The MLW Open Draft was a

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a ves ...

used by the American

professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...

Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product a ...

(MLW) to refresh its roster in preparation for the promotion's return to live touring following the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. Wrestlers were selected by MLW's various

stables A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

(referred to by MLW as "fight teams") among eight rounds, beginning on May 20, 2021 and concluding on July 10, 2021.

Background

On April 21, 2021, it was announced that MLW would hold their

first event First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: * World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

with ticketed fans since the start of the

on July 10. This event would mark the first time that live ticketed fans would attend a MLW event since AAA vs MLW in March 2020. As part of the preparations for the return to live touring, Alicia Atout, on the May 5, 2021 episode of '' Fusion'', announced that an open

would be taking place on MLW's website and official

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channel where various wrestlers from the MLW roster as well as free agents from various promotions in Japan, Mexico, and the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...

would be drafted by the promotion's

in an effort to refresh the roster. Later on the episode, former ''

Lucha Underground Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists Media Group. Partly owned by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured c ...

'' authority figure

Dario Cueto Luis Fernandez-Gil is a Spanish actor and professional wrestling personality. In the 2000s and 2010s, Fernandez-Gil appeared in films including ''The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down'' and '' Jack and Jill'', as well as television shows includ ...

was revealed to be "El Jefe", the mysterious figure who sacrificed Salina de la Renta for not paying him for providing financial assistance to Renta's group Promociones Dorado. The new

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projectin ...

of Cueto would later be revealed to be "Cesar Duran", with Duran representing his own stable called

Azteca Underground Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists Media Group. Partly owned by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured ...

. Azteca Underground, 5150, American Top Team, Contra Unit, The Dynasty,

Injustice Injustice is a quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo. In Western philosophy and jurisprudence, injustice is very commonly—but ...

, Team Filthy, and MLW were the stables that wrestlers could possibly get drafted to. The draft began on May 20.

Selections

The first round of the open draft began on May 20 with various wrestlers, including both members of the MLW roster and free agents, being drafted in the succeeding rounds. The final round concluded on July 10 at Battle Riot III.

Round 1 (May 20)

Round 2 (May 27)

Round 3 (June 3)

Round 4 (June 10)

Round 5 (June 17)

Round 6 (June 24)

Round 7 (July 1)

Round 8 (July 10)

Notes

References

External links

Major League Wrestling official website
{{Major League Wrestling MLW draft Major League Wrestling