wrestling / TV Reports
Ciocco’s MLW Battle Riot VI Review
Image Credit: MLW
Loading...Well, there is a first time for everything, I suppose. As someone who has had an up-and-down relationship with Major League Wrestling over the years, I can safely say that, to become more cultured to the sport, I was ready for a rumble. Or, in MLW speak, a Battle Riot. With the sixth iteration of the massive, 40-person battle gauntlet taking place last night and streamed exclusively on the company’s YouTube channel, I could not help but look and watch it. And, seeing as to how Theo Sambus (our esteemed AEW Collison reviewer) reviewed the recent GCW Tournament of Survival, it got me thinking; what if I submitted my first non-preview for this site officially? I remember Mr. Robert Winfree used to review the weekly MLW shows on Tuesday for Wednesday, but this could be a little bit different for me.
Ah, enough with all the small and non-sensical talk, it is time to get to some MAJOR wrestling, so sit back and enjoy this review of…
MLW Battle Riot VI!
* After a four-minute countdown on the main screen, our show gets under way with the opening promo, showing the matches we are about to witness, but highlighting the 40-person Battle Riot match. On tap, we also have a Featherweight Title defense, as champion Janai Kai defends against Delmi Exo, an MLW World Title match, with Satoshi Kojima defending against “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, and a Combat Rules match between AJ Francis and Alex Kane. Our announcer’s tonight are Joe Dombrowski and Christian Cole and, it may just be me, but the audio sounds a little muddled, but we are here at Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia for the show!
* The promo highlighting tonight’s matches is cut off as we cut outside the arena, and Salina Del La Renta is asked outside by Dave Marquez what is on her mind. She says revenge is on her mind, and when pressed further, she refuses to disclose any more information and heads inside the building.
* We had back to the ring, as Cesar Duran (who is the target of Salina’s revenge) makes his way out. He publicizes the show, repeatedly yells VIOLENCE, and then responds to Salina’s threats, saying there will be another time for revenge. He then introduces Delmi Exo to the ring, as she is ready for her Featherweight Title match.
MLW World Featherweight Championship: Janai Kai © vs. Delmi Exo
Kai is affiliated with CONTRA Unit, while Duran stays at ringside with Exo. Tentative start to the match, but Exo hits a fisherman(woman’s) buster on Kai for a two count. Exo charges Kai in the corner, panders to the crowd, whips Kai to the corner, but her charge into a corner handstand is cut off by Kai. Kai with a spinning corkscrew kick to the back of Exo as she kicks her to the ring apron. Exo misses wildly with a clothesline, and Kai responds with a back leg trip and takes control of the arm. Kai charges Exo with her against the ropes and hits a low dropkick for a two count. Kai mocks Exo with a round of applause as she hits a head lock takeover and knees Exo in the small of the back. Kai off the ropes and she hit a PK again to the small of the back. Kai continues to control the head and arm of Exo, and it is now that I finally hear the audio from the commentators up front and not muddled, so that’s progress! Kai whips Exo into the ropes and hits her with a standing round kick. Ater much stalling, she goes for the cover but only gets a two count. Kai continues to kick, but Exo rises to her feet and catches the leg of Kai, putting her leg down and slapping her in the face. Exo with a standing face buster on Kai, and her whip is reversed by Kai, but Exo comes back with a roll through into a CUTTER! Exo goes for the cover, but it only gets a two count as Exo is favoring her back (selling, it is important, kids!). Kai reverses an attempt at a Delmi Driver, and hooks in the Demon’s Clutch on Exo. Exo gets to her feet and breaks the hold with a stunner, and then hits the DELMI DRIVER! But wait, here comes SALINA, as she sprays Duran’s henchman in the face (which should not hurt, you see, because he is wearing a mask, but…). Del La Renta goes to spray Duran in the face, but she gets Exo by mistake (she is seen laughing about it on the ramp). Kai takes advantage of the distraction with the GT Kick and that is it for this one!
