Blood & Thunder (2024)

Blood & Thunder (2024)
Promotional poster
PromotionMajor League Wrestling
DateJuly 12, 2024
CitySt. Petersburg, Florida
VenueThe Coliseum
Event chronology
← Previous
Battle Riot VI 		Next →
Summer of the Beasts
Blood and Thunder chronology
← Previous
2023 		Next →
—

Blood & Thunder (2024) was a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW), which took place on July 12, 2024, at The Coliseum in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was the fourth event under the Blood and Thunder chronology, and the first to be aired live. The event streamed live on MLW's YouTube channel, while additional matches were taped for Never Say Never, which aired as a TV special on August 10 on BeIN Sports USA and YouTube.[1]

Production

Background

Blood and Thunder is a reoccurring event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW) that was first held in 2019 as a television taping for MLW Fusion.

On September 3, 2023, at Fury Road, it was announced that Blood & Thunder would take place on January 6, 2024.[2][3] On December 11, however, it was announced instead that Kings of Colosseum would be taking its place.[4] On March 28, 2024, it was announced that Blood & Thunder would now take place on July 12, 2024, at The Colosseum in St. Petersburg, Florida.[5][6]

Storylines

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.[7]

The main feud going into the event centred around Matt Riddle and Sami Callihan. Riddle announced his intentions to become MLW World Heavyweight Champion in a post-match interview at MLW Azteca Lucha before Callihan abruptly attacked him.[8] This resulted in a match between the two during the "Fury Road" television special, which ended in a no contest.[9] At Battle Riot VI, Riddle last eliminated Callihan in the titular match to win, earning a world title opportunity.[10] Callihan would later ambush Riddle again during the "MLW Anniversary '24" special, when the latter was giving another interview. The two would brawl throughout the event before ultimately being separated. Callihan then issued a challenge to Riddle to any type of match at Blood & Thunder.[11] On June 25, MLW announced a No Ropes Deathmatch between Riddle and Callihan at Blood & Thunder for the latter's World title shot in the main event.[12]

At War Chamber, Team MLW (Satoshi Kojima, Shigeo Okumura, Matthew Justice, and 1 Called Manders) defeated Team WTF (Tom Lawlor, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Richard Holliday, and Josh Bishop) in the titular match. They would be ambushed by Contra Unit shortly afterwards, and be attacked by Mads Krule Krügger, the returning Ikuro Kwon, and the Sentai Death Squad members.[13] Since then, Krügger would be involved in a feud with the Second Gear Crew (SGC) (Justice and Manders) over the last three months, which included defeating Justice in a falls count anywhere match at Fury Road, taking out manager Bill Alfonso backstage, and targeting the SGC during Battle Riot VI.[9][10] On June 12, MLW announced on their website that Krügger and Justice would face off at Blood & Thunder in a Three Stages of Destruction match; with the first stage being a First Blood match, the second stage a Street Fight, and the final stage being a Medical Evacuation match.[14]

Akira would be targeted by Contra Unit during Battle Riot VI. After eliminating, and being eliminated by, Ikuro Kwon, Akira was thrown off the stage by Mads Krule Krügger.[10] On June 13, Akira was announced to be facing Minoru Suzuki, who was revealed the newest member of Contra Unit during the Battle Riot, at Blood & Thunder.[15]

Opera Cup

Several first-round matches in the 2024 Opera Cup were announced for Blood & Thunder and the TV tapings. The first match was announced on June 17, where MLW World Middleweight Champion Místico would face Magnus.[16] Two days later, MLW World Tag Team Champion Shigeo Okumura was announced to face Atlantis Jr. as part of the first round.[17] The next day, it was announced that 2020 Opera Cup winner Tom Lawlor would face Jake Crist.[18]

During the MLW Anniversary '24 special, it was announced Kenta would make his debut for the promotion when he faces Bobby Fish in the first round.[19] On July 2, Bomaye Fight Club teammates Alex Kane and Mr. Thomas were announced to face each other in the first round.[20] On July 8, UK standout Danny Jones was announced to make his MLW debut against MLW National Openweight Champion Bad Dude Tito in the final first round match.[21]

