Report: TNA locker room pushing for signing of former MLW wrestler

A former MLW wrestler could be headed to TNA Wrestling.

According to a report from Jon Alba of Sports Illustrated, Richard Holliday’s name has been brought up in the TNA locker room often of late, with Alba writing that several are “outright pushing” management to sign him.

One pitch for Holliday to be brought into the company was said to be in the role of Mr. Elegance, the member of the Elegance Brand who debuted on the AMC debut show. The role of Mr. Elegance ultimately went to former OVW wrestler AJZ.

Holliday joined MLW in 2018 and formed an alliance with Alex Hammerstone and AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman known as The Dynasty. He and MJF held the promotion’s tag titles once in 2019 before dropping them to the Von Erichs that November. The Dynasty continued after MJF left the company until early 2022, when Holliday turned on Hammerstone. That December, Holliday announced that he had Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He revealed his cancer was in remission the following summer and resumed wrestling on the independent scene.

Richard Holliday returns to MLW, Alex Hammerstone contract update

One former member of The Dynasty has returned to MLW, and another has confirmed they are set to become a free agent. 

MLW presented One Shot last night from the Melrose Ballroom in New York. Alex Kane successfully defended his MLW World title against Matt Cardona in the main event. After the match, Kane was confronted by a returning Richard Holliday.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1733112387681574917

Holiday then joined the WTF stable led by Mister Saint Laurent and will challenge Kane for the title at MLW Kings of Coliseum. 

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1732963922628456899

Holiday has been gone from the company since June 2022. He was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma later that year and would undergo chemotherapy treatment. Holiday revealed in May that his cancer is now in remission. 

Alex Hammerstone, who returned to MLW last month, has announced that his contract officially expires on January 1 and he will become a free agent at that time.

After publicly requesting his release from the promotion in October, Hammerstone returned at MLW Fightland. He also joined MSL’s WTF stable. 

Also at MLW One Shot on Thursday, our own Tom Lawlor was defeated by Satoshi Kojima. Following the match, fans tossed pieces of bread into the ring to pay tribute to the leader of Bread Club. 

MLW One Shot results:

  • MLW World Middleweight Champion Rocky Romero w/Jesus Rodriguez defeated Mascara Dorada to retain his title
  • Princess of Princess Champion Miyu Yamashita defeated Delmi Exo to retain her title
  • Satoshi Kojima defeated Tom Lawlor
  • MLW National Openweight Champion Rickey Shane Page defeated Jimmy Lloyd to retain his title
  • MLW World Featherweight Champion Janai Kai w/Jesus Rodriguez & Salina de la Renta defeated Maki Itoh to retain her title
  • MLW World Champion Alex Kane defeated Matt Cardona to retain his title

Alex Hammerstone to make GCW debut in December

On the same day he gave some insight into his attempts to get released from MLW, Alex Hammerstone did have some good news come out: his debut in GCW.

The former MLW Champion will join with past partner/rival Richard Holliday to take on Charles Mason & Parrow at GCW What Is Your Choice? on Sunday, December 3rd in Brooklyn, New York.

Hammerstone did wrestle at a dual GCW/FSW show in May of this year, but this will mark his first traditional GCW event. This will be his first time teaming with Holliday since August 2021. The two were part of The Dynasty faction in MLW before they began feuding in 2022. Holliday has been feuding with Mason the past two months in GCW.

While he remains under contract to MLW, Hammerstone hasn’t competed for the promotion since July. Since then, he has competed for several indie promotions and has gone public with his desire to gain his release since he feels there are no plans for him in MLW. He was removed from their roster page some time ago.

Earlier Wednesday, he released a now-deleted video to X where he talked about his situation and that he’s unclear if he will get released or not.

Report: Richard Holliday among names attending WWE tryouts this week

Former MLW star Richard Holliday is among the independent names attending the latest WWE tryouts.

