MLW Backstage Report for August 28th, 2003
Submitted by Matthew Tremley on Friday, August 29, 2003 at 1:21 PM EST


• MLWRep sent in the following:
  
  
  THE BACKSTAGE REPORT FOR AUGUST 28, 2003 by Andy Vineberg
  
  As I write this Backstage Report I must say that I am more than excited about what transpired last Friday night in Tampa. After ECW, I truly felt that I would never have the same feeling again in any line of work like I had there. That all changed last Friday night in Tampa.
  
  MLW returned to the Sunshine State last week and put on one heck of a wrestling show. It was a damn good show from start to finish. What really excited me was the work ethic brought forth by everyone involved with the company. From the talent, referees, ring announcer, cameramen, building guys, promotion team, street team, and anyone else I failed to mention.
  
  Work ethic was like no other last Friday. Talent arrived to the building early to film their promos which will make for some of the best TV you’ll ever witness. They got there early because they want to show their dedication in making MLW a success.
  
  The fact that Sabu worked after his second torn bicep surgery just taking place last week tells just how tough and dedicated these guys are. Sabu wrestled with a cast on his whole arm and over 60 stitches in his bicep. You will never see an NFL or NBA player performing in a situation like Sabu’s. Heck, they’d sit out if they got a scratch on their pinky.
  
  I am so proud of everyone involved with MLW and proud to have you all as fans of this soaring company. It means a great deal when we hear the MLW chants and we promise to keep on providing you all with hard work and continue dedicating ourselves to entertain you each and every time we come to your town!!!
  
  Francine shot a really HOT commercial for the MLW t-shirt you’ll soon see on the Underground!
  
  I love watching CW Anderson and Simon Diamond – their old-school styles remind me of why I became a fan of wrestling in the first place. I am the biggest fan of the Extreme Horsemen and look forward to watching the team dominate MLW and this sport.
  
  Jerry “The King” Lawler was a pleasure to work with. He was very into the product and stayed late to get his promos completed before he left.
  
  Homicide is recovering after suffering major blows to his neck on behalf of the Sinister Minister and his crew. He did spend a few hours in the hospital. According to preliminary tests, it appears Homicide will be missing a few weeks of ring action and appears to be out for Ft. Lauderdale but returning in time for MLW's October event. Speaking of which, I should have some great news regarding that event soon.
  
  Great to see the Fumi and his group of fans from Japan at the show. They are always a pleasure to have at our events and we thank all our Japanese fans for all their support. Fumi and I have known each other during the old days and it was certainly a pleasure seeing him back in the states!!!!!
  
  PJ Friedman made a comeback last week to the MLW ring and certainly made a statement while doing so. I look forward to his return and seeing him back in action on a full time basis down the road. However, MLW will first be sending him to our associates to work out rust and work towards his short and long-term goals before coming back up to MLW.
  
  Highlight of the night had to be Sonjay Dutt!!! This kid can fly like no other. He looks as if he has springboards on his boots. He does moves that I’ve never seen before. Sonjay is unreal and certainly has quite a future ahead of him and next month's J-CUP USA tournament will be a great platform for Sonjay to possibly cease the moment. However, he'll be in there with a wild card, Jimmy Yang and many more fighters.
  
  Mana debuted in MLW as a singles wrestler. This graduate of Afa’s pro wrestling school (www.WildSamoan.com) is becoming a monster within MLW. He’s big, bad, and ready to kick some ass. He is another prime example of having the passion and strong work ethic that makes MLW so special. Speaking of Mana, check out this site.
  http://www.nzpwi.co.nz/interviews/2003/mana/index.shtml.
  
  Samu and Ekmo – The Samoan Island Tribe fought in a battle against Monster Mack and B-Boy in a hardcore bout to say the least. You gotta get the video when it comes out as this one is a must see!
  
  CM Punk is really making a name for himself in the wrestling business. Every time I see him and Raven wrestle, their match is so much different than their last. I have always been a fan of Raven and became a huge fan of Punk over the past several months both inside and outside the ring. These two certainly deserve feud of the year in my opinion.
  
  Straight Edge official Chasyn Rance was hired by Punk last week to referee his match with Raven. Chasyn better be careful what he gets himself into because you never know what kinda trouble is heading your way when you go straight edge with Punk.
  
  Samu has done a superb job as a locker room leader and I truly enjoy learning from him and working with him as well.
  
  MLW match maker Court Bauer and vets Doc Death and Samu both made speeches before the show, which exhibited their passion for MLW and motivated the talent as well. Bauer spoke briefly to the MLW team and informed us that the Underground will begin airing in Dayton, Ohio very shortly. Dayton is a great wrestling town and we can’t wait to make our TV debut there.
  
  It's rather amusing to see others trying to capitalize on us bringing back War Games to wrestling. We've had a tremendous response to the match and are expecting a capacity crowd in Ft. Lauderdale where we will have the real deal: TWO rings and TWO 20 foot cages with some of the best brawlers in the business going at it.
  
  Then there is J-CUP USA. MLW fans will see the FIRST champion crowned when MLW's elite enter a tournament to become the Junior Heavyweight Crown Champion. Who will win? Only time will tell! MLW has already announced Jimmy Yang, Sonjay Dutt and a wild card entry for the tournament.
  
  September 19th the real deal - WAR GAMES at the War Memorial Auditorium located at 800 NE 8th Avenue with a bell time of 7:30 PM for WAR GAMES. MLW will set a new standard in violence with its brand of hybrid wrestling with an event not to be missed on September 19th.
  
  Tickets are now on sale online athttp://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/874955 via charge-by-phone at: 954-523-3309, and at all Ticketmaster outlets throughout Florida. All general admission tickets are just $10.00. Ringside reserved tickets are $30 with all general reserved only $15.
  
  Speaking of Doc Death, Steve Williams will be conducting a wrestling seminar on Sept. 18th in Ft. Lauderdale. Whether you have experience or not you are welcome to attend. Call 954-288-2098 and sign up today. It’s $50.00 for 3 hours of training with the Doc and you’ll get a copy of the seminar on DVD as well.
  
  MLW Summer Apocalypse '03 will be featured in the upcoming Baseball Sha magazine that hits stands tomorrow worldwide.
  
  MLW is proud to announce that the home video release of MLW King of Kings and Reload are still some of the top best sellers, constantly ranked at Highspots.com. To order King of Kings on either DVD or VHS, visit: http://www.highspots.com/affiliatewiz/affiliatewiz.asp?BannerID=23&AffiliateID=66&Task=Click&ItemID=7033. You can also order Reload at:http://www.highspots.com/affiliatewiz/affiliatewiz.asp?BannerID=23&AffiliateID=66&Task=Click&ItemID=6216.
  
  That’s all for this week, next week I’ll be on a much needed vacation so there won’t be a Backstage Report. We’ll return the following week though. It was a pleasure meeting the readers of this column in Tampa and I thank you all for your support.
  
  Have a great week!!!!
  Andy Vineberg
  andy.vineberg@mlw.com
  

  
  

  
  
  

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