Battle Riot VI

Battle Riot VI
Promotional poster of the event
Promotion	Major League Wrestling
Date	June 1, 2024
City	Atlanta, Georgia
Venue	Center Stage
Event chronology
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Battle Riot chronology
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Battle Riot VI was a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW), which took place on June 1, 2024, at the Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia. It was the sixth event under the Battle Riot chronology, the first to air live since Battle Riot II in 2019, and featured the opening rounds of the 2024 Opera Cup.

The event was streamed on MLW's YouTube channel, while additional matches were taped for the "MLW Anniversary '24" special, which was also streamed on YouTube on June 22. ^[1] The event featured the in-ring debuts of actor Paul Walter Hauser and YouTuber Chris Danger, ^{[2] [3]} as well as appearances by former WWE talents Mark Henry and Teddy Long.

Production

Background

Battle Riot is an annual event produced by Major League Wrestling that was first held in 2018 as a television taping for MLW Fusion . The event is named after the Battle Riot match, a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner. The match begins with a number of participants in the ring, who are then eliminated by either pin, submission, or going over the top rope and having both feet touch the venue floor. The declared winner of the Battle Riot match receives a "golden ticket", which they can redeem for a future MLW World Heavyweight Championship title shot anytime and anywhere.

On February 19, 2024, it was announced that Battle Riot VI would take place on June 1, 2024, at Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia. ^{[4] [5]}

In addition to MLW's regular roster, and several surprise appearances, guest personalities from outside of pro wrestling were announced as participants. On May 15, it was announced in a press release that actor Paul Walter Hauser would be in the Battle Riot match. ^[2] On May 24, YouTuber Chris Danger announced in a social media post that he would enter the Battle Riot. ^[3]

Storylines

The card consists of matches that result from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in events that built tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches, with results predetermined by MLW's writers. ^[6]

Alex Kane had been embroiled in a feud with World Titan Federation (WTF) member A. J. Franci$ since February's The Burning Crush special. At Intimidation Games, Franci$, making his in-person debut, confronted Kane after his match to claim that not every member of Kane's Bomaye Fight Club (BFC) was loyal to him. ^[7] Franci$ would go on to defeat Kane in the former's in-ring debut at War Chamber due to interference from WTF promoter Mister Saint Laurent, a low blow, and a fast count from the referee. Several members of the BFC would come out after the match and raise their fists in salute to Franci$. ^[8] During the Fury Road special, which aired on May 18, Kane defeated one of Franci$'s henchmen. After the match, Franci$, via vignette, challenged Kane to a "Ritual Combat match" at Battle Riot VI for control of the BFC, which Kane accepted. ^[9]

Since losing the MLW World Women's Featherweight Championship to Janai Kai – then representing Salina de la Renta's Promociones Dorado – at Slaughterhouse the previous October, Delmi Exo has unsuccessfully attempted to recapture the title on multiple occasions. During the Once Upon A Time In New York special, which aired on March 16, Exo aligned herself with Azteca Lucha's Cesar Duran and defeated Zayda to become the #1 contender. In the aftermath of Salina's abduction by Duran at the end of the MLW Azteca Lucha event, Kai was revealed as a double agent for Contra Unit during the Fury Road TV special (which aired the following week); helping facilitate the group's return to prominence. Kai would then retain her title against Exo, Zayda, and Miyu Yamashita in a four-way match that same night. ^[10] On May 23, MLW announced that Exo would finally get a one-on-one rematch against Kai for the Featherweight title at Battle Riot VI. ^[11]

Reception

The live broadcast received mixed reviews. While praise was given to the World Heavyweight title match, criticism was directed at the Ritual Combat match, the Featherweight title match, and the Duran-Salina segments. ^{[1] [12]}