WINNER: Janai Kai (Still Featherweight Champion)
Thoughts: Pretty solid match between two good women wrestlers, and I am glad that the outside interference (with Kai’s backing from Ikuro Kwon, and from Duran backing Exo) was kept to a minimum. The Del La Renta spot assures that, while Kai wins, Exo does not look like an outright loser in this one. It was a little too short, but good for the time they got.
Rating: **3/4
* Post match, Kwon holds up Exo, while Kai taunts her with her title belt.
* We go back to Marquez, who is talking to actor Paul Walter Hauser. The actor praises Center Stage, saying he grew up during the WCW days and he even purchased an Archnaman costume for good luck, as he is in the 40-person Battle Riot tonight. He is cut off, however, by Ernest “The Cat” Miller, and Hauser stans for the Cat, and Miller mentions that the man beside him is an upgrade to Sonny Ono. From here, the interview involves Jimmy Yang and Violent J of the Insane Clown Posse showing up, and someone stealing Hauser’s outfit. This was a segment for the sake of a segment, people!
* We got a promo with the build for the Francis and Kane match. Yes, AJ Francis is the man we all knew as Top Dolla, but he has stepped out onto his own and seems to have put that infamous “flop” behind him.
* We go back to the ring, as Teddy Long is here! HOLLA HOLLA, PLAYA! Cole corrects Dombrowski and says that is Theordore R. Long to you. Mark Henry is here as well, as these men will serve as the “elders” and will judge the following match.
Ritual Combat Match: Alex Kane vs. AJ Francis
So, the only way for this match to end is for one man to sit on the throne of Bomaye for ten seconds uninterrupted, hence the throne being on the stage between Mark and Teddy. Mr. Thomas and other members of the Bomaye Fight Club are out in support of Kane, as Francis attacks during Kane’s entrance. Francis attempts to hit Kane with his ceremonial beaded necklace, but Kane ducks and hammers away at Francis. Francis shoves him off, but Kane comes back with more strikes. Francis misses a clothesline, and Kane with a huge SPEAR, as Francis rolls outside. Kane with a suicide dive through the ropes. The crowd is firmly behind Kane, as the fight spills into the audience. Francis gets whipped into a wall, as he staggers back to ringside and into the ring. Kane gets in the ring, but Francis rolls out the other side to catch his breath. Kane attempts to leap off the apron and onto Francis but that is a mistake as Francis hits him with a powerbomb on the apron! Francis looks under the ring and grabs a chair, as he smacks Kane in the back with it. Francis walks up the ramp and sits on the throne to start the count, but he decides to get up and kicks Kane in the head. Francis with another shot to the back of Kane with the chair, and he sets it up. He sits Kane in the chair, but Francis takes too long pandering to the crowd and Kane slaps him in the face. Francis is livid and hits a scoop slam on Kane THROUGH the chair! Ouch! Francis now leaves the ring again and sits on the throne as the count starts. Francis breaks the count, however, when he sees Kane approach him, Francis latches on to him and starts smothering him. Both Henry and Long admonish Francis for his actions, and Francis relents. Francis picks Kane up onto his shoulders in front of the throne, and he hits a release Death Valley Driver over the top rope and into the ring. Francis charges Kane, who is down in the corner, with a knee to the face as he goes over the top rope (and no, he did not flop on purpose!). Francis sets up a door in the corner of the ring and lays Kane on it. He charges Kane but he ducks out of the way, as Francis barely avoids putting himself through the door. Goozle by Francis, and he has Kane up, but Kane escapes. Francis charges Kane, but Kane chop blocked him, and Francis goes FLYING THORUGH THE DOOR! Kane gets fired up as he hits Francis with repeated forearm shots, and his last one, a rolling forearm, knocks Francis into the corner. Kane with a Stinger Splash, and a flying shoulder tackle will not knock Francis down. Kane tries for a German Suplex, but Francis fights out, he is looking for the Cashout, but Kane hits the KANEMAKER! The straps are down, and Kane is serious! Kane jumps on the back of Francis and applies a rear naked choke, but Francis sits out with a back Suplex to break the hold. We reset, and both men trade forearms from their knees. Back to their feet, and Kane has the advantage. Both men try to get the advantage in a lockup, but it is Kane who hits Francis with a GERMAN SUPLEX! Kane attempts to Suplex Francis from his knees, but Francis blocks the attempt with a low blow, which is legal in this match! Francis with the chokeslam, and he leaves the ring and sits on the throne. As the count is at nine, Kane crawls up the ramp and touches the foot of Francis, which, according to Cole, is enough to break the count and keep the match going. Francis gets out of the throne and drags Kane back to the ring, throwing him into the ring. Francis goes under the ring and grabs a table, setting it up on the MLW logo. Francis sets Kane up on the table, and slowly makes his way to the top rope. Kane makes it to his feet, however, and fights with Francis on the top rope. Francis fights off Kane, but Kane grabs a chair and throws it at the head of Francis. He goes back up top and hits a TOP ROPE SUPERPLEX, POWERING FRANCIS THROUGH THE TABLE! Kane crawls his way up the ramp and sits on the throne as Francis is still motionless in the ring. Francis is up the ramp, but he fails to make it to Kane before the ten count and that is it!
