EXCLUSIVE: Donovan Dijak made his Major League Wrestling (MLW) debut Thursday night at the promotion’s Summer of the Beasts show in New York City.
The countdown to doomsday clock MLW had been promoting expired and out came the former WWE star.
The 6-foot-7 giant, flanked by manager Saint Laurent, entered the ring and began to take out anyone who dared to challenge him. He then proceeded to mock the bodies left in the ring.
Still buzzing from making his debut hours before, Dijak told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview he thought everything went great.
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Donovan Dijak makes his mark in Major League Wrestling. (MLW)
“I was first sort of introduced to the concept a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “But, yeah, the execution was flawless. I was very happy with the presentation and everything that was kind of laid out for me beforehand.”
Dijak said he was impressed with the presentation he saw of himself on the video screen behind him as he walked to the stage, down the ramp and into the ring. He said parts of the video that were included in his presentation were filmed shortly beforehand.
“I was totally blown away with that turnaround,” he said. “The video looked amazing too for such a short turnaround. I thought that was incredibly impressive for it to be sort of TV ready within minutes. I was just super blown away. And then, of course, the execution of this match, with all the talent and then afterward, was just tremendous.”
It’s only been a few months since Dijak and WWE went their separate ways. Dijak had a tremendous run at NXT and was selected to “Raw” during the WWE Draft.
Since then, Dijak has been back on the independent wrestling circuit. Where Dijak landed Thursday isn’t just some rinky-dink operation. MLW has been in the pro wrestling landscape since 2017, headed by Court Bauer a former WWE writer.
Talented pro wrestlers have moved through the company, including Alex Shelley, Austin Aries, Lexis King (then known as Brian Pillman Jr.), Francine, Gangrel, Jacob Fatu, Karrion Kross (then known as Killer Kross), Konnan, Matt Cardona, MJF, Tajiri and several others.
The roster now includes established talents like KENTA, Matt Riddle, Satoshi Kojima, Mistico, Minoru Suzuki, Bobby Fish and The Andersons, among others.
It’s that type of prestige, along with the trust that was instilled in him, that appealed to Dijak. He told Fox News Digital he’s never been presented with a laid-out plan before – until now.
Donovan Dijak embraces the crowd at Summer of the Beasts. (MLW)
“This is the first time where I got really sort of a set in stone answer even before we began,” he said. “I’m 37 years old. I don’t have a ton of time left in my career to be kind of hoping and praying that my hard work goes rewarded.
“So, to know right from the get-go that this is going to be the presentation, this is how it’s going to look, and ‘We need you to fill your end of the bargain.’ Well, that’s something that I could really dive headfirst into because I know what I can bring to the table. The question mark in my mind has always been, ‘OK, is that going to be reciprocated in a fashion that helps me, elevates me.’ And sometimes the answer is yes, and sometimes the answer is no.
“But to this level that is committing to me is further than I’ve ever seen that aspect of it. So, I’m very excited in that regard.”
Dijak wouldn’t divulge how many shows he’s committed to for MLW. Fightland takes place in Atlanta Sept. 14, followed by Slaughterhouse on Oct. 4 in St. Petersburg, Florida; Lucha Apocalypto in Chicago Nov. 9; and One Show in New York City Dec. 5. In between, MLW: Fusion can be seen on YouTube, beIN Sports and Fite TV+.
Dijak said he is looking to make a run at the MLW world heavyweight championship, which is held by Kojima.
“I’m going to continue what I always do and that’s have the best matches in the world and have the best match on any given night on any given platform,” Dijak told Fox News Digital. “That’s what I’ve done on every show that I’ve ever been on for the past decade of my career. That’s not going to change anytime soon.
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“MLW is going to get that from me, and I think they know that they’re going to get that from me. And I respect that they recognize that right off the bat, and we’re going to go to work right away.”
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
