Calvin Tankman was one of the top free agent signings made by MLW during the pandemic.
Tankman made his name on the Independent scene, blending his size and athleticism to catch the eye of MLW CEO Court Bauer. The signing was announced by MLW in June, but according to Tankman, he had actually signed months prior.
"Everything happened end of April, early May," Tankman told Alicia Atout about his MLW signing. "It happened kinda fast, really out of the blue. I talked to other places and nothing was really taking off, so I was set and ready to do what I had to do, keep working until I got a call. Out of nowhere, I got the email from Court saying, 'We'd love to have you in MLW.' He said he stumbled across a video of me that got him interested. His vote of confidence in me saying, 'I watched you and believe you can do something in this business. I want to invest in you and help you become something.' That meant the world to me. As wrestlers, yes, we're tough guys, but we're always working towards the admiration of the people. Whether it be the crowd or promoters to get a spot. There's always someone to impress. That weight was almost lifted off, to have someone say, 'I see you, it's not a matter of proving you're good enough, I know you're good enough. Now it's time to show the rest of the world.' It meant a lot to me. Immediately after we signed everything, he said, 'Don't say a word until we say it.' It was the worst. I'm thinking like, a couple of weeks. It was early June, end of July, when it was announced."
Unfortunately for Tankman, due to the pandemic, he could not make his MLW debut until November.
He most recently competed on the December 9 episode of MLW Fusion, picking up a victory over Zenshi.
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