WINNER: Alex Kane
Thoughts: The premise of Kane fighting from underneath made sense because, while Kane is a tough son of a gun, Francis is even bigger and could command control of the match at will. Kane was also fighting to keep his Bomaye Club intact, so he wrestled for a cause and was highly motivated to do so. A very solid big man match, with the right guy winning.
Rating: ***
* Post match, both Henry and Long cut a promo. Henry says that it takes dedication and skill to earn the throne, and he says Kane is a worthy man to sit in the thorne. Meanwhile, Long wants to reiterate what Henry said, and twice asks the fans to give him a HOLLA HOLLA HOLLA! Always fun to see two WWE Hall of Famers show up in some capacity and have fun doing it.
* We get a promo for the upcoming Blood and Thunder PPV, on July 12th from Tampa Bay, and it will be the first PPV show available on the company’s YouTube channel with a paid membership.
* We go back to Marquez, who is standing by with Saint Laurent and Tom Lawlor. Lawlor plays on the foreign aspect of the match, saying he is representing not only The United States, but the best group of wrestlers in the world, WTF. Saint Laurent makes a FATLANTA joke (Clever, clearly) and says Lawlor will walk out with the world title and he will have the world by the balls. Lawlor wants Kojima to have an ambulance on speed dial, because the old horse is going to the glue factory. Both men also say they have an insurance policy, and it becomes anyone’s guess as to what that means.
* We have a promo for Mads Krule Krugger and CONTRA Unit. He threatens everyone in the Battle Riot match with the promise of a new crusader for the cause that started five years ago, when CONTRA first made its debut in MLW. HAIL CONTRA!
* We go back to ringside, as Dombrowski and Cole discuss how this will affect MLW not only tonight but moving forward. They run down the summer schedule for their big shows on the screen next.
* We have a promo for Kojima, highlighting his MLW World Title victory up to now, ending with a “Tale of the Tape” between Lawlor and Kojima. Ring Announcer Tim Barr gives us the super introduction for the upcoming World Title Match, but before we can get underway, Saint Laurent cuts a promo. He promises that Lawlor will take the World Title tonight, and again calls the fans in Atlanta fat, and says Kojima got fat and out of shape because of the “biscuits and gravy.” Ode to Jesse and Fester aside, clearly this man has not seen himself in a mirror. Kojima makes his entrance, and its finally time.
MLW World Title Match: Satoshi Kojima © vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
Saint Laurent hands a chain to Lawlor before the match, which Shingo Okumura, who accompanied Kojima to the ring, objects to this action. The referee checks Lawlor and finds not only the chain, but also a pair of brass knuckles. Lawlor strips out of his All-American Apollo Creed outfit, and the fans are clearly behind Kojima. The match stalls some more as the referee tells Barr something, and Barr tells Saint Laurent he has TEN SECONDS to leave ringside, or he will be barred from MLW forever! With one second left, Saint Laurent dashes back through the apron as Dombrowski says “Run like you’re heading towards a buffet.”
