Major League Wrestling (MLW) is coming to national television with a new weekly series on the beIN Sports Network premiering April 20th.
Sports Illustrated broke the news on Monday that MLW has inked a deal with beIN Sports, which is available throughout 50 million homes across the Untied States.
MLW: Fusion is joining beIN Sports’ “Friday Night Fury” fight block. Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini will call the action, with tapings being held monthly throughout Florida.
MLW CEO Court Bauer revealed to SI that he’s been in talks with beIN Sports since the fall.
“We offer a different presentation because we identify ourselves as a combat sport, but we have a lot more creative freedom than every other combat sport to give the most high-octane presentation,” Bauer said.
MLW will crown a new World Heavyweight champion at the upcoming MLW: World Championship Finals show from Orlando (4/12). Later this year, Bauer confirmed, MLW will unveil both tag team titles and a middleweight title.
According to SI, MLW is getting television rights fees for the programming, which sets them apart from Impact Wrestling on Pop TV and Ring of Honor on Sinclair affiliates. MLW has also inked a deal that will allow Lucha Underground stars like Penta El Zero M and Rey Fenix to appear regularly for the promotion.
For more on this huge story, visit SportsIllustrated.com.
