Copeland Returns to Maple Leaf Gardens for Northern Rising

On Saturday night, Adam Copeland had a unique opportunity to fulfill a long-held dream as Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling (MLP) hosted Northern Rising at the iconic Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

Copeland had often expressed his wish to perform at this historic venue. In a previous interview, he recounted watching his first wrestling match there as a child, which left a lasting impression on him. Interestingly, during his time with WWE, he never got to perform at Maple Leaf Gardens, as the company opted for larger arenas due to its growing popularity.

Thanks to Maple Leaf Wrestling’s partnership with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Copeland finally got his chance to step into the MLP ring. His opponent? Just one of the hottest free agents around, Steve Maclin. The former U.S. Marine seemed eager to face Copeland, even making a surprise appearance on AEW “Dynamite” to ambush him in the lead-up to Northern Rising.

Once the event started, there was no escaping the action.

Copeland and Maclin Battle in a Street Fight

What one might consider surprising for a 52-year-old, Copeland didn’t hold back in his street fight with Maclin, the main event of Northern Rising. He truly went above and beyond to impress the Toronto crowd, marking his legendary status in wrestling.

Copeland executed a stunning suplex of Maclin from the ring apron, taking advantage of a ladder positioned between the ropes. He also performed a spectacular splash from the top turnbuckle, sending Maclin crashing through a table outside the ring. Maclin, not to be outdone, dealt his share of damage, including a suplex onto a ladder that had been set up.

The match was filled with several jaw-dropping moments. Maclin’s wife, Deonna Purrazzo, who is the Ring of Honor pure women’s champion, attempted to interfere by spraying Copeland and the referee with an aerosol. Luckily for Copeland, wrestling legend Rhino came to his aid, spearing both Maclin and Purrazzo and shifting the momentum.

Eventually, Copeland regained control. He went outside the ring, made his way up the ramp, and surprisingly sprinted back down to spear Maclin through the ropes. Following that, he executed another spear before securing the victory.

After the match, Copeland took a moment to recognize Maclin’s performance and addressed the crowd, expressing how special it was for him to compete at Maple Leaf Gardens.

New Undisputed MLP Canadian Champion Crowned

Earlier in the night, another thrilling match took place for the Undisputed MLP Canadian Championship between Josh Alexander and Stu Grayson. Grayson entered the match as the interim champion, but Alexander, who never officially lost the title due to a knee injury, believed himself to be the rightful champion.

This match was intense. Alexander focused on evading major moves from Grayson initially, but things took a turn when he pushed Grayson off the top rope, causing him to land on several security members.

The stakes were high, and both wrestlers utilized high-risk maneuvers. Grayson superplexed Alexander and struck him with a knee to the face, but he didn’t manage to pin him. This was a recurring theme throughout the match. In the closing moments, Alexander received unexpected assistance from Don Callis, who tried to deliver a screwdriver to him. Although the referee prevented this transfer, Alexander managed to sneakily get the tool and used it against Grayson, again unnoticed by the referee.

Ultimately, Alexander executed two C4 piledrivers, pinning Grayson for the victory.

Champions Hold Their Ground

The Northern Rising card showcased two other singles titles on the line. Priscilla Kelly defended her MLP Canadian Women’s Championship against Nikki Storm, while Andrade El Idolo put his AEW National Championship on the line against Rohan Raja.

Kelly demonstrated her dominance from the get-go, hitting Storm with swift dropkicks and a combination of aggressive kicks and stomps. Storm found herself unable to mount any significant offense, allowing Kelly to retain her title after holding it for over 55 days since winning it in September.

Meanwhile, Andrade faced off against Raja, who had eliminated several Luchadores in prior matches. Although Andrade is considered one of the top wrestlers, Raja fought hard and gave him a run for his money, even suffering a powerslam from the ring apron to the floor. However, Andrade ultimately managed to hold onto his championship by the end of the match, even showing respect by shaking Raja’s hand afterward.

New Champions Emerge

In the tag team championship bout, the 1st Faction faced off against Grizzled Young Veterans and Sinner & Saints. The Grizzled Young Veterans, composed of James Drake and Zack Gibson, had made their intentions known through pre-match promos—conquer the competition. They got off to an explosive start, taking control early on.

Just when it seemed Sinner & Saints might pull off an upset, Bryce Hansen interfered, distracting the referee just before a pin could be counted, which shifted the momentum back to the Grizzled Young Veterans.

The Grizzled Young Veterans did not look back from there. By winning, they became the third tag team champions since MLP’s resurgence, ending the 191-day reign of 1st Faction.

Other Northern Rising Results

• Jonathan Gresham def. Tarik and Vaughn Vertigo.
• Rudra def. Jonny DeLuca.
• Luigi Primo, El Reverso and Mo Jabari def. Johnny Parisi, Gama Singh Jr. and Michael Allen Richard Clark.
• Máscara Dorada and Subculture def. TJP, Johnny TV and Gabriel Fuerza.
• Alice Crowley and Jody Threat def. Kinsley and Alexia Nicole.
• Psycho Mike def. Dan Maff and Crazzy Steve.