MLW Kings of Colosseum 2024 Hot Take by Mike Johnson
2024 is here and as a new sun rises on the horizon, the stars of Major League Wrestling are all vying to be crowned the king of combat sports. On Saturday January 6th, MLW will return to TrillerTV+, bringing forth every decorated style of professional wrestling, providing the spotlight they all deserve when Kings of Colosseum 2024 emanates from one of the most venerated fight clubs of all time, South Philadelphia's 2300 Arena!
MLW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN
2023 has been nothing if not controversial for Major League Wrestling as inter-promotional battles were fought inside the ring, in boardrooms across the country and even among the most lethal legal sharks in the game. There have been settlements, intrusions, showdowns and even the rise of legendary fight promoter Don King as the money and the man behind the MLW World Heavyweight Champion, Alex Kane and his Bomaye Fight Club.
Kane's ascension to the top of MLW has caused ripple effects across the sport as every talent in the promotion has come aiming for the suplex specialist, with the changing landscape capturing the attention of some of professional wrestling's top free agents. In recent months, Kane's primary challenges have come from roster members of Mister Saint Laurent's World Titan Federation, including Matt Cardona. While Kane has remained victorious, perhaps his greatest challenge to date will come in Philadelphia when WTF's most recent signing, the returning Richard Holliday steps into the ring as Kane's newest challenger.
Proudly touted as a salt of the earth star who breathes rarified air, Holliday in the past has pushed MLW stars to their breaking point, including Alexander Hammerstone, King Muertes, Savio Vega and many others. After taking an extended period of time away to address his health and beat cancer, Holliday stepped right back into the thick of battle at One Shot in NYC when he returned to issue a challenge to Alex Kane, then revealed he was aligned with the WTF.
What this mind-bending twist of fate means is that a talented fighter who was always seen as an MLW Original and would have been welcomed back with open arms no matter how antagonistic he is as a personality is now the sworn enemy of the promotion he helped ascend internationally. If he can achieve ultimate victory over Kane, Holliday will have finally accomplished his greatest goal, becoming the MLW World Heavyweight Champion, but in the same moment of triumph, will also plummet the promotion he once proudly represented into the darkest realms of hell, giving the World Titan Federation all the power.
While the battle inside the ring will be a collision of two styles - Kane's ground and pound pulverizing suplexes against Holliday's traditionally excellence chessmaster technical acumen, it's also the story of two very different promoters and strategists. It's Don King vs. Mister Saint Laurent, a showdown no one could have predicted even six months ago. This battle for the MLW World Championship will reverberate for eons off the walls of the 2300 Arena. In a city that was built for fighting, Alex Kane vs. Richard Holliday sets the stage for MLW on TrillerTV+ for all of 2024.
A RIDDLE TO BE SOLVED?
As noted, the crowning of Alex Kane as the MLW World Champion has captured the attention of countless free agents looking to make their mark in the New Year. Chief among them is former UFC fighter turned world class professional wrestler Matt Riddle, who declared at MLW Holiday Rush that he was entering active competition within MLW for the first time since 2018, when he battled all the way to the finals of the MLW World Championship tournament before losing to Swerve Strickland.
Following a journey that brought him the WWE United States Championship, the EVOLVE title, the WWN Championship and countless Tag Team Championships across the globe, Riddle has earmarked Major League Wrestling to settle unfinished business and capture the World Championship that has previously eluded him…but the path to glory is never easy.
Enter Jacob Fatu.
Himself a former MLW World Champion, Fatu is one of the most furious and ferocious competitors in Major League Wrestling, rising to become one the promotions true gatekeepers. If you want to make it in MLW, you need to prove yourself to Jacob Fatu, even if victory isn't an option. While Matt Riddle's laid back demeanor may fool some, the reality is he's a true prize fighter who has created a very unique hybrid style inside the ring, making himself one of the most unique combat sports superstars in the world - but he's still going to have to contend with Jacob Fatu.
This is the same Jacob Fatu who ruled over MLW with an iron fist. The same Fatu who recently ended his rivalry with Alexander Hammerstone once and for all at Holiday Rush. The same Fatu who is obsessed with regaining the World Championship and is ready to go to war with anyone and everyone who stands in his way. The same Fatu who can throw fists and take to the air like no one else in professional wrestling, a competitor who elicits comparisons to Stan Hansen and Sabu at the same time.
Fatu has called out Riddle to prove himself and The King of Bros will enter the deepest end of the shark tank that is Major League Wrestling at Kings of Colosseum live on TrillerTV+!
TAIPEI FISTS OF DEATH
One of the most legendarily violent matches in the history of Extreme Championship Wrestling took place in July 1995 as estranged brothers Axl and Ian Rotten fought in the very first, very blood Taipei Fists of Deaths match, where they each dipped their taped fists into shards of glass, creating perhaps the most insane incarnation of pugilism every seen in South Philadelphia, until now.
