EJ Nduka is gearing up for the biggest match of his career.
After an impressive debut at July\'s MLW Battle Riot III event, The Judge heads to battle at MLW War Chamber next Saturday night (11/6). He\'ll team with Alex Hammerstone, Richard Holliday and a mystery partner against CONTRA UNIT inside the ominous double steel cage match.
SEScoops correspondent Samira spoke with EJ Nduka about his aspirations in MLW, his friendship with AEW star Jade Cargill and his desire to walk through the Forbidden Door in the months ahead.
Here\'s the full interview, with highlights below:
Hammerstone Winning the MLW World Championship
Alex Hammerstone captured the MLW World Title from Jacob Fatu at MLW Fightland. Nduka respects Hammerstone and expects they\'ll be on the same page at War Chamber. However, he\'s in MLW for gold. That might make Hammer a marked man.
“I thought it was an amazing moment for him,\" Nduka said. \"Well deserved. He had those two titles up, but I couldn’t help to think, \'my boy you don’t need two.\' You know what I’m saying, one of those would look good around my waist. Big props to my boy Hammer. Hammer’s doing his thing and we’re teamed up this week and I’m looking forward to it.\"
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His Friendship with Jade Cargill
EJ Nduka is not your average pro wrestler. He doesn\'t blend in and he\'s not going to get lost in a crowd. One could say the same thing about AEW star Jade Cargill. They\'re both exceptional athletes. Interestingly enough, Nduka and Cargill are close friends and got started in pro wrestling on the exact same day.
“So, Jade and I, we both went to college together. Ironically, we knew of each other, but we didn’t know each other. In college, she played basketball and I played football. We actually got close when we got in the industry the same day.\"
\"We had our tryout at the WWE at the PC (Performance Center). She was literally right behind me in line. We started chopping it up and ever since then we’ve just been really good friends and we train whenever we get a chance. They were in Orlando for the AEW Dynamite, so we got an opportunity to train.”
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Alex Shelley, Bobby Fish & Tajiri
MLW excels at many things. One of their strengths is the ability to freshen up their roster. Talent comes and goes, but there\'s always world-class talent coming in. \"Filthy\" Tom Lawlor finished up with MLW, so now Will Ospreay is on his way in.
Alex Shelley, Bobby Fish and Tajiri are three veterans appearing for MLW this fall. Here\'s what Nduka had to say about them:
Alex Shelley: “It’s awesome because Alex Shelley, a lot of people don’t know this, he was a coach at the PC for a little bit when I first got there. I learned a lot from him. I would watch his classes, I wasn’t necessarily in his classes, but I would be one of the guys that was the first one at the PC and last one to leave. So, if he still had a class going, I would go watch.\"
Bobby Fish: \"Bobby Fish, he’s obviously one of the leaders in the locker room. Him and I became buddies, and I would ask him things, talk about life, and just the business in general. So, to see them at MLW locker room was awesome. You know it was like pieces of the puzzle these guys are leaders, they bring a lot to the table, and it’s always good to have that type of leadership in the locker room. People that have been there and done it, so that way you can bounce some ideas off of them.”
Tajiri: \"So, I got to hangout with Tajiri. His merch table, you (Samira) saw it, it was right next to mine at the show. So, I was just talking to him, and I was just amazed at his story. This guy I’ve been watching him since I was a kid, so just to be able to stand next to him and chop it up with him was so dope. He’s such a cool dude, very humble, and he’s just awesome all around.\"
When asked if he\'d wrestle Tajiri, Nduka replied, \"Anything could happen in that squared circle.\"
The Forbidden Door
EJ Nduka is currently tearing up the ranks in MLW, but who knows where he\'ll show up next? The Judge sounds more than ready to walk through the Forbidden Door and kick ass in other promotions.
\"It really just depends on the back logistics of everything, but me personally, I’m open. I’m very open to walk through that Forbidden Door. In fact, I’m ready to kick that thing down and come running full speed through it and just show the world exactly what I got to offer.\"
MLW War Chamber takes place Saturday, November 6th at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. Tickets are still available at MLWLive.com.