The tryouts are taking place this week in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. Brogan Finlay was announced by PWInsider, but Bodyslam.net reported the other names:

  • Richard Holliday – Former MLW Tag Team Champion with MJF who recently made his return to pro wrestling after battling stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
  • Madi Wrenkowski – Has been featured as part of the NWA and has wrestled for ROH, MCW, Mission Pro Wrestling, and WWN.
  • Copeland Barbee – collegiate wrestler at Queens University of Charlotte.
  • David Goldy – A Monster Factory trainee, he has competed on AEW Dark and most recently participated in the NJPW All Star Junior Festival 2023, where he defeated Vinny Pacifico.
  • Jay Malachi – Has made appearances on AEW television and has wrestled for the likes of Firestar Pro Wrestling, PWF, and Deadlock Pro.
  • Brogan Finlay – Son of Fit Finlay and brother of David Finlay
  • Jamie Stanley – Has teamed up with Joe Alonzo in the NWA, where they are known as America’s Ego. Has also worked as a referee.
  • Ray Jaz- Has worked in MLW and has also recently wrestled for Beyond Wrestling
  • Hollyhood Haley J – Part of the OVW ‘Wrestlers’ reality show on Netflix
  • Kelsey Heather – A WOW wrestler and has also wrestled on AEW television
  • Valentina Rossi – Has wrestled in WOW, AEW (where she has made appearances on Dark), WWE, and NXT.
  • Jazmin Allure –  Has worked for AEW and made an appearance on WWE television earlier this year, losing to Lacey Evans on SmackDown.
  • Damaris Largo

WWE last held tryouts back during SummerSlam weekend:

Daily Update: Braun Strowman, Richard Holliday, Amanda Nunes

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

In this issue:

  • Match of the week and performer of the week
  • Full Double or Nothing coverage
  • All the business notes on the show
  • How the show did on PPV and in theaters
  • Tony Khan’s goals for Collision
  • More on the new AEW TV deal with WBD
  • Where All In 2023 stands on the biggest crowds and gates in wrestling history
  • Tony Khan talks Bill Goldberg
  • Bryan Danielson talks AEW creative
  • Matt Jackson on coming back so quickly from a muscle tear, the stunts in the match, how preparation was less than last year and why
  • The latest Bloodline saga
  • Business notes on Night of Champions and how AEW/WWE crossover viewership changed this past weekend from the past
  • How comparisons of big event interest changed greatly
  • Best of the Super Juniors finals, Dominion and All Together Now, a look at the big events in Japan
  • NXT Battleground coverage
  • One of the longest lasting wrestling promoters who ever lived, Brian Dixon, passes away at 74
  • Stardom has World & Wonder of Stardom champions face off on PPV show and where this leads
  • Two future stars leave two different promotions this past week
  • Will Ospreay talks future
  • New Japan President Takami Ohbari talks the state of the business, how close the company was to being in real trouble, and how they’ve had to change the business
  • Billy Graham funeral notes
  • Bobo Brazil day and a look at the iconic figure
  • Advance ticket sales for all upcoming WWE and AEW shows
  • Streaming and international TV numbers
  • Records at stake in UFC fights this week
  • International promotion looking at crowd of 50,000 for a show tomorrow
  • WWE’s arguments to get MLW lawsuit dismissed
  • Injury updates
  • WWE market value
  • Two people under WWE deals are one week away from competing for a sports world championship shot
  • Merch updates

