Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Major League Wrestling held a media conference call this afternoon to promote the company and their 11/2 PPV debut with Court Bauer.
They opened up with questions that were sent in.
The first was on the status of live episodes on BeIn Sports. It’s a logistical thing. They and the network want more. The next will be November. They are also looking into streaming live on FITE.tv.
They are looking at different options for PPVs. They’ve had requests for the TV tapings to air as live iPPVs. They are talking to potential partners. They are deep in the process on figuring out what they will do for PPV in 2020.
In asked about getting attention for MLW in such a crowded space, Bauer said you have a lot of tools for getting attention. You can do a huge stunt or celebrity or sign someone to a big money deal. His strategy is consistent quality. They have both English and Spanish language versions of the TV show. They try to do things a little differently culturally. They are focusing on a very specific quadrant of die-hard fans by bringing in different music and presentation to speak directly to their fans. They don’t want to be in the same sandbox as everyone else.
In regard to MLW potentially being available on TV in Canada and Latin America. It’s not if, but then given the roots of their talents. There is some red tape due to talents’ prior transgressions. They want to go to Canada for live events but there is red tape and they have to wait for the government to do their thing.
BeIN Sports does air in certain areas of Canada, specifically on the East Coast and they want to raise their footprint there. They will get there but it will take time.
Yes, they will get the MLW TV show in Spanish to Latin America. It’s been a slow process but they are in talks.
The Saturday Night Super Fight will be available at FITE.TV and all major cable and satellite companies – DirecTV, DishNetwork, InDemand, etc. It will be $19.95 across the board globally.
On the promotion’s most proud moment, Bauer said that closing the TV deal with BeIN Sport. That was the big bang that allowed them to sign talent and grow. Without that, they would have just been a few shows in Orlando. BeIN has allowed them to do live TV and sell out shows in Chicago, Philadelphia and elsewhere. He said that when he announced to the locker room that they were going to do PPV on 11/2, the locker room morale went through the rope. He said that the locker room grew them to live PPV and TV in 14 countries.
They are going out to Sportel and Nitcom to push and promote MLW and try and lock in more details. They are in nine countries in Africa and they will be announcing some more deals soon. The plan is to get MLW into as many countries as possible. It’s about creating content and getting it in front of as many eyeballs as possible.
Bauer was asked about a possible UK tour. He said if the deal is right, they will do it. They have had a few people approach them. MLW just beat one of WWE’s TV shows in the UK ratings last week by a thousand viewers and it shows what the appetite is for MLW in the UK and Ireland and that they like to have MLW to choose from.
On partnerships with The CRASH and Pro Wrestling NOAH, Bauer said it’s helped them grow their awareness in Mexico and Japan. The first step in a new company is building your profile. For MLW to extend talents to those companies, it’s something new but they can now also provide programming from other places outside of the United States. He likes that as it makes the show look more global in scope. It helps the talents get more dates. Alexander Hammerstone spent a month in Japan and to be in there with that caliber of talent allowed him to level up mechanically as a wrestler. If MLW can put you in X amount of homes globally but we can also give you dates with sister promotions. That’s a great strategic positioning for MLW.
On dates where MLW and AEW have shows the same night, MLW would have the contractual first option for talent but they’ve got a great relationship with AEW and Tony Khan. Bauer said he has a good relationship with Cody. He said people might want there to be animosity between different companies, but there isn’t here. He told a story of being away on a fishing trip in the Atlantic Ocean and he and AEW got on a phone and worked out something in two minutes. There’s a shared market that is viable outside of WWE. If those out there aren’t successful, that’s bad for the fans, wrestlers and the crews. There doesn’t need to be a world war. He said Khan is a great guy and he likes him and the relationship is great.
On MJF, Bauer said, “Oh, to be 22 again.” He joked he doesn’t want anyone to google things he said at 22. He said MJF has pieces of Buddy Rogers and Chris Candido and Eddie Gilbert. Everyone can tell he’s money but Bauer predicts one day he’ll be a hell of a booker.
On what MLW can provide to talents, Bauer brought up the development of talent as Tom Prichard helped to develop The Rock, Bauer helped to develop Umaga as well as others. He said they all have different approaches and they have fun in their ‘wrestling lab.’ They have a looser structure vs. a more corporate environment and that allows talent to get involved and work together.
On potentially bringing Pro Wrestling NOAH to the United States, he said that some promoters try to shoehorn in an event and it doesn’t feel like anything beyond a one-off tentpole event. It feels abrupt and doesn’t enrich the product. The opportunity is there for them but it has to make sense for them n terms of timing and story.
They noted Mance Werner suffered a collapsed lung over the weekend and will be missing this weekend’s combined show with THE CRASH. There is no timetable for his return.
They are excited to co-promote their first show in Mexico with THE CRASH this weekend. He was very impressed with not just the lucha talents there but how they utilized international talents from The U.S. and the U.K. When Konnan was involved, he almost came on board when they were looking at a TV series but it didn’t happen. He’s very excited to be involved with them now and ran down the lineup for the show:
They are looking to bring a women’s division online in the company by the fourth quarter of the year if they can lock certain talents in to deals. Athleticism and fighting spirit being shown is important. He’s inspired by female athletes who transcend their sports and that’s the type of presentation he wants. This has been a predominantly male-dominated sport over the years but women have offered some of the most cutting edge matches. He wants to show people in today’s generation what women bring to the table.
On the Saturday Night Super Fight PPV, they haven’t made full decisions on the PPV team but Rich Bocchini will be part of the team. AJ Kirsch has also joined the company’s broadcast team. They are going to do doing more in terms of programming and they need more depth.