FINALLY, the match starts, with Lawlor attacking the previously injured ACL of Kojima. Lawlor grounds Kojima and elbows him in the head. Lawlor whips Kojima but it is reversed, and Kojima runs over Lawlor with a shoulder tackle. Lawlor picks the ankle of the champion, and then celebrates like he won the match. Lawlor picks Kojima up by the head, and both men trade blows in the middle of the ring. Lawlor hits a chop block to Kojima, and follows him to the corner, grabs the leg, and hits a slow-release snap dragon. Lawlor talks trash to the crowd, and mounts Kojima from behind in the corner, celebrating all the while. Lawlor grabs the leg of Kojima and, after much posturing, puts on the figure four leg lock. Fans are clearly behind Kojima (and not the American Hero, fancy that) as Lawlor uses the ropes for more leverage. Kojima reverses the hold, and Lawlor quickly makes it to the ropes to break the hold. Lawlor with a dropkick that staggers Kojima into the corner. Lawlor drags him down to the mat and into a triangle submission hold, punching Kojima in the head. Kojima breaks the hold by getting his legs on the rope, and Lawlor goes back to pandering and talking trash to the crowd. Lawlor with a chop in the corner, he postures some more, and charges Kojima, but he moves, and Lawlor smacks his face off the middle turnbuckle. Kojima mounts Lawlor in the corner with the ten punches, but Lawlor escapes and peppers Kojima with punches that would make the Road Dogg proud. Lawlor switches to some chops, but the third attempt is countered by Kojima into the RAPID-FIRE CHOPS! Kojima with a whip and follows it up with a splash in the corner. Kojima attempts to go up top, but Lawlor with a basement drop kick sends the champion to the floor. Lawlor follows him outside and runs Kojima shoulder first into the ring post. Lawlor poses and celebrates with his foot in the back of Kojima as he kicks him between the shoulders. Kojima responds with a leg sweep on Lawlor. Both men re-enter the ring and trade forearm shots, and Kojima gets the advantage with a roundhouse forearm. Lawlor cuts that off though and hits a flatliner. Lawlor applies the anaconda vice, as Lawlor drags Kojima to the middle of the ring. Kojima fights his way to the rope to get the break, as Lawlor measures the champion but ends up getting hit with a DDT from Kojima. The Champion follows up with the cozy cutter as Kojima goes for the pin but gets a two count. The elbow pad comes off, and Kojima lines up Lawlor, but Lawlor counters with a rear naked choke. Kojima fades, but comes back to before the third toll, as Lawlor is unhappy. He hits Kojima flush on the back with a knee and goes for the cover, but Kojima kicks out at two. Lawlor pulls up Kojima looking for something, but Kojima counters out and hits a LARIATO, but only gets a two count! Kojima hits the ropes again as Lawlor staggers to his feet and hits a second LARIATO and this time, it is enough to for the three-count and a title retention!
WINNER: Satoshi Kojima (Still Champion)
Thoughts: This was a paint by the numbers match, where the challenger came in too cocky and arrogant for his own good, and he got beaten by the more assured and reserved champion. Throwing Saint Laurent from the match was the best part of this exchange, because while the match was serviceable, it did not have much drama going for it. Once Lawlor’s manager was ejected before the match, you felt some the chicanery would be limited, and it came down to two wrestlers just having a match. Good, but not great.
Rating: ***
* Joe and Christian reveal that the Opera Cup will be fought for later this month. This is interrupted by Duran, who comes out to brag about Azteca Underground and that one of his luchadores is going to win the Battle Riot. Del La Renta comes out to cut him off, as Salina says she has waited three years to kick Duran’s ass. While she is talking, a big man enters the ring behind Duran. The man grabs Duran by the shoulders and sits him down as Del La Renta enters the ring. She says people would pay to be where Duran is, but she will do this for free and says she loves a public execution. Tonight, Duran is a dead man, and she asks Cesar if he has any last words. He laughs, and starts singing a song, which offends Salina. We see a video play on the screen, with Duran superimposed in pictures and still shots of Salina when she was younger. This brings out a startling revelation from Duran…
HE IS SALINA’S PAPA!