Results

Blood & Thunder
No.Results[23]StipulationsTimes[24]
1Atlantis Jr. defeated Shigeo Okumura by pinfall2024 Opera Cup Tournament first round match[17]8:33
2Tom Lawlor (with Mister Saint Laurent) defeated Jake Crist by technical submission2024 Opera Cup Tournament first round match[18]7:09
3Minoru Suzuki (with Ikuro Kwon) defeated Akira by pinfallSingles match[15]11:18
4Mads Krule Krügger (with the Sentai Death Squad) defeated Matthew Justice (with Bill Alfonso) 2–1Three Stages of Destruction match[14] 19:18
5Janai Kai (c) defeated Gigi Rey by pinfallSingles match for the MLW World Women's Featherweight Championship[22]5:11
6Kenta defeated Bobby Fish by pinfall2024 Opera Cup Tournament first round match[19]17:15
7Matt Riddle defeated Sami Callihan by submissionNo Ropes Deathmatch for Riddle's MLW World Heavyweight Championship title shot[12]14:54
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
Never Say Never (August 10)
No.ResultsStipulationsTimes[29]
1DGigi Rey defeated Gianna GageSingles match—
2Místico defeated Magnus by submission2024 Opera Cup Tournament first round match[16]13:59
3Bad Dude Tito Escondido (with Jesús Rodríguez and Salina de la Renta) defeated Danny Jones by pinfall2024 Opera Cup Tournament first round match[21]6:18
4Brett Ryan Gosselin defeated Jake Crist by pinfallSingles match2:49
5A. J. Franci$ defeated Davey Boy Smith Jr. (with Mister Saint Laurent) by disqualificationSingles match[25]6:11
6Delmi Exo (with Cesar Duran) defeated Renee Michelle by pinfallSingles match[26]4:42
7Alex Kane defeated Mr. Thomas by pinfall2024 Opera Cup Tournament first round match[20]5:49
8Paul Walter Hauser defeated Tom Lawlor by pinfallMMA Cage match[27]14:17
9Contra Unit (Mads Krule Krügger, Minoru Suzuki, and Ikuro Kwon) (with Janai Kai) defeated Satoshi Kojima, Matt Riddle, and AkiraSix-man tag team match[28]10:34
D – this was a dark match

References

  1. ^ "MLW Moving PPVs To YouTube For Paid Members". Fightful. June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  2. ^ Defelice, Robert (September 3, 2023). "MLW Blood & Thunder 2024 Set For January 6, 2024". Fightful.
  3. ^ Thomas, Jeremy (September 3, 2023). "MLW Blood & Thunder 2024 Official For January". 411Mania.
  4. ^ "Dates Announced For First Three MLW Events Of 2024". Wrestling News Net. December 11, 2023.
  5. ^ Defelice, Robert (March 28, 2024). "MLW Blood & Thunder 2024 To Emanate From St. Petersburg, Florida On 7/12".
  6. ^ Harris, Jeffrey (April 2, 2024). "MLW Announces Tickets Now Available for Blood and Thunder". 411Mania.com.
  7. ^ Grabianowski, Ed (13 January 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  8. ^ "AZTECA Lucha Recap: Mistico Defends World Middleweight Title In Sold-Out Chicago". Major League Wrestling. May 12, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Fury Road Recap: Battle Of The Lariats Between Kojima & 1 Called Manders". Major League Wrestling. May 19, 2024. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Siino, John (June 2, 2024). "MLW Battle Riot VI: 40-Person Battle Riot, Kojima vs. Lawlor, Mark Henry". POST Wrestling. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  11. ^ "MLW Anniversary '24 Show Recap: 2024 Opera Cup Begins, Manders vs. Krugger In Bull Rope Match". Major League Wrestling. June 23, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Riddle vs. Callihan No Ropes Death Match, July 12 in St Pete". Major League Wrestling. June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  13. ^ Vetter, Chris (March 29, 2024). "MLW "War Chamber" results (3/29): Vetter's review of Satoshi Kojima, Matthew Justice, 1 Called Manders, and Okumura vs. Tom Lawlor, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Richard Holliday, and Josh Bishop in a War Chamber match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "3 Stages of Destruction in Tampa July 12". Major League Wrestling. June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Minoru Suzuki vs. AKIRA in Tampa, July 12". Major League Wrestling. June 13, 2024. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Místico vs. Magnus: Opera Cup Showdown in St. Petersburg". Major League Wrestling. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Atlantis Jr. vs. Okumura, St. Petersburg July 12". Major League Wrestling. June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Tom Lawlor vs. Jake Crist at Blood & Thunder, July 12". Major League Wrestling. June 20, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "KENTA vs. Bobby Fish set for St Petersburg, FL on July 12". Major League Wrestling. June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Kane vs. Mr. Thomas Opera Cup clash July 12 in St. Petersburg". Major League Wrestling. July 2, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Bad Dude Tito vs. UK's Danny Jones this Friday in St. Petersburg". Major League Wrestling. July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  22. ^ "Women's World Featherweight Title Fight signed for Blood & Thunder". Major League Wrestling. July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  23. ^ Tessier, Colin (July 12, 2024). "MLW Blood & Thunder '24 Results (7/12): Matt Riddle vs. Sami Callihan, More". Wrestlezone.
  24. ^ Vetter, Chris (July 13, 2024). "MLW "Blood and Thunder" results (7/12): Vetter's review of Matt Riddle vs. Sami Callihan in a No Ropes Death Match, Mads Krule Krugger vs. Matthew Justice in Three Stages of Destruction, Opera Cup tournament matches". Pro Wrestling Dot Net.
  25. ^ "Hoss Fight! DBS vs. AJ Francis Set for St. Petersburg". Major League Wrestling. June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  26. ^ "Renee Michelle vs. Delmi Exo signed for St. Petersburg". Major League Wrestling. July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  27. ^ Johnson, Mike (August 5, 2024). "Tom Lawlor vs. Paul Walter Hauser This Saturday in MMA Cage on MLW Never Say Never". PWInsider.com.
  28. ^ "Kojima in action July 12 in St. Petersburg". Major League Wrestling. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  29. ^ 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.