Mike Kitlas has departed Major League Wrestling, concluding a significant behind-the-scenes run with the company. Kitlas joined MLW in November 2019 as Senior Director of Live Events, a position that placed him within one of the promotion’s most important operational areas: bringing its wrestling events from planning stages to the live environment.
The departure has been confirmed, but no public explanation for Kitlas leaving MLW has been provided. As a result, there is no confirmed information regarding whether the split was connected to a new opportunity, an internal restructuring, a personal decision, or any other circumstance.
Kitlas’ exit marks the end of a tenure that stretched for nearly seven years. That period included a changing landscape for MLW, both in terms of its event presentation and the wider professional wrestling business. Live-event operations have become increasingly complex across the industry, requiring coordination around venues, schedules, travel, production needs, talent logistics, local promotion and the many moving parts involved in staging a televised wrestling card.
A Key Operations Role Behind the Scenes
The Senior Director of Live Events title reflects a role that is largely separate from the on-camera storylines and match outcomes fans see each week. While wrestling audiences naturally focus on performers, championships and creative direction, live-event personnel are central to the practical work that allows a company to present shows consistently.
For more background on this topic, read Paul Walter Hauser Announces MLW Departure, Citing Creative Differences.
That importance is especially clear for a promotion such as MLW, where the identity of the product is tied closely to event cards, special attractions and an atmosphere built around major fight-style presentations. A live-events executive can have responsibilities that touch multiple departments, even when the details of those responsibilities are not publicly disclosed.
MLW has not announced a replacement for Kitlas, and there has been no public indication of how his responsibilities will be reassigned. It also remains unclear whether the company plans to fill the Senior Director of Live Events position directly, divide its duties among existing staff members, or make broader changes to its event operations structure.
Until MLW addresses those questions, the most concrete takeaway is simply that Kitlas is no longer with the promotion after joining in late 2019.
MLW Faces Another Recent Personnel Change
Kitlas’ departure arrives after another MLW figure, Paul Walter, recently indicated on social media that he was saying goodbye to the promotion. Walter publicly described his own decision as being rooted in creative differences.
“My decision was simply rooted in creative differences.”
Walter’s statement applies to his own departure and should not be read as an explanation for Kitlas leaving. No connection between the two exits has been publicly established, and no reason has been given for Kitlas’ departure.
Still, the timing places additional attention on MLW’s internal staff picture. Wrestling companies routinely experience turnover across creative, production, operations and administrative roles, and separate departures occurring in a similar period do not necessarily point to one shared cause. In this case, the available information supports treating the situations as distinct unless further details emerge.
For fans, changes in off-screen personnel can be difficult to measure immediately. Some transitions may have little visible effect on programming, while others can become more noticeable over time through alterations in event presentation, scheduling, production workflow or the way a promotion communicates its upcoming shows. There is currently no confirmed indication that Kitlas’ exit will affect any announced MLW event.
What Kitlas’ Departure Means for MLW
The immediate impact of Kitlas leaving is not known. MLW has continued to promote its slate of wrestling events, and no announced cancellation, postponement or card change has been tied to his departure.
However, continuity in live-event management is always valuable in professional wrestling. The work done behind the curtain often depends on long-standing relationships, institutional knowledge and familiarity with a company’s preferred methods of presenting shows. Personnel who have been in place for multiple years can be especially important in maintaining consistency as organizations navigate changing venues, production demands and promotional cycles.
Kitlas joined MLW at the end of 2019, just before an especially unpredictable period for live entertainment. The following years required wrestling promotions across the world to adapt their approaches to running events and maintaining momentum. Remaining in a senior live-events position through that era suggests Kitlas was part of MLW’s operational framework during a consequential stretch in its history.
There is no public record in the available information of a farewell message from Kitlas, nor has a next destination been announced. It would be premature to speculate about where he may work next or whether he intends to remain in the wrestling industry.
That uncertainty is common when a behind-the-scenes executive changes companies. Unlike wrestler signings or on-screen departures, operational moves may be confirmed before all of the surrounding details are publicly known. Fans will have to wait for either Kitlas or MLW to provide more information if they choose to do so.
Saturday Night SuperFight Remains in Focus
MLW’s upcoming Saturday Night SuperFight remains one of the promotion’s prominent points of focus. The event has also been part of recent discussion involving Yota Tsuji, who addressed the idea that he had requested to main event the show.
Tsuji stated that he had not requested a Saturday Night SuperFight main event. His comments clarify that any suggestion he personally sought that position is not accurate.
The available information does not establish whether Tsuji will main event the card, nor does it provide a basis to draw conclusions about the event’s final match placement. Match order, main-event designation and creative plans should be treated as separate matters from Tsuji’s statement that he did not make such a request.
Saturday Night SuperFight is also separate from the news involving Kitlas. There has been no confirmed claim that his departure changes the show, its lineup or its presentation. The event remains a key upcoming date for MLW, while the company works through an apparent period of staff transition behind the scenes.
Waiting for Further Clarity
For now, the confirmed facts are straightforward: Mike Kitlas has left MLW, where he had served as Senior Director of Live Events since November 2019. No reason for the departure has been announced, no successor has been publicly named and no event changes have been connected to the move.
Paul Walter has separately discussed his own exit, identifying creative differences as the reason behind his decision. That explanation belongs specifically to Walter’s situation and does not answer questions about Kitlas.
MLW’s next steps will become clearer through future event announcements and any statements made by the company or the people involved. Until then, Kitlas’ departure stands as a notable change within the promotion’s live-event infrastructure after nearly seven years in a senior role.
In an industry where the visible product depends heavily on work performed away from the cameras, the departure of an experienced live-events executive is meaningful even when the full circumstances remain private. MLW now moves forward without Kitlas in that position, while Saturday Night SuperFight and the promotion’s ongoing schedule remain under the spotlight.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.