJ Francis in a ritual combat match, and Janai Kai defeating Delmi Exo to retain the MLW Featherweight title.

Mark Henry makes MLW Battle Riot VI appearance following AEW departure

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Mark Henry made his first post-AEW appearance at MLW’s Battle Riot VI event on Saturday in Atlanta.

Henry appeared alongside Teddy Long ahead of the Ritual Combat match between Alex Kane and AJ Francis (Top Dolla), which Kane ended up winning. It marked Henry’s first appearance since his contract with AEW expired at the end of May.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1797077543985504628

Henry announced on Busted Open Radio that he wouldn’t be re-signing, instead choosing to focus on other projects.

“And I am not gonna be renewing my deal. And I think that, you know, it’s a mutual thing,” he said. “If I can’t dedicate 100 percent of myself, then it’s only fair for both parties to end the relationship on a positive note. And, like I said, it’s been nothing but positive.”

In the top matches of Battle Riot VI, Satoshi Kojima defeated Tom Lawlor to retain the MLW Heavyweight Championship. Matt Riddle ended up winning the Battle Riot battle royal, last eliminating Sami Callihan.

World Heavyweight title match added to MLW Battle Riot VI

Posted on by Joseph Currier

“Filthy” Tom Lawlor is getting a chance to dethrone Satoshi Kojima for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship.

MLW has announced that Kojima will defend his World title against Lawlor at Battle Riot VI on Saturday, June 1. The show is being held at Center Stage in Atlanta and will air live on YouTube for free.

Kojima is a double champion in MLW, currently holding the World Heavyweight Championship and Tag Team titles. There was a storyline last month where Lawlor & Davey Boy Smith Jr. vacated the MLW Tag Team titles after Lawlor was taken out in an attack by Contra Unit. Kojima & Okumura then won the vacant belts.

There have been two singles matches between Kojima and Lawlor before. Kojima defeated Lawlor at an MLW event in December 2023. In 2021, Lawlor beat Kojima at a show for NJPW.

Kojima has been MLW World Heavyweight Champion since February. Lawlor previously held the title for five months in 2019.

The Battle Riot event is being headlined by MLW’s Battle Riot match, which is a 40-man battle royal where the winner receives a future World title shot. Matt Riddle, Sami Callihan, Mistico, Timothy Thatcher, Ernest “The Cat” Miller, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Bobby Fish, and actor Paul Walter Hauser are among the entrants that have been confirmed.

MLW Battle Riot VI (Saturday, June 1) —

  • 40-man Battle Riot match
  • MLW World Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Kojima defends against Tom Lawlor
  • Ritual Combat match: Alex Kane vs. AJ Francis

Actor Paul Walter Hauser to make MLW debut in Battle Riot VI

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Battle Riot VI will include the MLW debut of an Emmy award-winning actor.

Paul Walter Hauser, a wrestling fan and occasional in-ring competitor, will debut for MLW as an entrant in the Battle Riot match on Saturday, June 1. It’s a 40-man battle royal where the winner receives a future shot at the MLW World Heavyweight Championship. The title is currently held by Satoshi Kojima.

For his role in the 2022 Apple TV+ mini-series “Black Bird,” Hauser won awards at the Emmys, Golden Globes, and Critics Choice Awards. His Emmys victory speech included multiple wrestling references, including mentioning Matt Cardona and Kota Ibushi.

Hauser made his in-ring debut last November and has wrestled in four indie matches. He’s competed for Wrestling Revolver, at the 2024 WrestleCon Supershow, and for Southern Honor Wrestling. Hauser has also made appearances for AEW and ROH.

Battle Riot VI is taking place from Center Stage in Atlanta on June 1. MLW has announced that the event will stream live for free on YouTube

“The ‘content is king’ era is over. The creator economy is here and it’s powered by YouTube,” MLW’s Court Bauer said in a press release. “Direct to consumer is the future for sports leagues. We are going right to the fans that watch us and giving them MLW’s biggest signature event of the year for free.”

Matt Riddle, Mistico, Bobby Fish, Sami Callihan, Ernest “The Cat” Miller, Matthew Justice, Timothy Thatcher, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Mads Krugger, Alex Kane, and AJ Francis will be among the other entrants in Battle Riot VI.

The Battle Riot match made its debut in 2018. Tom Lawlor, LA Park, Alex Hammerstone, Jacob Fatu, and Alex Kane are past winners of the match.