Mads Krule Krügger shocked the pro wrestling world when he became the MLW World Heavyweight Champion. The terrifying masked man of Contra Unit cashed in on his Gravity Gamble contract on September 13 at Fightland. He dethroned Matt Riddle, who had already been defending against Donovan Dijak.
“It’s still surreal a little bit,” Krügger said. “I’m always of the mind set of what’s next. I don’t really take a lot of time to revel in any big accomplishment. Obviously, this is a very big accomplishment, and I’m really proud of it. But it’s about what’s next. What do we do? How do we build this to make it successful?”
Since the title change, the 40-year-old journeyman has felt appreciation and respect from the fans. Many of whom were pleasantly surprised at the recent sequence of events.
“There is a responsibility, but I’ve always felt that responsibility from the day they brought me on the first time,” Krügger said. “In any company I work for, my job is to make it better. If I’m not making it better, then what’s the point of me being there. I’ve always had that mindset and it is true for any job you have in life. Now, yes, there is the pressure. I don’t feel that way because we now have to work harder, keep getting better and make sure we are telling stories the crowd and fans are going to engage with and want to see.”
The 20-year-vet has honed his skills and worked his way up the card for opportunities like the one MLW provided. Over the last five years, Krügger enjoyed evolving what is seen on television. He grew into “The Black Hand of Contra.”
“Contra was basically a pro wrestling terrorist organization bent on taking over MLW,” Krügger said. “I’ve often said that Jacob Fatu when he was here and the leader of that group, it was going to be very hard to go from that to something new just because of how great he is and work he did. I knew I had to take it in a darker direction. Less on the terrorist and more into the horror. That’s my character in itself. I base my character off of horror movies. I think it’s something that is lost on pro wrestling, real monsters. I wanted to be Jason Voorhees. We’re still in the process of it. I think changing it is slow for a reason. I think fans will see that as we continue forward from here. It’s going to grow and evolve into something completely different than before, which is necessary.”
Krügger looks to show more sides of his persona in the weeks to come, leaning into more cinematic elements. His posts on social media have been a little taste of what he looks to produce. The Georgian lives on a 100-year-old farm, which provides the perfect backdrop for segments that could be right out of a Blumhouse movie. Along with the darker presentation, Krügger has also been in his fair share of hardcore style matches that border on what would be considered death matches. These battlegrounds provided him the space to “create a monster within modern wrestling.”
“It’s not for the faint of the heart. It takes a lot of your body,” he explained. “My feelings on death match wrestling is it does have a place. Anything you do in the world of professional wrestling has a place as long as people are going to pay to see it and get invested in it. There is a place for it. Is it everyone’s cup of tea? Of course not. Do I think it’s overdone sometimes? Absolutely, especially being a professional wrestler in that mindset.
“I go in, even in a deathmatch, with the mindset of a professional wrestler. How do we tell a story? If we’re not telling a story, it’s just as pointless as any match in my opinion. I’m a fan of it obviously because I’ve done it, but in saying that, I think there are stories told in it. I think I’ve done that successfully by creating this monster that was undeniable because I walked through glass and everything they threw at me and came out of it on the other side.”
His first big test as MLW Champion comes October 4 when he defends against CW Anderson, Mr. Thomas, Matthew Justice, and two other challengers in a brutal Chamber of Horrors match. The Long Beach event will air on YouTube and beIN Sports.
“This is definitely my yard,” Krügger said. “This is what I’m made for and what the character is made for. Matthew Justice, he is also made for this environment. We’ve had our feud in the past, and it’s just going to continue to light back up and become a thing again. Mr. Thomas, I think is one of the most underrated talents in MLW. He doesn’t really work in other places outside of that. MLW is his home and where he works. I respect that. He is building himself now the last few months and really stood out and became a prominent member of the roster. CW is an old school guy. I have so much respect for him. I don’t know who the other two guys are, but I hope they’re coming ready to fight because it’s going to be one of those. It’s going to be violent and intense.”