Major League Wrestling (MLW)

[0.0] "MLW was reay on the rise and had an insane level of potential, sad to see how they moved forward. Between Matt Riddle and Tessa Blanchard, MLQ has been unwatchable. I applaud the talents who walked out, A very long list of wrestlers walked out of the company. They have no one but themselves to blame. They had an insane roster full of talented individuals who could really take it to the next level but MLW as usual, sabotaged itself."

[5.0] "The promotion is starting to give me the irks right now. Granted, they have some decent talent from the indies to rely on. The problem is that some of the talent have been HISTORICALLY problematic or just not consistently quality entertaining factors. I'm starting to get the irks and TNA might unironically pass them as the 3rd best promotion in the US is not done right."

[10.0] "Been watching MLW for all of 2026, I think they are doing an incredible job with the rotating roster. The segments are constantly changing styles in a good way, nothing feels stale. Their pre-recorded segments are campy on purpose (like 80s shit) and their in-ring work is the perfect blend of ECW/AEW/indy shit. As others noted, they handed Corbin leaving perfectly- I was at a taping where we were expecting Corbin to come out and Josh Bishop showed up instead. The crowd was so disappointed until the dude started wrestling, and he can really really go. Actually, he reminds you when there was territory wrestling and your favorite wrestler would fight some dude you never heard of but who was clearly giving 110%.... thats josh bishop. He's earning it through his matches, and him and Dijak make a great team. Shotzi has turned into the stable element on the women's side, which works since she's versatile and is peaking in-ring. I couldn't believe the push Diego Hill was getting, mentored by Mistico, but the kid is like Jevon Evans or BETTER. MLW fucking rocks, you can tell its being booked by fans for fans."

"8/10 Has really come into it's own as an effective viewing alternative for mainstream promotions as of late. When Corbin left & they were in a bind, they slotted Josh Bishop into the Skyscrapers with the aptitude of a quick-witted football referee calling an excellent audible, & it feels like the Skyscrapers had never lost a beat. The commentary team of Lawlor & Dombrowski play off of each other exceptionally well. They made a great choice throwing Austin Aries into the title fray after Austin had his issues, & Austin has since put on some great matches. They do not hesitate to hire notable names like Shotzi, Kross, Riddle, & while I'm not Kross's biggest fan, generally speaking it seems like MLW is a great place to get hired to if you want some solid creative freedom that big feds may not offer you. Their promos have been full of yearning & emotion as of late. I'm probably going to send them some cash for merch soon, & my cash situation isn't great."

[5.0] "This year, the promotion signed many free agents and also began collaborating with many promotions. I'd like to give them another chance and believe in their success, but it's hard to believe so far. I'll be keeping an eye on Fusion periodically after the new season starts."

[6.0] "Sure, MLW has a few kinks it needs to work out. But overall, it has become a haven for wrestlers to go to one of the big three, WWE, AEW or TNA. Also, it's become a landscape for wrestlers released by the aforementioned companies to revitalize their careers."

[6.0] "I can't help but love MLW, but I feel like it's more concept than execution as of right now: the divisions made more sense if the weight classes were adapted to wrestling weight classes than respecting those in MMA, and having the openweight title be the "national title" doesn't make all that much sense to me: why not have the openweight title be the men's singles world title and have it be a requirement for wrestlers to have to have been champions in their respective weight categories before competing for it? I guess we'll never know, but the product is nonetheless fun to follow, so I can safely recommend it."

[10.0] "I love this league - warts and all. Honestly, it's the "gritty realism" that gets the juices flowing. I also truly enjoy how they end up with the best cast-offs. MLW makes the most of what they have and I'm very grateful for their craziness."

[6.0] "[5.9] Major League Wrestling has had a bit of a tumble ever since some big stars left the promotion and since then it seems like budget cuts have affected the promotion heavily and they've been trying to find an identity since then. The CMLL-partnership seems to be helping them have more consistent shows but there is still that struggle of consistently good shows. They have some good workers on the roster but fail to really utilize them to their fullest potential."

[4.0] "There was a period of time when MLW was really worth watching. Something went wrong with some kind of broadcasting deal, I don't know the details but it wasn't on youtube anymore and despite going on forums and trying to contact the promotion I couldn't find out where I would even be able to watch the product. After a while they seemed to return to youtube but they had shows that seemed to have nothing to do with MLW. I believe it was in collaboration with Crash but it could be some other promotion. The arena and the wrestlers I didn't recognise. Hammerstone, Fatu and Holliday were around and their stuff was still good. Now that Hammerstone and Fatu left there doesn't seem to be any direction anymore. They tried some Lucha Underground revival stuff but I can't even understand what Cesar Duran is saying because his mic always seems to be on mute. I don't know what MLW is anymore. They don't really have any stories and they just keep on getting toxic talent like Austin Aries, Matt Riddle etc... because they're cheap I suppose."

