Masha Slamovich didn’t just show up in MLW, grab the Women’s Championship and disappear into the night — she’s sticking around. The former TNA Knockouts World Champion has officially signed with MLW, and it turns out the company had been sitting on this move for months.
PWInsider confirmed Slamovich actually signed with MLW back in early July, long before she surfaced at the September 12 Fightland and Fusion tapings in Charleston, South Carolina. The plan from the jump was to put her with CONTRA and launch her straight into a program with Shotzi Blackheart.
MLW sure as hell didn’t ease her into anything. Slamovich made her debut over the weekend and defeated Shotzi to capture the MLW Women’s Championship on night one, immediately putting gold around the waist of its newest signing. Ringside News covered Slamovich’s MLW debut and immediate championship win, with the match scheduled to hit MLW programming in two weeks.
That’s one hell of a turnaround after the way her TNA run ended. Slamovich was accused of domestic violence by former partner AKIRA in September 2025 after messages, screenshots and photos were posted online. Slamovich later described the relationship as “toxic and mutually destructive,” took responsibility for her own actions and apologized for her role in what happened.
The fallout hit fast. TNA pulled Slamovich from Victory Road and subsequent television tapings before she was eventually removed from the company’s official roster page. TNA later left the possibility of revisiting her status open, with company leadership expected to reassess the situation in 2026.
Instead, MLW got there first. There were also immediate questions about whether Slamovich had somehow inherited whatever MLW originally planned for Tessa Blanchard, especially after Blanchard’s September 12 debut suddenly vanished. Ringside News covered how MLW scrubbed its website of Blanchard’s debut announcement and roster listing before the show, while later information pointed toward complications involving her CMLL commitments.
The timeline pretty much kills the idea that Slamovich was some last-second Tessa replacement. Slamovich had already signed in early July, and MLW had already mapped out plans for her to join CONTRA and feud with Shotzi well before Blanchard’s situation blew up.
So this wasn’t MLW scrambling for Plan B. They had Masha Slamovich under contract, kept it quiet, and then unleashed her by having her beat Shotzi for the championship on her very first night. That’s not exactly dipping a toe in the water — that’s kicking the damn door off the hinges.
What do you think about MLW signing Masha Slamovich and immediately putting the Women’s Championship on her? Let us know what you think in the comments.
