Scott D’Amore opened up on scouting in pro wrestling and the tools that are now at his disposal. The MLP founder revealed that each company is different in their approach. However, social media and other content allow him to get a better idea about how a talent can work.
D’Amore is gearing up for a milestone celebration with MLP Northern Rising at Mattamy Athletic Centre, formerly Maple Leaf Gardens, this Saturday. The company launched MLP Mayhem on TSN and has continued to attract new fans through their partnership with AEW’s MyAEW service.
Given the current landscape of the industry, D’Amore explained what his mentality is when giving a talent an opportunity. WWE and AEW may be the goal for wrestlers breaking into the industry. However, if the MLP founder can graduate talent to those companies, it will further establish his own company as well.
Scott D’Amore Explains His Mentality on Scouting Talent
Scott D’Amore revealed that he relies on other wrestlers to keep him informed on talent impressing on the regional circuit. He highlighted the key difference between himself and MLP, and WWE, with their vast resources and developmental pathways.
“The best way to look at things is through the people you know. The wrestlers that are out there wrestling on all these different shows all over the Canada, all over the U.S., all over the world. They come back and say, ‘Hey, I saw this wrestler here, this guy was amazing, you should have seen what he or she did. You should take a look.’ And, ‘Oh, I’ve got this young wrestler I’ve been working with and you should see him. He’s got something special. He’s a little raw,'” D’Amore exclusively told Heavy Sports via The Game Plan.
D’Amore also pointed to social media as a valuable resource for both talent and wrestling promoters.
“The wrestlers themselves are a big part of the scouting. You just get made aware of people and obviously, social media and that has changed the game because now wrestlers can get out their stuff from their content,” he said. “So many more people will see something online and send it to you and you can go, ‘Well, that’s interesting.’ And you can follow up.”
D’Amore Optimistic that MLP Can Serve as a Stepping Stone
D’Amore also revealed that he hopes MLP can serve as a major stepping stone.
While MLP has been impressive thus far, the Canadian-based company does not have the financial resources of AEW and WWE.
Despite that, D’Amore stressed that he is not looking to compete with the two pro wrestling giants. In contrast, he aims to establish MLP as a trusted, high-quality product that showcases talent who have potential to become big stars.
“I always say if we’re sitting here in five years and doing this interview and our roster is the same in 2031, well then we fail. Because, we should be graduating talent on to AEW and CMLL, and other places in the world. That’s really one of the goals. This platform is really to develop and showcase talent,” D’Amore exclusively told Heavy Sports via The Game Plan.
“When people move on and become bigger stars in the world, what they’ll do is, if they enjoyed and appreciated their time, they’ll come back and give back to wrestling, to the company, the community, and help lift up the next generation of wrestlers.”
MLP Founder Scott D’Amore Gets Real on Scouting in Pro Wrestling: Exclusive