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Tuesday Update

WWE

  • PWInsider reported that Braun Strowman was released from the hospital on Monday following neck fusion surgery.
  • Following the angle that took place on Monday, Brandi Rhodes wrote on Twitter “Papa won’t hit Mami…but Mommy will.” Rhea Ripley later responded to the tweet.
  • The hearing regarding WWE’s motion to dismiss MLW’s lawsuit on June 15 has been canceled as WWE’s attorneys are unable to make that date. It has yet to be rescheduled.
  • LA Knight, Zelina Vega, and Tiffany Stratton will be the guests on this week’s The Bump.
  • In an interview with the New York Post, UFC Champion Amanda Nunes expressed interest in WWE after her UFC career wraps up. “It depends on the contract, you know? If the contract is amazing, why not? What I wanted to do in MMA, I did already — even more than I thought in my head when I went through my whole career. I became a double champion. I wanted only one — I had two … I’m so happy, and whatever comes after I’m done with UFC, we’ll see. For sure you guys will see me around, anyways.”
  • Jerry Lawler was honored by AutoZone Liberty Bowl with The Most Distinguished Person Award in Memphis, Tennessee.
  • A trailer for the Jumanji: Wild Adventures video game, which features The Rock.
  • Yulisa Leon wrote on Instagram how Bianca Belair inspired her to become a wrestler.
  • Matches and segments added to WWE’s YouTube today include the Good Old-Fashioned Battle Royal from the July 1, 2022 edition of SmackDown, Hulk Hogan vs. Triple H from the June 6, 2002 edition of SmackDown, and Seth Rollins attacks Cody Rhodes with a sledgehammer from the June 6, 2022 edition of Raw.
  • Drew McIntyre is celebrating a birthday today.

AEW

Other Wrestling

  • Blake Christian vs. Richard Holliday for the GCW World title has been added to GCW’s Clean Up Man show on July 7 in Hartford, Connecticut.
  • WREMIX, an free-ad supported tv platform, will launch on June 19 featuring DEFY content.
  • Shawn Spears is set for Prestige Wrestling’s event at the Missoula Fairgrounds on September 9.
  • Yota Tsuji’s theme has been uploaded to New Japan’s YouTube page.
  • NWA’s May Valentine is on the cover of Forbes Morocco magazine.

WWE has talked internally about interest in Richard Holliday

WWE has shown internal interest in potentially signing one of independent wrestling’s top unsigned wrestlers.

In the new edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that WWE has talked internally about potentially signing Richard Holliday. It was confirmed last month that Holliday was no longer under contract with MLW.

Last December, Holliday announced that he was battling stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma and was in the midst of undergoing chemotherapy treatment. He shared a positive update earlier this month, revealing that his cancer is in remission.

Meltzer added that WWE has also spoken internally about potentially signing NJPW wrestler Tama Tonga:

I don’t know if they will be signed but there has been talk internally in WWE of late about Richard Holliday because of the story of his beating cancer and in Tama Tonga, who there has been talk about for some time.

Holliday is returning to the ring at a show for Paradise Alley Pro Wrestling in Woodbridge, Connecticut on Saturday, June 10. It will be Holliday’s first match since announcing that he’s in remission.

In July, Holliday will make his GCW debut at an event in Hartford, Connecticut. That show is taking place on Saturday, July 8.

Richard Holliday releases T-shirt to benefit pediatric cancer charity

Richard Holliday is looking to raise money for pediatric cancer charity, Circle of Care. 

On the heels of his return to the ring after battling stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Holliday announced that proceeds from his new shirt on Pro Wrestling Tees will be donated to the charity. 

Holliday wrote:

“When you’re breathing Rarefied Air, You FIGHT” I am thrilled to release this shirt in partnership with @PWTees! Proceeds from the sale of the t-shirt will support the programs and services of @circleofcarect for families of children with cancer. *Shirt is live until 5/31*”

Since 2003, Circle of Care has run programs to assist families living with pediatric cancer. The charity’s mission statement reads:

Circle of Care provides emotional and financial assistance to children and families, from day of diagnosis through treatment and beyond, with programs and services that meet the unique and challenging needs of pediatric cancer treatment. 

Holiday revealed his diagnosis in December 2022. He underwent chemotherapy treatment and eventually announced his cancer is in remission on May 1. 

The 30-year-old is a free agent after his MLW contract expired in April. Holliday thanked the promotion in a Tweet posted on April 19. 

Holliday wrote:

I can confirm. I would like to thank Court Bauer and the entire team/locker room at @MLW A tremendous experience for me lasting nearly 5 years. My first match there was a dark match, and my last was a main event. Thankful for everything in between.

