MLW star Richard Holliday was a recent guest on the Wrestling Inc Daily to discuss MLW’s roster, whether or not MLW will run empty arena shows, and when he found out about the COVID-19 outbreak. Highlights from the interview are below.
On MLW’s talented roster:
It’s truly exciting. MLW has done an excellent job of recruiting some of the best talent around the country. We can use myself as an example as you weren’t too familiar with who I was prior to MLW. They took a chance on me, if you wanna call it a chance, and look where I am. They’ve done that with several individuals and garnering talent such as MJF, Hammerstone, Mance Warner, the Von Erichs. Some people call it the future of wrestling but I think we’re very much in the here and now with our MLW roster. There’s a lot of good things that we’re gonna be able to do once the world gets back to normal. This roster has exponential potential.
MLW’s last event in Mexico prior to the COVID-19 pandemic:
It was totally from 100 to 0 as the last show I did was in Tijuana in front of 5,000 consumers for MLW and defending my Caribbean Championship. It was a monumental event but now we don’t know when the next time we’re gonna wrestle is. So, it’s very important to stay relevant and in the consumer’s mind so they don’t lose interest. Being active on social media is obviously very important and you have to utilize what we have.
Finding out about the virus outbreak:
This was right when everything was starting to come out and people were freaked out. At the airports it was quite eerie and nobody knew what was going on. I remember the night before my flight I got a call from a member of my family and they said the NBA just got cancelled. Then March Madness got cancelled and this thing was very, very real. I was quite hesitant to go. I knew how to be pre-cautious and safe in these environments so, when I got to San Diego it was much more calm. I was on the East Coast where I think people were freaking out more. It was a lot calmer in San Diego because I don’t think it was there yet. It certainly wasn’t in Mexico so we felt good. MLW would never put us in harm’s way and that’s why you see what MLW is doing now. We’re not running shows and doing the empty arena shows. We’re not forcing our hand because we know it’s not for the greater good.
Whether MLW will run empty arena events:
Right now I think they’re standing firm on not doing them. I don’t wanna speak for them or put words in their mouths, but I think the feeling in the company is to not do them. But again, we don’t know how long this is gonna be. Is it another year until pro wrestling can happen? We don’t know.
Full interview are below. (H/T and transcribed by Wrestling Inc.)