MLW Star Calvin Tankman On “The 2021 Opera Cup,” Philadelphia, Music & More

Arguably the fastest-growing wrestling league today, Major League Wrestling — MLW, for short — is seen weekly via VICE TV, DAZN, fubo Sports Network and beIN SPORTS in the United States, in addition to television networks in over 20 countries abroad. Its TV series is MLW FUSION, which regularly includes the likes of “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, The Von Erichs (Ross & Marshall Von Erich), Jacob Fatu, Low Ki, National Openweight Champion Alex Hammerstone, Caribbean Champion Richard Holliday, Davey Richards, Dominic Garrini, Kevin Ku, King Muertes, Cesar Duran, Konnan, Mads Krügger, Calvin Tankman, Hijo De La Park, and Injustice (including Myron Reed). MLW is also the parent company of the leading provider of professional wrestling podcasts in the world, the MLW Radio Network.

Earlier this month, MLW announced the first 5 participants of The 2021 Opera Cup — pro wrestling’s oldest tournament dating back over a century — taking place at the upcoming MLW Fightland event live on Saturday, October 2, 2021 at Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena. Scheduled to air nationally on a later date, the 2021 Opera Cup will be an 8-man, single-elimination tournament, as inclusive of the toughest fighters on the MLW roster. This will include 2020 Opera Cup winner and former UFC knockout artist “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, technical wrestling legend Davey Richards, high-flying phenom TJP, decorated international champion Matt Cross, and former D1 football recruit, the heavyweight hustle Calvin Tankman. The Opera Cup tournament’s finals are scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 6, 2021 at MLW Intimidation Games, which will also happen in Philadelphia at the 2300 Arena.

On September 27, 2021, I had the pleasure of speaking with the aforementioned Calvin Tankman via Zoom, as embedded below. Beyond his participating in The 2021 Opera Cup, we spoke about Tankman’s signing with MLW, the strength of the MLW roster, life outside of wrestling, Philadelphia, music and family life. More on Tankman and MLW can be found by clicking here, here and here.

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Tags: 2300 Arena, Calvin Tankman, Major League Wrestling, MLW, MLW Fightland, Philadelphia

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."