“League officials have been meeting with Cesar Duran as El Jefe looks to rev up the women’s featherweight division in the weeks and months ahead.
In fact, MLW.com has learned that the first women’s featherweight championship is being designed.”
MLW has been beefing up its women’s division since last year. Female competitors listed on the MLW fighters page include Ashley Vox, Delmi Exo and Miranda Gordy.
MLW’s Champions
Here’s a roll call of the current MLW Champions:
World Heavyweight Champion: Alex Hammerstone
World Tag Team Champions 5150: Rivera & Slice Boogie
World Middleweight Champion: Myron Reed
National Openweight Champion: Alex Kane
MLW’s Next Show
MLW’s next events are scheduled for WrestleMania 38 weekend in Dallas, TX. Two shows are scheduled for Thursday, March 31st and Friday, April 1st from Gilley’s Dallas.
If you’re in the Dallas area for WrestleMania weekend, visit Eventbrite.com to check out the MLW shows
Lio Rush is returning to Major League Wrestling. The promotion announced recently that he will return at Kings of the Coliseum held on May 13th from Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena.
Rush is a former World Middleweight Champion in the promotion. He won the title from Myron Reed in January of 2021. He then dropped it back to Reed in May of the same year.
Rush officially became a free agent earlier this week on February 14th after his AEW deal expired.
Coming Up In MLW
The next card for Major League Wrestling takes place February 26th, 2022 from Charlotte, NC in the Grady Cole Center. The following matches have been announced for the show.
MLW World Heavyweight Championship Alexander Hammerstone (c) vs Davey Richards
Stairway to Hell Match Mads Krugger vs Jacob Fatu
Killer Kross Returns
The Von Erichs vs Ricky & Kerry Morton
Ricky Steamboat serves as match-maker.
nZo vs KC Navarro
National Openweight Championship Alex Kane vs Calvin Tankman vs Matt Cross vs ACH
Gino Medina, Mini Abismo Negro, & Ares vs Puma King, Octagon Jr. & TBA
MLW will then be in Gilley’s in Dallas, Texas on March 31st and April 1st, with the latter being an Azteca Underground show.
Major League Wrestling (MLW) is returning to Chicago’s Cicero Stadium this summer.
MLW boss Court Bauer appeared on ESPN Chicago’s Tuesday Wrestling Tuesday with Jonathan Hood to announce the news.
Tickets for this event go on sale Tuesday, March 1st at at MLWgo.com and Eventbrite.com. As part of a ‘fan appreciation’ experience, MLW fans can meet and greet their favorite MLW fighters ahead of the show.
Top stars advertised for the event include World Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone, Los Parks, Jacob Fatu, Davey Richards, King Muertes, EJ Nduka, Calvin Tankman, National Openweight Champion Alex Kane, Richard Holliday with Alicia Atout and more.
Additional details about the card will be announced in the weeks ahead.
Brace yourselves MLW fans, a “major player” was teased and it was Killer Kross.
MLW was streaming its Fusion show for free on YouTube.
Just before Fusion got started, Court Bauer revealed a big talent would be taking the leap to MLW.
“Tonight on MLW Fusion a major player enters MLW. 8pm et streaming worldwide.”
During the show, a vignette was shown and it appeared to indeed be Killer Kross. MLW hadn’t stated that Kross was indeed the “major player” until later in the show.
MLW confirmed that Killer Kross will be making his return on Feb. 26. He’ll be in action inside the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Speculation had run rampant on social media. Many believed that Killer Kross was the one stepping back into the world of MLW. Kross was released by WWE along with his fiancé Scarlett Bordeaux late last year.
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat has been booked for MLW’s February 26th, 2022 show in Charlotte, North Carolina. Steamboat will play the role as MLW match-maker for the event as well.
“The legend returns to the hallowed grounds of the Grady Cole Center where “The Dragon” emerged as a main eventer and forever became a part of Charlotte’s rich wrestling history,” reads an MLW press release.
