Tag: maple leaf pro wrestling

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling, CMLL announce official partnership

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Scott D’Amore’s Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling has entered into an official partnership with CMLL.

Earlier this week, Gisele Shaw retained the Maple Leaf Pro Women’s Championship against Sanely at a CMLL event. Josh Alexander is now set to defend his MLP Canadian Championship against Esfinge at Arena Mexico this Friday. Ahead of that match, MLP and CMLL have issued a press release formally announcing their partnership, which is designed to expand the global reach of both promotions and elevate their brand visibility.

“The agreement establishes a formal talent exchange that will see MLP promote CMLL stars across Canada, while CMLL will showcase MLP talent throughout Mexico — a collaborative effort aimed at strengthening international awareness and driving commercial growth for both promotions,” the press release said.

MLP and CMLL’s partnership will also see them coordinate on marketing efforts, promotional planning, and licensed use of each organization’s intellectual property for coordinated events.

“This partnership represents a meaningful step forward in building a truly international wrestling ecosystem,” D’Amore said. “CMLL is one of the most respected organizations in the sport, and together we intend to create compelling matchups, unforgettable events, and new opportunities for talent to perform on a global stage.”

“This alliance reflects our shared vision of growing professional wrestling beyond traditional borders,” CMLL President Salvador Lutteroth said. “By bringing our athletes to new audiences and embracing cooperative promotion, we are creating fresh experiences for fans in both countries. Only in Arena Mexico, one of four different arenas owned by CMLL in Mexico, we managed to bring in over 1 Million fans into the Cathedral of Lucha Libre, and we are excited to have those fans witness the matches and action that the pairing of CMLL and MLP will bring to audiences.”

D’Amore revived the Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling brand in 2024 after being fired as president of TNA Wrestling. MLP is also set to work with ROH next month for its Global Wars Canada and MLP Uprising events on March 27-28. Those shows are being held in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and will include talent from AEW, NJPW, NOAH, DDT, and CMLL.

WOR: Inside John Cena’s heel turn, Scott D’Amore talks Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back with our Friday episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

At the start of the show, Scott D’Amore joined us to talk about Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling, his stints at TNA/Impact, booking The Rock for Border City Wrestling, and more.

Dave and I also talked about the following:

  • Inside John Cena’s heel turn
  • The Rock’s original choice for who should go heel
  • Tanahashi vs. Goto as well as comparing Ace’s final year to Cena’s
  • TKO’s boxing collaboration with Turki Alalshikh
  • AEW Dynamite ratings
  • AEW’s origin story

Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube (video sub needed)

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling announces Toronto debut at historic venue

Posted on by Josh Nason

Scott D’Amore’s Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling will make its anticipated debut in Toronto and at a historic venue as well.

The promotion announced Thursday that on Sunday, May 11th, they will run Toronto Metropolitan University’s Mattamy Athletic Centre which is the former Maple Leaf Gardens. The event, titled Northern Rising, will air on Triller with ticket info yet to be announced. Capacity is listed as between 2600-3000 depending on the event.

The venue is notable as pro wrestling was a staple at the Gardens dating back to the 1930s. Maple Leaf Wrestling was run by the Tunney family in the 1970s and 1980s with D’Amore acquiring the trademark in April 2024.

The news comes days after MLP revealed two March dates for Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

MLP debuted in October 2024 with two shows in Windsor. D’Amore said in an interview that same month that they were “looking to expand and grow Toronto, a key market in Canada that we want to get back into.”

IWGP Junior Tag Team titles to be defended in Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles will be on the line at Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling’s debut weekend.

Earlier this week, KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight became the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions by dethroning Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney at NJPW King of Pro Wrestling. It’s now been announced that KUSHIDA & Knight’s first title defense will take place outside of NJPW. They’re putting the belts on the line in a four-way match at night one of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling Forged in Excellence this Saturday.

