MVP signs multi-year deal with WWE

After returning to the promotion earlier this year, MVP has signed a multi-year contract with WWE.

MVP announced the deal via a post on his Instagram account last night: “Tonight, I’m drinking ‘the good stuff’. Yamazaki 18 from @suntorywhisky is the spirit of choice. I have come to terms with @wwe on a multi year deal. MVP is in #thehurtbusiness for the foreseeable future! Kampai! NOW… it’s official!”

MVP made his return to WWE as a surprise entrant in the men’s Royal Rumble match this January. He joined the company as a producer but has been heavily featured as an on-screen performer both as a manager and wrestler. He’s aligned with Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin as The Hurt Business on Raw.

At SummerSlam on August 23, MVP will challenge Apollo Crews for the United States Championship. Crews defeated MVP on Raw this week to retain the US title. MVP had been calling himself the rightful champion after their scheduled match at Extreme Rules last month didn’t happen.

On the Gorilla Position podcast last month, MVP discussed returning to WWE and said he and the company were in negotiations for a long-term deal:

It went so well that I was invited to San Antonio the night next for Monday Night Raw and I was given an opportunity to wrestle Rey Mysterio who’s my son’s favorite wrestler and then I was offered a job as a producer which I accepted because I had the intention of retiring anyway, and I was working as a producer and then I was asked to do an on-screen VIP Lounge and then I was asked to do a short match and another on-screen segment and another and another and another and before I knew it, my producer — my responsibilities as a producer became less and less as I was asked to do more and more as talent, and now I can say that the WWE and myself are in negotiations for a long-term deal.