Richard Holliday announces his cancer is in remission

While making a surprise appearance for Beyond Wrestling on Sunday, Richard Holliday revealed some amazing news.

Holliday made the announcement that his cancer is in remission. He also shared the news in a tweet on Monday morning.

Holliday revealed in December 2022 that he was in the middle of undergoing chemotherapy treatment. He was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma after tests that had been done in September.

In a December interview with Sports Illustrated, Holliday said that, while his diagnosis was devastating, his doctor assured him that he could win his fight against cancer.

“It was earth-shattering, devastating,” Holliday said. “But I knew right then I needed to change my mindset. The mind powers the body, so I needed to stay positive. I was reassured by my doctor that I could beat this, and I believe I am going to beat this.”

Holliday was under contract with MLW at the time of his diagnosis. It was revealed this April that Holliday is now a free agent. MLW’s Court Bauer said he stays in regular contact with Holliday. Bauer also said “a seat is warm” for Holliday in MLW when, and if, he wants to return.

Holliday posted a tweet on April 19 confirming he was no longer under contract with MLW: “I can confirm. I would like to thank Court Bauer and the entire team/locker room at MLW. A tremendous experience for me lasting nearly 5 years. My first match there was a dark match, and my last was a main event. Thankful for everything in between.”

MLW notes: Richard Holliday free agency, live televised shows coming this year

Richard Holliday is a free agent, but MLW will welcome him back if he wants to return.

MLW founder Court Bauer revealed the news during a Tuesday appearance on Busted Open Radio, saying Holliday’s contract expired during his chemotherapy treatments which were completed earlier this year

Holliday revealed last December that he was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkins lymphoma. He has been with MLW since 2018 and signed a multi-year deal in May 2020.

Bauer said the two sides stay in regular touch and that Holliday’s recovery has gone well. He said he told Holliday that “a seat is warm for him” in MLW when, and if, he wants to return.

MLW & Reelz

On the future of MLW Underground and Reelz following the recent questions around its future, Bauer said it’s “business as usual” without giving any clear answer on the future of the partnership.

“A month and a half ago, a press release came out and put up a lot of question marks. It’s been business as usual. People try to connect dots and that’s always the way things have been in wrestling,” he said.

He said they will do a season finale on Reelz as they have done in the past on BeIn which he expects people to read into when it comes to their future with Reelz.

Live TV shows

Bauer said the company will do live televised events and it’s something they have been working on prior to the pandemic. He said they have received bids and should be announcing something this summer but didn’t specify whether that would be on Reelz, a different provider, or pay-per-view.

MLW’s Richard Holliday completes chemotherapy treatments

MLW’s Richard Holliday announced on Twitter that as of Friday, he had completed his chemotherapy treatments for cancer and that it’s “time to recover.”

In December of last year, Holliday revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma and was halfway through 12 scheduled rounds of chemotherapy.

He had undergone tests in September following a summer where he battled through what he described as “vicious” night sweats in June and severe dizzy spells in July. After going to the emergency room, doctors noted dangerously low levels of iron and hemoglobin and they believed he was anemic.

When iron pills didn’t help bring his levels back up, doctors ran additional tests where they found out it was cancer. He said his doctors were optimistic for his recovery.

He was last in the ring in June of last year, losing to MLW Champion Alex Hammerstone in a falls count anywhere match that ended their feud.

The 30-year-old is under a multi-year contract with MLW and is a former MLW Tag Team Champion with then-partner MJF.

Wrestling Observer Live: Richard Holliday, NXT review, Dynamite preview, William Regal, tons more!

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including Richard Holliday, the RAW ratings falling off a cliff this week, NXT last night, AEW tonight, Tony Khan talks the situation with William Regal, wrestling in the Olympics, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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MLW star Richard Holliday reveals he’s battling cancer

MLW star Richard Holliday has revealed that he’s battling cancer.

The 30-year-old Holliday (real name Joe Zimbardi) opened up to Sports Illustrated about his battle, revealing that he’s halfway through 12 rounds of chemotherapy treatment. Holliday was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma after undergoing tests in September.

