On Thursday night, Major League Wrestling made its grand return to New York City with Battle Riot at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NY.

Matches on this show were taped for a 2-hour Battle Riot special that airs next Friday night on beIN SPORTS, as well as future episodes of the weekly MLW FUSION broadcast on beIN. The matches that will air on the 2-hour Battle Riot special include:

Kotta Brazil vs. Myron Reed

MJF vs. Joey Ryan to crown the first MLW Middleweight Champion

40-Man Battle Riot Match to earn a MLW Championship opportunity

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The show was a legitimate sell-out and the card delivered from top to bottom. As fans have come to expect from MLW, the show featured a hybrid of in-ring styles, up-and-comers and veterans and slick production values. MLW returns to the Melrose Ballroom on October 4th with LA Park (La Parka) advertised.

MLW Battle Riot Results

– Fred Yehi def. Richard Holliday. Solid opener with Yehi of Team Filthy being very over with the crowd.

– Kotto Brazil def. Myron Reed. Exciting high-flying match with a lot of near falls towards the end.

– Jake Hager def. Simon Gotch. A lot of solid mat-based grappling.

– Jimmy Havoc def. Brody King. King is quite large in person and moves around really well for a big man. King was in control for most of the match before Havoc pulled out the win.

– MLW Tag Team Champions The Lucha Bros (Fenix and Pentagon Jr.) def. Drago and Rey Horus to retain. This was probably the match of the night – first class lucha libre. Fans threw dollar bills into the ring afterwards as Pentagon & Fenix thanked the crowd.

– PCO def. Homicide. As you’d expect, this was a very hard-hitting match that showcased the monster that is PCO.

– Maxwell J. Friedman def. Joey Ryan to become the first MLW Middleweight Champion. This one went pretty long and allowed both guys to showcase their personalities. Joey Ryan did not do his signature dick spot, but channeled Mr. Socko in using a lollipop on Friedman. MJF was interviewed in the ring after his match and cut a nice heel promo.

– Sami Callihan def. Shane Strickland.

– The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart & Davey Boy Smith Jr. w/Brian Pillman II) def. Rich Swann and ACH. It’s believed that Swann was concussed during this match.

– MLW World Heavyweight Champion Low Ki def. John Hennigan to retain. Salina de la Renta was ringside with Low Ki. Hennigan hit a lot of acrobatic spots as you’d expect.

– “Filthy” Tom Lawlor outlasted 39 other men to win the Battle Riot match and earn a shot at the MLW World Heavyweight Championship “any time, anywhere.” This match was a lot of fun and should come across great on television. They used a lot of battle royal tropes (including brothers Pentagon & Rey Fenix being the first two entrants, a large group of wrestlers working together to eliminate giants like Barrington Hughes, etc.). Surprise entrants included The Blue Meanie, Spirit Squad members Kenny & Mikey, Fallah Bahh and more. After his win, Lawlor was interviewed by Matt Striker in the ring and said he is achieving his goal of being the face of Major League Wrestling.