Latest news with #BattleRiot
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Banged up Matt Riddle ready to defend MLW world title against Donovan Dijak at Azteca Lucha
Matt Riddle will walk into Major League Wrestling's (MLW) Azteca Lucha pay-per-view Saturday night banged up when he takes on Donovan Dijak for the world title. Riddle has held the MLW world heavyweight championship belt for nearly four months after he defeated Satoshi Kojima at Kings of Colosseum. Since then, he's defeated Kojima and Alex Kane at SuperFight 6 and won the Battle Riot match last month to hold onto the title. Dijak may be Riddle's toughest challenge yet. He's yet to be pinned or submitted since he made his MLW debut last year. He lost to Riddle at MLW's One Shot in December via disqualification. He made quick friends with manager Saint Laurent and found a new ally in Bishop Dyer when he made his debut at Battle Riot last month. Riddle told Fox News Digital he's aware of the challenges he faces, but it's part of the burden of being the top guy in the company. "At the end of the day, it's kind of like motivation. Sometimes, when you're just one-on-one with somebody, you kind of drop your guard," Riddle said. "Unfortunately for me, it's never a one-on-one situation, even when it's supposed to be. It's just another day for the bro. It's just another day for the MLW heavyweight champion of the world. "I think I'm ready. After winning the Battle Riot and having 39 other competitors, including (Rob Van Dam) there and still walking away … MLW world heavyweight champion, I'm confident, but not too confident, that I know what I have to do to get the job done." Riddle will enter the match with some busted ribs he sustained in a steel chair assault from Dijak. Riddle still vowed to defend the title. "The ribs are a little banged up," Riddle said. "But that's bound to happen in this line of work. I think the important part is that Dijak is the one responsible for injuring my ribs. He'll probably be trying to target them in this world title match in Chicago. "I'm looking out for that, but, at the same time, I've been doing some sit-ups. I've been trying to keep the abs tight." Austin Aries is expected to be on the call for the event. He returned to MLW on the mic at Battle Riot. He shared his thoughts on the match with Fox News Digital. "I know as good as anybody to win the championship is difficult, but to keep the championship is even more difficult because now you're a marked man, everyone's coming for you, everyone's gunning for you," Aries said. "And, on top of that, you're being asked to do media, you're getting asked to be the face of the company. It's a heavy burden to carry, and Riddle's been carrying for a while. "If there's anyone that's going to take the championship off of them and if at any point it's gonna happen, Chicago coming up here on May 10 very well could be that day." Azteca Lucha is set for Saturday at Cicero Stadium in Chicago. The event can be seen on YouTube. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Newsweek
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
WWE Legend Rob Van Dam Severely Injured In Latest Match
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Rob Van Dam, aka RVD, has shared some worrying news with fans after working his latest match in the squared circle. Weeks after the injury, the WWE Hall of Famer opens up about what happened. Van Dam, the iconic high-flying wrestler currently under a WWE Legends contract, recently made his debut appearance in Major League Wrestling (MLW) at their Battle Riot VII event. The MLW World Championship was at stake in the Battle Riot match for the first time in the promotion's history. Ultimately, the reigning MLW World Champion, Matt Riddle, emerged victorious. The event took place at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California, earlier this month, adding another chapter to Riddle's championship reign. The 54-year-old wrestling veteran revealed on an episode of his 1 of a Kind podcast that his MLW debut came at a significant cost. RVD disclosed that he suffered fractures to both of his heels during his elimination from the Battle Riot match. He was the final competitor to be eliminated, a fateful moment that occurred when MLW World Champion and Riddle tossed him from the turnbuckle to the unforgiving floor outside the ring. Recounting the moment of injury, RVD stated, "A couple weeks ago, I had a match with MLW. A lot of people saw that. A lot of people don't know that I got hurt because it was the very last move of the night. Wrestler Rob Van Dam attends the 420 Expo Cannabis Convention at New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center on September 16, 2022 in Edison, New Jersey. Wrestler Rob Van Dam attends the 420 Expo Cannabis Convention at New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center on September 16, 2022 in Edison, New news: WWE News: Steve Austin Reveals Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation I went up to the top rope, and Matt Riddle pushed me off, and the way I landed on my feet — normally, I kind of hug the guardrail and my weight goes into it. This time, I must have misjudged it a little bit, and I just landed on my feet. Both heels blew. I thought that my ankles were sprained. I crawled out of there. I haven't been able to walk since. I got the X-rays, both heels broke." The severity of the double heel fracture has understandably impacted RVD's immediate schedule. "It definitely made me cancel a lot of plans that I had for the next few months," he admitted. However, RVD noted that he still managed to fulfill all of his previously scheduled appearances during the busy WrestleCon and WrestleMania week in early April. Throughout his illustrious career, Rob Van Dam has found success, especially during his groundbreaking run in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in the late 1990s. During this time, he held the ECW TV and Tag Team Titles. Following ECW's closure in 2001, RVD transitioned to WWE. There, he won the WWE Hardcore Championship, WWE Intercontinental Championship (a record six times), WWE European Championship, WWE Tag Team Championship, and World Tag Team Championships. At WrestleMania 22, he won the Money in the Bank ladder match, ultimately leading to his first WWE Championship victory over John Cena at the ECW-themed One Night Stand pay-per-view. More WWE News: For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports.