Holliday told Sports Illustrated that he began experiencing a vicious bout of night sweats in June. In July, severe dizzy spells caused Holliday to go to the emergency room. His iron and hemoglobin levels were dangerously low, but doctors thought he was anemic.

“I was taking iron pills to try to counter that, but my levels kept dropping,” Holliday said. “They checked if I had internal bleeding, which I didn’t, and then they ran a litany of tests and a scan of my body for a possible case of lymphoma in September. Those tests confirmed it was Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

Holliday said learning of the diagnosis was earth-shattering, but he’s been reassured by his doctor that he can beat this.

“It was earth-shattering, devastating,” Holliday said. “But I knew right then I needed to change my mindset. The mind powers the body, so I needed to stay positive. I was reassured by my doctor that I could beat this, and I believe I am going to beat this.”

Holliday most recently wrestled when he challenged Alex Hammerstone for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship in a falls count anywhere match this June. That match aired on the Thanksgiving edition of MLW Fusion.

“When I wrestled Hammer in June, I was taking Dayquil to try to get through every day,” Holliday said. “I kept pushing and pushing, but I just felt off. At that point, I had just got home from California. The whole time I was there, I was freezing. I was pale white when I left after a month.”

Though he was “so upset” when his health issues took wrestling away from him, Holliday is excited for the future and is looking forward to making his in-ring return.

“I think about my return every single day,” Holliday said. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. But this is a process. I know there are more steps after chemotherapy. Mentally, right now, I am ready. Physically, I know it’s going to take some time. But I will be back.”

Holliday said his focus right now is on being declared cancer-free after his last treatment and ringing the celebratory bell in the hospital when that happens.

“When I ring the bell, I’m planning on doing it so hard that I’ll break it,” Holliday said. “I’ll be happy to buy them a new one.”

Holliday has been with MLW since 2018. He’s a former MLW Tag Team Champion, holding the titles with MJF.

It was announced in 2020 that MLW had signed Holliday to a new multi-year contract.

MLW Kings of Colosseum results: Hammerstone vs. Holliday World title match

This week’s Kings of Colosseum edition of MLW Fusion opened with a video package hyping up tonight’s main event and the steps leading to the clash between the former Dynasty partners.

That included the growth of the Dynasty stable (which also included AEW’s MJF) to Holliday being drawn as an alternate in the Battle Riot that Hammerstone won to Hammerstone beating Jacob Fatu for the title all the way to Holliday’s betrayal earlier this year in Dallas and the vicious and bloody attack at MLW SuperFight that left Holliday’s pure white suit covered in the champion’s blood. 

Joe Dombrowski and Rich Bocchini welcomed us to the famous 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

Brittany Blake defeated Zoey Skye

The commentary team talked this up as a top contender’s match in the women’s featherweight division.

Blake was making her return to MLW after debuting last year while Skye has a Liv Morgan feel to her look and character as she started off the match coming off the top rope with a missile dropkick and continued moments later with a crossbody from the top as well.

Blake came back and kicked Skye off the apron and hit her with a 619 to the face while Skye was on the floor. A tornado DDT followed and Blake then put Skye away with an arm-trapped seated Texas cloverleaf.

This was a good opener, but I would have liked to see these two get a little more time. It did serve its purpose in pushing Blake further up the rankings and showcasing what Skye can do in the ring.

– Backstage, EJ Nduka added some hints to a future potential heel turn. He was asked about the main event tonight and with a serious face, he started questioning why he was not in the main event getting a shot at the title… only for him to laugh it off and pretend he was joking. Do you believe him? Look for this story to develop in the coming weeks.

– MLW’s new t-shirt partnership with Hot Topic was announced.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1547782190179618820

– Richard Holliday was then interviewed about his title challenge tonight. He told Hammerstone to reminisce about their time in the Dynasty, but he wants him to know all those memories didn’t mean anything to him. Money, winning, and championships are the only things that matter to him.

