Lance Anoa'i opens up about his departure from MLW.
On October 29, Lance Anoa'i confirmed that MLW had granted his release. Lance had been working dates for MLW since 2019. He joined forces with Juicy Finau to form The Samoan Swat Team alongside Jacob Fatu in 2022. Lance and Juicy previously captured the MLW World Tag Team Championship together, but they had not wrestled for the company since MLW Never Say Never in July.
Speaking with Steve Fall for WrestlingNewsCo, Lance Anoa'i was asked to describe his experience with MLW.
“My experience with MLW was awesome. I always did one-offs since 2018. I was never under a contract, but I’d been with them on and off since 2018. My first match with them was against MJF in Orlando, Florida. Then I wrestled Rich Swann, [and] I wrestled Myron Reed. I enjoyed all the opportunities they gave. I have been the only MLW superstar to compete in every single Battle Riot. I held the MLW Tag Team Championships with my cousin Juicy Finau. Jacob was also there. Just being in the building with them, in the same company, it just livened it up. We brought the party to MLW. I loved every opportunity they gave me," Anoa'i said.
Lance Anoa'i was then asked to explain why he asked for his MLW release.
"So the release was asked for because I was traveling, I was in Japan. I told them when I was getting back from Japan. They had no dates for me, they had nothing for me. Nothing was planned. I knew once I dropped the tag straps, I wasn’t sure what was gonna happen. But since they didn’t give me no dates or anything, no vision, because at first, when we signed, the vision was The Samoans versus The Von Erichs, The Samoans versus 5150, the SATs. It was a big tag division, and then slowly it started chopping down. It was The Samoans versus FBI, who was a great tag team also. We still wrestled great tag teams. But they pitched a good selling looks to us when we were there, and then slowly everything just started dying off, and then we started dying off, and I said, ‘Hey, man, right now, I’m in Japan, but I don’t want my value to go down. I’m enjoying it, travel back and forth, I don’t want no conflicts with Japan and MLW.’ They granted me as many tours as I want with Japan, and they granted that for me. But just more of the freedom. Maybe a possibility, man. We just be able to throw it up [makes Bloodline sign]. But who knows? [laughs] I just wanted that freedom, mainly for right now. Especially with my family being at the top of the best company there is. I missed a few opportunities being with MLW on A&E, I missed possibility of being on the Tribal Court they were doing, with bringing in the family. I missed that opportunity. Now, I can do it all. I can be at extra work, I can be at tryouts. Nothing’s stopping me now, so I’m just ready to go," Anoa'i said.
Fightful Select previously reported more information on Anoa'i's release.
Click here to check out Lance's comments on potentially joining the Bloodline storyline in WWE.
Check out Jacob Fatu's comments about his interest in potentially joining WWE here.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
