Middleweight title eliminator match set for MLW Blood & Thunder
A match with future Middleweight title implications is set for MLW’s Blood & Thunder tapings.
MLW has announced that TJP vs. Matt Cross will take place at Blood & Thunder on Friday, January 21. It’s a Middleweight title eliminator match, with the winner getting a future shot at the MLW Middleweight Championship.
Tajiri currently holds the MLW Middleweight title. He’s set to defend it in a triple threat match against Myron Reed and a mystery opponent at Blood & Thunder.
Tajiri also has a Middleweight title defense scheduled against Jody Fleisch for World Pro Wrestling in the United Kingdom on Saturday, February 19.
“TJP, fresh off of an impressive outing in the ’21 Opera Cup, where he went to the finals, looks to start 2022 with a statement. A win over the globe-trotting grappler Matt Cross would start the new year with a punctuation,” MLW wrote.
“Meanwhile, the talented Matt Cross has rumbled with some of MLW’s best and is hungry to get into the mix for a crack at the middleweight championship.”
The Blood & Thunder tapings are being held at Gilley’s Dallas in Dallas, Texas. Here’s the updated lineup for the event:
- Falls count anywhere match: MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone defends against Pagano
- Texas Tornado match: MLW Tag Team Champions 5150 (Slice Boogie & Danny “Limelight” Rivera) defend against Marshall & Ross Von Erich
- Jacob Fatu vs. Mads Krugger
- Triple threat match: MLW Middleweight Champion Tajiri defends against Myron Reed and a mystery entrant
- MLW National Openweight Champion Alex Kane defends against Calvin Tankman
- Rok-C vs. Miranda Gordy
- Davey Richards vs. ACH
- Middleweight title eliminator match: TJP vs. Matt Cross
- Trios match: Aramis, El Dragon, and a mystery partner vs. Arez, Gino Medina & Mini Abismo Negro
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.