The Hardcore Spirit of ECW Is Still Going Strong in MLW

So… Where Do I Watch It?

I don’t know that anybody will ever experience this again in their lifetime or in any lifetime yet to come, but part of the fun of ECW was that it was so incredibly hard to find. It was like a treasure hunt figuring out whether or not it was carried on your cable package, and even then it was never a guarantee.

I remember many a time when I set my VCR up to record ECW overnight in its usual late-night time slot only to find some infomercial or other useless garbage recorded instead. It got to the point where, instead of recording the hour when ECW was supposed to be on, I would just let the tape record for the full six hours allotted and hope the episode would show up somewhere in there.

MLW has the benefit of broadcasting on beIN Sports, though the network isn’t available in all markets or on all systems which could make Fusion a difficult find for casual fans. Not ready to settle for being on a sports channel that not everybody could get, MLW spread its wings to take advantage of the growing streaming marketplace of today’s internet.

While ECW could be found in various markets all, generally, on different days and times, MLW is found on a single broadcast network – beIN Sports – on Friday nights with the show airing on YouTube the following Saturday and Fite TV the Tuesday after that.

Whatever kind of fan you are, there’s a way for you to catch the show without much fuss. Instead of setting your VCR to record and hope that you get the show you’re expecting, just subscribe to MLW on YouTube and get a notification when they upload the show each week.

Much in the same way ECW spread itself into different cities with syndicated broadcasts, MLW has shown that it will reach out in every direction in an effort to get more eyes on their product. One has to wonder how much more successful and long-lasting ECW’s original run would have been had the spoils of streaming delivery services been at their disposal.

Something For Everyone

Much like Ring of Honor when it debuted, MLW creates the feeling of the original ECW by offering something for all tastes at their shows. If you’re not into lucha libre, that’s fine – maybe you’ll enjoy a brawl between a couple of behemoths like PCO and Brody King harkening back to names like 911 and Bam Bam Bigelow making life miserable for anybody who found themselves in their grips.

If you’re looking for something a little bloodier and more gruesome, MLW has that covered as well. Jimmy Havoc may have recently been shipped away in a body bag by Sami Callihan but, before that, he brought his style of hardcore wrestling to the promotion complete with staple guns, pizza cutters and an array of weapons which would make New Jack beam with joy.

You’ll still be able to find straight-up technical wrestling and otherwise classic encounters with names like Shane Strickland, Low Ki and Tom Lawlor on the current roster. Joey Ryan’s got your (baby-oil-soaked) back if you like a bit of comedy in your wrestling, while Teddy Hart and Marko Stunt will take absurd risks to bring the crowd to its feet.

Every promotion needs a cornerstone, though, right? Someone who has been around the business and can lend credibility to the roster while also being there to teach the next generation of wrestlers. Much like the legendary Terry Funk in ECW, Tommy Dreamer is the grizzled veteran who can still go even if it makes us a little nervous when he’s getting tossed around by younger, larger opponents.

Top to bottom, MLW is going to give you something to grab onto no matter where you fall on the wrestling spectrum. That may be the biggest way in which it calls back to ECW, even if it’s not trying to do so. When you watch MLW, you’ll find somewhere to belong – whether it’s with lucha, hosses, hardcore, technical wrestling, or comedy, every fan can find a place to belong at an MLW show.

With an already huge 2018 complete with a weekly series on beIN Sports and expansion to major markets like New York and Chicago behind them, MLW is closing out the year with their first-ever live broadcast on beIN with an hour from Zero Hour on December 14. Several talents are under contract with the company meaning that some of your favorite and familiar faces won’t be going anywhere, giving MLW the power to build around the biggest names on the indies today.

If that all wasn’t enough, Court Bauer, CEO of MLW, has already promised to shake things up even more in 2019 with a rejuvenated roster and new matchups, but what else is on the horizon for Major League Wrestling?