Salina has a breakdown in the ring, and Duran keeps asking her to tell him who is her papa. Duran leaves, as Salina ponders what to do next with the big man in the ring trying to console her.
-After a short promo for MLW Shop, we transition back to the ring, as ring announcer Tim Barr explains the rules of Battle Riot. The rules are as follows.
-Two competitors start the match, with a new competitor entering every 60 seconds.
-Elimination occurs by pinfall, submission, or being thrown over the top rope.
-There is no DQ, so weapons are legal.
-The winner earns the Golden Ticket, a shot at the MLW World Title.
Battle Riot VI Match
The first entrant into the Battle Riot is Mistico, representing Duran’s Azteca Underground. The second entrant into the Battle Riot is Jimmy Yang, complete with the cowboy outfit and hat he had during the Hauser backstage promo. The bell rings and both men soak in the crowd reaction. Mistico and Yang shake hands, but Mistico hits a spinning back kick to Yang’s gut. Yang responds with a spinning wheel kick to put Mistico down. Entrant number three is here, and its Star Jr. Mistico hits a crossbody from the ropes on Yang, and he squares up to Star Jr. Star Jr hits a leg drop on Mistico and attempts a pin, but he kicks out at two. Entrant number four is out, and Rugido, as the heavy CMLL representation continues early on. Rugido enters the match by hitting a crossbody on Yang and Mistico, as Dombrowski mentions Rugido translates to roar in Spanish. The more you know! Entrant number five is here, and it is Jesus Rodriguez, or as you may have known him, Ricardo Rodriguez. He attacks everyone, and hits Star Jr with a low corner recoil kick to the face. Rodriguez with a step up enzugiri on Rugido in the corner. Entrant number six is here, and it is Shingo Okumura, who is one half of the MLW tag team champions with Kojima. Okumura clotheslines both Yang and Rodriguez and hits a tilt-a-world backbreaker on Star Jr. Entrant number seven is out, and its CONTRA Unit’s Ikuro Kwon. While he makes his entrance, Mistico gets Rodriguez to submit with a Fujiwara Armbar, so we have our first elimination! Entrant number eight is out, and it is AKIRA. He enters the ring and goes right after Kwon and Yang. AKIRA headbutts Star Jr and then staggers around the ring like he is Terry Funk. Entrant number nine is here, and it is “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, getting another chance at a title shot after losing earlier to Kojima. While he is entering, Star Jr pins Yang in the middle of the ring, eliminating Jimmy from the match. Lawlor chucks Rugido over the top rope and that is another elimination in succession. Everyone converges on Kwon and Lawlor and starts beating them up. Entrant number ten is on the way, and it is Josh Bishop. Bishop enters the ring with headbutts to everyone except Lawlor since they are both WTF members.
Entrant number 11 is out, and it is Bobby Fish. Fish takes his time to enter the ring but gets kicked by Mistico anyway. Mistico goes up for a springboard, but Star Jr pushes him off and Mistico crashes to the floor for another elimination! Entrant number 12 arrives, and it is Bad Dude Tito. Okumura on the apron fighting with Bishop, but he gets hit with a flying shoulder tackle by Lawlor, eliminating him and getting some kind of revenge for Tom’s earlier loss. Bishop and Lawlor team up on Tito, and then go after Star Jr while AKIRA looks to eliminate Fish. The WTF partners drop Star Jr over the top rope and to the floor, eliminating him. Entrant number 13 is next, and it is Adam Priest. Priest goes after Bishop and fights off Kwon. Priest and AKIRA try to eliminate Bishop, but he will not go. Entrant number 14 is out, and it is Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Paul Walter Hauser. Unfortunately for him, since his Archnaman outfit was stolen, he is now out in a singlet. Also, unfortunately for Lawlor, he charges Hauser and gets low bridged out of the ring and to the floor, eliminating Lawlor from the match. Kwon has AKIRA over the top rope in the corner and looks to eliminate him as entrant number 15 arrives, and its Slim J. He enters with a crossbody to Priest and hits a standing tornado DDT to Bishop. In a bit of fait accompli, both AKIRA and Kwon managed to go over the corner and to the floor, thus eliminating themselves from the match, as they continued the fight up the ramp. Entrant number 16 is out, and it is Mads Krule Krugger, who goes right after AKIRA on the ramp. He chokeslams AKIRA off the stage as he and Kwon keep after AKIRA. Entrant number 17 is out, and it is the Bomaye Fight Specialist Mr. Thomas. He scoops up Bishop for a slam and then chucks everyone else around the ring. Fish brings Thomas to his knees but misses a kick. Entrant number 18 is on the way out, and it is the promised hired gun for CONTRA Unit. The mercenaries come out onto the stage with the person hidden behind the CONTRA flag, and it is MINORU SUZUKI! Priest, stupidly, tries to stand up to Suzuki in the middle of the ring, and it goes as well as you would expect, as he eliminates Priest by transitioning the rear naked choke into a toss out of the ring. Bishop tries next, but Suzuki eats his chops for lunch, and puts Bishop into the rear naked choke, forcing him to tap out. Entrant number 19 is here, and it is Brett Ryan Gosselin. BRG does not value his life very much, as he slaps Suzuki, but then rolls out of the ring and underneath it.
