Ross And Marshall Von Erich On WCCW Almost Being Named MLW, Why Signing With MLW Was Meant To Be
Major League Wrestling's tag team division is really heating up with the recent announcement that the promotion signed Ross and Marshall Von Erich for multiple years. The sons of WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Von Erich have taken the fact they are carrying on the legacy of one of pro wrestling's most beloved families very seriously. Fans of MLW will get their first shot at seeing them live as the talented duo team up with "Filthy" Tom Lawlor to battle Contra Unit in a fitting Texas Tornado match June 1 at Fury Road. MLW is going live on beIN Sports from the event starting at 9 p.m. ET.
Building names for themselves worldwide, the Von Erich brothers were hot commodities. In the past they have even turned down overtures from WWE. Marshall acknowledges people thought they were crazy for turning down the sports entertainment leader. Besides not feeling ready, it also came down to scheduling.
"We just knew there would be a lot of life changes. One thing we got from our dad is family is important," Marshall said. "We're here in Hawaii, so we accept as many bookings as we can get. We accept a lot of international bookings. We're just kind of going through the doors that got open.
"MLW was a blessing in disguise, coming out of nowhere saying we could live in Hawaii. They had our best interests, and they are a family company. They support families. They were supportive of us living in Hawaii. That was our only thing. My dad is in his latter days right now, so we thought to spend time with him. We're not going anywhere at this time, and MLW is willing to work with that."
Reaffirming the choice to join MLW is another serendipitous circumstance. Something that goes back to their family's history. An often tragic story told in the first season of the acclaimed series Dark Side of the Ring.
"A lot of people don't know this but World Class Championship Wrestling, when they were first starting, my grandfather actually wanted to use the name Major League Wrestling," Marshall recalled. "But my dad and my uncles thought it sounded to Major League Baseball. So, they didn't use it. My dad told us that years ago, so when this came about, he was cracking up about it. It's crazy how the cycle of wrestling keeps going."
The Von Erich's join a roster of generational performers including members of the Hart Foundation and others like Jacob Fatu. For them, it's a sense of kinship within this select group sharing similar upbringings having dads on the road constantly. For Ross, they looked at the landscape of what was out there and thought MLW would be the best fit.
"Before we even talked to them, we were thinking that way," he said. "Inevitably, they reached out and worked something out with us. We took it as a sign that it was meant to be because we already had our eyes on them and love their style. I feel like it works well with our style. We couldn't be any more excited to get this thing going."
There is added pressure going into their debut in Marshall's eyes. They know MLW sees a lot in them and have high hopes for the future.
"That right there motivated us so much," he said. "We've had such an outpouring of support after the news came out, we signed with them. It has been a real good month for the Von Erich's. It's motivated us more than anything because we want to prove MLW right. We want to prove everyone right. We honor this Von Erich name."
"I feel like we bring that athletic, competitive edge," Ross added. "We run every day. We've been athletes our whole life. We try to eat healthy. We take it seriously. We try to be professionals in all aspects of our life. We really want to give MLW our best foot forward for believing in us."
Wrestling Inc's full interview with Ross and Marshall Von Erich was included in today's episode of our WINCLY podcast. It can be found at the bottom of this page.
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