The title match is KUSHIDA & Knight vs. Sheldon Jean & Rohit Raju vs. El Reverso & Aiden Prince vs. Brent Banks & Johnny Swinger.

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling is a new project from former TNA Wrestling President Scott D’Amore. The promotion’s debut events are being held at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada this weekend. Both shows are airing live as pay-per-views on Triller TV with Mauro Ranallo & Don Callis as the commentary team.

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling Forged in Excellence —

Night one (Saturday, October 19):

  • Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mike Bailey (if Bailey wins, he gets a future shot at Takeshita’s AEW International Championship)
  • Tables match: Bully Ray vs. Raj Dhesi (former WWE wrestler Jinder Mahal)
  • Gisele Shaw vs. Miyu Yamashita (If Yamashita wins, she’ll be added to the ROH Women’s title match on night two)
  • Rohan Raja vs. Jake Something for the inaugural PWA Champion’s Grail Championship
  • Four-way tag team match: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight defend against Sheldon Jean & Rohit Raju, El Reverso & Aiden Prince, and Brent Banks & Johnny Swinger
  • Laynie Luck vs. Taylor Rising vs. Kylie Rae vs. Aurora Teves
  • Bhupinder Gujjar vs. QT Marshall (w/ Harley Cameron)
  • Josh Alexander, Stu Grayson & El Phantasmo vs. Trevor Lee, Rocky Romero & Alex Zayne

Night two (Sunday, October 20):

  • AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita defends against Josh Alexander
  • ROH Women’s World Champion Athena defends against Gisele Shaw
  • QPW Qatar Champion Classy Ali defends against El Reverso
  • Mike Bailey vs. El Phantasmo
  • Six-way scramble match: Jake Something vs. Trevor Lee vs. Stu Grayson vs. Sheldon Jean vs. Mike Rollins vs. Alex Zayne

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling reveals opening match for debut event

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A six-man tag match will kick off the debut event for Scott D’Amore’s Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling.

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling announced today that the Canadian team of Josh Alexander, Stu Grayson & El Phantasmo will take on Trevor Lee, Rocky Romero & Alex Zayne in the opening match of Forged in Excellence weekend. The promotion is launching with two events taking place from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20. Both shows will air as live pay-per-views on Triller TV.

Alexander’s match for night two has already been confirmed with him set to face Konosuke Takeshita.

This promotion is a revival of the Maple Leaf Wrestling brand that existed from the 1930s to the 1980s. It’s a new project for D’Amore after being fired from TNA Wrestling earlier this year.

Mauro Ranallo and Don Callis will be the commentary team for Forged in Excellence. Here are the updated cards:

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling Forged in Excellence —

Night one (Saturday, October 19):

  • Konosuke Takeshita vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey
  • Rohan Raja vs. Jake Something for the inaugural PWA Champion’s Grail Championship
  • Bhupinder Gujjar vs. QT Marshall (w/ Harley Cameron)
  • Tables match: Bully Ray vs. Raj Dhesi (former WWE wrestler Jinder Mahal)
  • Laynie Luck vs. Taylor Rising vs. Kylie Rae vs. Aurora Teves
  • Josh Alexander, Stu Grayson & El Phantasmo vs. Trevor Lee (the former Cameron Grimes), Rocky Romero & Alex Zayne

Night two (Sunday, October 20):

  • Josh Alexander vs. Konosuke Takeshita
  • ROH Women’s World Champion Athena defends against Gisele Shaw

Former WWE NXT broadcaster McKenzie Mitchell set for Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling role

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Former WWE NXT broadcast team member McKenzie Mitchell is returning to pro wrestling next month for a role with Scott D’Amore’s new promotion.

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling announced today that Mitchell will serve as the backstage correspondent for the promotion’s debut events on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20. The shows are named Forged in Excellence and are taking place from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

“Hi wrestling friends,” Mitchell tweeted. “Excited to step back onto a backstage set.”

