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There were two recent departures from Major League Wrestling, PWInsider.com can confirm.
Mike Kitlas, who held the post of Senior Director, Live Events for Major League Wrestling has departed the company. He has taken a position with Real American Freestyle. Kitlas had been with MLW since 2019 and previously worked for Madison Square Garden. Kitlas was extremely well liked and was one of the first in and last out of every venue MLW promoted. He was very much involved in every facet of that department of their business.
Hollywood star Paul Walter Hauser, who not only wrestled for the company and brought it some mainstream attention on talk shows, but held the post of Executive Producer, announced he had also departed the company on Instagram, writing:
"With a heavy heart, but a clear mind, I said goodbye to the MLW family late last week.
Before speculation or conjecture try to rear their ugly, & needless, head - my decision was simply rooted in creative differences. The truest, & least sexy, answer.
I enjoyed my time in Major League Wrestling. Sami Callihan introduced me to Court Bauer who gave me an opportunity at Battle Riot 6 & beyond. I learned a lot about bettering my in-ring work, producing & directing backstage segments, and picking up on some of the environmental & situational behaviors in the wrestling business, which can prove elusive or confusing to a newcomer, like myself.
To be perfectly honest, I don’t think any of my best matches were in MLW, but I did the best I could with what I had at the time. Sometimes that was getting MLW writeups in the Wall Street Journal or having MLW clips featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Sometimes it was bringing in snacks for craft service, on-site empanadas to bolster catering, or having my videographer, Caleb Wall, run out to help a crew member buy a piece of missing equipment. I also pitched the product to anyone in Hollywood who would listen.
But more than anything, I hope I was a value-add to their culture, & I hope I created moments for the fans - diving off the ladder at Battle Riot onto BRG, preparing a solid promo to irk the ears or make the audience laugh, turning on my former tag partner & mentor, Paul London.
I am grateful for Court & his team of good-hearted crew & creative, & I am most grateful for the boys who taught me & embraced me. Suzuki didn’t hafta do a spot with me, Tom Lawlor didn’t have to be that generous, Trevor Lee didn’t need to smarten me up. But they did.
I’ll miss camaraderie & convos with Ikuro Kwon, Beastman, Josh Bishop & many others. I’ll miss trying to make Dijak, Kross or Gallows laugh. I’ll miss the Coffeys & Wolfgang just being the kind workhorses that they are.
Shoutout to the MLW product. So much more to come, I am sure of it, & so many ways to watch right now - @veeps / @primevideo / @tubi / @youtube
If anyone cares to bad mouth me & or rewrite my contributions to MLW, I have receipts & I have friends in high places"
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