ICM Partners has signed Major League Wresting, the fastest growing league in professional wrestling, with an eye toward negotiating new broadcast and streaming rights deals for the burgeoning league, which become available this spring. ICM Partners will also represent MLW with the launch of MLW Studios, a multi-platform media studio, offering a slate of original scripted and non-scripted programming.
The appetite for this sport on television and streaming is highlighted by the recent megadeals that were negotiated between WWE and Fox/Comcast and AEW and Warner Media.
MLW currently airs weekly on beIN SPORTS in English and in Spanish. MLW’s impressive quality and hyper-realistic storytelling have made their product a darling among wrestling insiders and fight fans, despite competition from numerous other leagues. The league showed growth of over 43% in total viewers from 2018 to 2019, by targeting millennial and Latino audiences, and their weekly 60-minute series Fusion reaches over 2.5 million eyeballs on beIN Sports.
With professional wrestling experiencing what many are considering a new renaissance in popularity, MLW is poised to make a significant impact in the space with whichever carrier they choose as their tag-team partner.
Based in New York, MLW is sports media holding company with a focus on professional wrestling sporting events/programming, digital content and ancillary entertainment. MLW produces live events and original shoulder programming for television, OTT and digital platforms in English and Spanish and is currently distributed in 14 countries and counting.
“As the only free agent in the wrestling space in 2020, MLW is in a unique position in the television landscape,” said Court Bauer, creator and Chief Executive Officer, Major League Wrestling. “MLW provides an extraordinary entertainment experience, showcasing some of the sport’s most storied and iconic families, embracing the Mexican Lucha libre culture and presenting original content in a 360 manner.”
MLW today announced Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Jimmy Havoc (with Priscilla Kelly) for MLW: FIGHTLAND at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on Saturday, February 1. The event will be a MLW FUSION TV taping for beIN SPORTS.
Brian Pillman Jr. has made the move to the middleweight division, effective immediately. With the intention of climbing the rankings and challenging for the World Middleweight Championship, Pillman has high hopes for winning his first singles title in the league. Standing in his way on the road to a title match: Jimmy Havoc and Priscilla Kelly.
A vicious and cunning duo, Havoc and Priscilla have a history of violence in the league dating back nearly two years when this unholy union first united. A sinister force looking to put a reckoning on the division and challenge for the title himself, Havoc thrives on the misery of others.
With Pillman entering the 205-pound and under division, league officials quickly moved to make this match, arguably one of the biggest bouts within the middleweight division. With both men jockeying to fast track a title bout, this match has championship implications.
Great Britain’s top-ranked middleweight poses a challenge for Pillman, with Priscilla Kelly a wildcard in every encounter, Pillman will have to remain vigilant and mindful of outside forces ringside… including the trio known as Injustice.
Signed thus far for FIGHTLAND:
- WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT: Jacob Fatu (c) vs. CIMA
- Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Erick Stevens
- Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Jimmy Havoc (with Priscilla Kelly)
- The debut of Killer Kross
All pics courtesy of MLW