“Celebrated as one of the sport’s all-time greats, Ricky Steamboat has signed on as the matchmaker for MLW’s big Charlotte card.”
MLW’s current match-maker is Cesar Duran. He is the former Dario Cueto from Lucha Underground and plays a very similar role in MLW. The promotion is currently airing episodes of “MLW Azteca”. These episodes feature matches taped during their show in Tijuana, Mexico on December 3rd.
One match already booked for the show in Charlotte will see Alexander Hammerstone defend his MLW World Championship. Hammerstone will face the winner of the 2021 Opera Cup, Davey Richards.
The 68-year-old Steamboat is a 1x NWA World Heavyweight Champion. He was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame Class of 2009. Additionally, Steamboat was a 4x NWA United States Champion, 1x WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2x Mid-Atlantic NWA Heavyweight Champion.
MLW presented Blood and Thunder from Gilley’s in Dallas, Texas last night. The MLW World Middleweight Championship changed hands on the show.
In a triple threat match for the title, defending champion Tajiri took on former champion Myron Reed and Bandido. Reed picked up the victory and won the title for a record 3rd time. Tajiri’s reign ends at 111 days. During his reign, the 51-year-old successfully defended the title on an All Japan show against Atsuki Aoyagi in a match that aired on MLW programming.
Frequent viewers of MLW programming have witnessed a budding romance between Richard Holliday and Alicia Atout, although neither has really admitted to this. It appears there was a big development on their angle during the tapings as the below Tweet indicates.
Unfortunately for MLW, this show was dealt a significant blow when Ross and Marshall Von Erich had to be pulled after testing positive for COVID-19. A major angle had been set up with the Von Erichs attempting to win the tag team titles in Dallas for the first time in 40 years. Other matches scheduled to air as part of these tapings are below:
MLW World Heavyweight Championship Falls Count Anywhere Alexander Hammerstone (c) vs. Pagano
MLW Middleweight World Championship Tajiri (c) vs. Myron Reed vs. TBA
National Openweight Championship Alex Kane (c) vs. Calvin Tankman
TJP vs. Matt Cross
Jacob Fatu vs. Mads Krugger
Miranda Gordy vs. Rok-C
Davey Richards vs. ACH
Aramis, El Dragon & TBA vs. Arez, Gino Medina & Mini Abismo Negro
Buddy Matthews has just been announced for tonight’s Blood and Thunder show in Dallas promoted by MLW. The promotion is stating that Matthews is taking part in MLW’s new “open door” policy for free agents. An opponent for Matthews has yet to be revealed for the show.
Tonight’s show at Gilley’s in Dallas was dealt a blow recently when it was revealed that Ross and Marshall Von Erich both tested positive for COVID-19 and will not be there. Much of the build up to the show focussed on the Von Erichs returning to Dallas and seeking to win a title there for the first time in 40 years. They were scheduled to challenge 5150 (Rivera and Slice Boogie) for the MLW World Tag Team Championships.
Below are the matches officially confirmed for the show:
MLW World Heavyweight Championship Falls Count Anywhere Alexander Hammerstone (c) vs. Pagano
MLW Middleweight World Championship Tajiri (c) vs. Myron Reed vs. TBA
National Openweight Championship Alex Kane (c) vs. Calvin Tankman
TJP vs. Matt Cross
Jacob Fatu vs. Mads Krugger
Miranda Gordy vs. Rok-C
Davey Richards vs. ACH
Aramis, El Dragon & TBA vs. Arez, Gino Medina & Mini Abismo Negro
The Von Erics have tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, they will be unable to compete at Friday’s MLW Blood and Thunder event from Dallas, TX.
Ross and Marshall Von Erich were scheduled to challenge 5150 for the MLW World Tag Team Championships in a Texas Tornado match.
