Major League Wrestling’s upcoming Battle Riot show (7/19) from New York City has been announced as the promotion’s first-ever 2-hour network special.

MLW: Battle Riot will air on BeIN Sports on Friday night, July 27th at 8pm ET.

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The news was first reported by Sports Illustrated.

MLW CEO Court Bauer told SI that he strongly considered offering MLW Battle Riot as a traditional pay-per-view event, but ultimately it was decided that a 2-hour broadcast on beIN SPORTS was the best way to reach (and reward) MLW’s growing audience.

“I heavily considered pay per view, but I want to give the fans something special and do it for free,” said Bauer. “Some promoters put a price tag on everything and I could see the temptation here, but I want to reward fans that have been supporting us. Disruption is key for MLW, and a free two-hour special is the ultimate disruption. BeIN is a great partner and I’m glad they agree.”

The card for MLW Battle Riot is stacked (more on that below) and will be headlined by the first-ever Battle Riot match. 40 wrestlers will compete in this unconventional battle royal, with eliminations taking place when someone is pinned, submits or is thrown over the top rope. The match will start with two participants, with a new entrant every 60 seconds.

The winner of MLW Battle Riot gets a shot at the MLW World Heavyweight Championship (currently held by Shane Strickland) “anytime, anywhere.”

If you’re in the NYC area, it’s going to be a wild show – and we’ll be in attendance. Visit Eventbrite.com for ticket information.

Updated Card for MLW: Battle Riot

Here’s the current card for MLW Battle Riot, which takes place on Thursday night, July 19th from Melrose Ballroom in Long Island City:

Battle Riot Battle Royal

Participants include John Morrison, Pentagon, Teddy, Davey Boy Smith Jr., “PCO” Pierre Carl Ouellet, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, Hornswoggle and many more.

– The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr. with Brian Pillman II) vs. ACH & Rich Swann

– John Hennigan vs. Low Ki

Also signed to appear on July 19th:

World Heavyweight Champion Shane Strickland

MLW Tag Team Champions Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix

Salina de la Renta

Barrington Hughes

Maxwell J. Friedman

Sami Callihan

For more, check out the MLW Battle Riot Control Center, hosted by Tony Schiavone:

https://youtu.be/ScXkWejH2jo