Major League Wrestling (MLW) has reportedly sent a Cease and Desist legal letter to WWE over the company’s attempt to use MLW talent on the Raw is XXX anniversary special.
This is not the first time MLW has accused WWE of predatory behavior (more on that below). According to MLW sources (via the Wrestling Observer), WWE attempted to contact MLW’s contracted talent to be part of the Bloodline Acknowledgement Ceremony.
MLW stars who are part of the Anoa’i family include Jacob Fatu (son of Samu Fatu, nephew of Rikishi) and his brother, Lance Anoa’i.
The Acknowledgement Ceremony was reportedly canceled due to The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika) being unable to attend. The segment was replaced by The Trial of Sami Zayn.
It’s believed that MLW CEO Court Bauer would have been open to the idea of his talent working a WWE show, but such arrangements would have to run through MLW offices, instead of ‘feelers’ being sent to talent directly. Per the Observer, WWE not replied to the C&D letter.
WWE vs. MLW
The legal battle between the two has been heating up in recent months. MLW filed a lawsuit against the wrestling giant for interfering with their business prospects and contracts.
According to previous reports, the lawsuit specifically accuses the WWE of attempting to prevent Vice TV from working with MLW in early 2021. It also alleges that a former WWE executive named Susan Levinson even called Vice TV to let them know that Vince McMahon is not exactly happy about its partnership with MLW.
WWE also reportedly stopped MLW from getting a deal with the streaming service Tubi. MLW claims that failure to secure a deal with Tubi caused substantial losses, including event cancellations and a 40% drop in ticket sales. The company’s CEO, Court Bauer, has spoken out against WWE in a press release.
“WWE has been wrongfully depriving its competitors of critical opportunities for many years, but its latest conduct has been even more unconscionable,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “I think we speak for the rest of the professional wrestling world when we say that this anti-competitive behavior has to stop.”