Matt Cross defeated ACH

Despite putting in solid performances every time he is in the ring, Cross seems to have lost more matches in MLW than he has won, so this was a great victory for him to get back some momentum.

This is an example of a match that is nearly impossible to recap move-for-move. The action was great, crisp and evident these two are fantastic performers with years of experience. However, we were also told that this was, amazingly, the first time they had ever faced off with each other.

The story seemed to be whoever could bring out something new that their opponent hadn’t seen before may have the best chance of winning. 

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1547738213216727045

Cross used his springboard crossbody and double foot stomp from the top, while ACH brought out his slingshot crossbody to the floor, enzuigiri and a suplex as both struggled to get the advantage.

The end of the match saw Cross land on his feet as he jumped out of a German suplex attempt followed by him hitting a springboard cutter and finishing ACH off with a top rope shooting star press. This was a great match by two great performers and an example of it being absolutely fine to put on a great wrestling match with no need for a backstory or angle leading into it.

– We heard from Alex Hammerstone who said Holliday is finally getting the match he wanted. He talked up the nerves Holliday would be feeling and called himself the consequence for Holliday’s actions.

– After turning his back on his training partner Davey Richards last week, we heard from the newest member of the Bomaye Fight Club: Middleweight Champion Myron Reed. He said that Richards is no longer a big dog and is past his best. National Openweight Champion Alex Kane was also present and it seems like their feud will also continue before Richards gets his shot at Reed. 

MLW World Champion Alex Hammerstone defeated Richard Holliday (w/ Alicia Atout) to retain the title

Earlier in the night, we saw a hooded figure enter Holliday’s locker room in what the commentators thought may be a crooked referee given Holliday’s history. This would play out during the match, but it still would not be enough to dethrone the champion.

 The self-proclaimed sole proprietor of The Dynasty came out with the same jacket that was bloodied at SuperFight when he busted Hammerstone open after his title defense against Davey Richards. Holliday’s new maniac villain character suits him perfectly and the jacket topped it off.

The action went to the outside early where Holliday used Atout to distract Hammerstone and hit him with a side Russian leg sweep.

After the commercial break, Hammerstone was throwing Holliday around, but the challenger caught the champion with a spinebuster to take back control. A neckbreaker, some Garvin stomps and a pedigree followed.

Holliday’s stomps aggravated Hammerstone’s ankle, an injury the champion suffered recently. The champion continued the next portion of the match hobbling on one foot, but he was still able to hit a German suplex.

Atout got on the apron and distracted the referee while Holliday used one of her shoes — in a flashback to a few weeks ago where Holliday pinned Hammerstone in a multi-man match — but he only got a two count here.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1547743188919537666

More referee shenanigans followed as the ref got knocked out of the ring and Hammerstone had a visual pinfall on Holliday. Cesar Duran then came out with a replacement masked referee as the deck started to get stacked against the champion.

Holliday then used a steel chair as the referee turned a blind eye to the blatant cheating. Holliday hit his 2008 twisting suplex finisher, but as the Azteca henchman referee started counting, MLW referee Frank Gastineau pulled the crooked referee out and knocked him to the floor.

Back in the ring, Hammerstone caught Holliday’s chair and started hulking up. Holliday’s punches were of no use. Hammerstone hit some clotheslines, knocked the henchman ref down, and slammed Holliday to the mat. Hammerstone then picked up Holliday and hit the Nightmare Pendulum to get the pin, overcoming the odds and retaining his title.

As Kings of Colosseum went off the air, we saw a vignette for the reincarnation of Mads Krugger. We did not see his face, but it looks like Krugger has lost his mask and has found someone willing to help him.

MLW Kings of Colosseum spoilers: Alex Hammerstone vs. Richard Holliday

MLW Kings of Colosseum took place Friday at Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena with matches being filmed for future episodes of Fusion.

