MVP’s story is one of redemption as he served nine and a half years in prison for a robbery he committed as a teenager and went on to become a successful professional wrestler. However, the legal ramifications of his past continued to follow him throughout his career, creating obstacles to international travel, a key requirement for a traveling World Champion.
Speaking on the Insight with Chris Van Vliet podcast, MVP confirmed that there were legitimate discussions within WWE about making him the World Heavyweight Champion. However, his felony conviction created reservations due to the potential travel issues.
“I don’t know this for an absolute fact, because I wasn’t in on the meeting, but I was told by some people that were. As a matter of fact, one of the writers, [said] there was talk about MVP being World Heavyweight Champion, but there was reservations because of my felony conviction… There were potentially countries that I couldn’t get into. So how can you be the World Heavyweight Champion, but you can’t go to this country?”
He then detailed the extensive and expensive legal processes he has had to go through to gain entry into countries like Canada, Japan, and Australia, often requiring “an act of Congress” or a last-minute approval from a high-level government official. His inability to travel to the UK for AEW’s Forbidden Door event was a recent example of these ongoing challenges.
“Like going to Japan. Japan is very strict about people who [can enter]… Canada. I couldn’t get into Canada for a long time. I had to go through a process there where people had to write letters of recommendation. It costs 1000s of dollars in legal fees to get something in Canada. They call it a letter of rehabilitation… Australia, the last time I went to Australia was with Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore. It literally took an act of Congress… Now England, the United Kingdom, just started the electronic transfer authorization, and they ask the question, ‘Have you been convicted of a felony that required you to have a 12-month stay or longer in a correction?’ Well, yeah, I did nine and a half years, so I answered truthfully, and that’s why I wasn’t allowed in for Forbidden Door.”
He is currently the leader of the Hurt Syndicate in AEW. You can hear his full interview on the latest episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
