Summer of the Beasts | |||
---|---|---|---|
![]() Promotional poster | |||
Promotion | Major League Wrestling | ||
Date | August 29, 2024 | ||
City | Queens, New York | ||
Venue | Melrose Ballroom | ||
Event chronology | |||
|
Summer of the Beasts was a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW) that took place on August 29, 2024, at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York. The event streamed live on MLW's YouTube channel. [1] A "surprise" streaming special called "Summer of the Beasts: Part 2", featuring unseen dark matches from the event, and the Bobby Fish vs Timothy Thatcher match that was cut from the live broadcast due to technical issues, would be uploaded to YouTube on September 7. [2]
The event was notable for the MLW debut of Donovan Dijak, and also saw the returns of TJP and Paul London; the latter having his first MLW match in 21 years.
On April 22, 2024, MLW announced that Summer of the Beasts would take place on August 29, 2024, at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York. [3] [4]
The card will consist of matches that result from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches, with results predetermined by MLW's writers. Storylines are played out at MLW events, and across the league's social media platforms. [5]
Per MLW's "Open Door Policy," several freelancers and wrestlers from other promotions were announced to appear at the event. Names include New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) Kenta, Stardom rookie Hanako and Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW) star Miyu Yamashita. [6] [7] [8] TJP, a former MLW talent that is currently signed to NJPW, was announced as an alternate for the Opera Cup tournament. [9] Brock Anderson, the son of Arn Anderson, would also be announced for Summer of the Beasts, teaming with former MLW star C. W. Anderson. [10] On August 22, Paul London, making his first MLW appearance since 2003, was announced for the event. [11]
Contra Unit (Mads Krule Krügger, Ikuro Kwon, and Minoru Suzuki) have been feuding with MLW World Tag Team Champions CozyMax – MLW World Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Kojima and Shigeo Okumura – over the summer. On July 22, it was announced that CozyMax would defend their Tag Team Championships against Kwon and Suzuki at Summer of the Beasts. [12] During the Never Say Never TV special on August 10, 2024 (which was taped at Blood & Thunder on July 12), Contra would attack Okumura backstage before defeating Kojima, Matt Riddle, and Akira in a 6-man tag team match later that night. [13]
The event will feature the quarterfinals of the 2024 Opera Cup tournament. The first match was announced on July 15, with NJPW's Kenta wrestling Akira. [14] On August 12, they announced MLW World Middleweight Champion Místico would face fellow Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) wrestler Atlantis Jr.. [15] The following day, MLW National Openweight Champion Bad Dude Tito facing Alex Kane was made official. [16]
World Titan Federation (WTF) stablemates Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Tom Lawlor, both former Opera Cup winners, were originally scheduled to face each other in the quarterfinals. However, on August 15, MLW announced that Smith had to withdraw due to an injury. As a result, tournament alternate TJP was announced as Smith's replacement. [17]
The early moments of the livestream were noted for its technical issues, resulting in the stream being pulled during the Timothy Thatcher vs. Bobby Fish match. MLW would attributed the issues to YouTube in a report from PWInsider. [18] The match would later air as part of the "surprise" "Summer of the Beasts: Part 2" special uploaded the following week to MLW's YouTube channel. [2]
The MLW World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship which is owned by the Major League Wrestling (MLW) promotion. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute scripted finishes rather than contend in direct competition.
Contra Unit is a villainous professional wrestling stable, currently performing in Major League Wrestling (MLW). It consists of leader Mads Krule Krügger, Ikuro Kwon, Janai Kai, Minoru Suzuki, Babathunder, and the Sentai Death Squad.
Battle Riot III was a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW) that took place on July 10, 2021, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was MLW's first event since its hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic to feature live ticketed fans, the last being the MLW vs AAA Super Series in 2020. It was the third event under the Battle Riot chronology.
Brock Alexander Lunde, better known by the ring name Brock Anderson, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW). He is best known for his tenure in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) from 2021 to 2023. He is the son of WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson.
War Chamber (2021) was a professional wrestling supercard event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW), which took place on November 6, 2021, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the second event under the War Chamber chronology, and featured the finals of the 2021 Opera Cup.
Blood & Thunder (2022) was a professional wrestling supercard event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW), which took place on January 21, 2022, at Gilley's Dallas in Dallas, Texas. The event was a television taping for MLW Fusion, and it was the second event under the MLW Blood and Thunder chronology.
MLW Never Say Never is an annual professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW) first held in 2017.
Tito Escondido, better known by his ring name Bad Dude Tito, is an American professional wrestler. He works for Major League Wrestling (MLW) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of The Mighty Don't Kneel (TMDK). In MLW, he is a one-time MLW National Openweight Champion.
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.
SuperFight (2024) was a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW). It took place on February 3, 2024, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was streamed live on Triller TV. It was the fourth event under the SuperFight chronology.
Intimidation Games (2024) was a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW). It took place on February 29, 2024, at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York, and streamed live on Triller TV. It was the fourth event under the Intimidation Games chronology.
Blood & Thunder (2024) was a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW), which took place on July 12, 2024, at The Coliseum in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was the fourth event under the Blood and Thunder chronology, and the first to be aired live. The event streamed live on MLW's YouTube channel, while additional matches were taped for Never Say Never, which aired as a TV special on August 10 on BeIN Sports USA and YouTube.
Opera Cup (2024) was the fifth Opera Cup professional wrestling tournament produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW). The first round started at Battle Riot VI on June 1, 2024; the matches would air on tape delay as part of the "MLW Anniversary '24" special on June 22. The first round continued on July 12 at Blood & Thunder as well as the "Never Say Never" special which aired on August 10. The quarterfinals were held on August 29 at Summer of the Beasts, and the semifinals and final were held on September 14 at Fightland.
Fightland (2024) was a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW). It took place on September 14, 2024, at Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia. It was the sixth event in the Fightland chronology and featured the semi-finals and finals of the 2024 Opera Cup. The event streamed live on MLW's YouTube channel, with additional matches taped for the "Pit Fighters" special; which aired on September 26 on Bein Sports USA and YouTube.
Slaughterhouse (2024) was a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW). It was originally scheduled to take place on October 4, 2024, at The Coliseum in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was to be the second event in the Slaughterhouse chronology. MLW canceled the event due to Hurricane Helene.
Lucha Apocalypto was a professional wrestling event co-produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). It took place on November 9, 2024, at Cicero Stadium in Cicero, Illinois, but aired on tape delay the following day on MLW's YouTube channel due to technical issues.
One Shot (2024), also known as Eric Bischoff's One Shot, was a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW). It took place on December 5, 2024, at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York. It was the third event in the One Shot chronology. The event streamed live on MLW's YouTube channel, with additional matches being taped for the "Holiday Rush" special, which aired on December 24 on Bein Sports USA and YouTube.
Tristian Thai is a South Korean-born American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he performs under the ring name Ikuro Kwon. In MLW, he is a member of Contra Unit and is one-half of the current MLW World Tag Team Champions, with Minoru Suzuki. He also makes appearances in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) due to the organizations' partnership with MLW.
Kings of Colosseum (2025) was a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW). It took place on January 11, 2025, at the NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills, Texas. It was the fifth event under the Kings of Colosseum chronology. The event streamed live on MLW's YouTube channel, with additional matches being taped for the "Reloaded" special, which will air on January 25 on Bein Sports USA and YouTube.
SuperFight 6 will be a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW). It will take place on February 8, 2025, at the Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia. It will be the sixth event under the SuperFight chronology.