Hail Contra: Josef Samael Is Out For Blood
The militant group has run roughshod over MLW.
Josef Samael is a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
You wouldn’t know that by watching MLW Fusion. The 22-year veteran of the squared circle doesn’t coast on his lengthy resume and numerous accolades. He’s constantly reinventing himself, taking all the lessons he’s learned crisscrossing the globe and applying them to his current position.
And that is of mouthpiece, advocate and comrade of MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu.
“Today’s modern fan, if they want to dig deep, it’s interesting that I do have so many layers,” Josef Samael told The Wrestling Estate. “Everything that I ever did brought me here. I don’t look to the past. I’m very much in the moment as a performer. Hopefully, my work in MLW shows that I’m very into the now.”
Since invading MLW in March, Samael has wreaked havoc as a member of Contra Unit. He, Fatu and Simon Gotch jumped Tom Lawlor after a successful title defense at MLW Intimidation Games, pounding away until Fatu shocked the world by leaping off a steel cage and splashing the champion. In the seven months since, the carnage has only increased: Contra has burnt Fenix’ mask off, bludgeoned Ace Romero, snapped Barrington Hughes’ undefeated streak in just 30 seconds, scalped Lawlor and took his championship, mauled the Von Erichs inside the War Chamber and now battle Promociones Dorado heading into MLW’s first pay-per-view.
In a little known fact, Samael and Fatu actually first appeared at TV tapings in Philadelphia in February, but their attack was so excessively violent that MLW couldn’t get clearance to air it on beIN Sports. The mysterious group, referred to as “global dealers in violence,” have since commandeered MLW broadcasts, airing threats and assaults at random.
“I’m not surprised that it’s working,” Samael says. “I understand what my job is and I understand how to squeeze all the juice out of a lemon. There’s also so much we can still do. I don’t think it’s going to get stale.”
For years, Josef Samael refused to watch new pro wrestling, preferring tapes of the Florida and Puerto Rico territories, as well as New Japan and All Japan. Proud of his traditionalist mentality, he’s drawn to MLW because of its diverse flavors and consistency. Above all else, MLW is rooted in sport, something most other wrestling companies have strayed from over the past 20 years.
“Believability is everything in pro wrestling – it’s what emotionally connects an audience,” Samael says. “We’re all kind of signing this contract that we all agree to what’s going on in this world. Yet, there are a lot of things done today that wouldn’t fly years ago. Some companies like MLW subscribe to the old-school way of protecting what was built so we can fight on another day and feed our families.”
Samael credits Court Bauer, founder and CEO of MLW, for creating the Contra concept. A protégé of legendary wrestling mind Gary Hart and WWE Hall of Famer Afa the Wild Samoan, Bauer has blended old-school booking philosophies with the marketing and business acumen of Vince McMahon, who he worked for as a member of WWE’s creative team. Just like McMahon, Bauer makes the final call on what you see on MLW Fusion.
“That’s a very, very huge reason for the company’s success,” Samael says. “Sure, you have advisors, but there has to be one guy who’s Caesar. You need to have one guy who gives the thumbs up or thumbs down. Court has such a wonderful grasp on the business and booking and everything that goes along with it. And then as performers, we all saw his vision and brought it to life.”
Josef Samael met Fatu in early 2016 while launching PCW Ultra, a popular Los Angeles-based independent promotion. A descendent of the Samoan dynasty (his father is The Tonga Kid), Fatu was trained probably before high school. Samael says he helped develop him, and they’ve been a package deal for the past four years. “He’s such a phenom, such an incredible athlete, such a talented guy,” Samael says. “We’re so vastly different, but we’re magic when we’re together.”
Inspired by Hart’s J-Tex Corporation and Kevin Sullivan’s Dungeon of Doom, Josef Samael says the secret ingredient to Contra’s rapid success is a shared mentality. They’re paying homage to their influences, such as the Anoa’i family, The Sheik, Bruiser Brody, the Funks, Abdullah the Butcher, Billy Robinson. International stars who perfected their craft and made the audience believe.
“When I look at a character, I ask would that make a cool action figure?” Samael says. “How marketable is that character? Contra Unit is so visually appealing. You have the shooter in Gotch. Ikuro Kwon is very mysterious and spits the mist. Jacob is a 300-plus pounder doing moonsaults. I’m stabbing people and throwing fireballs. It’s got everything and every single element is a nod to the old-school. Even if we’re all a mismatch group of nut jobs, we all fit together.”
Contra has become the hottest act in the company due to not only the chaos they bring to the ring, but also their captivating propaganda-style vignettes. With their flag hanging in the background, the militant group appears in undisclosed locations, transmitting their messages to MLW’s production truck. Clad in a suit, sunglasses and with a cigar perpetually between his fingers, Samael comes across as a cartel leader ready to unleash his monster at a moment’s notice. Producer Alex Greenfield played a major role in establishing Contra’s aura, according to Samael, before leaving the company earlier this month.
“We worked with Alex a lot and I was extremely sad to see him go,” Samael says. “He had a very maniacal sense and really knew how to throw some gas on the fire. That’s not to say anything we’re doing won’t have a bite any longer. But it was just really fun creating with Alex. I would see his gears turn and he would gnash his teeth and his eyes would change. He’s somebody I consider a friend and will definitely keep in touch with.”
Contra’s ascension to the top of MLW will culminate this Saturday at SuperFight. Fatu will defend the MLW World Heavyweight Championship against the legendary LA Park in what Samael considers the biggest match the company has ever presented. Of course, he has been a major component in the buildup, exchanging a war of words with Park’s manager and the leader of Promociones Dorado, Salina de la Renta. At only 22 years old, the malevolent impresario has become the centerpiece of MLW, previously managing former world champion Low Ki and being the first Latina woman executive producer and first Spanish woman commentator in wrestling history.
“I hope this doesn’t come off in a bad light, but I don’t think you ever see women who are such students of the game,” Samael says. “You saw it with Sunny back in the ‘90s. Women in wrestling never seem to be all in like certain guys are. As it pertains to Salina, she’s such a student of the game and such a natural. The fact that she’s so young is just crazy. If she continues to improve, you might be looking at one of the greatest performers in this business. A lot of people noticing her talent are in awe, and I’m one of them.”
As highly anticipated as these monsters colliding is, Josef Samael believes the match will actually exceed expectations. It’s a heavyweight title fight of epic proportions between two anti-heroes, a grizzled veteran in the midst of his barbaric second act and a bloodthirsty super athlete hell bent on world domination.
As Gorilla Monsoon would say, the irresistible force meets the immovable object.
“Jacob Fatu is the greatest champion in the world right now,” Samael says. “There’s nobody in any company that is better than Jacob Fatu. There’s nobody as agile as him at his size, nobody that can do the things he can do. There’s nobody more dangerous and more vicious.
And with me behind Jacob Fatu, I know every trick in the book and I’m pretty vicious myself.”
MLW: Saturday Night SuperFight starts at 8 p.m. ET /5 p.m. PT and will be offered in HD for a suggested price of $19.95.
The PPV will be available to stream live worldwide and on demand at FITE TV. You can pre-order at: MLW.tv. The PPV will also be available on all major cable and satellite systems as well digital pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, Vubiquity DIRECTV and DISH.
Major League Wrestling: FUSION, airs Saturday nights 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on beIN SPORTS in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Wrestling fans in the United Kingdom and Ireland can watch FUSION on FreeSports Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. In Israel, FUSION airs at 6:10 p.m. on Ego Total. MLW FUSION also airs on StarTimes in Africa.
You can also watch MLW Fusion on YouTube on Saturday nights.
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