Battle Riot VIII

Battle Riot VIII
Promotional poster featuring various wrestlers
Promotion	Major League Wrestling
Date	January 29, 2026
City	Kissimmee, Florida
Venue	Osceola Heritage Park Events Center
Event chronology
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Battle Riot chronology
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Battle Riot VIII is an upcoming professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW) that will take place on January 29, 2026, at the Osceola Heritage Park Events Center in Kissimmee, Florida. The event will air live on BeIN Sports USA and will stream live on MLW's YouTube channel.

Production

Background

Battle Riot is an annual event produced by Major League Wrestling that was first held in 2018 as a television taping for MLW Fusion. The event is named after the Battle Riot match, a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner. The match begins with a number of participants in the ring, who are then eliminated by either pin, submission, or going over the top rope and having both feet touch the venue floor. The declared winner of the Battle Riot match receives a "golden ticket", which they can redeem for a future MLW World Heavyweight Championship title shot anytime and anywhere, however in this year, World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line in this Battle Riot.

On November 13, 2025, MLW announced that Battle Riot VIII would take place on January 29, 2026, at the Osceola Heritage Park Events Center in Kissimmee, Florida.^[1]

Storylines

The card consisted of matches that result from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches, with results predetermined by MLW's writers. Storylines were played out at MLW events, and across the league's social media platforms.^[2]

Matches

Battle Riot VIII

No.	Matches*	Stipulations
1	40-man Battle Riot	40-man Battle Riot match for a future MLW World Heavyweight Championship match
2	Templario (c) vs. Kushida	Singles match for the MLW World Middleweight Championship[3]
(c)  – the champion(s) heading into the match *Card subject to change

List of participants

18 out of 40 participants have been announced for the Battle Riot.

Participant	Date Announced
Alexander Hammerstone	December 8, 2025[4]
Karl Anderson	December 9, 2025[5]
Matthew Justice	December 10, 2025[6]
Kushida	December 11, 2025[7]
Doc Gallows	December 15, 2025[8]
Killer Kross	December 16, 2025[9]
Paul London	December 17, 2025[10]
Adam Brooks	December 18, 2025[11]
Templario	December 22, 2025[12]
Mr. Thomas	December 23, 2025[13]
Jesús Rodriguez	December 29, 2025[14]
Diego Hill	December 30, 2025[15]
Shigeo Okumura	December 31, 2025[16]
Bishop Dyer	January 6, 2026[17]
Donovan Dijak	January 7, 2026[18]
Ikuro Kwon	January 8, 2026[19]
Austin Aries	January 12, 2026[20]
Mark Coffey	January 13, 2026[21]

References

1. "MLW returns to Orlando for Battle RIOT VIII January 29". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
2. Grabianowski, Ed (13 January 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
3. "Templario defends World Middleweight Title against KUSHIDA at Battle RIOT". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
4. "Hammerstone first participant announced for Battle Riot VIII in Kissimmee". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
5. "Karl Anderson makes his Battle RIOT debut Jan 29". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
6. "Matthew Justice Joins the fray for Battle RIOT VIII Jan. 29". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
7. "KUSHIDA joins the field for Battle RIOT VIII this January". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
8. "Good Brother Doc Gallows enters the RIOT on Jan 29 in Florida". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
9. "Killer Kross enters Battle RIOT VIII on Jan 29 in Kissimmee". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
10. "Paul London enters Battle RIOT VIII — Jan 29 in Kissimmee". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
11. "Adam Brooks joins the global field for Battle RIOT VIII on Jan 29". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
12. "CMLL's Templario steps into Battle RIOT VIII Jan 29 in Kissimmee". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
13. "Mr. Thomas enters Battle RIOT VIII Jan 29 in Kissimmee". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
14. "Jesus Rodriguez enters Battle RIOT VIII Jan 29 in Kissimmee". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
15. "Diego Hill enters Battle RIOT VIII Jan 29 in Kissimmee". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
16. "Okumru enters Battle RIOT VIII Jan 29 in Kissimmee". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
17. "Bishop Dyer added to MLW Battle RIOT VIII Jan 29 in Kissimmee". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
18. "Donovan Dijak enters Battle RIOT VIII Jan 29 in Kissimmee". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
19. "Ikuro Kwon Enters Battle RIOT VIII January 29 in Kissimmee". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
20. "Austin Aries enters Battle RIOT VIII on Jan 29 in Kissimmee, FL". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
21. "Glasgow's Mark Coffey enters Battle RIOT VIII Jan 29 in Kissimmee, FL". Major League Wrestling. Retrieved January 13, 2026.