Results

Battle Riot VI

No.	Results [1]	Stipulations	Times [13]
1	Janai Kai (c) (with Ikuro Kwon) defeated Delmi Exo (with Cesar Duran) by pinfall	Singles match for the MLW World Women's Featherweight Championship [11]	6:31
2	Alex Kane (with Faye Jackson and Mr. Thomas) defeated A. J. Franci$	Ritual Combat match [9] The winner took control of the Bomaye Fight Club. The rules were that whoever sat on the throne between judges Mark Henry and Teddy Long for ten seconds untouched became the leader of the Bomaye Fight Club.	15:19
3	Satoshi Kojima (c) (with Shigeo Okumura) defeated Tom Lawlor by pinfall	Singles match for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship [14]	11:53
4	Matt Riddle won by last eliminating Sami Callihan	40-man Battle Riot match for a future MLW World Heavyweight Championship match	50:29
(c)  – the champion(s) heading into the match

Anniversary '24 (June 22)

No.	Results	Stipulations	Times [15]
1	Bobby Fish defeated Adam Priest by pinfall	Singles match	3:25
2	Davey Boy Smith Jr. (with Mister Saint Laurent) defeated Timothy Thatcher by pinfall	2024 Opera Cup Tournament first round match	12:36
3	Bad Dude Tito (c) (with Promociones Dorado (Salina de la Renta and Jesús Rodriguez)) defeated Jake Crist by pinfall	Singles match for the MLW National Openweight Championship	7:38
4	Akira defeated Ikuro Kwon by pinfall	2024 Opera Cup Tournament first round match	5:33
5	Místico (c) defeated Star Jr. by submission	Singles match for the MLW World Middleweight Championship [16]	14:37
6	Miyu Yamashita defeated Jazzy Yang and Dani Jordyn by pinfall	Three-way match	4:15
7	Mads Krule Krügger defeated 1 Called Manders by pinfall	Bullrope match	8:42
(c)  – the champion(s) heading into the match

Battle Riot match entrances and eliminations

Draw	Entrant	Order	Eliminated by	Method of elimination	Elimination(s)
1	Místico	4	Star Jr.	Over the top rope	1
2	Jimmy Yang	2	Star Jr.	Pinfall	0
3	Star Jr.	6	Tom Lawlor and Josh Bishop	Over the top rope	2
4	Rugido	3	Tom Lawlor	Over the top rope	0
5	Jesús Rodriguez	1	Místico	Submission	0
6	Shigeo Okumura	5	Tom Lawlor	Over the top rope	0
7	Ikuro Kwon	8	Akira *	Over the top rope	1
8	Akira	9	Ikuro Kwon *	Over the top rope	1
9	Tom Lawlor **	7	Paul Walter Hauser	Over the top rope	3
10	Josh Bishop	11	Minoru Suzuki	Technical submission	1
11	Bobby Fish	13	Bad Dude Tito	Over the top rope	0
12	Bad Dude Tito	26	Matt Riddle	Over the top rope	2
13	Adam Priest	10	Minoru Suzuki	Over the top rope	0
14	Paul Walter Hauser	18	Sami Callihan	Over the top rope	3
15	Slim J	12	Paul Walter Hauser	Pinfall	0
16	Mads Krule Krügger	20	1 Called Manders ***	Over the top rope	1
17	Mr. Thomas	16	Bad Dude Tito	Over the top rope	0
18	Minoru Suzuki	35	Matt Riddle	Over the top rope	4
19	Brett Ryan Gosselin	23	Matthew Justice	Pinfall	1
20	C. W. Anderson	24	Alex Kane	Technical submission	0
21	Scotty Riggs	14	Paul Walter Hauser	Pinfall	0
22	Jake Crist	17	Brett Ryan Gosselin	Over the top rope	0
23	Violent J	15	Chris Danger	Pinfall	0
24	Chris Danger	31	Timothy Thatcher	Over the top rope	2
25	Ernest "The Cat" Miller	22	Matt Riddle	Pinfall	0
26	1 Called Manders	19	Mads Krule Krügger ***	Over the top rope	1
27	Sami Callihan	38	Matt Riddle	Over the top rope	2
28	The Masked Assassin **	21	Alex Kane	Over the top rope	0
29	Alex Kane	34	Timothy Thatcher, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Minoru Suzuki	Over the top rope	2
30	Matthew Justice	33	Sami Callihan	Over the top rope	3
31	Matt Riddle	–	–	Winner	4
32	Andrew Everett	28	Shane Mercer	Over the top rope	0
33	Kimchee	25	Chris Danger	Pinfall	0
34	Timothy Thatcher	37	Davey Boy Smith ****	Over the top rope	2
35	Dr. Cornwallis	27	Minoru Suzuki	Submission	0
36	Suge D	29	Shane Mercer	Over the top rope	0
37	Rickey Shane Page	30	Sami Callihan	Pinfall	0
38	Shane Mercer	32	Matthew Justice	Over the top rope	2
39	Arachnaman **	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
40	Davey Boy Smith Jr.	36	Timothy Thatcher ****	Over the top rope	2

