Itâ€s old school meets new school whenever CW Anderson and Brock Anderson team up in an MLW ring. The cross-generational duo have formed an unbreakable bond working through the ranks toward the top of the tag division. Brock, the son of Hall of Famer Arn Anderson, looks to soak up all of the more than 30 years of knowledge CW brings to every match.
For CW, an ECW alum and MLW original, itâ€s a chance to show that after all this time he could still battle with the best of them. The veteran looks back at feuding with the likes of Terry Funk, “Dr. Death†Steve Williams, Dusty Rhodes, and Jerry Lawler. Now he marvels at the talents of MLW Champion Mads Krügger, Alex Kane, Matthew Justice, and others. “These guys are way more athletic and possess more power and punishment as you can tell by what theyâ€ve been putting on Brock and ,†he said.
Brock has been grateful to sit under the learning tree of those more experienced than him. MLW afforded him the opportunity to truly hone his skills.
“When I left AEW, the first thing I wanted to do was actually learn this business. I didnâ€t think I could do it over there because they didn†t have the setup for it. It has been documented. It is what it is,†Brock said, candidly. “I thought if I stayed there I wouldnâ€t really learn in the short-term or long-term. Me and CW had a six-man, I think a couple months before I was done, with his partner PQ [Preston Quinn]. I just learned so much with that 10 minutes we were in the ring.â€
CW could feel the chemistry as well. So much so he sent a text to the youngster asking, “what do you think about tagging together?†Brock loved the idea.
“It would make too much sense, just even from the Anderson standpoint,†he recalled. “People could gravitate toward that and understand that. For me personally, itâ€s an opportunity to learn from a guy who has been in this business for 30 years. I would be a fool to turn that down. It has been the best thing in my development so far, hands on done. Iâ€ve learned something every time Iâ€m around him, inside or outside the ring. Just even our conversations in the hotel room, at the hotel, driving to a show. He is a wealth of knowledge. Iâ€m very blessed to have him as a tag partner.â€
CWâ€s love and motivation for professional wrestling was renewed thanks to working with Brock. It gave him a new purpose.
“If youâ€ve been in this business long enough, you will learn to dislike it because there are so many pitfalls and downfalls. One instance was right before ECW folded, I was getting a contract and promised a television belt and told my career was getting ready to skyrocket,†CW said. “Iâ€ve always been about leaving this business better than I found it. Tagging with Brock, from the first time I saw him and his mannerisms, the moves, he has got a lot from his dad. He looks like his dad with his mannerisms and moves.
“I always told him from the beginning, don’t walk in your dadâ€s shoes, walk in your own because youâ€re going to get compared to that. I just love being able to teach him, and he is a quick learner. From promos to skills, everything has been 180 degrees from when we started tagging almost two years ago. The sky is the limit with Brock. I don’t know how much longer I‘m going to be doing this, but when I do walk away, I want him one hundred percent ready to take the torch as an Anderson and carry it into the next generation after that. So far, he is able to do that and is getting better every day.â€
For the former member of the Extreme Horsemen and now Rogue Horsemen, the tandem is a throwback to the days of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew. CW would be the Ole Anderson in this scenario. Although CW is quick to say he doesnâ€t have nearly the “pissed off attitude.†CW is also happy to take in feedback from Brockâ€s pops Arn.
“There was one time Brock and I were tagging and his dad twisted something in our match and made it a hundred times better,†he said. “In 30 years, I looked at Brock and said, ‘I donâ€t know anything about wrestling.†All these years and experience and his dad fixed something in our matches. Thatâ€s where Iâ€m trying to get to at 31 years.â€
Brock is excited for the future as MLW secures more business deals. He looks forward to whatâ€s to come with the company building more momentum.
“When we go to work, weâ€re focused on the match at hand. However, you hear whispers of a TV deal. We just signed a bunch of autograph labels for Panini. We got a card deal coming though, which is huge,†Brock explained. “Anyone who grew up a baseball fan who had baseball cards knows about Panini. So, thatâ€s a huge deal. You have all the relationships, New-Japan, and CMLL. The business is on the rise. Youâ€re seeing all these familiar faces coming into the locker room and youâ€re saying, ‘Wait a minute, competition is getting a little bit stiffer around here. We have to up our game.†Competition is good for everyone from every walk of life. Not just pro wrestling.â€
The two are coming off the brutal House of Horrors match at Slaughterhouse on October 14. Although things didnâ€t work out the way theyâ€d like, itâ€s on to the next show Symphony of Horrorson October 25 at 10 p.m. ET on beIN Sports and YouTube. The special will feature Brock issuing a challenge.Â
“If you watch the match when we were in the cage [at Slaughterhouse], someone in this discussion got rattled a bit,†Brock teased. “They almost had their life taken from them. That didnâ€t sit right with me. A wrestling match is a wrestling match, but someone in particular took it to a whole other level. Iâ€m going to make it worth my while to let him know you don†t mess around with family.â€
From there, MLW returns to Horsemen country and Charleston, South Carolina for MLW X Don Gato Equila: Lucha de Los Muertos. The Andersons look forward to a good homecoming.Â
“Itâ€s good weâ€re running South Carolina because weâ€re running in the South again,†CW said. “ This is where we thrive. This is where NWA, where I think the best professional wrestling was, was the NWA era. Youâ€ll get to see the Andersons thrive in Charleston, South Carolina because thatâ€s our home, that’s our backyard..â€
As for the future, more than three decades in his career, CW shows no sign of stopping any time soon. Although he does have a vision for what heâ€d like that retirement match to be when that moment comes.
“If I could pull it off with Brock as my partner against Tommy Dreamer and Steve Corino,†CW revealed. “Tommy has been my most hated and loved villain of my wrestling career. I call him a villain. Steve Corino has been my best friend for 30 years. That would be the one I would be able to take my boots off and call it a career if I could have that match.â€
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