Wikipedia

MLW Summer of the Beasts

Summer of the Beasts was a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW) that took place on August 29, 2024, at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York. The event streamed live on MLW's YouTube channel.[1] A "surprise" streaming special called "Summer of the Beasts: Part 2", featuring unseen dark matches from the event, and the Bobby Fish vs Timothy Thatcher match that was cut from the live broadcast due to technical issues, would be uploaded to YouTube on September 7.[2]

Summer of the Beasts
Promotional poster
PromotionMajor League Wrestling
DateAugust 29, 2024
CityQueens, New York
VenueMelrose Ballroom
Event chronology
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The event was notable for the MLW debut of Donovan Dijak, and also saw the returns of TJP and Paul London; the latter having his first MLW match in 21 years.

Production

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Background

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On April 22, 2024, MLW announced that Summer of the Beasts would take place on August 29, 2024, at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York.[3][4]

Storylines

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The card will consist of matches that result from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portray 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 are played out at MLW events, and across the league's social media platforms.[5]

Per MLW's "Open Door Policy," several freelancers and wrestlers from other promotions were announced to appear at the event. Names include New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) Kenta, Stardom rookie Hanako and Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW) star Miyu Yamashita.[6][7][8] TJP, a former MLW talent that is currently signed to NJPW, was announced as an alternate for the Opera Cup tournament.[9] Brock Anderson, the son of Arn Anderson, would also be announced for Summer of the Beasts, teaming with former MLW star C. W. Anderson.[10] On August 22, Paul London, making his first MLW appearance since 2003, was announced for the event.[11]

Contra Unit (Mads Krule Krügger, Ikuro Kwon, and Minoru Suzuki) have been feuding with MLW World Tag Team Champions CozyMax – MLW World Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Kojima and Shigeo Okumura – over the summer. On July 22, it was announced that CozyMax would defend their Tag Team Championships against Kwon and Suzuki at Summer of the Beasts.[12] During the Never Say Never TV special on August 10, 2024 (which was taped at Blood & Thunder on July 12), Contra would attack Okumura backstage before defeating Kojima, Matt Riddle, and Akira in a 6-man tag team match later that night.[13]

Opera Cup

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The event will feature the quarterfinals of the 2024 Opera Cup tournament. The first match was announced on July 15, with NJPW's Kenta wrestling Akira.[14] On August 12, they announced MLW World Middleweight Champion Místico would face fellow Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) wrestler Atlantis Jr..[15] The following day, MLW National Openweight Champion Bad Dude Tito facing Alex Kane was made official.[16]

World Titan Federation (WTF) stablemates Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Tom Lawlor, both former Opera Cup winners, were originally scheduled to face each other in the quarterfinals. However, on August 15, MLW announced that Smith had to withdraw due to an injury. As a result, tournament alternate TJP was announced as Smith's replacement.[17]

Reception

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The early moments of the livestream were noted for its technical issues, resulting in the stream being pulled during the Timothy Thatcher vs. Bobby Fish match. MLW would attributed the issues to YouTube in a report from PWInsider.[18] The match would later air as part of the "surprise" "Summer of the Beasts: Part 2" special uploaded the following week to MLW's YouTube channel.[2]

Results

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No.ResultsStipulationsTimes[23][24]
1DDelmi Exo defeated Miyu Yamashita by pinfallSingles match[8]6:13
2DMads Krule Krügger defeated Mr. Thomas (with Alex Kane) by pinfallSingles match5:31
3DBobby Fish defeated Timothy Thatcher by pinfallSingles match[19]11:16
4Bad Dude Tito (with Jesús Rodriguez) defeated Alex Kane (with Mr. Thomas) by pinfall2024 Opera Cup Tournament quarterfinal match[16]8:15
5Janai Kai (c) defeated Hanako by submissionSingles match for the MLW World Women's Featherweight Championship[20]6:08
6TJP defeated Tom Lawlor (with Mister Saint Laurent) by pinfall2024 Opera Cup Tournament quarterfinal match[17]13:50
7Matt Riddle defeated Matthew Justice by pinfallSingles match[21]10:24
8Paul London defeated Brett Ryan Gosselin (with Bobby Fish) by pinfallSingles match[11]5:24
9The Andersons (Brock Anderson and C. W. Anderson) defeated Jay Lyon and Love, Doug by pinfallTag team match[10]2:31
10Kenta defeated Akira by pinfall2024 Opera Cup Tournament quarterfinal match[14]12:11
11Little Guido vs. Nolo Kitano vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. LSG ended in a no contestFour-way Scramble[22]2:00
12Contra Unit (Ikuro Kwon and Minoru Suzuki) defeated CozyMax (Satoshi Kojima and Shigeo Okumura) (c) by pinfallTag team match for the MLW World Tag Team Championship[12]10:26
13Místico defeated Atlantis Jr. (with Jesús Rodriguez) by pinfall2024 Opera Cup Tournament quarterfinal match[15]18:26
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
D – this was a dark match