They were asked about the status of Jim Cornette with the company. Cornette came in to “pinch hit” when Tony Schiavone when Tony wasn’t available and completed those dates on 7/6. There are no current new dates but “he’s always a wild card.”
They discussed LA Park vs. Jacob Fatu headlining the 11/2 PPV. From a match making point of view, styles make fights. They are two of the wildest brawlers out there. From a business sense, Park is one of the most iconic luchadors for decades. He’s been a huge driver for their ticket sales and merchandise as well as their ratings for MLW in espanol. He’s had a hell of a run and has been undefeated. It’s a battle of the monsters and Court likes those type of matches. It is going to be Godzilla vs. King Kong.
Bauer said there’s been talk about the Canelo Alvarez fight on DAZN that same night, but DAZN aren’t converting Canelo fans to DAZN. He said PPV companies aren’t worried about that and want to push what’s on their networks and he’s hoping that leads to more customer for them. LA Park and the PPV companies put them in the hunt. There’s less and less of a crossover between pro wrestling and MMA today vs. 2005 and 2007. He’s not concerned about that.
They discussed Salina de la Renta. She has great instincts. You tell her something once and she nails it. She has a passion for this and when you realize she is 22, you think about where she will be at 25 or 26. They restructured several contracts to get more time on talents and she is one of those. He noted she is the first lead female announcer on MLW en espanol. She does have her touch to those episodes and she’s worked as an executive producer.
Bauer was asked who else he could see as the face of the company. Bauer said you can make a case for Salina over the last year. She’s probably had more TV time than anyone. He believes in an ensemble. If you look at the 80s and 90s, when a promotion is based around one talent, it sort of folds like a house of card when that talent leaves.
There had been announced Super Fight 2 would be coming to LA but then it was moved to Philly. It was an Arena routing issue but they have a deal on the table to come to Los Angeles. They are technically right outside in San Diego in Tijuana this weekend and teased San Diego for down the line.
Bauer avoided discussing other confirmed matches for the PPV. He teased Austin Aries vs. Teddy Hart if Hart is healthy enough. They will announce a new match announced on FUSION this weekend on TV.
They have turned down two video game license offers in recent months. They don’t want to do a deal just to do a deal as he’s played a lot of bad wrestling games in his life. He doesn’t want to do a game and then the engine sucks and you end up with a bad rep for games.
They are starting to have discussions about a MLW action figure line. He joked they have a Mr. Velvet stuffed animal already (Teddy Hart’s cat).
They are working on building different areas. They are up huge from 2018. Their merchandise is up 900% from last year. They brought someone in from MJB who has helped rev up their merchandise in a major way. They have expanded their offering at shows and at MLW.com. They have event exclusive events. They have sold out 87.5% of their events, which has smoked 2018. They have been very cautious and careful how they have rolled out to new markets. Tickets went on sale for Philly today and are doing great. Streaming is the next great frontier for them. They are very healthy.
They PPV will start at 8 PM. They are working on a pre-show.
They were asked about any potential crossover with talent appearing in AEW and vice versa. They haven’t had had any discussions of that nature.
They were asked about the past Philadelphia events being pushed back. They had an arena routing issue. They love Philly and sold it out. They already have a return for later in 2020.
They will be doing a Halloween-centric episode with Spin the Wheel and are working on a Thanksgiving Night show on BeIn Sport.
They were asked about a MLW Hall of Fame. Bauer pointed to the one in Waterloo, Iowa but doesn’t have any plans for MLW to host their own.
They were asked about the atmosphere with talents working with talents from different areas and countries. Bauer said that when Minoru Tanaka came in, everyone lined up to want to wrestle him because of everything he bring to the table. When you incorporate more international talent, you give everyone a chance to change it up together and bring something unique in. He mentioned Adam Brooks from Australia came in and everyone was thrilled to have him in the locker room. Brooks will return this Spring.
Kira Qwan is a full-time CONTRA Unit.
I asked about the background of the PPV. They set the table for the special in February 2019 when they ran Philly. People thought it was a PPV. They started looking in the Spring. They were given the November date by the PPV companies and a promise they wouldn’t be bumped to a secondary channel. They felt early November would be perfect so they weren’t lost by the holidays and they could ramp things up creatively.
They had the Von Erichs signed but didn't know about their Vice documentary, so they waited until after it aired once they learned about it - and it worked out. They have scouts who watch for talents. Court looks at talent. They monitor via social media. They didn't plan to be the place where third generation talents landed but it worked out that way and they are thrilled with their crew.
They were asked what talent they'd like to have involved with MLW. Bauer said off the top of his head, Steve Austin. You can run down different names, but he'll be dipolmatic and suggests Steve. He's happy a new generation has had the chance to see and get to know Steve in recent months.
The final question was why should anyone give MLW a shot in a crowded landscape. Bauer said everywhere you look, there is something different. There is no other company out there that celebrates pro wrestling as a sport as well as cultural things like lucha and hip hop. Sometimes people say MLW feels like World Class or Georgia or ECW. They spent a lot of time experimenting trying to find creatively fulfilling thing. They aren't chasing the jaded fan. You got to their shows, you see people oin dates or people who fell out of the sport or Mexican Americans with air horns enjoying MLW the way their families enjoyed lucha before they came to the States. They try to create a heightened sense of reality. There's no writers or scripts. They want talents to be part of the machine. They are here to facilitate the talents. They try to do things different and grow things slowly and little by little, they are doing that. They best is yet to come. He said the media isn't what it is today - the quality of the coverage, the questions, major outlets covering MLW. There's more interest in MLW because of that.
They are going to hold another media call next week with Tom Lawlor.
That was it for the call!
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
