Exclusive: MLW Founder Comments On WWE Reaching Out To Their Contracted Talent

MLW has made big strides since re-emerging in the wrestling event scene last year. 

With their new broadcast deal with BeIn Sport, Major League Wrestling has contracted several talents in an effort to solidify their shows. However, according to a report from the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE was reaching out to contracted wrestlers, and even offered some tryouts.

There were reports that WWE approached several wrestlers under contract to MLW. According to legal papers sent, the talent advised MLW of the offers and told WWE they were signed, but WWE told the wrestlers they should still come to a tryout and be around the system. In the past, WWE would back off when approaching talent under contract to a degree due to what happened in the past with ROH. They’ll still get word indirectly to tell people not to renew their deals like they did with ROH (and there were guys in ROH based on promises made and such while under contract that one would think was tampering, and that’s what led to the legal situation last year where WWE had to pull all offers from ROH talent and waited months after their contracts expired before approaching them again, although in the end the guys like Kyle O’Reilly, Adam Cole and Bobby Fish all came. The MLW deals signed with its key talent were for multiple years.

Fightful.com reached out to MLW founder Court Bauer for clarification on the report. Bauer said that it happened initially during WrestleMania weekend, and persisted even though it was indicated the wrestlers were already under contract.

"I was actually present for the initial engagement of our talent in New Orleans.  It surprised me to see it continue, as I along with the talent, had made the representative aware the talent was signed the first time around when engaged. May be a case of representatives playing fast and loose.  However, we have now made them aware through the proper channels," said Bauer.

Fightful has also reached out to WWE for comment on the situation.