MLW Announces Working Relationship With Dragon Gate

MLW is now working with a different Japanese promotion.

During the MLW Fightland event, which also served as tapings for future episodes of MLW Fusion, it had been announced that the promotion will now work with Dragon Gate. 

MLW had previously worked with Pro Wrestling NOAH. According to Post Wrestling, Dragon Gate will replace MLW as its Japanese partner and that both sides had been in talks with the deal signed over the past week.

The plan is to bring Dragon Gate talent over to the U.S once they complete the process of securing visas for the talent. The report also stated that it is believed that NOAH will keep working with Impact Wrestling. MLW also has a working relationship with Lucha Libre AAA and OWE, both of which sent talent to work Fightland. 

MLW sent out the following press release on Monday:

THE GATE TO THE AMERICAS HAS BEEN OPENED.

KOBE, JAPAN / NEW YORK — Major League Wrestling and Dragon Gate Pro-Wrestling of Japan today announced the formation of a strategic alliance.

MLW and Dragon Gate Pro-Wrestling will fuse forces to launch a new collaboration focused on a talent exchange and opportunities to share content and participate in other projects.

“The collaboration between MLW and Dragon Gate is a very special opportunity to produce unique events, showcase spectacular talent and create a new canvas for Japanese and American cooperation,” said Court Bauer, CEO and founder of MLW.  “We are ecstatic about this partnership.”

Dragon Gate is a world-renowned wrestling organization based out of Kobe, Japan that has revolutionized wrestling. 

Transcending traditional Japanese wrestling with its distinct mixture of strong style wrestling and Mexican lucha libre, Dragon Gate is a spectacular packaging unlike any other Japanese organization.

With popular wrestlers such as Ben-K, YAMATO, Shun Skywalker and Narauki Doi among others, Dragon Gate delights fans around the world with their thrilling high-flying acrobatics and inventive moves. 

A vibrant trendsetting organization, Dragon Gate emerged in 2004 and reimagined Japanese wrestling in its own vision. Today, Dragon Gate is one of Japan’s most prominent organizations with a global reach, including introducing their SVOD service, https://dragongate.live.

More details on first chapter of the MLW x Dragon Gate collaboration will be revealed soon.

The company is looking for a new broadcast and streaming deal after signing with ICM Partners a few weeks back. ICM Partners will also represent MLW Studios, a multi-platform media studio focusing on original scripted and non-scripted programming.

Fightful will provide full results and spoilers of Fightland, taking place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Also announced during the show is the company’s return date to Philadelphia which is July 18.