Fox News
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Pro wrestler Anthony Greene's MLW debut long time coming: 'Perfect moment for me'
Anthony Greene has been almost everywhere as a professional wrestler. He competed at WWE for its NXT and 205 Live brands. He was with All Elite Wrestling, performing mostly on "AEW Dark." He's worked at New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Noah. But when he makes his Major League Wrestling (MLW) debut on Saturday at Battle Riot VII, it will be a dream come true. "I'm a huge wrestling nerd, always been," Greene explained to Fox News Digital. "And I remember buying on the original MLW DVDs. I watched [Satoshi] Kojima win the title in the tournaments back in like 2002, Reloaded, WarGames, seeing Steve Corino with the Extreme Horsemen, and it's always been a place that I've followed. It's always been a place that I've followed. "And when it came back in 2017, I was wrestling for five years at that point. I decided that was a place I wanted to wrestle, and it's just never worked out. Either I wasn't where I needed to be to get to that level of where MLW was, or when I was there, the schedule just never matched. And the perfect moment for me, Battle Riot – where the MLW World Championship is on the line – is when I finally get to make my debut. So, yeah, you can say I'm very excited." MLW champion Matt Riddle will have to defend his title in the 40-man rumble match. It's no easy task. Even for someone like Greene, who has been in a few rumble-style matches over the course of his career, is thinking realistically. "One thing I am confident in is by the end of the night, MLW and the fans are going to know who Anthony Greene is and I will be back. That's one thing I can promise," he said. "And best-case scenario, I walk out with the MLW World Heavyweight Championship." Battle Riot VII takes place at Thunder Studios Arena in Long Beach, California. The sold-out show begins at 10 p.m. ET. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
MLW star Brett Ryan Gosselin looks to give Rogue Horsemen championship gold at Battle Riot VII
Brett Ryan Gosselin (BRG) burst onto the Major League Wrestling scene as the flashy up-and-comer who bore a stunning resemblance to Ryan Gosling's Ken in the film "Barbie." But over the last year, he's separated himself from that guy and has found a place in the Rogue Horsemen with Bobby Fish, C.J. and Brock Anderson. It's the newfound toughness he's hoping that carries into Battle Riot VII with the Major League Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship on the line. Gosselin was one of the 40 men in a match last year, but he did not come out the winner. "Last year was a little different," he explained to Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "I was running up by myself. I was pretty much a one-man show back then. This year, I have C.W. Anderson, Brock Anderson and Bobby Fish by my side. So, planning's been going on for months now for strategy going into the Battle Riot for this year. "When it comes to gold, BRG is the guy who is always searching for gold. I said at the beginning of 2025 that this is the year for the Rogue Horsemen to become a championship franchise and winning the MLW title would be the best first step into making that a reality." With his sights on championship gold, Gosselin made clear that all the "Barbie" business is in the rearview mirror, even as Battle Riot VII is set to take place at Thunder Studios Arena in Long Beach, California, for its Los Angeles County debut. "For people that don't know, they just assume that Brett Ryan Gosselin is my stage name, it's my real name. And with that said, a lot of what you see on TV is just naturally me," he explained. "That's just who I am as a person. I've always grown up with my father telling me that it doesn't matter how you win at the end of the day, as long as you win. History books are going to remember you as a winner and that's what I focus on. "When it comes to the 'Barbie' stuff, I played into it a little bit during the 'Barbie' movie when it was super popular, and obviously Ryan Gosling was Ken in that movie, so I had a little fun with that. But, you know, people can draw those comparisons now, but I think I very much surpassed Ryan Gosling's popularity from that 'Barbie' movie." Gosselin will be one of 40 men looking to walk out of Long Beach with championship gold. Matt Riddle is the current champion and looks to defend his title. Bishop Dyer, Donovan Dijak, Tom Lawlor, Jesus Rodriguez, Anthony Green and others will compete as well. Battle Riot VII takes place on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET.
