Lance Anoa’i & Juicy Finau granted MLW releases

Two members of the MLW roster are headed for free agency. 

Lance Anoa’i & Juicy Finau, two-thirds of the Samoan SWAT Team, have been granted their MLW releases. Both announced the moves on social media on Sunday. 

Anoa’i & Finau are former MLW Tag Team Champions as part of the Samoan SWAT Team stable, dropping those titles at Never Say Never in July. Neither has wrestled for the company since that event. 

Anoa’i posted: 

As Of TODAY! I have been granted my @MLW Release! I wanna thank MLW! Wanna give a big shout out to my USOs @JuicyFinau and @SAMOANWEREWOLF Thank you for everything! Love you guys! #SST

Finau posted: 

As of today I’ve been released from @MLW Just want to thank everyone I’ve crossed paths with while I was there. Extremely thankful to MLW for the opportunities! Especially wanna thank my brothers @SAMOANWEREWOLF & @lanceanoai IM NOW A FREE AGENT TOKO OUT! OFAS

It is worth noting that Anoa’i & Finau have announced that MLW has in fact granted them releases, while Fightful Select reports that the promotion does not intend to grant the release request of its former World Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone. 

Hammerstone posted on Sunday that he has asked for his release from the company and has been removed from the promotion’s roster page, but his release has not been confirmed. 

Anoa’i is the son of Samu, a former WWF Tag Team Champion, and a cousin to Roman Reigns & The Usos. He has done work for WWE in the past as enhancement talent, most recently in 2019 in a match against Shane McMahon on Raw as part of angle involving Reigns. 

Jacob Fatu, another of Anoa’i’s cousins and the third member of the MLW iteration of the Samoan SWAT Team with Anoa’i & Finau, is challenging for MLW’s World title at Fightland on November 18.