They both addressed their health on social media. Marshall says he’s devastated and has never been so prepared for a match in his entire life. Ross says he’s sincerely sorry to all the fans who bought tickets to see them.
Completely devastated. Found out I won’t be able to wrestle tomorrow night because we tested positive for Covid. Never been so prepared for a match in my life. This one hurts, I feel gutted. I was so excited to see everybody it’s been to long but I can’t now. I love you Texas
Announcement🚨 My brother and I are covid positive and unfortunately won’t be able to make the Dallas show Jan 22. Ruled medically unable to perform by @MLW medical staff. I’m sincerely sorry to all the fans who bought a ticket to see us. Please enjoy the show, see y’all in March
MLW Blood and Thunder takes place Friday, January 21st from Gilley’s in Downtown Dallas, Texas. With the Von Erichs out, the following is the updated card:
Falls Count Anywhere MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone vs. Pagano
Jacob Fatu vs. Mads Krugger
Triple Threat Match MLW World Middleweight Champion Tajiri vs. Myron Reed vs. TBA
Davey Richards vs. ACH
‘A Violent Opportunity’ for King Muertes
National Openweight Champion Alex Kane vs. Calvin Tankman
Earlier this week, it was revealed that MLW has filed suit against WWE. The claim in the lawsuit is that WWE actively sought to prevent MLW from securing a deal with the Tubi streaming service and put pressure on VICE TV to stop working with the company as well.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE lawyer Jerry McDevitt responded to questions regarding the lawsuit. He noted that WWE had not been officially served with it at that time, however.
“I have not seen the full lawsuit since WWE has not been served,” McDevitt is quoted as having said earlier this week.
“If Tubi breached, then sue Tubi,” McDevitt continued. “As to Vice, WWE has no commercial relationship with them or for that matter any of the other dozens of content distribution entities with whom MLW could do a deal with if they had a commercially viable product. They put a show on Vice, if my memory serves me correctly after one of the Dark Side shows and lost most of the audience. I think I read they got 40,000 viewers. No wonder Vice did no further deal.”
I can tell you this MLW/Tubi deal fell apart at the absolute last hour https://t.co/n7ACqQQ30f
Court Bauer released a statement earlier this week in regards to his company’s lawsuit filed against WWE.
“WWE has been wrongfully depriving its competitors of critical opportunities for many years, but its latest conduct has been even more unconscionable,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “I think we speak for the rest of the professional wrestling world when we say that this anti-competitive behavior has to stop.”
Major League Wrestling has filed a lawsuit against the WWE.
MLW claims that the WWE is continuingly interfering with their business prospects and contracts. Courthouse news was able to obtain the full lawsuit statement. The lawsuit alleges that the WWE attempted to prevent Vice TV from working with MLW in early 2021.
It also claims that a former WWE executive called Vice TV to tell them that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was “pissed” that Vice TV started airing MLW programs and wanted them to stop working with MLW. The Wrap’s Tim Baysinger and Tony Maglio report that the former WWE Executive is Susan Levinson.
I can tell you this MLW/Tubi deal fell apart at the absolute last hour https://t.co/n7ACqQQ30f
The report also says that MLW claims WWE prevented MLW from getting a deal with the streaming service Tubi. According to the MLW, the failure to secure a deal with Tubi resulted in “substantial losses” like not reaching a broader fan base and event cancellations. It also states that the failed deal caused a MLW 40% drop in tickets sales. MLW CEO Court Bauer spoke out against the WWE in a press release. Baysinger and Maglio transcribed Bauer statement.
“WWE has been wrongfully depriving its competitors of critical opportunities for many years, but its latest conduct has been even more unconscionable,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “I think we speak for the rest of the professional wrestling world when we say that this anti-competitive behavior has to stop.”
