The Albany Business Review did a feature article on MLW mastermind Court Bauer and the city of Albany’s local investors into the upstart wrestling promotion. The piece talks about the investors being non-wrestling fanatics, how MLW differs from the mainstream WWE product and the origins of the company. Below are a few snippets but you can read the entire article by going here:
Local Albany executive Kevin O’Connor on investing in MLW:
“Some people say, ‘Are you crazy?’” admits Kevin O’Connor, one of the local executives bankrolling Major League Wrestling.“But then you start to find out who these closet wrestling fans are,” said O’Connor, former CEO of FirstLight Fiber, a telecom firm he started in 1999 as Tech Valley Communications. “Guys I know from Wall Street, friends of the family who are with Goldman Sachs. Accomplished people.”
O’Connor on the potential popularity of MLW:
“This has got a potential for a significant return on investment,” O’Connor said. “Content providers in general are very hot. Wrestling and sports media content are extremely hot. The metric you use to value these companies is off the charts.”
Court Bauer on the difference between MLW & WWE:
“Our product is different from WWE,” Bauer said. “It’s a lot more raw. WWE is more like a Broadway show. There’s a lot of humor. It’s very scripted. It doesn’t feel like it’s for millennials. It doesn’t feel organic and real. It feels like the combat sports version of Disney.
“WWE will still use music like AC/DC,” he said. “And I’m thinking, no one under 30 is rocking to AC/DC. They’re a great band, but for millennials, you’re not talking to them. You’re not programming for them.”
Bauer on the marketability of MLW:
“It’s really endless,” Bauer said. “Most content companies are fairly one-dimensional or if you buy into a sports league you have to share that pot with the league and other teams. It gets diluted. With this, we control not only if our guys win or lose, we also control the intellectual property.”
Bauer on the predatory tactics of WWE, specifically with ‘War Games’ name and acquiring talent:
“WWE as a competitor is very predatory,” Bauer said. “We’ve signed the majority of our talent. They can’t poach us yet. They can be disruptive.”
The complete article can be viewed here. (subscription required)
10 Terrible Wrestling Shirts Worn By Great Wrestlers
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Místico / Sin Cara
Is that what I think it is?
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AJ Styles
I see why AJ left the company.
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APA
And all these years I thought it stood for Acolytes Protection Agency.
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Bray Wyatt
Nobody wanted this.
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Rey Mysterio
Hey, everybody has their kinks.
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John Morrison
What does that even mean?
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CM Punk
A good meme gone bad.
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John Cena
Not quite John Cena's best catchphrase.
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The Rock
Even The Rock couldn't make this look cool.
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DX
Not a great joke when DX were in their late 30s and 40s.
