Background Battle Riot is an annual event produced by Major League Wrestling that was first held in 2018 as a television taping for
MLW Fusion. The event is named after the
Battle Riot match, a multi-competitor
match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner. The match begins with a number of participants in the
ring, who are then eliminated by either pin, submission, or going over the top rope and having both feet touch the venue floor. The declared winner of the Battle Riot match receives a "golden ticket", which they can redeem for a future
MLW World Heavyweight Championship title shot anytime and anywhere. On February 19, 2024, it was announced that Battle Riot VI would take place on June 1, 2024, at
Center Stage in
Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to MLW's regular roster, and several surprise appearances, guest personalities from outside of pro wrestling were announced as participants. On May 15, it was announced in a press release that actor
Paul Walter Hauser would be in the Battle Riot match.
Alex Kane had been embroiled in a feud with World Titan Federation (WTF) member
A. J. Franci$ since February's
The Burning Crush special. At
Intimidation Games, Franci$, making his in-person debut, confronted Kane after his match to claim that not every member of Kane's Bomaye Fight Club (BFC) was loyal to him. Franci$ would go on to defeat Kane in the former's in-ring debut at
War Chamber due to interference from WTF promoter Mister Saint Laurent, a low blow, and a fast count from the referee. Several members of the BFC would come out after the match and raise their fists in salute to Franci$. During the
Fury Road special, which aired on May 18, Kane defeated one of Franci$'s henchmen. After the match, Franci$, via vignette, challenged Kane to a "
Ritual Combat match" at Battle Riot VI for control of the BFC, which Kane accepted. Since losing the
MLW World Women's Featherweight Championship to
Janai Kai – then representing
Salina de la Renta's Promociones Dorado – at
Slaughterhouse the previous October,
Delmi Exo has unsuccessfully attempted to recapture the title on multiple occasions. During the
Once Upon A Time In New York special, which aired on March 16, Exo aligned herself with
Azteca Lucha's Cesar Duran and defeated Zayda to become the #1 contender. In the aftermath of Salina's abduction by Duran at the end of the
MLW Azteca Lucha event, Kai was revealed as a double agent for
Contra Unit during the
Fury Road TV special (which aired the following week); helping facilitate the group's return to prominence. Kai would then retain her title against Exo, Zayda, and
Miyu Yamashita in a
four-way match that same night. On May 23, MLW announced that Exo would finally get a one-on-one rematch against Kai for the Featherweight title at Battle Riot VI. ==Reception==