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MLW'S COURT BAUER DISCUSSES WWE LAWSUIT, REELZ DEBUT

By Mike Johnson on 2023-02-07 13:12:00

MLW owner Court Bauer discussed tonight's MLW Underground TV debut on REELZ as well as Major League Wrestling's lawsuit against WWE with Deadline.com this afternoon.  Highlights:

Suing WWE: "There are several things that have come up that have disrupted our business in terms of talent and tampering with contracts. Overall it’s just the suppression of the growth of our business that we looked at. So, this wasn’t just tampering with one deal, one piece of talent. It’s the totality. If you look at the 40-year history and the practices of WWE going back to the eighties … the problems start to emerge. They have an immense market share. They will do what they do to make sure that that’s not softened."

MLW losing the Tubi deal: "I was on vacation and I was just shell shocked.  We took the family to the beach and I just face-planted into the sand. For two solid days, I was like a computer rebooting. You go through the dance of media rights deals. There are a lot of wrinkles along the way and bumps on the road. So to go through that and then say, ‘we got to start all over again?’ It’s like you’re almost to the top of the summit and then you fall down.”

MLW on REELZ: "Right now, we’re trying to find the right formula for the episodes. I like the idea of one hour a week for wrestling. Some of our competitors go three or more hours for one show, then another two hours of another show. That’s asking the viewers to put in a lot of time. We’ll be shooting them around the country. This is a new frontier for Reelz. They’re so enthusiastic. We’ve got incredible promotion already. And they said, ‘look, we don’t just want Underground Wrestling. Give us some of your library.' "

MLW will air every Tuesday at 10 PM EST starting tonight on REELZ.  The terms and length of the deal, thus far, have not be disclosed.  Bauer noted in the interview the two sides have had discussions for over a year.

The MLW-WWE lawsuit is currently making its way through the Courts in California.

 

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