Various: Will Ospreay on NJPW Future, Billy Corgan on Criticisms of Tyrus, MLW-WWE Lawsuit Update

May 30, 2023

Will Ospreay Comments on His Career Future in NJPW

As noted before, Will Ospreay’s contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling is currently set to expire in February of 2024.

A recent episode of the Insight with Chris Van Vliet podcast had Ospreay as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Ospreay’s thoughts about the future of his career in NJPW.

“I’m very confident me and New Japan are going to work something out because I don’t want to live in America. That’s my full stop thing. I just don’t want to. It limits me. I’m basically saying, we’ll sort something out.
I just like doing it. I can always reinvent, I can always change it up. Right now, United Empire is real hot. Merchandise sales with us are real good in Japan, we’re number one faction in New Japan voted by Tokyo Sports. I can feel something that wasn’t the best start with COVID and there was no reason for myself, Great-O-Khan, Henare and Jeff (Cobb) to be put together, but we made it work. There was a bunch of things that always happened, but in the end, we finally got all the group together, ten jewels make the crown. I can’t walk around in Japan now without being stopped once a day without people doing the [hand sign] we just made up in the islands. We made a cool hand sign.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

Billy Corgan Comments on Those Criticizing Tyrus as NWA Champion are Not Real Wrestling Fans

In a recent interview with the New York Post, National Wrestling Alliance owner Billy Corgan gave his thoughts about the recent criticism of Tryus’ as NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion and issues over his work for FOX News.

“I think if people bring those things into the realm of wrestling, and it changes their willingness to watch, that’s not a customer that I am catering to. I grew up in a time of old-school heat. Old-school heat was the Polish guy told the German guy, using World War II references, that he was gonna beat him up. Very politically incorrect. When Tyrus walks through the door, he brings the heat, and if you’re not gonna watch him, then you’re not a wrestling fan. I’m not booking a charity. I’m booking a professional wrestling company. There are people that have a problem with the New York Post. If that was going to deny you opportunities in the world to appear on a show, or write for another magazine, that’s not a world that I want to live in. I believe that dissenting voices should have a seat at the table and let the American public decide which is more important on any particular argument. I don’t believe in canceling out a voice because you’re not comfortable with their perspective, and that’s somehow supposed to translate into professional wrestling.
We’ve seen where ‘Star Wars’ let the fans book the franchise, and it’s caused a bunch of problems. I’ve said openly that the fans are not going to book the NWA. There’s an old saying — live by the sword, die by the sword — I’ve been in the public life for 30 years. I’ve had everybody and their mother tell me how to make my music. I’ve flown against the grain for 30 years. It’s worked out fine. I’m going to book the NWA the way I want to book it. That’s it.”

MLW Anti-Trust Lawsuit Against WWE Update

As noted before, Major League Wrestling’s original antitrust lawsuit against WWE was dismissed this past February and had filed a new amended lawsuit this past March.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that WWE filed an official response to MLW’s amended lawsuit on Monday as part of their request for the court to also dismiss this lawsuit against the company.

In the filing, WWE claimed that MLW’s arguments that their lawsuit has legitimate merits were actually contradicted by their own allegations.

Johnson reported that WWE’s filing did contain one notable error in regards to them stating that AEW had received a new television contract from Warner Bros Discovery for $240 million per year as part of their deal for AEW Collision, which was recently revealed to not be true according to AEW CEO Tony Khan.

“MLW’s opposition to WWE’s motion to dismiss (“Opp.”) is without foundation in truth and is contradicted by its own allegations. MLW admits that it successfully sold its media rights to a cable network, Reelz. It admits that other promotions such as All Elite Wrestling (“AEW”) and Women of Wrestling (“WOW”) have expanded output and sold their media rights for millions of dollars. These admissions are fatal to MLW’s monopolization claim. Hoping to diminish them, MLW told the Court that Reelz would prematurely cancel its contract with MLW because of WWE and it labeled AEW and WOW “de minimis” competitors. In actuality, Reelz extended its ten-week trial run with MLW, and MLW just announced multiple new, “hugely important” media rights agreements with a streaming service, FITE. As for AEW, far from being a de minimis competitor, it just expanded the sale of its media rights to WarnerBros.-Discovery (“WBD”) for a reported $240 million per year.
With the truth so far divorced from the FAC, it is no surprise that MLW’s antitrust claims are inherently doomed. MLW has not and cannot plausibly allege relevant product or geographic markets around media rights for professional wrestling. MLW has not and can never plausibly allege direct or circumstantial evidence of WWE possessing monopoly power over television networks and streaming services. And MLW has not and can never plausibly allege antitrust injury or standing when it and other alleged competitors are, by public admissions, thriving. As for MLW’s tacked-on state law claims, the Court should dismiss them for lack of diversity and/or supplemental jurisdiction and because they remain as facially implausible as they were in MLW’s original complaint.”