Battle Riot VIII
| Battle Riot VIII | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Promotional poster featuring various wrestlers | |||
| Promotion | Major League Wrestling | ||
| Date | January 29, 2026 (aired February 5, 2026) | ||
| City | Kissimmee, Florida | ||
| Venue | Osceola Heritage Park Events Center | ||
| Event chronology | |||
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| Battle Riot chronology | |||
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Battle Riot VIII was a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW) that took place on January 29, 2026, at the Osceola Heritage Park Events Center in Kissimmee, Florida. As the name implies, it was the eighth event in the Battle Riot chronology. The event aired on tape delay on February 5 on BeIN Sports USA and streamed on MLW's YouTube channel.
Several matches were also taped for the revival of MLW's weekly series, MLW Fusion.
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 the winner. The match begins with two 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; however, this year, the World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line in this Battle Riot.
On November 13, 2025, MLW announced that Battle Riot VIII would take place on January 29, 2026, at the Osceola Heritage Park Events Center in Kissimmee, Florida.[1] On January 26, MLW announced that the event will air on tape delay on February 5.[2]
Storylines
The card consisted of matches that result from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed 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 were played out at MLW events, and across the league's social media platforms.[3]
Following an overwhelming response from fans online, MLW announced on January 19 that current MLW World Heavyweight Champion Mads Krule Krügger would defend his title in the Battle Riot match. This marks only the second consecutive time that the title would be on the line in the match.[4]
Results
| No. | Results[6] | Stipulations | Times[7] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1FT | Shotzi Blackheart defeated Priscilla Kelly by pinfall | Singles match | — | ||||
| 2FT | Scarlett Bordeaux defeated Aleah James by pinfall | Singles match | — | ||||
| 3FT | Austin Aries defeated Trevor Lee by pinfall | Singles match | — | ||||
| 4FT | The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) defeated Ghalus (Joe Coffey and Mark Coffey) (with Wolfgang) by pinfall | Tag team match | — | ||||
| 5FT | Diego Hill defeated Adam Brooks by pinfall | Singles match | — | ||||
| 6FT | Zamaya defeated Carolina Cruz by pinfall | Singles match | — | ||||
| 7FT | Alex Hammerstone defeated Bishop Dyer by pinfall | Singles match | — | ||||
| 8 | Kushida defeated Templario (c) by pinfall | Singles match for the MLW World Middleweight Championship[5] | 12:55 | ||||
| 9 | Killer Kross won by last eliminating Alex Hammerstone and Matt Riddle | 40-man Battle Riot match for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship | 1:07:15 | ||||
| |||||||
Battle Riot match entrances and eliminations
| Draw | Entrant | Order | Eliminated by | Method of elimination | Elimination(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Killer Kross | – | Winner | – | 7 |
| 2 | Matt Riddle | 39 | Killer Kross | Over the top rope | 4 |
| 3 | Ben Bishop | 1 | Matt Riddle | Submission | 0 |
| 4 | Doc Gallows[a] | 2 | Killer Kross | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 5 | Cha Cha Charlie | 3 | Mads Krule Krügger | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 6 | Joe Coffey | 12 | Matt Riddle | Over the top rope | 1 |
| 7 | Diego Hill | 10 | Mads Krule Krügger | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 8 | Mads Krule Krügger (c) | 17 | Sentai Death Squad | Over the top rope | 5 |
| 9 | Matthew Justice | 4 | Josh Bishop | Over the top rope, through a table | 0 |
| 10 | Paul Walter Hauser | 7 | Paul London | Pinfall | 1 |
| 11 | Josh Bishop | 20 | Killer Kross and Matt Riddle | Over the top rope | 1 |
| 12 | Paul London | 9 | Paul Walter Hauser[b] | Over the top rope | 1 |
| 13 | Anthony Greene | 8 | Joe Coffey | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 14 | Don Gato | 6 | Stallion Rogers | Over the top rope[c] | 1 |
| 15 | Stallion Rogers | 5 | Don Gato | Over the top rope[c] | 1 |
| 16 | Austin Aries | 35 | Alex Hammerstone | Over the top rope | 3 |
| 17 | Alan Angels | 11 | Cody Fluffman | Pinfall | 0 |
| 18 | Adam Brooks | 26 | Austin Aries | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 19 | Cody Fluffman | 13 | Trevor Lee | Over the top rope | 1 |
| 20 | Kushida | 16 | Mads Krule Krügger | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 21 | Trevor Lee | 27 | Austin Aries | Over the top rope | 1 |
| 22 | Ikuro Kwon | 14 | Mads Krule Krügger | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 23 | Wolfgang | 21 | Alex Hammerstone | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 24 | Babathunder[d] | 18 | Himself | Over the top rope[e] | 0 |
| 25 | Simon Gotch[f] | 15 | Mads Krule Krügger | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 26 | Sentai Death Squad | 19 | Himself | Over top rope[e] | 1 |
| 27 | Jesús Rodriguez | 28 | Matt Riddle | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 28 | Karl Anderson | 23 | Donovan Dijak | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 29 | Sidney Akeem | 30 | Alex Hammerstone | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 30 | Alex Hammerstone | 38 | Killer Kross | Over the top rope | 6 |
| 31 | Ricky Martinez | 24 | Festus | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 32 | Ariel Dominguez | 22 | Alex Hammerstone | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 33 | Festus[a] | 25 | Alex Hammerstone | Over the top rope | 1 |
| 34 | Donovan Dijak | 36 | Killer Kross | Over the top rope | 3 |
| 35 | Bishop Dyer | 37 | Killer Kross | Over the top rope | 2 |
| 36 | LJ Cleary | 29 | Alex Hammerstone | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 37 | Madman Fulton | 34 | Donovan Dijak and Bishop Dyer | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 38 | Onix Caballero | 31 | Austin Aries | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 39 | Mr. Thomas | 32 | Donovan Dijak and Bishop Dyer | Over the top rope | 0 |
| 40 | Mark Coffey | 33 | Killer Kross | Over the top rope | 0 |
Notes
- ^ a b Gallows entered the match twice: once as himself and once under his old gimmick of Festus.
- ^ Hauser had already been eliminated.
- ^ a b Rogers and Don Gato eliminated each other.
- ^ The original #24 entrant was Davey Boy Smith Jr., but he was attacked by the Sentai Death Squad and replaced by Babathunder before he could compete.
- ^ a b Babathunder and the Sentai Death Squad member eliminated themselves to attack Mads Krule Krügger
- ^ The original #25 entrant was Satoshi Kojima, but he was attacked by the Sentai Death Squad and replaced by Simon Gotch before he could compete.
References
- ^ "MLW returns to Orlando for Battle RIOT VIII January 29". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
- ^ "Battle RIOT VIII Airs FREE Feb 5 on 7 day delay on YouTube & beIN SPORTS". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed (13 January 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ^ "MLW World Title on the line in Battle RIOT VIII on Jan 29 in Kissimmee, FL". Major League Wrestling. January 19, 2026. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
- ^ "Templario defends World Middleweight Title against KUSHIDA at Battle RIOT". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- ^ F4W Staff (January 29, 2026). "MLW Battle Riot VIII spoilers from Kissimmee, Florida". Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Vetter, Chris (February 5, 2026). "MLW "Battle Riot VII" results: Vetter's review of the 40-wrestler Battle Riot match for the MLW Championship, Templario vs. Kushida for the MLW Middleweight Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 6, 2026.