Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling
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| Acronym | MLP |
|---|---|
| Founded | August 8, 2024 |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Founder(s) | Scott D'Amore |
| Owner(s) | Scott D'Amore |
| Website | https://mlpwrestling.com/ |
Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling (MLP) is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion owned by Scott D'Amore. MLP is the spiritual successor to Maple Leaf Wrestling, a promotion run by Frank Tunney in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 1970s and 1980s. D'Amore (owner of Border City Wrestling (BCW), and former president of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)) acquired the trademarks in 2024, and formally announced a revival of the brand on August 8 of that year.
History
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On April 14, 2024, Michael E. Dockins filed a trademark for "Maple Leaf Wrestling". The address listed on the filing was for Border City Wrestling (BCW), owned by former Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) president Scott D’Amore.[1][2]
On August 8, D’Amore announced a relaunch of the Maple Leaf Wrestling brand dubbed Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling (MLP). Its inaugural two-night event, "Forged in Excellence", took place on October 19 and 20 at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, and streamed live on Triller TV.[3] The promotion has since began uploading archival footage of the original Maple Leaf Wrestling, as well as classic content from BCW, on its new YouTube and social media platforms.[4]
On August 19, 2024, MLP announced the formation of the Pro Wrestling Alliance (PWA) with Qatar Pro Wrestling (QPW) and Oceania Pro Wrestling (OPW).[5]
On August 22, 2024, Mauro Ranallo was announced as "The Voice" of MLP; handling announcing, promotional vignettes, commercials and match previews.[6]
On September 4, 2024, MLP announced in a press release that All Elite Wrestling (AEW) personality, and former TNA co-executive vice president, Don Callis would be the promotion's colour commentator. The promotion also revealed its production crew; including former WWE director Timothy J. Walbert, producer Kevin M. Sullivan, and former World Championship Wrestling (WCW), TNA, and AEW executive producer Keith Mitchell.[7]
On October 7, 2024, MLP and the PWA announced former NXT UK star Rohan Raja and Jake Something would compete on night one of "Forged in Excellence" for the inaugural Champion’s Grail, a title to be defended across all PWA members.[8] On Night One at Forged in Excellence, Raja defeated Something to become the inaugural PWA Champion's Grail holder.[9]
MLP held their first event of 2025, Mayhem, at St. Clair College from March 14-15. A third event, Northern Rising, was held on May 10 at Maple Leaf Gardens, where they crowned Josh Alexander as their inaugural MLP Canadian Champion and Gisele Shaw as their inaugural MLP Women's Canadian Champion.[10]
Events
[edit]| # | Event | Date | Location | Venue | Main event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forged in Excellence | October 19, 2024 | Windsor, Ontario, Canada | St. Clair College | Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mike Bailey |
| October 20, 2024 | Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Josh Alexander for the AEW International Championship | ||||
| 2 | Mayhem | March 14, 2025 | Thom Latimer (c) vs. Bishop Dyer for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | ||
| March 15, 2025 | Intergalactic Jet Setters (Kevin Knight and Kushida) vs. The Kingdom (Matt Taven and Mike Bennett) | ||||
| 3 | Northern Rising | May 10, 2025 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Mattamy Athletic Centre | Gauntlet for the Gold for the inaugural MLP Canadian Championship |
| 4 | Resurrection | July 5, 2025 | Laval, Quebec, Canada | Colisée de Laval | PCO (c) vs. Dan Maff for the Canadian International Heavyweight Championship with Billy Gunn as the special guest referee in a House of Pain match |
| 5 | Downtown Showdown | July 26, 2025 | Windsor, Ontario, Canada | – | |
| 6 | Sacred Ground | September 5, 2025 | Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada | Six Nations Territory |
Championships
[edit]Current
[edit]| Championship | Current champion(s) | Date won | Reign | Days held[11] | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PWA Champions Grail | 
|
Rohan Raja | October 19, 2024 | 294+ | Windsor, Ontario, Canada | Defeated Jake Something at MLP Forged in Excellence to become the inaugural champion. |
| MLP Canadian Championship | 
|
Josh Alexander | May 10, 2025 | 91+ | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Last eliminated Matt Cardona in a 20-man Gauntlet For The Gold at MLP Northern Rising to become the inaugural champion. |
| MLP Women's Canadian Championship | 
|
Gisele Shaw | May 10, 2025 | 91+ | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Defeated Kylie Rae in a tournament final at MLP Northern Rising to become the inaugural champion. |
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "Trademark Filed For 'Maple Leaf Wrestling'".
- ^ "WWE News". Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ Currier, Joseph (August 8, 2024). "Former TNA executive Scott D'Amore announces revival of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
- ^ "Legendary Canadian wrestling brand gets a reboot thanks to this former grappler". CBC News. August 17, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Maple Leaf Pro, Qatar Pro Wrestling and Oceania Pro Wrestling Form Pro Wrestling Alliance". Wrestlezone. August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Scott D'Amore: Mauro Ranallo Has Agreed To Be The Voice Of Maple Leaf Pro". Wrestlezone. August 22, 2024.
- ^ "Top AEW Performer Joins Scott D'Amore's Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling As Commentator". eWrestling. September 4, 2024.
- ^ "Jake Something To Face Rohan Raja To Crown Inaugural Champion's Grail At Maple Leaf Pro Forged In Excellence". Fightul. October 7, 2024.
- ^ Powell, Jason (2024-10-23). "Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling "Forged In Excellence - Night One" results: Vetter's review of Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mike Bailey, Raj Dhesi vs. Bully Ray in a tables match, Rohan Raja vs. Jake Something in a Champions Grail match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
- ^ Powell, Jason (2025-05-12). "Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling "Northern Rising" results (5/10): Vetter's review of the Gauntlet For The Gold to become MLP Canadian Champion, Kylie Rae vs. Gisele Shaw to become MLP Women's Canadian Champion". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ As of August 9, 2025.
External links
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| Defunct promotions |
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