References

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  1. ^ "MLW Moving PPVs To YouTube For Paid Members". Fightful. June 1, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "MLW TO STREAM 'SUMMER OF BEASTS 2' TONIGHT AT 7 PM EASTERN". PW Insider. September 7, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  3. ^ Tessier, Colin (April 22, 2024). "MLW Returning To New York City For MLW Summer Of The Beasts On August 29". Fightful. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Lee, Joseph (April 22, 2024). "MLW Returning To New York City in August With 'Summer of the Beasts'". 411Mania. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  5. ^ Grabianowski, Ed (13 January 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  6. ^ "KENTA fights at Summer of the Beasts in NYC, Aug 29". Major League Wrestling. July 11, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  7. ^ "STARDOM's HANAKO debuts in NYC Aug. 29". Major League Wrestling. July 18, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Yamashita-Exo 2 signed for Aug 29 in NYC". Major League Wrestling. July 25, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  9. ^ "TJP Returns at Summer of the Beasts in NYC Aug. 29". Major League Wrestling. July 23, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "The Andersons debut in NYC August 29". Major League Wrestling. August 14, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Paul London returns to MLW after 21 years Aug 29 in NYC". Major League Wrestling. August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Minoru Suzuki & Kwon vs. CozyMAX in NYC Aug. 29". Major League Wrestling. July 22, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  13. ^ Vetter, Chris (August 11, 2024). "MLW "Never Say Never" results (8/10): Vetter's review of Satoshi Kojima, Matt Riddle, Akira vs. Mads Krugger, Ikuro Kwon, and Minoru Suzuki, Paul Walter Hauser vs. Tom Lawlor in an MMA Cage match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "KENTA vs. AKIRA in NYC Aug. 29". Major League Wrestling. July 15, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Místico vs. Atlantis Jr. set for August 29 in NYC". Major League Wrestling. August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Alex Kane vs. Bad Dude Tito in NYC August 29". Major League Wrestling. August 13, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "TJP vs. Lawlor Opera Cup match set for Aug 29 in NYC". Major League Wrestling. August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  18. ^ Johnson, Mike (August 30, 2024). "MLW NEWS AND NOTES". PWInsider. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  19. ^ "Thatcher vs. Fish signed for NYC August 29". Major League Wrestling. August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  20. ^ "Stardom's HANAKO challenges for MLW title Aug 29 in NYC". Major League Wrestling. July 29, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  21. ^ "Matt Riddle vs. Matt Justice at Summer of the Beasts". Major League Wrestling. August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  22. ^ "Scramble match set for August 29 in NYC". Major League Wrestling. August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  23. ^ Vetter, Chris (August 29, 2024). "MLW "Summer of the Beasts" results (8/29): Vetter's review of Místico vs. Atlantis Jr., Kenta vs. Akira, Tom Lawlor vs. TJP, and Alex Kane vs. Tito Escondido in Opera Cup tournament quarterfinal matches". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  24. ^ Vetter, Chris (September 10, 2024). "MLW "Summer of the Beasts: Part 2" results: Vetter's review of Timothy Thatcher vs. Bobby Fish, Delmi Exo vs. Miyu Yamashita, and Mads Krule Krügger vs. Mr. Thomas". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
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