Brian Pillman Jr. On Why He Is Able To Work For AEW While Under Contract With MLW

MLW wrestler Brian Pillman Jr. is set to make his AEW debut on Dark tonight against Shawn Spears. He spoke about chasing an opportunity (h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription) with Louis Dangoor of WrestleTalk.

"I think what happened with the COVID-19 pandemic was they [MLW] got very apprehensive with running shows meanwhile you have Impact [Wrestling], AEW and WWE that are running shows with no fans," Pillman Jr. noted. "It was just hard for me to sit still and wait for them to bring me an opportunity.

"I just went out and chased the opportunities that were available to me. Per my contract, I was allowed to work for AEW. So it was a no-brainer to chase an opportunity at AEW."

Pillman Jr. spoke more on MLW's current status. He also went on to wish MLW the best in their future endeavors and thanked them for giving him a platform.

"I'm not sure what their future plans are or when MLW's next show is," Pillman Jr. stated. "I think not having that information, not having that security, and knowing when I was going back to work made it easier to look somewhere else for work."

MLW issued a statement to WrestleZone regarding Pillman Jr. contract status. Pillman Jr. signed a three-year deal with MLW back in 2018, and MLW stated that Pillman Jr. is not released. The promotion said they have been in contact with Pillman Jr. regarding future MLW events and the stance MLW has taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Brian is not released and is fully aware of our schedule, which includes events October 3rd and December 5th pending the state of the pandemic," the statement began. "We put the health of our talent/staff and their family and our fans before bookings, which is why we are not running at the moment. We've been in contact with Brian to relay this. If he elects to perform elsewhere under the terms of his deal, he certainly has our full blessing to do so."