Kevin Ku on Why MLW’s Combat Sport Heavy Roster Is Great, How Dominic Garrini Influenced His Signing

Speaking with Jeffrey Harris in an exclusive interview for the 411 Wrestling Interviews Podcast, Kevin Ku discussed his impending debut with MLW and signing with the company as it enters a new era with its distribution deals on Fubo Sports Network and DAZN. Ku, a member of Team Filthy and an ally and tag partner of Dominic Garrini’s over the past couple years, officially signed with MLW earlier this month. During the interview, Ku spoke with us on joining his best friend, Garrini, in MLW, along with his thoughts on MLW having a combat sport heavy roster of talent. You can check out highlights and full audio below:

Kevin Ku on the pandemic shutting down most of the industry and how it’s been challenging: “Man, I tell ya, the first like two months were like super rough because I literally just stayed inside my house. I got my groceries delivered. I didn’t eat out. I just worked out in my basement everyday. Some days — like I just watched a lot of wrestling from all around because I love wrestling. I want to keep up on it. But there were definitely weeks at a time where I’m like, ‘I can’t watch wrestling. It’s too depressing right now,’ because I can’t do it. But then, it’s kind of been a good thing for me because I’ve been able to rehab a lot of nagging injuries I’ve had I haven’t really been able to working every single weekend. I’ve been traveling. So, I feel oddly the best I’ve ever felt like even beginning wrestling.”

On his tag team partner Dominic Garrini already being a part of MLW: “I’m so excited. That was a big reason why I signed with MLW. He’s legit one of my best friends in the entire world, and we talk literally everyday about wrestling. So, it’s nice to have a true friend and not just like acquaintances I see at shows every once in a while on the team with me.”

Kevin Ku if he wants to team with Garrini in MLW, or if they’d be OK with facing each other: “Of course I want to team with him because that’s just what we do. But if it came to where, ‘Hey, we need you two to have a match together,’ that’s completely fine. There’s no animosity between us. We’ve actually wrestled before, and we’re going to wrestle soon in a singles, and it’s just like more of an iron sharpens iron thing, y’know. You can only get better by wrestling people who are better or at your level.”

His thoughts on the MLW roster talent who have combat sport or MMA-related backgrounds: “I think it’s awesome. Now is such an era of pro wrestling where every fan thinks that they know everything about wrestling, and it’s just kind of like, ‘Oh. We know what’s going on.’ But with actual combat athletes, or people who are shoot style, it takes them out of it. They’re like, ‘Oh, wait. Maybe I don’t know what’s going on. Maybe this is real.’ And I think that’s the coolest thing because it used to, there wasn’t the internet with dirt sheets back in the 80s and stuff. So, people just assumed that everything was real, like what was happening in front of their eyes was a real, factual thing. So, I think that’s something that MLW is kind of cornering again.”

In the full interview, Kevin Ku discusses signing his first major contract at MLW, making his debut in a new era for MLW, the company’s safety procedures during the pandemic, who he plans to target when he arrives, how his style has evolved over the last couple of years, learning from the likes of Ivar and Tommaso Ciampa, and more.

And if you’re enjoying all of our recent interviews with names like Rob Van Dam, Ku’s tag team partner Dominic Garrini, Natalia Eva Marie, Jim Ross, Chris Jericho, the Von Erichs, The Miz, and Josef Samael and want to support us getting more interviews with big names in wrestling, please leave us a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts, it only takes a few seconds to do and really helps us out!

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0:00: Intro
1:39: On his MLW start being delayed due to the pandemic, making debut in a new era for MLW.
2:57: On signing his first major contract of his career with MLW.
3:54: On the plans for MLW’s taping, COVID-19 safeguards and safety policy, wrestling without fans.
5:49: On the wrestling industry shutting down during the pandemic, how it’s affected him & keeping in ring shape.
8:49: On his tag partner Dominic Garrini also being in MLW, how that factored into his signing on, looking forward to working with him there.
10:10: On MLW having an MMA-oriented portion of its roster, adding a sense of realism back into wrestling.
11:16: On his greatest mentors in wrestling, being trained by Ivar, learning from Eddie Edwards & Tommaso Ciampa.
13:33: On MLW taking the extra steps to make sure talent is safe in the pandemic, being put at ease by their actions.
15:09: On MLW’s new deals Fubo Network and DAZN providing him with a big opportunity.
16:01: On the origin of his mantra ‘Violence is Forever.’
17:07: On who he’s targeting coming into MLW, wanting the MLW Tag Team Championships.
17:27: On previously classifying himself as a technical wrestler and how that’s changed over the last couple of years.
18:57: On where to find him online.
20:34: Outro

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