Entrant number 20 arrives, and it is C.W. Anderson. Anderson goes face-to-face with Tito in the middle of the ring, and Anderson hits him with a spinebuster. Hauser hits Slim J with an Andrade like hammerlock DDT and gets the pin, eliminating the Trust Fund Child. While this is going on, entrant number 21 shows up, and it is The American Male, Scotty Riggs! He enters the ring and gets the fans to clap along with him, until Suzuki has had enough of that and lays in the chops. Entrant number 22 is out, and it is “The Firestarter” Jake Crist. Crist goes under the ring and pulls BRG out from underneath, and he puts him in the ring and stomps away. Tito with a gut buster so powerful that it propels Fish out of the ring and to the floor, eliminating him. Entrant number 23 is here, and its Violent J of the ICP. He comes out with a trash can lid and kisses the ground before he enters the ring. While the clown makes his entrance, Hauser pushed Riggs over the top rope and to the floor, eliminating the American Male from the contest. Entrant number 24 is out, and it is YouTube sensation Chris Danger. With 1.6 million followers, I am guessing this makes him the MLW version of Logan Paul? Danger shakes the hand of Violent J but then hits him with a Stunner and pins him, eliminating the clown from the match. Entrant number 25 is here, and it is Ernest “The Cat” Miller! Hauser and Miller show respect and try to eliminate Thomas, but he lands on the apron. No worries, though, as Tito comes along and clotheslines him to the floor, eliminating Thomas. It is worth nothing that Miller is still in his robe, and it has WCW on it, beautifully done Cat! Entrant number 26 is out, and it is 1 Called Manders. But Manders does not come out right away, as Krugger attacks Manders on his way out. Krugger is now officially in the match after being outside for a long time. Entrant number 27 comes out, and it is Sami Callihan, bringing a spiked baseball bat with him. Callihan hits Crist with his bat and finds some chairs under the ring. While this happened, Crist was pulled over the top rope by BRG and eliminated from the match. Callihan drops the bat and challenges Hauser to attack him. But Hauser takes too long celebrating on the ropes and Callihan sneaks up behind and eliminates him from the match. I have to say, one hell of a showing by the actor tonight. Entrant number 28 is here, and it is the Masked Assassin, but Jodi Hamilton, this is not! The masked man continues to wait outside, as he walks by Hauser, who is eliminated from the match. We have another dual elimination, as both Manders and Krugger take each other over the top rope and to the floor! The Assassin finally enters the ring and puts the Cranium Crush on Callihan. Entrant number 29 is here, and it is Alex Kane, the rightful leader of the Bomaye Club. Kane puts the chokehold on the Assassin, ripping the mask off to reveal it is Tom Lawlor back in the match! Lawlor was eliminated properly once, and Kane makes sure he is again with a clothesline to Lawlor and to the floor.
