New York City weather is on fire now. The Melrose Ballroom in NYC tonight is looking to get heated up as well when MLW Summer of the Beasts goes down. The show will feature three title defenses and other matches featuring fan favorites and hated athletes. Here are some of the wrestling matches that you can look forward to.
MLW: Summer of the Beasts: World Heavyweight Championship: Matt Riddle (c) vs. KENTA
Matt Riddle will once again defend his championship at Summer of the Beasts against what may be his toughest test yet. Pro Wrestling NOAH wrestler KENTA will look to unseat Riddle as champion as the two meet in a first-time-ever matchup. Last month, KENTA unsuccessfully challenged OZAWA for the GHC heavyweight championship, and he will come into this match with a chip on his shoulder.
MLW: Summer of the Beasts: National Openweight Championship: Ultimo Guerrero (c) vs. Alex Hammerstone
The CMLL legend Ultimo Guerrero will put his MLW belt at Summer of the Beasts against the man who never lost it, Alex Hammerstone. Inaugural champion Hammerstone attacked Guerrero from behind and said he would restore prestige to the title.
MLW Summer of the Beasts: Tag Team Championship: Los Depredadores (Magnus & Rugido) (c) vs. Mystery Team
MLW President Cesar Duran is handpicking a team to take on the dominant tag team champions Los Depredadores. Who will it be? No one will know until you see the show.
MLW Summer of the Beasts: Brock Anderson vs. Anthony Greene
Brock Anderson, son of wrestling legend Arn Anderson, will be taking on former GHC tag team champion Anthony Greene. This will likely be a hard-hitting affair against two wrestlers who will be looking to climb the MLW ranks.
MLW Summer of the Beasts: KUSHIDA vs. Diego Hill
The former NJPW Jr. Heavyweight champion KUSHIDA will be taking on the up-and-coming high flyer Diego Hill. KUSHIDA has become a veteran in a young athlete’s sport, but he can still hang with the best. Hill will look to get a win over KUSHIDA in what could be the biggest match of his career to date.
Other wrestlers scheduled to appear are the Mexican luchador legend Mistico, former IWGP heavyweight champion Satoshi Kojima, Okumura, Paul London, Wakana Uehara, Yuki Kamifuku, MLW President Cesar Duran, and others.
For more details on Summer of the Beasts, you can check out this preview. If you want to attend Summer of the Beasts live, you can find more about purchasing tickets here. There will be exclusive matches that you can only see in person.
MLW Summer of the Beasts will be live on YouTube for free at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
MLW Summer of the Beasts Results (YouTube):
MLW World Heavyweight Championship: Matt Riddle (c) vs. KENTA
Matt Riddle tried to use his MMA background to dominate KENTA. KENTA was prepared and able to get out of some bad positions, and that’s when the two made it into a striking affair. KENTA won in striking exchanges and tried to finish Riddle with the busaiku knee, but Riddle kicked out. KENTA tried to knock out Riddle with some powerful slaps, but Riddle was able to slip out of the way and get an RKO. With KENTA loopy, Riddle hit the piledriver to retain the MLW heavyweight champion
MLW National Openweight Championship: Ultimo Guerrero (c) vs. Alex Hammerstone vs Matthe Justice
Matthew Justice came out before the singles match started and challenged for the belt. President Cesar Duran came out and asked the NYC audience if they wanted a triple threat match. The audience cheered and he changed the match. Ultimo Guerrero retained the championship after hitting a reverse superplex from the top rope on Matthew Justice.
KUSHIDA vs. Diego Hill
Both fan favorites to the NYC audience, KUSHIDA got the early advantage on Hill by attacking the young wrestler’s arm. The match was in KUSHIDA’s favor until out of nowhere, Hill hit an amazing Asai moonsault on the veteran. KUSHIDA tried to submit Hill with the armbar, but he powered out of the submission. KUSHIDA continued to attack Hill’s arm until he hit a package suplex to get the pinfall victory.
Battle of the Japanese Idols: Yuki Kamifuku vs. Wakana Uehara
In an evenly split match, Yuki Kamifuku pinned Wakana Uehara.
Brock Anderson vs. Anthony Greene
This was a classic power vs agility match. Anderson used slams and moves of power against his opponent, while Greene used high-flying offense to attack. It was a pretty even match, with the two going back and forth, but Anderson eventually came out as the victor. He pinned Greene after a DDT.
MLW Tag Team Championship: Los Depredadores (c) vs. Mystery Team (revealed to be Donovan Dijak and Bishop Dyer)
The surprise team quickly sneaked attacked the champion luchadors to make they gained an advantage. Los Depredadores got a comeback using their lucha expertise, but couldn’t maintain it against the powerful duo. Despite being able to get a comeback using flashy lucha wrestling the the challengers made a statement win against their opponents, becoming the new tag team champions. After the match, the former champions tried to show respect but got attacked by the new champions.
MLW Blood and Thunder (TV Taping)
Bobby Fish vs Satoshi Kojima in an Opera Cup Tournament match
These two longtime veterans got to face off and put on a clinic of a match. While the former IWGP heavyweight champion had the power advantage, Fish used his martial arts background to deliver deadly kicks and forearms to incapacitate Kojima. Despite Fish dominating for a lot of the match, Kojima turned it around and was able to use his powerful lariat to knockout Fish and get a pinfall victory.
Ava Everett vs Shotzi Blackheart
Everett tried to get Shotzi disqualified early on due to Shotzi’s broken arm cast. That didn’t happen so she started to target the broken arm on the fan favorite Shotzi. Everett, who is from New Jersey, did not endear herself to the NYC crowd, continuously targeting the broken arm. Shotzi was able to gain an advantage despite having only one arm. She got some good kicks in and got Everett a crossface who tapped out, making Shotzi Blackheart the winner.
Ikuro Kwon vs Mistico in an Opera Cup tournament match
Kwon sneak attacked the fan favorite Mistico. Kwon tried to end the match early, knowing that Mistico would have the experience advantage being a former Opera Cup winner. Mistico was able to turn things around with the help of the fans’ energy. It became a back-and-forth match with Kwon getting offense, then Mistico. Mistico was able to turn things around and hit a Spanish Fly on Kwon to advance in the tournament.
Bishop Dyer vs Anthony Greene in an Opera Cup tournament match
Pro Wrestling Noah’s Anthony Greene tried to go toe-to-toe with the big and powerful Bishop Dyer. While he was able to get some offense in using speed and agility, Dyer used his power and strength to dictate the match in his favor. Greene showed great fortitude but couldn’t stop Dyer from hitting the End of Days to get a pinfall victory and advance in the Opera Cup.
Paul London vs Neon
In a back-and-forth match between the smart, crafty veteran Paul London and the young high flyer Neon, London tried to use his brains to outsmart and beat Neon. Neon had moments of flashiness, but London kept getting the upper hand. Neon was able to survive the 10-minute time limit, resulting in a draw. While the fans wanted more time, that didn’t happen, and London sneak attacked Neon. Neon was able to mount a comeback and ward off London.
Matthew Justice vs Okumura vs Mr. Thomas vs Ariel Dominguez vs CW Anderson vs Mads Kruger:
In match that saw incredible action from the start, everyone went at each other and didn’t relent. But despite everyone getting some good stuff in, Mads Kruger wound up pinning CW Anderson and continues to be a dominant force in MLW!
