Report: Shane Strickland Will Leave MLW Next Month, WWE May Be Next

Shane Strickland is one of the most talented wrestlers in MLW, but his time with the company is reportedly coming to a close, with a possible move to WWE looming.

MLW has established itself as a unique, exciting, and rising wrestling promotion in 2018, as its weekly “Fusion” show is often a highlight for wrestling fans. We’ve seen the likes of PCO and Teddy Hart compete in hard-hitting matches, and characters like MJF, Aria Blake, Joey Ryan, and Salina de la Renta have made some episodes of MLW Fusion must-see.

The promotion, however, is reportedly set to lose one of its most important wrestlers. PWInsider.com’s Mike Johnson reports that former MLW World Heavyweight Champion Shane Strickland will depart after next month’s tapings in Miami, Florida.

Per Johnson, Strickland was originally scheduled to leave MLW after its acclaimed War Games show that taped in Fort Lauderdale a couple of months ago. However, he was at the tapings in Chicago, and it will be interesting to see how he is written off of MLW.

An important part of the report from PW Insider  is the apparent interest from WWE, with Johnson noting that Strickland is expected to be a part of WWE’s upcoming signing class to the NXT Performance Center in January.

Strickland, who is a former two-time Trios champion in Lucha Underground, should be a wrestler coveted by WWE, and he’d have huge potential in the promotion. As Pro Wrestling Sheet’s Ryan Satin tweeted, WWE’s reported interest in several big names with notable promotions, including Trevor Lee (link to report from PW Insider), makes it seem like FOX could air two hours of NXT weekly as part of its new deal with WWE for SmackDown Live.

Interesting times are undoubtedly ahead for WWE’s “Third Brand”, which Triple H has always been careful not to call “developmental”. If wrestlers like Strickland and Lee join NXT, the roster would only become more stacked, which is a big reason for Satin speculating that the rumored FS1/NXT link could happen. Wrestlers like Strickland and Lee, for example, are too talented to sign and keep off of television, and the main roster clearly can’t handle everyone.

Strickland’s talent and stock can’t be called into question, and we’re in for an eventful few months, especially since it sounds like he’s far from the only high-profile, former champion to make waves by joining WWE.