-This month, we look at MLW Battle Riot VIII.
-Battle Riot VIII was recorded January 24, 2026 and shown on YouTube February 5, 2026 from the Osceola Heritage Park Events Center in Kissimmee, Florida.
-Intro. Joe Dombrowski and Tom Lawlor welcome us to Battle Riot.
-MLW World Middleweight Championship Match. Templario vs. Kushida: Kushida out first. Templario pulls out a sword from a stone. He brings the sword with him, which doesn’t seem fair. The belt is presented and the bell rings. They lock up. Kushida gets Templario down, but Templario comes back with a surfboard. Kushida comes back in and they trade holds and counters. Back and forth and the action is hot and heavy. Kushida with a leg lock. Templario gets to the ropes. Kushida works on Templario’s arm. They trade moves again. Templario with a dropkick. They trade shots in opposite corners. Kushida with a handspring dropkick and a senton to Templario on the outside. Templario knocks Kushida out and hits a Tiger Drop to the outside. It goes back in. Templario comes off the ropes. Kushida gets an arm bar on and gets a two count. Kushida with a quick kick and the Hoverboard Lock. Templario slams Kushida down. They trade shots in the ring. Templario hits a big knee to the face. Templario with a sit out powerbomb for a two count. Kushida with an ankle lock. Templario gets to the ropes. Kushida with the Back to the Future to get the pin and become the new champion. Ikura Kwon comes out. He confronts Kushida and then both attack Templario. Kushida puts on a Contra shirt.
-A Don Gato commercial. Joe and Tom talk about what we just saw. Flashback to what has been happening with Contra.
-The Battle Riot rules are gone over. Battle Riot: 1. Killer Kross. Kross comes out with Scarlett. He is over with the crowd. 2. Matt Riddle. Ugh. Not a fan. He could conceivably be wearing less, but I don’t want to see it. The Kross chant gets louder. They trade blows. Riddle with a rear choke. 3. Ben Bishop. He goes after Riddle. He hits a side slam to Riddle. Riddle gets the choke on and Bishop taps. 4. Doc Gallows. He goes after Riddle. Kross attacks Gallows. Riddle joins in on the attack. 5. Cha Cha Charlie. He takes on Riddle. He hits a gut buster on Riddle. Gallows is eliminated. 6. Joe Coffey. He giant swings Charlie. People pair off. 7. Diego Hill. He unloads on Charlie and Coffey. 8. Mads Kruel Kruger. He eliminates Charlie. 9. Matthew Justice. He brings a trash can full of weapons. He hits everyone with the can. 10. Paul Walter Hauser. He takes on Coffey. 11. Josh Bishop. He sets up tables at ringside. 12. Paul London. Bishop launches Justice into a table. A holy shit chant goes out. Kruger and Bishop chop each other. 13. Anthony Greene. He attacks everyone. 14. Don Gato. He drives up in an El Camino. He brings the Shot Board in with him. 15. Stallion Rodgers. They want to make Diego Hill their Kofi Kingston. Rodgers works with Riddle. Gato hits people with the Shot Board. 16. Austin Aries. He takes his time getting in. Rodgers and Gato eliminate each other. 17. Alan Angels. He throws Aries in. Hauser and Greene are eliminated. Hauser grabs London and eliminates him. 18. Adam Brooks. Hill is eliminated. Hauser puts London on a table and cannonballs through it. 19. Cody Fluffman. 20. Kushida. He attacks Kruger. Riddle eliminates. Coffey. 21. Trevor Lee. 22. Ikuro Kwon. Fluffman eliminated. Kwon and Kushida attack Kruger. 23. Wolfgang. 24. Davey Boy Smith jr. Contra attacks him and Baba Thunder comes out with a body bag for Kruger. Contra attacks Kruger. 25. Hotashi Kojima. He gets attacked and Simon Gotch comes out for Contra. They try to eliminate Kruger. Kruger eliminates Gotch, Kushida, and Kwon from the apron. Kruger and Thunder fight on the apron. Some huge man in a Contra mask comes out and eliminates both and then comes out after Kruger. He must have been the 26th person as that person didn’t come out. Contra puts Kruger in a body bag. 27. Jesus Rodriguez. 28. Karl Anderson. He targets Kross. Bishop was eliminated by Kross and Riddle. 29. Sidney Akeem. He goes after Riddle. Riddle knee strikes Kross. They trade blows. 30. Alex Hammerstone. He eliminates Wolfgang. He goes after Riddle. 31. Ricky Martinez. 32. Ariel Dominguez. Hammerstone eliminates him. 33. Festus. Gallows doing double duty. The crowd pops huge for him. They chant ring the bell. Anderson tries to reason with him. 34. Donovan Dijak. He goes after Anderson and eliminates him. 35. Bishop Dyer. He and Dijak go after Festus and beat him down. Anderson grabs the bell and Festus attacks everyone. He throws out Martinez, but gets eliminated by Hammerstone. 36. LJ Cleary. He goes after Riddle. 37. Madman Fulton. He goes to powerbomb Riddle, who holds on to Fulton’s hair. 38. Onix The One. 39. Mr. Thomas. He goes after everyone. 40. Mark Coffey. Brooks and Trevor Lee eliminated. Jesus was eliminated. Cleary is eliminated. Sidney Akeem and Onix eliminated. Thomas Eliminated by the Skyscrapers. Mark Coffey eliminated. Skyscrapers eliminate Fulton. Hammerstone eliminates Aries. Hammerstone thrown out, but not eliminated. Skyscrapers go after Kross and Riddle. All four go at it. Hammerstone goes after Riddle. Kross fights the Skyscrapers. He takes both out. Kross eliminates Riddle and Hammerstone to win and become the new World Champion. Scarlett comes out as the crowd cheers Kross. He raises the championship high. The crowd chants for him. He gets the mic and says now they have him as a Kross chant goes out. He thanks the crowd and they show his parents in the crowd. He says his mom beat cancer and the win was for her. He and Scarlett leave. They recap what happened and sign off from Kissimmee.