Mitchell was released by WWE in December 2023 after working for NXT as a backstage interviewer and on-air personality. Before her time in WWE, she had a similar role in Impact Wrestling.

Both nights of Forged in Excellence will air as live pay-per-views on Triller TV. Mauro Ranallo and Don Callis will be the commentary team, while former TNA broadcaster Sam Leterna will be the ring announcer.

Josh Alexander, Konosuke Takeshita, Athena, Gisele Shaw, Mike Bailey, El Phantasmo, Raj Dhesi (Jinder Mahal), KUSHIDA, Alex Zayne, Kevin Knight, Jake Something, Kylie Rae, Trevor Lee, QT Marshall, Miyu Yamashita, Stu Grayson, Sheldon Jean, Aiden Prince, Brent Banks, and Laynie Luck have been announced for the shows.

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling is a revival of the Maple Leaf Wrestling brand that originally existed from the 1930s to the 1980s. It’s a new project for D’Amore after he was fired by TNA Wrestling earlier this year.

Konosuke Takeshita to face Mike Bailey for Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling

Posted on by Joseph Currier

AEW star Konosuke Takeshita is set to face off against TNA Wrestling’s “Speedball” Mike Bailey for Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling.

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling is making its debut with two Forged In Excellence events from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20. The promotion has announced that Takeshita vs. Bailey will be part of the card for night one. The two have previously wrestled each other in matches for DDT, PWG, and West Coast Pro Wrestling.

Both nights of Forged In Excellence are airing live as pay-per-views on Triller TV. Takeshita vs. Josh Alexander will take place on night two.

El Phantasmo, Raj Dhesi (Jinder Mahal), Gisele Shaw, KUSHIDA, Alex Zayne, Kevin Knight, Jake Something, Kylie Rae, ROH Women’s World Champion Athena, Trevor Lee, QT Marshall, and Miyu Yamashita are also advertised for Forged In Excellence.

Mauro Ranallo and Don Callis will be the commentary team for the events. The promotion is a new project for Scott D’Amore following his firing from TNA Wrestling this February. It’s a revival of the Maple Leaf Wrestling brand that originally existed from the 1930s to 1980s.

Athena to compete for Scott D’Amore’s Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling

Posted on by Joseph Currier

ROH Women’s World Champion Athena is set to compete at the debut events for Scott D’Amore’s new promotion.

Athena will be in action at Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling Forged In Excellence this October. It’s a two-night event taking place on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20. The shows are being held at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and will air live as pay-per-views on Triller TV.

Since December 2022, Athena has been on a dominant run as ROH Women’s World Champion. She retained against Queen Aminata last month at Death Before Dishonor.

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling has yet to announce Athena’s opponents for Forged In Excellence. Kylie Rae and Gisele Shaw are among the other talent set to wrestle at the shows.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Josh Alexander is the first match that’s been announced for the event. QT Marshall, El Phantasmo, Raj Dhesi (Jinder Mahal), KUSHIDA, Alex Zayne, Kevin Knight, Jake Something, and Trevor Lee are also advertised.

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling is a revival of the Maple Leaf Wrestling brand that originally existed from the 1930s to 1980s. It’s a new venture for D’Amore after he was fired as president of TNA Wrestling this February.

Mauro Ranallo is returning to pro wrestling commentary as the voice of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling.

Konosuke Takeshita to face Josh Alexander for Scott D’Amore’s Maple Leaf Wrestling

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The first match announcement has been made for Scott D’Amore’s revival of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling.

AEW’s Konosuke Takeshita will face off against TNA star Josh Alexander at Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling Forged In Excellence this October. It’s a two-night event that’s being held at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20. The promotion hasn’t announced which night Takeshita vs. Alexander will be taking place on.

Takeshita and Alexander have only faced each other once before, going to a 20-minute time limit draw for indie promotion Garden State Pro Wrestling in 2022.

