NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Alex Hammerstone will attempt to accomplish a feat in Major League Wrestling (MLW) that only one other person has accomplished in the promotion’s history: winning the Battle Riot match twice.
Hammerstone won the 41-man event in 2021. It was the third edition of the match in the company’s history. He entered the ring as the 35th competitor and emerged victorious. Later that year, he defeated Jacob Fatu for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship.
MLW announced Hammerstone as the first participant in Battle Riot VIII, which will take place on January 29 at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Alex Hammerstone returned to Major League Wrestling in April 2025 at Battle Riot VII. (MLW)
“The goal is to win,” he told Pak Gazette Digital in an interview Monday. “I won it once before and that was the match that ultimately led to me becoming MLW World Champion. Obviously, that was a big highlight of my career, and coming back to the company, I don’t want to go back and stay in the middle of the pack. I want to climb back to the top and if Battle Riot is the vehicle to get me there, then all expectations are winning.”
Hammerstone made a surprise return to MLW at this year’s Battle Riot in April after being with TNA Wrestling for a few years.
He called the public’s reaction to his return “very gratifying.”
“In wrestling there’s always a feeling of ‘What have you done for me lately?’ and “You’re only as good as your last game.” Especially having had a period of time where I faced so many struggles, whether it was injuries and surgeries and being away and feeling, at times, like I didn’t have the opportunity to perform as I would have liked, there was a lot of concern that the fans wouldn’t welcome me the same way they did when I was there before.
“So to get that reaction, to see the emotion and feel that energy, was very rewarding at the time.”
PRO WRESTLING STARS KILLER KROSS AND SCARLETT BORDEAUX TALK ABOUT ‘VERY SIMPLE DECISION’ TO WORK IN MLW AGAIN
Alex Hammerstone poses on the ropes during a Major League Wrestling match. (MLW)
Hammerstone, 34, has been on the professional wrestling circuit since 2013 and initially began his time in MLW in 2019 when he helped form The Dynasty faction with Richard Holliday and Maxwell Jacob Friedman. He then competed in Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan for a short time and had a good year with TNA.
He has had to deal with some injuries that have stopped some of the momentum he had built. The injuries not only took time away from the ring, but created a cloud of doubt about his ability to stay healthy.
Hammerstone told Pak Gazette Digital how he struggled to overcome the noise and scrutiny he faced and focus on the task at hand.
“It’s hard. Over the years, there have been many times where it’s almost broken me, and maybe there have been times when it’s broken me and I’ve had to put myself back together,” he said. “I can’t speak for everyone, but I know for me specifically, the things that I’ve done, the things that I’ve given to the business, the things effort-wise and the things that I do on a daily basis, there are moments in my day where I realize that I don’t think anyone could be giving more than me.
“And when you have that kind of belief in your own effort system, that tends to really solidify the belief that you have in yourself to succeed. So no matter how much noise or outside opinions or whatever might try to break me, just knowing the kind of determination that I’ve continued to maintain for almost 15 years despite everything, really builds a foundation that sustains me to this day.”
Hammerstone’s belief system, along with his in-ring prowess, is why he is ripe to become the next challenger for Mads Krule Krugger’s MLW World Heavyweight Championship.
And vice versa, that’s why Hammerstone believes in MLW as a company in the professional wrestling industry.
Alex Hammerstone pushes Matt Riddle to the mat during a Major League Wrestling match. (MLW)
“It wouldn’t be out of the question to call them a sort of underdog promotion. They didn’t come out of the gate backed by a billionaire who was signing TV deals from day one. “We’ve had a roster of guys, who at different times have struggled and struggled to carve out a personality and carve out their own place within the industry.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
“I think it’s something that resonates with a lot of fans and resonates with a lot of wrestlers. So wrestlers have the opportunity to go to different places, and MLW is one of them, it’s a place worth being in because, like I said, they managed to weather a storm and carve out their own niche in the industry. Not only do the fans respect that, but the wrestlers respect that and it’s still a very prestigious place to wrestle.”