The following spoilers come courtesy of ProWrestling.net:

  • Gangrel defeated Budd Heavy. Afterward, Gangrel’s stable continued the attack on Budd and dragged him to the back. 
  • MLW National Openweight Champion Alex Kane went to a 20-minute time limit draw with Davey Richards who answered the champion’s open challenge. 
  • 5150 cut a promo
  • Lince Dorado, Taya Valkyrie  & Microman defeated Arez, Holidead, & Mini Abismo Negro. After the match, the heels attacked Microman but both The Blue Meanie and Sandman came out to make the save. 
  • Los Maximos defeated two local wrestlers
  • MLW Middleweight Champion Myron Reed retained his title in a three-way with KC Navarro and Arez. Reed cut a promo on Davey Richards after the match. 
  • MLW World Champion Alex Hammerstone defeated Richard Holliday to retain
  • Jacob Fatu interrupted a promo by Cesar Duran and introduced the new Samoan Swat Team of Lance Anoa’i & Juicy Finau.
  • The Samoan Swat Team defeated Los Aztecas
  • Taya Valkyrie defeated Holidead to win the inaugural MLW Women’s Featherweight title
  • MLW Tag Team Champions Hustle & Power (Calvin Tankman & Ej Nduka) defeated 5150 (Hernandez & Danny Rivera) and The Von Erichs (Ross & Marshall Von Erich) in a tornado triple threat match to retain
  • nZo defeated Lince Dorado.
  • Brittany Blake defeated Zoey Skye
  • Matt Cross defeated ACH
  • Jacob Fatu defeated Mads Krugger in a Weapons of Mass Destruction match. The two continued to brawl after the match and Fatu removed Krugger’s mask. 

Hammerstone vs. Holliday title match to headline MLW Kings of Colosseum

A World Heavyweight Championship grudge match is going down at MLW’s next set of television tapings.

Alex Hammerstone defending his MLW World Heavyweight Championship against Richard Holliday will headline MLW’s TV tapings at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on Friday, May 13. “Kings of Colosseum ’22” is the name of the tapings.

Hammerstone and Holliday were formerly stablemates as part of The Dynasty. On an episode of MLW Fusion this February, Holliday turned against Hammerstone and got together with Alicia Atout. 

Last October, Hammerstone became MLW World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Jacob Fatu in a title vs. title match. Hammerstone vacated the MLW National Openweight Championship after winning the World title.

Hammerstone vs. Holliday is the first match that’s been announced for Kings of Colosseum. MLW wrote about the matchup:

The main event has been set for MLW’s only card at the 2300 Arena for 2022 and it’s a big one as the Dynasty finally collides in a World Heavyweight Championship clash months in the making.

After the dynastic betrayal by Richard Holliday in Dallas earlier this year, Holliday has touted himself the brains behind Hammerstone’s meteoric rise as well as taken credit as the founding father of the Dynasty itself! Going as far as proclaiming to be the ‘Sole Proprietor’ of the Dynasty, Holliday has put Hammerstone — the man he once called his best friend — in his crosshairs.

Some point to the emergence of Alicia Atout and her relationship with Holliday as poisoning the dynastic bond between Hammer and Holliday. 

Did Alicia Atout twist situations and put the blame on Hammerstone for the Dynasty’s problems with Cesar Duran? Others wonder if Holliday is bitter over Hammer’s success. 

Insisting that the media use the term ‘Clout Couple’ when referring to this rarefied romance, Holliday has seemingly snapped as Atout encourages a bloody war against Hammerstone.  

From a shocking beating in Dallas to the crimson suit drenched in Hammer’s blood at SuperFight, Hammerstone has found himself at a loss of not only a friendship but a vicious onslaught at the hands of someone who knows him better than anyone in the sport. 

Now the stage is set for the most personal feud in MLW history and the stakes couldn’t be higher as Hammerstone looks to thunderclap Holliday back to his posh and privileged Westport, CT life once and for all… but does Holliday have the upper hand with Atout by his side and his much hyped ‘strategic dominance’?

Find out Friday night, May 13 in Philadelphia at MLW Kings of Colosseum!