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling is a new venture for D’Amore, who was fired as president of TNA Wrestling this February amid a leadership shakeup. D’Amore also has the title of president in this new promotion. It’s a revival of the Maple Leaf Wrestling brand that originally existed from the 1930s to the 1980s.

Both nights of Forged In Excellence are set to air live as pay-per-views on Triller TV. Mauro Ranallo is returning to pro wrestling commentary as the play-by-play voice of the promotion. El Phantasmo, Raj Dhesi (Jinder Mahal), Gisele Shaw, KUSHIDA, Alex Zayne, Kevin Knight, Jake Something, Kylie Rae, and Trevor Lee are among the other talent advertised for Forged In Excellence.

Mauro Ranallo returning to commentary for Scott D’Amore’s new promotion

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Scott D’Amore’s new pro wrestling venture will have a familiar voice on commentary.

During an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, D’Amore announced that Mauro Ranallo has agreed to return to pro wrestling announcing as the voice of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. The promotion launches on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20 with events at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

“You need to have a great voice, and I think we have one of the very best,” D’Amore said. “I think indisputably the best combat sports cross-genre announcer — because Mauro Ranallo has agreed to be the voice of Maple Leaf Pro.”

D’Amore said he’s so stoked and honored to have Ranallo with the promotion. They’ve known each other for 25 years dating back to Stampede Wrestling.

Along with his work in boxing and MMA, Ranallo has done pro wrestling commentary for WWE, NXT, and NJPW. He also made a cameo for Impact Wrestling in 2021 when D’Amore brought him in to call a match between Kenny Omega and Rich Swann.

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling is a revival of the brand that originally existed from the 1930s to the 1980s. The promotion’s October 19 and October 20 events will air live as pay-per-views on Triller TV.

Konosuke Takeshita, El Phantasmo, Raj Dhesi (former WWE wrestler Jinder Mahal), Josh Alexander, Gisele Shaw, KUSHIDA, Alex Zayne, Kevin Knight, Jake Something, Kylie Rae, and Trevor Lee have been announced for the shows.

This new venture comes after D’Amore was fired from TNA Wrestling in February as part of a leadership shakeup. He was the president of TNA prior to departing the company.

Former TNA executive Scott D’Amore announces revival of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Six months after departing TNA Wrestling, Scott D’Amore has confirmed his next move.

D’Amore announced today that he’s reviving the Maple Leaf Wrestling brand starting with two events this October. Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling will be at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20. The shows are set to air as pay-per-views on Triller TV.

“Forged in Excellence” is the name of the events. Raj Dhesi (former WWE wrestler Jinder Mahal), Josh Alexander, Gisele Shaw, KUSHIDA, Alex Zayne, Kevin Knight, Jake Something, Kylie Rae, and Trevor Lee are advertised to appear.

“For six decades, Maple Leaf Wrestling hosted a who’s who of the world’s greatest wrestlers,” D’Amore said in a press release. “Legends like Lou Thesz, Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, Andre the Giant and Rowdy Roddy Piper all competed in Maple Leaf. Now, we’re bringing that legacy back with modern-day legends from WWE, New Japan, TNA, AEW and beyond.”

Maple Leaf Wrestling originally existed from the 1930s to the 1980s. Footage from the promotion’s library will be uploaded to YouTube, Facebook, and other digital platforms as part of the revival.

D’Amore has been gearing up for today’s announcement with trademark filings related to Maple Leaf Wrestling in recent months. He was fired from TNA Wrestling this February as part of a leadership shakeup. D’Amore was president of TNA and now has that title with Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling.

After D’Amore’s firing, the TNA roster expressed support for him on social media and in a letter to Anthem Sports & Entertainment (TNA’s parent company).

Alexander is a top TNA star and will also compete for Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. He tweeted about the revival: “I’m excited to be a part of what will showcase the absolute best Canadian wrestling has to offer. The resurrection of Maple Leaf Wrestling for future generations. Follow it. It’s going to be big!”