Your new MLW National Openweight Champion is Davey Richards.
Richards defeated Alex Kane to win the MLW National Openweight Title during Thursday’s MLW Battle Riot IV tapings in New York City. Richards hit a Gotch Piledriver, a Brainbuster, and a double Stomp from the top to win the match. After the match, he was given a standing ovation.
Richards is reigning for the first time in MLW and with the title. He becomes only the third MLW National Openweight Champion in history thanks to this victory. At MLW War Chamber on November 6, 2021, Reed defeated Alex Shelley, ACH, Zenshi, and the reigning MLW World Middleweight Champion to capture the vacant championship. The inaugural champion, Alexander Hammerstone, who is currently the MLW World Heavyweight Champion, defeated Brian Pillman Jr. in the tournament finals to win the championship in June 2019. Hammerstone had the championship for 865 days before he won the World Title, at which point he gave it up. For 230 days, Reed held the strap.
For full spoilers from the MLW Battle Riot IV tapings, click here. The dates for Richards vs. Kane have not yet been announced, but the matches that were taped on Thursday night will show as MLW Fusion episodes and as the Battle Riot IV special over the coming weeks.
Richards was seeking to end the braggadocios Suplex Assassin’s rant and end his year-long pursuit of the title, per the storyline going into the Richards vs. Kane championship match. At the MLW Kings of Colosseum event on May 13 in Philadelphia, which was the controversial $20,000 “Thrilla In Phila” Prize Fight Challenge, Kane and Richards battled to a 20-minute time limit draw.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more.