Entrant number 30 is on the way, and it is Matthew Justice. Justice enters the ring and hits a coast to coast on Anderson with a chair. Entrant number 31 is here, and it is Matt Riddle…BRO! Riddle enters by rolling up Miller and pinning him, eliminating The Cat. Justice takes out BRG with a pin in the middle of the ring, eliminating him from the match. Entrant number 32 is here, and it is Andrew Everett. Everett avoids an early elimination and hits Callihan with a flying spin kick from the top. He tries to chokeslam Callihan, but Sami bites his hand. In the meantime, Kane locks Anderson into the rear naked choke, forcing C.W. to tap out. Entrant number 33 is here, and it is Kim Chee. And his stay is not for long, as Danger pins Kim Chee to eliminate him. As this goes on, Riddle drops the top rope on Tito, and he is gone. Entrant number 34 is out, and it is Timothy Thatcher. Suzuki meets him in the middle of the ring, and shots are exchanged. Entrant number 35 is out, and its Dr. Cornwallus. Everyone charges the big man, and he swats all of them away. However, his stay is short lived as Suzuki drops him with a Fujiwara arm bar, eliminating the masked doctor. Entrant number 36 is here, and it is Suge D. You may remember him as Pineapple Pete in AEW (and if you do not, it is okay, because Dombrowski makes that call out himself), but Danger hits him with a Panama Sunrise, but only gets a two count. Entrant number 37 is here, and it is Rickey Shane Page. RSP goes after Suzuki, but instantly regrets it, so he goes after Danger instead. Entrant number 38 is here, and it is Shane Mercer. Mercer hits Everett from the top rope with a super fallaway slam. Entrant number 39 is here, and it is Archnaman, or whoever it is presumed stole that outfit from PWH’s gear bag. While the masked man makes his entrance, Suge D was eliminated by RSP, who in turn was eliminated by Callihan in rapid fire succession. While “Archnaman” remains on the ramp, Hauser returns and unmasks him, revealing the man to be Tom Lawlor yet again.
(Insert the Frye shocked GIF here).
He sprays the cobwebs into Lawlor’s face, and Tom crawls to the back. The 40th and final entrant makes their way out, and it is Davey Boy Smith Jr. Davey does a fist bump with Suzuki, harkening back to the SUZUKI-GUN days in New Japan, and it looks like we could have a tentative working partnership. In rapid fire succession, Justice eliminates Mercer over the top rope, but Callihan sneaks in and eliminates Justice from behind. That leaves six men left in the match, that is, until Smith and Thatcher work together to eliminate Kane, as he held on to no avail. We come to a momentary pause, as everyone in the ring focuses on Riddle. The other four men try to eliminate Riddle, but he fights out of it and starts striking anyone that will move. Riddle drops Suzuki onto the apron, and he hits a flying knee, eliminating Suzuki from the match.
That gives us a final four of Riddle, Smith, Thatcher, and Callihan. Callihan and Riddle face off, while Thatcher and Smith go at it. Smith has Thatcher on the apron, but he hangs on as Smith walks away to help Sami with Riddle. Riddle on the apron is fighting off Smith and Callihan and puts both in a chancery. Thatcher decides to help, as Thatcher eliminates Smith, but his own momentum eliminates him as well. Meanwhile, Riddle can pull Callihan over the top and to the floor, leaving Matt Riddle as the winner!
WINNER: Matt Riddle
Thoughts: These kinds of matches always work for me, and this one was no exception. What makes Battle Riot so much more fun is that, unlike conventional gauntlet matches or Battle Royales, you can pin opponents for eliminations, and not just drop them over the top and to the floor. There was a fun mix of throwbacks (Scotty Riggs, Ernest Miller, Kim Chee) along with the performance of Paul Walter Hauser and, of course, the big hitters of MLW. Riddle winning makes the most sense, since he remains undefeated, and would be a natural successor to knock off Kojima for the World Title when the time is right. I had fun with this one, and was entertained throughout, especially with Lawlor’s repeated attempts to pull a “Mick Foley” and enter the match three times.
Rating: ****
* Riddle celebrates in the ring as we have reached the end of the show.