[4.0] "I really badly want to like MLW, they've got some real talent, the CMLL partnership talent-lending makes the in-ring product very fun to watch, I just have a huge problem with a company taking the approach of signing controversial, or in some cases criminal talent, who are willing to sign for low rates because nobody bigger wants them. Like what AAA did with Del Rio, but like 6 times over. The Atlanta Braves approach to talent signing. Teddy Hart, Davey Richards, TJP, Matt Riddle, Austin Aries, all these dudes are different levels of repugnant, and of MLW stopped putting all their chips into walking PR disasters, I think they would have a better chance at growing into a more mainstream indie."

"MLW is a company I WANT to like, but I honestly don't know who the product is made for as they don't seem to specialize/excel in anything. They have good production values, great commentators, and a solid roster of newcomers mixed with veterans from the indie wrestling golden years. However, the match quality is consistently mediocre and well below anything you'd see on TV or even your local indy company. This is not the fault of the wrestlers, but rather the booking, where every match is short and never given enough time to fully develop or feel important in any way. I constantly see MLW hyping up matches that look good on paper, but then I watch them and they feel underwhelming every single time. I don't expect NJPW-level matches, but even random indies like Defy and DPW put on better matches with rosters that aren't half as good as MLW's roster is. Secondly, the storylines and promos often feel very generic and occasionally silly, usually just time-wasting rather than engaging. Dull matches combined with dull storylines make for a dull product, regardless of how good the roster may appear."

[5.0] "Used to be good when they had Jacob Fatu, the Von Erichs, the Hart Foundation, and the Dynasty. Then it went way downhill."

[3.0] "I've watched a fair bit of recent MLW due it being free on YouTube and honestly I have regretted watching their shows almost every time. They routinely give matches far too little time to develop, even between competent workers who could do much better than they routinely do on MLW cards. Their matches are routinely poor, their angles and promos are weak and the overall product is just not enjoyable currently. Not worth watching MLW in 2025."

[7.0] "MLW might stand for "Major League Wrestling", but it doesn't operate in the same air as actual major league promotions like WWE or New Japan. That said, they have a decent touring presence, they have a television show they support, and they seem to be a solid place for either new wrestlers to flourish, reclamation projects to get respect on their name, or for veteran freelance wrestlers to get a reliable pay day. It would be nice to see their touring and TV presence expanded, but its not too much to say that they feature what's arguably the fourth-best roster of the American-based promotions. Given their touring presence, they deserve recognition as a semi-national/minor league wrestling promotion."

[10.0] "Giving this the good ol 10.0 points. The fact that this promotion is a 6.91 is crazy IMO. Love MLW and hope MLW sees great success. This is the best spot for free agents and good indie wrestlers. They also have huge star power like Místico, Matt Riddle, Donovan Dijak, Bad Dude Tito, Satoshi Kojima, Timothy Thatcher and way more. MLW is what got me into wrestling. I got a YouTube recommendation called Fusion on Thanksgiving 2023 and instantly fell in love with the promotion. Seeing Matt Cardona and Alexander Hammerstone was fun. In reality, I'll always praise this promotion over and over again."

[2.0] "They're good for having maybe one or two matches a year, with good production. Everything else is lackluster, meaningless and a waste of time. They have been struggling to find their footing since Jacob Fatu and Hammerstone left. A ton of great talent with extremely questionable booking. I wouldn't suggest this company to anyone because of the constant level of 'blah' they produce so frequently. I give them a 2 because of the production. I cannot knock them on that front. They do have some really good camera work, but outside of that? Nothing. And this is not on the talent. It's the people booking. It just sad."

[6.0] "I think it's a more than fine enough company to watch. they have a lot of variety at times but when they dont, they dont. some booking mistakes can be forgiven with alot of shows being for free on YouTube and having good quality streams which is really all you could ask for with indie companies. they do hire more questionable people but they all can work nice enough and they also hire talent from all over so its fine. they're gaining some momentum with me."

"Underrated promotion. I remember watching MLW Fusion in 2020 and 2021 with my father. He passed away a month after the season finale that had Lio Rush vs Myron Reed. I cherish those memories. MLW put on good shows and introduced me to wrestlers that I was unfamiliar with."

[5.0] "Neither good or bad, but MLW can produce some good matches every once in a while. They know how to utilize the independents well; it's a good opportunity for those wanting to find their footing. However, they need some better creative direction and better booking. The whole production feels... flat. It feels off since I can't put my finger on it."

[6.0] "I've seen a decent amount of MLW, Mainly the contra and Dynasty stuff and I know little about everything else going on, But they seem like a decently unique indie promotion, Lot's of great talent have been in MLW From MJF to Jacob Fatu, These guys have been around since 2002 but I only found out about them in 2020 with the likes of Contra Unit being around so I have no clue of the companies past but Hopefully I learn more about it as I watch."