MLW National Openweight Champion Rickey Shane Page, who has led the dark counter-culture charge of The Calling since Raven unleashed the vile faction upon Major League Wrestling has gone to war, trying to decimate The Calling's former member AKIRA. The world traveled Catch Death master, Akira adeptly balances submission grappling and the ultraviolent death match style, willing to submerge himself into pure torture over the course of battle if it means decimation and destruction for his opponent.
With RSP having humiliated him in the past, Akira seeks to take him to the extreme by bludgeoning him physically and beating him emotionally before taking the National Openweight Championship. In order to do so, Akira will have to bring all the lessons he learned worldwide while touring Japan for Big Japan Wrestling and prepare for one of MLW's most historically violent fighters.
RSP is certainly no stranger to the Death Match environment, having held top championships in some of the most destructive and violent promotions in the world. He's willing to destroy all in his path and brings the power of The Calling to the battle. In an Arena that has witnessed countless levels of extreme wrestling over the decades, history will not only repeat itself, but a new evolution of violence will rise to the forefront. Glass will meet fists. Fists will meet flesh. A championship will be decided and these men will never be the same again. The scarlet red battle will stream live for TrillerTV+ subscribers.
While Axl Rotten was victorious over Ian on that hot summer night in 1995, one could argue their careers were never, ever the same again. What will this violent clash mean for Akira and RSP?
INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE FIGHT
The proliferation of incredible international talents coming to Major League Wrestling to expand their global reputation continues at Kings of Colosseum in Philadelphia as Salina de la Renta presents MLW World Featherweight Champion Janai Kai as she battles the debuting Tokyo Joshi Pro star Hyper Misao.
In the fine tradition of a "Sweet" Stan Lane or Rob Van Dam, Kai has, as Jim Ross might say, "educated feet", bringing a highly volatile and dangerous martial arts offensive array to her opponents in the ring, shocking the world with not just her MLW World Featherweight Championship victory over Delmi Exo, but just how brutal her championship defenses have been thus far. No true aficionado of the sport is shocked at Kai's brilliance as a fighter, but the swiftness of her execution in the ring is stunning. She is in the zone and absolutely one to watch in 2024 across the entire pro wrestling spectrum.
While Kai's star was made in 2023, Hyper Misao has come to MLW seeking championship glory and in-ring acclaim. The masked star has proclaimed herself a true hero to the masses, but her actions in the ring certainly prove otherwise, as she's willing to shatter the rules in order to achieve victory. Whether it be battling in Death Matches or brawling around ringside, Misao maintains a true edge to her in-ring battles, the type of hybrid wrestling that Kai has yet to contend with in MLW.
In a battle between two fierce competitors ready to cross every line in order to have their hands raised in victory when the battlefield clears, what will this international incident mean for MLW, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling and the entire international professional wrestling landscape when TrillerTV+ subscribers stream Kings of Colosseum to their TrillerTV devices?
THE WAR CONTINUES AND MORE!
As if those main events aren't enough to define Major League Wrestling's new year, Kings of Colosseum will also see MLW's reigning World Tag Team Champions The Second Gear Crew seek revenge as they throw down with World Titan Federation's "Filthy" Tom Lawlor and Josh Bishop. With the holiday season having been ruined by WTF beating down and decimating The Second Gear Crew in NYC, they march into Philadelphia seeking a New Year's retribution. All four of these hard-nosed competitors are ready to break bones and elicit blood in order to prove their dominance and walk away with the gold.
The eccentric Love, Doug will battle Brett Ryan Gosselin in the world's first-ever Love is Blind bout sparked by perhaps the most unique love triangle in MLW history. Love, Doug made his affection for pop star B3cca well known, only to face the wrath of her boyfriend, BRG, when he was mistakenly tricked into believing B3cca was returning Doug's romantic overtures. Now, Doug will prove that love is blind and so is revenge when he and BRG are masked, rendered sightless, and will have to battle to the bitter end. Will the victor enjoy the spoils of this very unique war?
MLW's Trios division will be on display live from Philadelphia at Kings of Colosseum as Wasted Youth & Alec Price will step into battle with Tony Deppen & TJ Crawford & Griffin McCoy. This athletic display will see a mix of MLW's next generation of hybrid warriors take to the ring and skies with not only insane aerial assault combinations but straight-forward smash mouth in-ring grappling and submissions. As 2023 recedes into the rear-view mirror, the future is indeed bright for all of Major League Wrestling's warriors!
TrillerTV+ subscribers will once again feel the pain and witness the chaos first-hand from the safety of their TrillerTV devices, as Major League Wrestling seeks to reign over the new year as the Kings of Colosseum battle live from Philadelphia's most renowned Arena!
Mike Johnson is the lead reporter for PWInsider.com and has been writing about professional wrestling since 1996. He can be found on Twitter @MikePWInsider and MikeJohnsonWrites.com.