The list of names for MLW’s Battle Riot continues to grow.
For those out of the loop, Matt Riddle is scheduled to defend the MLW World Heavyweight Championship in the company’s annual Battle Riot match. It’s a 40-wrestler match where pinfalls, submissions, and over-the-top eliminations all count.
This is also the first time that the Battle RIOT match has been held for the World Heavyweight Championship. MLW has already confirmed several big names; former MLW World Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Kojima, Paul Walter Hauser, Bobby Fish, Paul London, and Brock Anderson are just some of the competitors confirmed for the match.
Now, add former WWE star Jesus Rodriguez to the mix.
For those mid-2000’s WWE fans, this is the former announcer for Alberto Del Rio. Rodriguez was in the promotion for four years before WWE released him in July 2014. Since then, the 39-year-old has been traveling the indie scene wrestling throughout various promotions.
Rodriguez originally made his Major League Wrestling debut in 2023. His first match? The Battle Riot. That year, Alex Kane won the 40-wrestler match. Rodriguez didn’t do particularly well as he was eliminated by Mance Warner (current TNA Wrestling star) within 16-minutes. This is his third Battle Riot match as he was in the 2024 version that was won by the MLW World Heavyweight Champion himself.
Battle Riot 2025 is shaping up to be an exciting event as various talents throughout the independent scene are confirmed for the upcoming match. Battle RIOT VII live on YouTube card (10pm ET start). The card has three championship matches thus far, including the MLW World Heavyweight Championship. Below is the advertised line-up for MLW’s Battle Riot show:
- 40-wrestler Battle RIOT match for Matt Riddle’s MLW World Heavyweight Championship. Participants:
- Matt Riddle (champion)
- Donovan Dijak
- Satoshi Kojima
- Barbaro Cavernario’
- Hechicero
- Paul Walter Hauser
- Paul London
- Atlantis Jr.
- BRG
- Bobby Fish
- Alex Kane
- Brock Anderson
- Okumura
- Juicy Finau
- Jesus Rodriguez
MLW World Middleweight Championship:
Místico (champion) vs. Templario
MLW Women’s World Featherweight Championship:
Delmi Exo (champion) vs. Shoko Nakajima
We’ll continue to update this list when more names are announced.