(*) Kwon and Akira eliminated each other.

(**) Tom Lawlor entered the match 3 times under different personas: his original self, The Masked Assassin, and Arachnaman; before Arachnaman could enter the ring, Paul Walter Hauser showed up and unmasked him, revealing it to be Lawlor. Lawlor didn't enter the ring and thus wasn't officially eliminated or entered into the match.

(***) Krügger and Manders eliminated each other.

(****) Thatcher and Smith eliminated each other.

References

1. Siino, John (June 2, 2024). "MLW Battle Riot VI: 40-Person Battle Riot, Kojima vs. Lawlor, Mark Henry". POST Wrestling. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
2. "Paul Walter Hauser Announced For MLW Battle Riot VI". Fightful. May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
3. "Chris Danger To Enter MLW Battle RIOT VI". Fightful. May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
4. Jay, Ella (February 19, 2024). "MLW Brings 'Battle Riot VI' to Atlanta's Center Stage on Sat. June 1". 411Mania. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
5. Lambert, Jeremy (February 19, 2024). "MLW Battle Riot VI Set For June 1 In Atlanta, GA". Fightful. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
6. Grabianowski, Ed (13 January 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
7. Vetter, Chris (February 29, 2024). "MLW "Intimidation Games" results (2/29): Vetter's review of Satoshi Kojima vs. Minoru Suzuki for the MLW Championship, Matt Riddle vs. Bad Dude Tito for the NJPW TV Title, Alex Kane vs. Bobby Fish". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
8. Vetter, Chris (March 29, 2024). "MLW "War Chamber" results (3/29): Vetter's review of Satoshi Kojima, Matthew Justice, 1 Called Manders, and Okumura vs. Tom Lawlor, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Richard Holliday, and Josh Bishop in a War Chamber match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
9. "Ritual Combat signed for Battle Riot VI". Major League Wrestling. May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
10. "MLW Fury Road 2024". Cagematch. April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
11. "Women's World Featherweight Title Fight signed". Major League Wrestling. May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
12. MLW “Battle Riot VI” results (6/1): Vetter’s review of the 40-wrestler Battle Riot, Satoshi Kojima vs. Tom Lawlor for the MLW Title, Janai Kai vs. Delmi Exo for the MLW Featherweight Title
13. "MLW Battle Riot VI". Cagematch. June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
14. "World Heavyweight Title Fight set for Battle RIOT in Atlanta". Major League Wrestling. May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
15. Vetter, Chris (June 23, 2024). "MLW "Anniversary 24" results (6/22): Vetter's review of Mads Krule Krugger vs. 1 Called Manders in a bull rope match, Mistico vs. Star Jr. for the MLW Middleweight Title, Opera Cup matches". Pro Wrestling Dot Net.
16. "Místico vs. Star Jr. signed for Atlanta on June 1". Major League Wrestling. May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.