Shigehiro Irie To Defend wXw Unified World Wrestling Title At MLW Battle Riot

While most of MLW's attention has been concentrated on the upcoming War Chamber '23 card set for New York City on April 6, the promotion has begun walking and chewing gum at the same time in setting the table for Battle Riot V two days later in Philadelphia. Today, MLW announced a collaboration with the German indie wXw that will bring its Unified World Wrestling Champion Shigehiro Irie to the 2300 Arena to defend his title against Calvin Tankman — the first match for this championship in an MLW ring. 

Irie just captured the title 15 days ago in winning the annual wXw 16 Carat Gold Tournament, defeating Axel Tischer — formerly WWE's Alexander Wolfe — in the tourney finals. Days later, Irie managed to retain in a three-way bout with A-Buck and Aigle Blanc at another cross-promotional show, this time between wXw and the French promotion Association les Professionnels du Catch.

Big matches are nothing new for Tankman though, as he's slowly risen up the ranks of MLW the past few years. However, it could serve as a true showcase for Irie in America after recently gaining momentum across several U.S. appearances and his title victory. Irie has developed a cult following on the basis of his work in his native Japan, where he's appeared for DDT, GLEAT, All Japan Pro Wrestling, and Big Japan Pro Wrestling.

In addition to the wXw title match, Battle Riot V is built around the 40-man Battle Riot match, which both Irie and Tankman will also participate in. Plus, Alex Hammerstone will put the MLW World Championship on the line against Real1.