MLW Deal with Vice TV
MLW signed its deal with Vice TV on April 19, 2021. Based on the lawsuit, it’s unclear if MLW alleges that WWE requested Vice TV to stop working with them before the deal. However, the lawsuit says that a Vice TV Executive responded that “WWE’s conduct was illegal and an antitrust violation.” The lawsuit also states that Levinson couldn’t control McMahon from interfering with MLW and Vice TV’s relationship.
What’s Next for WWE and MLW
The WWE has responded to the MLW lawsuit. Baysinger and Maglio received a statement from WWE Spokesperson that believes MLW claims have no merit. The spokesperson also shared WWE will defend itself against MLW. MLW seeks compensation for losses they suffered due to WWE interference and wants to prevent future interferences. It’s unclear when MLW and WWE will go to court or if they will settle.
MLW has locked down its current World Champion in Alexander Hammerstone to a multi-year contract. Hammerstone originally signed with the company in 2019 and his contract was set to expire shortly. According to a report from Fightful, Hammerstone noted the schedule MLW offers was one of the reasons he chose to re-sign. He is able to work independent shows as well but not for any promotion with national television.
“I’ve been in the business for ten years now and it’s nice to finally be in a position where I’m really starting to see a return from it,” Hammerstone said to Fightful. “Beyond that, there are a lot of things that MLW offers me that other companies might not. Not an intense schedule, not the demand of being on the road five days a week or something like that. That’s not something I might ever want to do.”
Hammerstone won the Battle Riot match this year in MLW leading to him getting a title shot against then champion Jacob Fatu. He then defeated Fatu at Fightland on October 2nd in Philadelphia.
“As my time goes on in wrestling, I always say, ‘I wrestle for free, but you have to pay me to travel.’ I love the wrestling part, but the traveling kicks my ass and is the most frustrating part of it. There are a lot of advantages at MLW right now. As far as the contract goes, we were able to come to something I was happy with.”
Have y’all check out the newest edition of Pro Wrestling Illustrated? YBH got a nice little spread. pic.twitter.com/WYZ08obmrn
Hammerstone is the 9th wrestler in history to hold the MLW World Championship. No wrestler has held the belt more than once. Fatu had previously been the longest reigning champion in the company’s history. His title reign lasted 819 days.
Major League Wrestling has announced that a stand-alone miniseries will premiere on Thursday January 8th, 2022 at 8 PM est. Titled MLW AZTECA, it will air on MLW’s official YouTube channel and then on BeIN Sports at 10 PM est.
“MLW AZTECA is the next chapter in our on-going anthology series, and it will take MLW, its wrestlers and our fans to a very different and thrilling setting,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer.
MLW recently was filming from the Auditorio de Tijuana in Tijuana, Mexico. Court Bauer recently noted on Twitter that they had an attendance of 5,000 for one of the shows.
The latest edition of MLW Fusion featured the finals of the Opera Cup 2021 tournament. Davey Richards defeated TJP to win the trophy. He has now earned a shot at the MLW World Championship currently held by Alexander Hammerstone.
On this week’s episode, nZo is scheduled to make his promotional debut. He will wrestle Matt Cross on the show. The tag team championships are also on the line when Los Parks take on 5150. World Middleweight Champion Tajiri will defend his title against Atsuki Aoyagi as well.
Last week’s episode of MLW Fusion is available in the player below:
SEScoops has learned Will Ospreay is no longer scheduled to debut for Major League Wrestling (MLW).
Back in October, MLW announced Ospreay would be coming in some time this fall. Unfortunately, Ospreay’s MLW debut was not meant to be.
We reached out to the self-proclaimed “real” IWGP World Champion, who confirmed to us that the deal is off.
We have some additional details on why the booking fell through. According to a well-placed source, MLW’s working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling ended in mid-November.
MLW informed NJPW it was now also working with All Japan, which didn’t sit well with them. New Japan works with NOAH, but not All Japan.
Will Ospreay has commented on his status with MLW. In a tweet sent out on Tuesday, Big Match Billy says he does hope to eventually work with MLW.
