MLW is on the road to War Chamber, though that’s not the only thing MLW fans are paying attention to. Those who have been watching MLW are always keen to keep an eye on Cesar Duran, who has been moving behind the scenes since returning to the company. Two weeks ago Duran was kidnapped by two masked individuals, and now his allies are attempting to try and find him. Some of those allies happen to be fan favorites from his Lucha Underground days like John Hennigan and Taya Valkyrie, and before he was taken, Duran had big plans. Before all that went down, ComicBook.com had a chance to speak to Duran about his plans and time in MLW so far as well as the reunion of Lucha Underground.
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“I mean, it’s just amazing because I know them. I know them, we spend so much time together that I not only know them personally, but I know their style when they fight. And it’s so different from what MLW had before I joined. That is so complimentary and this concept of hybrid wrestling, which is what MLW mainly does, is going to be at another level now with all these ideas that I have in mind. Slowly, but they’ll happen. It’ll happen,” Duran said.
Since joining MLW, Duran has also started working with some of the newer faces in the company, including the talented Sam Adonis. Adonis has been a big start internationally in Mexico, but he hasn’t had as much exposure stateside, and Duran feels MLW is the perfect platform for him to soar. That said, Duran also has another name he would love to add to his growing faction.
“Well, he did very well with AAA. He still does in Mexico, and he’s willing to do very crazy things. So when he came and we had this chat about what the future will be… He also speaks Spanish, which was an asset for what I want to do,” Duran said. “And then the plans that he had, he was like, ‘Wow, I think we could do something together on this,’ So I was very excited when he signed. Now I need Microman. That’s to me the one that I want in my promotion. It’s taking a while to convince him, but let’s see what happens.”
Duran is also excited about what MLW is doing as a wrestling company and the major strides it’s made in such a small timeframe. MLW’s future is bright and Duran commends MLW CEO Court Bauer for making big moves to move the company forward, and the roster is just as invested in pushing things forward.
“What excites me is the roster that they have currently and the plans that they have for the future, and how actively, how aggressively they’re trying to implement those plans,” Duran said. “Court Bauer has a very clear idea of what he wants to do with it, and I think it’s going to be very successful because he is doing the right things. Also, because I’m having this pool from the fighters from Lucha Underground and they bring a different style of fighting, we have the possibility to do very, very crazy things, and these guys are up for it. They’re crazy enough to do real stuff that makes the audience never forget what they just watched. That’s what I’m looking forward to. Things that are going to create such a stamp, such an imprint in the audience’s view that they will never forget for the rest of their lives. That’s what I’m aiming at.”
2023 is off to a great start for Duran, but he has bigger ambitions as the year plays out. “Well, very simple. To have a roster of amazing fighters that I take over, that MLW Underground is no more MLW Underground, but this is Duran’s MLW Underground. There is a takeover, no doubt about it.”
MLW Underground airs on REELZ Tuesdays at 10 PM. MLW War Chamber takes place at the Melrose Ballroom in New York City on April 6th.
Are you excited for a new Duran era in MLW? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
