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WWE Reportedly In Talks With MLW
WWE is looking to have developmental talent get television exposure, who may not already be working.
According to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is currently in talks with MLW to form a potential working agreement. The arrangement would be similar to the prior deal the company had with Evolve prior to purchasing the promotion.
“They are in talks with MLW and it’s along the lines of the old Evolve deal or to a degree the 90s ECW deal. The idea is to get some of the developmental guys who aren’t working on NXT television some work.”
The company reportedly “doesn’t like the rep that it doesn’t work with anyone in the modern wrestling world”, which when compared to promotions like AEW, who has agreements with NJPW, Impact, and AAA makes WWE look “set in its old ways and uncooperative in the real world”.
Another idea is creating their own “Evolve-like” streaming show, which would allow talent to work television and gain exposure on Peacock.
Last year, Fightful reported WWE’s plans to produce a second show under the NXT banner, with a pilot filmed in September 2019. The publication obtained more details earlier this year on the show, which is tentatively titled “NXT EVOLVE”. The company has already created branding, and a championship belt with that name
The show was filmed in a warehouse near the WWE Performance Center, which at one point was used as a training facility for developmental talent.
WWE currently has dozens of talent signed to developmental deals.