Lads MLW will happen. Just not when it was meant too.
Luckily, there’s no shortage of talent available on the free agent market to help MLW keep its roster fresh with top-tier talent. The company recently announced an Open Door policy for free agents. The first high-profile name to utilize this policy is reigning ROH Women’s Champion Rok-c, who is set to make her MLW debut next month.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen several big names teasing involvement with MLW. Braun Strowman has been teasing a match with MLW World Champion Hammerstone.
Former MLW World champ Shane ”Swerve” Strickland, soon to be a free agent, was also among the many wrestlers to take notice of the Open Door policy on social media.
MLW’s next live event, Blood & Thunder, is scheduled for Friday, January 21st from Dallas, Texas. Tickets are now available at Eventbrite.
Braun Strowman is teasing going back to work after almost 6 months and that too at a very interesting destination.
The former world champion recently posted a photo of his physical transformation on Instagram. The post attracted reactions from a number of wrestling personalities.
The names who reacted to Strowman’s posts included the current MLW world champion Alex Hammerstone. The MLW champion responded to a fan comment and Braun showed interest in a match with him as well:
The monster among men was released from his WWE contract back in June this year. He has made only one wrestling appearance since then despite already becoming a free agent.
Braun Strowman, who is now going by his real name Adam Scherr appeared on EC3’s Free The Narrative II. The two faced off in a cinematic match that was won by Scherr.
MLW CEO Court Bauer has previously confirmed that they had talks with Strowman about potentially signing with the promotion but they couldn’t reach a deal.
After rumors of his Impact Wrestling debut ended up being false, MLW seems to be a suitable destination for Strowman. We will have to wait and see if it ends up being his new home.
ROH Women’s World Champion Rok-C is set to make her MLW debut on January 21st, 2022 at Blood and Thunder. The event is an MLW Fusion television taping from Gilley’s in Dallas, Texas. The 20-year-old has been training with Booker T since she was 16.
“Known as “The Prodigy,” the 5’1? featherweight looks to make a statement in her home state of Texas when she steps foot in an MLW ring for the fist-time ever on January 21st,” reads an MLW press release.
Rok-C won a tournament this year in ROH to win the ROH Women’s World Championship. She defeated Miranda Arize in the finals at Death Before Dishonor in September. Footage of her victory is below:
MLW’s Open Door Policy For Free Agents
MLW is touting that Rok-C will be the first to take part in the promotion’s new open-door policy as it concerns free agents. Last month, MLW revealed that a percentage of future events will feature wrestlers currently on the free agent market in addition to wrestlers signed to MLW contracts.
“While the majority of MLW’s roster features contracted competitors, a percentage of each card will now feature free agents, ensuring exciting and unpredictable matchups,” reads an MLW press release.
More on MLW’s open door policy for free agents is available in the link below:
Major League Wrestling announced today an “open door policy” for free agents. This is in response to the influx of wrestlers to the free agent market resulting from WWE’s frequent roster cuts and Ring of Honor’s announcement they will not be signing wrestlers to exclusive contracts moving forward.
MLW’s policy is being done to deliver potential dream matches.
“While the majority of MLW’s roster features contracted competitors, a percentage of each card will now feature free agents, ensuring exciting and unpredictable matchups,” reads an MLW press release.
This opens the door for several names from MLW’s past to return as well. The recently released Isaiah “Swerve” Scott (Shane Strickland) is a former MLW World Champion. Davey Boy Smith Jr. previously won the Opera Cup while in MLW as well.
I know you want to know my plans for @MLW. Don’t worry me renegades, later this morning you’ll find out the first of MANY!!!!!
The press release also includes comments from the promotion’s storyline matchmaker, Cesar Duran.
“Why allow your career to be at the mercy of the whims of a billionaire?” said MLW Matchmaker Cesar Duran. “I’ve always welcomed the hottest free agents to my arena. An open door policy gives MLW fans exciting dream matches against MLW’s best!”
