On Saturday, it was reported by multiple outlets that MLW had released Real1 (fka Enzo Amore). Real1 was advertised to face Hammerstone for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship at MLW Battle Riot V on April 8.
Real1 later stated that he was never under contract with MLW and was only working on a handshake deal.
In a series of videos on social media, Real1 offered a further explanation to his departure.
"Let it be known, I've always been a free agent. Everything I ever did with any company was in good faith, which I want to keep going. I want to say thank you to MLW. All the people there, the staff, locker room, it was an awesome experience. I had a lot of fun. I had to run and I knew on my way out the door that I had to put somebody over. The biggest star in that locker room is definitely Microman, so him standing on my chest; one, two, three. Hope he's signing that 8x10 for the rest of his life. Stretcher job, definitely not coming back. I want to address something. There was an advertisement for me wrestling for the MLW Title. That was false advertising. I told the owner there [Court Bauer] that I never wanted to fight for the title, and on my way out the door, an advertisement came out that I was fighting for the title. That's a false advertisement because I never agreed to that and I'm not under contract. Everything I've ever done there, I had to agree upon because I'm not under contract. If I'm under contract and you're my boss, I'm doing whatever you tell me to do. Everything I've done was in good faith. That's bad business trying to say that you fired me WrestleMania weekend trying to squeeze a headline.
"Wrestlers write tell all books and still get jobs and are on TV. That ain't what I'm about to do. That ain't me. I'm not the one. I ain't gonna talk shit and bury people, I just want to get out in front of this thing and let it be known, I was at the 2300 Arena when a stack of advertisements saying I was fighting for the MLW Title was dropped on my table and I sent the picture of the flyer to the owner and I said, 'What is this?' He's like, 'Sorry, it slipped through the cracks, I'm wearing too many hats at MLW. I totally forgot that you said you never want to fight for the title.' You forgot bro? I was born at night, but not last night. Don't play yourself. I'm not fighting for the title, but you played those fans when you put that advertisement out there for something I never agreed upon. I'm not under contract with you. When you send me creative direction to bury a guy who just beat cancer [Richard Holliday], I do a lot of things on a microphone and talk a lot of shit, that ain't one of them. Cancer is a sensitive subject and I didn't want to bury a guy who just beat cancer. There was nothing left for me to do at MLW, I put over Microman on the way out the door. They wrote me off TV. Don't try to catch me with a headline saying you fired me when I've never been under contract with you, I've just been a man of my word.
"Court is the name of the owner of MLW. If I got to Court, I'm not going to take legal action, I assure you of that. I have nothing to say but good things about the two years I had at MLW, great experience. Things just don't always last forever and in the end, I didn't like the creative direction of burying a guy who had cancer. I think it was shysty, a guy who put out a bunch of articles, clearly, I know who, the guy who runs the place. You put out articles WrestleMania weekend saying I got fired. That's a low blow. That's bad business, especially when all the conversations we've ever had, you have and I have, I know what we said to each other. When you put out an ad saying Enzo got release, you're just blasting my name out there trying to make headline. That's cold blooded, fucked up, and I would never do that. I have nothing but good things to say about my experience for two years at MLW. In the end, nothing lasts forever. That's all it was. When I go to Court, it's the owner. I don't need legal action, there are no contracts involved here. Thank you for the experience I had and thanks to the fans who watched. It was awesome."
Thank you to @MLW ‘s fans. I had fun!
— REAL1 (FKA Enzo Amore) (@real1) April 2, 2023
Sorry if you saw an advertisement I would be wrestling for the title. That was never something I was aware of or agreed to.
I have never been under contract with MLW but enjoyed my experience and am grateful for the opportunity. pic.twitter.com/AEQWK3UwMF
Out front —- THANK YOU!!!!! pic.twitter.com/nbFNW1Kf5t
— REAL1 (FKA Enzo Amore) (@real1) April 2, 2023
Allow me to beat the hell out the Dead horse. Enjoy wrestlemania, cause this is the last thing anybody should give af about pic.twitter.com/0Ux6sKSMDE
— REAL1 (FKA Enzo Amore) (@real1) April 2, 2023
Real1 most recently competed on the March 28 episode of MLW Underground against Microman.
Fightful will continue to provide details on Real1's release as more is known.
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