Contra Unit

Simon Gotch

Jacob Fatu and The Almighty Sheik were previously a part of a stable called the "Warbeast" with Brody King and Kevin Sullivan and competed on the independent circuit winning many tag team titles in various promotions.[5] In January 2019, Warbeast members Fatu and Sheik signed a contract with Major League Wrestling and MLW announced on its website that Jacob Fatu would make his MLW debut at SuperFight.[6][7] Sheik was repackaged as Josef Samael and he and Fatu made their MLW debut in a non-televised match by defeating local wrestlers Chico Adams and Kwame Nas at SuperFight. Later at the event, the duo allied themselves with Simon Gotch by attacking his opponent Ace Romero, during which Gotch proclaimed that the group as "global merchants of violence" and named it "Contra" and waved a self-designated Contra flag.[8] The pair made its televised debut at Intimidation Games by attacking Tom Lawlor after he retained the MLW World Heavyweight Championship against Low Ki in a steel cage match.[9] Contra Unit led another attack on Ace Romero during Romero's match against Simon Gotch on the March 9 episode of Fusion.[10] The next week, on Fusion, Fatu and Samael had their first televised match in MLW against Chico Adams and Vertigo Rivera, where they got themselves disqualified after Samael brutalized them with his spike.[11] Fatu entered the titular match at the Battle Riot II on April 5, where Contra poured gas on various participants, which led to them being disqualified from the match. Later that night, Contra attacked Tom Lawlor again during a post-event press conference.[12]

Contra Unit planned a hostile takeover of MLW,[13] continuing its dominance and rise as Fatu ended Barrington Hughes' undefeated streak in MLW in a quick match on the May 11 episode of Fusion.[14] Fatu and Samael would go on to defeat Hughes and Romero in a tag team match on the May 25 episode of Fusion. Later at that episode, Contra Unit attacked Low Ki as well as Tom Lawlor for the third time after Lawlor's successful title defense against Avalanche.[15]

Josef Samael

Lawlor enlisted the help of Ross Von Erich and Marshall Von Erich to feud with Contra Unit as the team of Lawlor and Von Erichs defeated Contra Unit in a six-man tag team match.[16] The feud between Lawlor and Contra Unit intensified, which set up a match between Fatu and Lawlor for the World Heavyweight Championship at Kings of Colosseum on July 6, which Fatu won, thus capturing the title and cementing Contra Unit's dominance over MLW.[17][18]

Jacob Fatu

The rivalry continued between Contra Unit and the team of Lawlor and Von Erichs, leading up to a War Chamber match at the namesake event.[19] Contra Unit introduced a fourth member Ikuro Kwon on the August 3 episode of Fusion, who spit mist into Marshall Von Erich's eyes.[20] Low Ki would soon join Lawlor and Von Erichs in the feud by helping them fend off an attack by Contra Unit after Fatu successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Lawlor in a rematch on the August 31 episode of Fusion.[21] Contra Unit would lose to Low Ki, Lawlor and Von Erichs in the titular match at War Chamber to settle the rivalry.[22][23]

Contra Unit's next feud was against Salina de la Renta's stable Promociones Dorado, which began after LA Park decided to cash in his Golden Ticket opportunity by winning the Battle Riot against Jacob Fatu for the World Heavyweight Championship at MLW's first-ever pay-per-view Saturday Night SuperFight on November 2.[24] In the warm-up to the match, Promociones Dorado members LA Park, Bestia 666 and Mecha Wolf defeated Kwon, Gotch and Samael in a six-man tag team match on the final episode of Fusion before the pay-per-view.[25] However, Fatu retained the title against Park at Saturday Night SuperFight.[26]