One fool’s mistake is an opportunity for many. #Azteca
Duran’s comments note that free agents can come in for one night, or stay long-term.
“Whether they fight one night or 10 years in MLW, the open door policy will showcase and give exposure to a wide variety of talent and create the best cards for fans while creating…. opportunities,” continued Duran. “Who will step forth? Let’s find out!”
Between the 80 wrestlers released from WWE this past year and the entire Ring of Honor roster, there is no shortage of wrestlers who could take advantage of this policy.
MLW and the Crash will co-promote an event from Tijuana, Mexico on Friday, December 3rd. The show will be held at the Auditorio Fausto Gutierrez.
“December 3rd I will take MLW to Mexico for the best luchas in the world,” said MLW matchmaker Cesar Duran. “THE CRASH has a fantastic reputation for specular events and now we give the renegades a day of super luchas like never before!”
Cesar Duran’s “Azteca Underground” faction will be heavily involved in the event. An MLW press release is also teasing a lucha libre project making its debut on May 5th. The promotion has been teasing a spin-off show with ties to Lucha Underground in recent months.
“Duran, the owner of Azteca Underground, has been connected to rumors of an Azteca Underground lucha libre project since making his MLW debut May 5th,” the promotion’s press release reads.
Matches and rosters for the show will be announced in the coming weeks.
MLW’s most recent set of television tapings took place this weekend from Philadelphia. The show was headlined by the War Chamber match. Full results from the tapings can be found here. It was the second time in a row MLW taped from Philadelphia. Battle Riott III was taped there back in July.
Major League Wrestling returned to the famous 2300 Arena on Saturday night for MLW War Chamber.
SEScoops correspondent Samira was on hand and provided this live report:
Openweight Ladder Match: Alex Kane defeated, Myron Reed, Zenshi, Alex Shelley and mystery entrant ACH.
Gnarls Garvin defeated Budd Heavy
nZo defeated Matt Cross. There was some blood on nZo’s face in the spot between his eyebrows end of match. KC Navarro came out for his match and nZo attacked him.
TJP defeated Calvin Tankman in an Opera Cup semifinal match. Kane and King Mo came out and beat up Calvin twice.
5150 defeated Los Parks to win the MLW Tag Team Championships. Homicide came out to help during match
KC Navarro defeated Warhorse.
Sea Stars defeated the Top Dogs. Willow Nightingale was on commentary. Holidead came out after match was over and attacked Willow.
Davey Richards defeated TJP in the finals of the Opera Cup tournament. Richards dedicated the cup to the city of Philadelphia.
Holidead w/ Dax defeated Willow Nightingale w/Blue Meanie. Arez interfered and kicked Blue Meanie at end of match.
Team Hammerstone defeated CONTRA Unit in the War Chamber main event. Jeff Cobb returned to MLW as Matanza Duran as part of team Hammerstone. After the match, Jacob Fatu turned on CONTRA Unit.
Former Olympian Jeff Cobb is returning to Major League Wrestling, according to MLW head honcho Court Bauer.
Cobb is riding an all-time high in his career. He cleaned house throughout the G1 Climax 31 before meeting Kazuchika Okada. The big man from Honolulu lost the match, but solidified himself as one of the top pro wrestlers in the world.
Jeff Cobb Returning To MLW
Jeff Cobb is no stranger to the MLW ring and Bauer is welcoming him back. Here’s what the MLW boss told Digital Journal.
“The Opera Cup dates back to the turn of the 19th/20th century and the coveted cup has been claimed by the likes of George Hackenschmidt and Stu Hart. Who will be immortalized by having their name etched in the 100-year-old trophy? Find out in Philly.
“We will also see the vacant National Openweight Championship decided as well as some new faces entering the mix, like NZO and Jeff Cobb.”