[9.0] "MLW is overall pretty entertaining. They book some of the best indies talent in the northeast circuit, and although Underground and Azteca were flops, Fusion and Alpha were decent. They've put some big stars through to other companies, and helped them get to bigger and better things. This is a great company."

[6.0] "Their press releases are consistently more entertaining and less rooted in truth than the matches they book."

[4.0] "The only "major" (see what I did just here jijijiji) that is able to book talent like Enzo Amore in 2023. So...thanks MLW for not making me watch Alexander Hammerston everywhere but in your shows"

[2.0] "MLW is by all means not worth anyone's time, anything they do other companies can do better. I don't know why they came back if they were just going to be some generic company that relied strongly on name recognition, but at least have some memorable matches if you're going to do that. Everything feels bland, the commentary, the camera work, the ring setup. The only thing they got is some crazy storylines but those usually go on forever with barely any reason to give a damn about the payoff."

[7.0] "Puts on some good matches and introduces you to future stars and your favorite's who has fallen out of the major leagues but can still go in the ring. Not every superstar or match they put on works but more often then not the shows are pretty good"

[2.0] "Well MLW. Where to start. I really can't understand the fact that they can't have at least one decent match. All the matches and all the shows are pure trash."

[7.0] "Great live show experience. Their TV product needs some work though. Tons of potential here. Would love to see them up their TV product to at least 2008 TNA levels. Would be a great 3rd major US brand with the right investment and work."

[9.0] "MLW has returned with a new TV show. I recently watched it on their YouTube channel and I was impressed. Great production values, and the commentary of Tony Schivone immediately gives the promotion a feeling of legitimacy. 2022 update: This promotion only has gotten better, I love their current Azteca Underground storyline. Also Jacob Fatu and the Von Erichs!"

[8.0] "Very entertaining promotion, is like watching a mix of 2000's RA era, ROH, 90's ECW all together with the modern fast-paced style of current wrestling, a lot of good wrestlers, titles that are treated with respect, booking that makes sense most of the time, Contra is one of the best heel stables nowadays, the 1-hour shows fly by and Cesar Durand segments are always fun to watch no matter which year or promotion we're talking about, they only need that big "I don't know what" to make them being considered as one of the "big leagues" promotion, but still they have more hits than misses and I hope thay can gain more traction and stay alive for a long time."

[10.0] "MLW is a perfect example of a successful growing Indy company. It has grown faster then most companies are currently getting on a major network soon, incredible talent that seem happy to be there and it feels they are all used for one storyline or another, so no one is hanging around doing nothing."

"MLW's emergence from an ECW clone to being one of the most interesting promotions in the industry has certainly been something to admire. MLW's biggest strength is its diversity of wrestlers. The roster has every kind of wrestler and personality under the sun from the big beefy men to the daring high-fliers and even a few entertainers. They've managed to compile them and create an overall strong roster. COVID-19 did hinder their progress however and it showed during the shows presented when they came back. Thankfully, it seems they've been finding their rhythm again and their TV deal with Vice is sure to help get new faces onboard. If they can recapture what made them great from 2017 to 2019, they'll be a frontrunner to be the top indie promotion in North America."

[7.0] "MLW is really a tale of three promotions. Its first incarnation was a shameless ECW clone with the same and similar talent and storylines (i. e. old faces from ECW doing hardcore shit and also newer guys having good competitive matches in the vein of Guerrero, Malenko, and Benoit), complete with Joey Styles doing commentary solo and identical moments of static used to cut between segments. Pretty decent and on par with other smaller indie promotions in a post-WCW world. 6/10. Then it came back in 2017 with a similar mindset of hybrid wrestling, to the point where its show was called Fusion, and it truly did do a fantastic job of blending multiple different wrestling styles seamlessly. It benefitted at the time from having one of the greatest free agent pools possibly in wrestling history, with lots of great matchups and relatively simple yet compelling storylines with some truly brutal hardcore bouts thrown in as well. Truly the company's heyday and rivaled anything else that was on television at the time. 9/10. Then the whole world stopped in early 2020 and MLW was forced to go into hibernation. It returned with a new sports-style presentation, trying to present itself as something you might see on ESPN. Unfortunately its roster, while it still has some very good names, is a shadow of what it was a couple years ago due to a large percentage of its roster hopping to other companies. For whatever reason MLW still hasn't decided to have even a small handful of people in the arena to make at least some noise, instead opting for piped-in crowd noises that sound more like people milling around at a company barbeque than a wrestling audience, and it absolutely kills the atmosphere of every match. Honestly I'd rather just have silence at this point. The storytelling has also arguably dipped in quality, as every episode just feels like the promotion spinning its wheels having essentially the same programs with people rotating in and out, like they're playing for time until they can safely have live crowds. 5/10. The debut of AEW as well as the Covid-19 pandemic have really crippled MLW, and it's gone from a promising diamond in the rough to just another struggling indie fed. I really hope they can rebound from their overall dip in quality soon."

