MLW: Four ways the company can go major league
I am one of the biggest fans of MLW (Major League Wrestling) in the bullpen. While the other editors gush about AEW this or WWE that, I am the one wondering who will strike up a conversation about the almost 20-year-old promotion. With their #restart last November, my most pressing concern is about the future of the brand. MLW has always been in the purgatory between indy wrestling gig and primetime success. So what will it take for them to get the spotlight they deserve?
1. Get exclusive content
I am what you call a freeloader fan. If the promotion requires cable or a subscription then count me out. MLW has been incredibly generous with fans, posting almost all their events on Youtube and PlutoTV. These are not cheap teasers, pre-shows, or dark matches, but prime content. While this gives them the widest audience possible, it also puts them in the unspecial category. There’s no forbidden fruit for the diehard fans. I am not saying put MLW behind a paywall. In fact, I think Fusion should be free on Youtube. The deeper stuff: longer matches, specialty shows, and extra events should be on a streaming service. This leads me to my next point.
2. An hour is not enough
MLW Fusion is the weekly show where title matches and main storylines take place. The 45 minutes of action can squeeze out two full matches, a quick squash match, and some backstage heat. With a roster of over 40 wrestlers, a once-a-week show is not enough. NXT falls into the same problem, but at least they can sneak some wrestlers on NXT UK and Raw. MLW has four titles to juggle and inter-promotional titles to boot. What’s worse, since the pandemic, MLW does not have any mega-events that are longer than an hour. Their last event, Kings of Coliseum, barely even scratched the surface of their potential. A brand that is so strong on wrestling, fighting styles, and professional fights should not have so little to work with.
3. Lift up the big names
Hammerstone, Fatu, Lio Rush, Richard Holliday, Laredo Kid, ACH, and Low-Ki are just a few of the young and hot commodities. Every wrestler has so much energy and fire in the ring that MLW doesn’t have to work hard to sell a great match. Their obstacle right now is very few of these wrestlers are making a big impact on the show. There is no time to push them. Two months have gone by and Alex Hammerstone hasn’t been in a match that hasn’t been a squash or a punching match. Low-Ki hasn’t been pushed to his full potential. Laredo Kid could be an excellent cruiserweight, but now he is a jobber. These wrestlers are making ends meet on other promotions (probably in much meatier matches), but their best shot at the big time is through MLW.
4. Double down on the wrestling/MMA/judo atmosphere
I respect MLW for what they don’t have to prove. They don’t need Titantrons, wall-to-wall bright lights, exploding entrances, virtual audiences, and gigantic set pieces to establish themselves as a big event. In fact, MLW’s greatest strength is how seriously they treat the fighting styles. A wrestler’s expertise in the ring is just as important as their backstage storyline. MLW should not walk away from that in order to get some cheap heat or a quirky rivalry. They should push their brand to its limits. that would mean more specialty matches, more variety, a unique scoring and ranking system, gauntlet matches, and basing stories off of stats. The heart of Major League Wrestling is the power they put in the fights and that should not go away.
This company started off as the spiritual successor of ECW, but quickly evolved into a hybrid of mixed fighting styles and wrestling rivalries. With names like Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, Steve Corino, and CM Punk in their legacy, MLW has never had to rely on possessed clowns, boogie men, cheesy Undertaker rip-offs, or magical stones of power. What will make or break the future of MLW is how they can marry the heat between talent and the in-ring action. It’s those choices that will separate them from being just another indy spit in the pan and elevate them to the big kid’s table.