Cobb is a member of the NJPW stable, United Empire. The group is led by former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay. With Ospreay missing the tournament due to a storyline, Cobb has stepped up and only suffered one loss in the Climax.
MLW Roster Refresh
Jeff Cobb is one of several notable names appearing for MLW in the months ahead.
Several wrestlers recently finished up with MLW, including former MLW Champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, Mance Warner and Jordan Oliver.
In addition to Cobb, Will Ospreay and nZo will be “rotating in” for MLW’s next shows.
Tom Lawlor has spoken out after his MLW contract has wrapped up.
Lawlor made the transition from the MMA world to the wrestling industry back in 2014. At the time, he was still fighting but he began to find success inside the squared circle. In 2017, he signed with MLW.
Lawlor’s true breakthrough in wrestling was with MLW. He captured the promotion’s World Heavyweight Championship. His hard work earned him a spot on the NJPW Strong show. He is the current NJPW Strong Openweight Champion.
As of today, I am a free agent in the world of professional wrestling. Thank you to @mlw@courtbauer@MSL@beINSPORTSUSA for the time & effort they put in with me. But mostly I’d like to thank the MLW staff, wrestlers past & present, and fans for the 4 years of memories! #mlw
“As of today, I am a free agent in the world of professional wrestling. Thank you to MLW, Court Bauer, Mister Saint Laurent, and beIN Sports for the time & effort they put in with me. But mostly I’d like to thank the MLW staff, wrestlers past & present, and fans for the 4 years of memories!”
Time will tell what’s next for Lawlor. For now, he’ll continue to be a fighting champion on NJPW Strong. SEScoops will keep you posted on the future of Tom Lawlor.
Mance Warner has been released by Major League Wrestling.
The Southern Psychopath has been looking to become a free agent for over a year. Amid reports that he was looking to work elsewhere, he spoke with Nick Hausman of WrestlingINC last December and confirmed that he was looking to get out of his contract.
SEScoops can confirm Warner is now a free man.
Warner is the latest wrestler to be released from MLW over the past few weeks. Jordan Oliver, Beastman, Bu Ku Dao and Leo Brien have also been let go. We’re told this concludes MLW’s talent cuts and the company is making room for new signings in the weeks and months ahead.
Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net recently reported that Warner would be a free agent at the end of January 2022. A tweet from ‘Ol Mancer himself seemed to confirm this timeline, as well as where he might be looking to work next.
Mance Warner is one of the most popular wrestlers on the independent scene. He will have no problem finding work with another major promotion, whether that be AEW, WWE or elsewhere. He’s competing this weekend against Dirty Dango (former WWE Superstar Fandango) in Knoxville, TN at Nightmare in the Old City.
We have reached out to MLW and Mance Warner for comment and will update this article if new details become available.
MLW may have its sights set on a former ROH World Champion.
The wrestling world was hit with some stunning news this week. ROH will be going dark to undergo a “reconceptualizing” process. As a result, all contracted ROH talent has been released.
Could RUSH Return To MLW?
RUSH is one of the major names that is now without a job due to the ROH restructuring. There’s no doubt that he is an elite talent who won’t be out of work for long. The question is, where will he end up?
MLW head honcho Court Bauer has a history with RUSH and it’s a positive one. Appearing on Busted Open Radio, Bauer didn’t deny that RUSH is a great asset for any promotion.
“RUSH because I had him before and with my fans, I mean I have a Spanish language show on beIN Espanol, we always go down to Mexico. We offered him a deal, Ring of Honor countered and he went with Ring of Honor. I sold out Cicero Stadium with RUSH. I know his [drawing] power. I know the guy’s injured but I think he’s gonna come back strong.”
RUSH is a former two-time ROH World Champion. His second reign lasted 498 days. A good chunk of that was due to ROH going dark during the COVID-19 pandemic. He lost the championship to Bandido back in July.
Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io-LId1WTmA
Posted October 28th, 2021 in MLW, News. Tagged: Rush.