[4.0] "MLW is highly entertaining with unique and engaging characters and shock and awe moves. Weekly shows provide the show to be accessible for free which is always a highlight. MLW is extremely well put together but does have noticeable lackings in the presentation department I fear the program may be going downhill with a lot of their premium talent joining the ranks of AEW"

[8.0] "An entertaining weekly show that is easily accessible on Youtube or FITE. They have put on some fantastic matches in the past and they have a varied roster. All styles of wrestling are on show. Lucha Libre, Brawling, Technical, Amateur wrestling and Hardcore."

[6.0] "I watch Fusion regularly, and it's an okay show. Nothing remarkable, but solid and with some pretty good talent. I feel like "Major League Wrestling" is a counter-productive name for the company, though. Let's be honest ? it ain't the major leagues. Obvious it ranks behind WWE and AEW, but also Impact, ROH, and, at least based on weekly Youtube views, NWA Power as well. Calling the company "Major League Wrestling" just emphasizes how minor league it is."

[7.0] "I've enjoyed what I've seen from the dozen or so shows I've seen on freesports but not enough to watch weekly. A decent roster and good production values mean it's one of the better indies out there even if the booking isn't great."

[9.0] "In one year, Mlw has become one of the best weekly television wrestling shows. It combines many different styles, has a roster from all over the world and has some of the more intriguing storylines in wrestling today. Unfortunately their roster has been raided by Wwe, Aew and Roh, but the good news is that new talent constantly comes in and there is no shortage of young and talented wrestlers. I hope Mlw continues being a success, a beckon of light in todays wrestling scene."

[8.0] "MLW has quickly become one of the better smaller, yet accessible, North American promotions out there over the last 2 years by providing storyline-driven content featuring a wide variety of styles. There's literally something for just about every kind of wrestling fan to be found once you look at the main roster plus international lucha stars that are frequently being brought in. I've found myself far more entertained on a weekly basis by MLW's Fusion program on YouTube than compared to just about any other weekly show outside of NXT. Outside of Impact there aren't many other promotions leaning so heavily on well thought out and deliberately paced storylines that actually make sense both in promo aspect as well as in the ring. Literally my biggest complaint about the promotion is that their larger shows that take place of what would be PPV's for other companies don't always have a "big show" feel outside of featuring higher profile main events but considering these shows are also free it's somewhat understandable."

[8.0] "A venerable promotion that focuses on simple story telling and great wrestling. Fusion is an excellent weekly show, with great commentary and a nice presentation. You're rewarded for paying attention to the thread of a story and their booking is always logical. They have an interesting blend of rising stars looking for their break and old hands who lend credibility to the product. As well as presenting and embracing a mix of styles and talents of different nationalities, thus the Fusion name."

[7.0] "MLW is a good promotion, they seem to listen to their fans, and they seem to use some lesser known and/ or green(ish) tallent, which will definitely help get them over. This is helped by their TV deal with BeIN Sports."

[7.0] "One of the many independent companies jockeying for position in the early 2000s after the demise of WCW and ECW. In its first incarnation, MLW borrowed more than a few elements from ECW (arguably too many, ranging from roster members to presentational elements like the "static" transitions on their show) and seemed to be aiming for that company's spot. In-ring action could be hit-and-miss, and there was a big divide between the upper card, made up mostly of ex-ECW/WCW guys (some of whom could still go; some of whom were already getting a bit long in the tooth), and an undercard made up of young, hungry newcomers. Some of the booking was quite good, such as Jerry Lynn's losing-streak storyline. MLW came and went in just two years and probably didn't have a chance to live up to its full potential, but it had its place of significance in the early-2000s wrestling scene, and provided an early televised outlet for future stars including CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Samoa Joe, Homicide, Chris Hero and Sonjay Dutt. After thirteen years of inactivity, the company suddenly resurfaced in 2017; the new incarnation features a strong roster of upper-level independent talent as well as strong production values and booking; it could soon become a major player on the independent scene."

[7.0] "Enjoyable company from the early 2000s. Had flaws but offered a nice alternative for those still mourning ECW's demise. Gave guys like CM Punk, Sonjay Dutt, Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe a place to get going in their earlier career, gave the likes of Jerry Lynn, Raven, Mikey Whipwreck and and Mike Awesome something interesting to do while still in great ring shape and ultimately made Steve Corino look like a million dollars as top heel. I'm glad the company is back but I don't know if the pool is as full of nationally or globally renowned names now as it was then (back then they had access to formers champions in WWE, NWA, ECW, WCW and beyond) but it's there's plenty of gifted wrestlers looking for a shot."