EJ Nduka is gearing up for the biggest match of his career.
After an impressive debut at July’s MLW Battle Riot III event, The Judge heads to battle at MLW War Chamber next Saturday night (11/6). He’ll team with Alex Hammerstone, Richard Holliday and a mystery partner against CONTRA UNIT inside the ominous double steel cage match.
SEScoops correspondent Samira spoke with EJ Nduka about his aspirations in MLW, his friendship with AEW star Jade Cargill and his desire to walk through the Forbidden Door in the months ahead.
Here’s the full interview, with highlights below:
Hammerstone Winning the MLW World Championship
Alex Hammerstone captured the MLW World Title from Jacob Fatu at MLW Fightland. Nduka respects Hammerstone and expects they’ll be on the same page at War Chamber. However, he’s in MLW for gold. That might make Hammer a marked man.
“I thought it was an amazing moment for him,” Nduka said. “Well deserved. He had those two titles up, but I couldn’t help to think, ‘my boy you don’t need two.’ You know what I’m saying, one of those would look good around my waist. Big props to my boy Hammer. Hammer’s doing his thing and we’re teamed up this week and I’m looking forward to it.”
EJ Nduka is not your average pro wrestler. He doesn’t blend in and he’s not going to get lost in a crowd. One could say the same thing about AEW star Jade Cargill. They’re both exceptional athletes. Interestingly enough, Nduka and Cargill are close friends and got started in pro wrestling on the exact same day.
“So, Jade and I, we both went to college together. Ironically, we knew of each other, but we didn’t know each other. In college, she played basketball and I played football. We actually got close when we got in the industry the same day.”
“We had our tryout at the WWE at the PC (Performance Center). She was literally right behind me in line. We started chopping it up and ever since then we’ve just been really good friends and we train whenever we get a chance. They were in Orlando for the AEW Dynamite, so we got an opportunity to train.”
Got in a killer workout with this monster – @EjTheJudge . We went to the same college, also came into this game the SAME DAY. Some people just have “IT”. We are beyond blessed. Get ready!!
Alex Shelley, Bobby Fish and Tajiri are three veterans appearing for MLW this fall. Here’s what Nduka had to say about them:
Alex Shelley: “It’s awesome because Alex Shelley, a lot of people don’t know this, he was a coach at the PC for a little bit when I first got there. I learned a lot from him. I would watch his classes, I wasn’t necessarily in his classes, but I would be one of the guys that was the first one at the PC and last one to leave. So, if he still had a class going, I would go watch.”
Bobby Fish: “Bobby Fish, he’s obviously one of the leaders in the locker room. Him and I became buddies, and I would ask him things, talk about life, and just the business in general. So, to see them at MLW locker room was awesome. You know it was like pieces of the puzzle these guys are leaders, they bring a lot to the table, and it’s always good to have that type of leadership in the locker room. People that have been there and done it, so that way you can bounce some ideas off of them.”
Tajiri: “So, I got to hangout with Tajiri. His merch table, you (Samira) saw it, it was right next to mine at the show. So, I was just talking to him, and I was just amazed at his story. This guy I’ve been watching him since I was a kid, so just to be able to stand next to him and chop it up with him was so dope. He’s such a cool dude, very humble, and he’s just awesome all around.”
When asked if he’d wrestle Tajiri, Nduka replied, “Anything could happen in that squared circle.”
The Forbidden Door
EJ Nduka is currently tearing up the ranks in MLW, but who knows where he’ll show up next? The Judge sounds more than ready to walk through the Forbidden Door and kick ass in other promotions.
“It really just depends on the back logistics of everything, but me personally, I’m open. I’m very open to walk through that Forbidden Door. In fact, I’m ready to kick that thing down and come running full speed through it and just show the world exactly what I got to offer.”
MLW War Chamber takes place Saturday, November 6th at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. Tickets are still available at MLWLive.com.
