Adam Copeland is moonlighting in Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling to make his dream come true. Cope will wrestle in the Northern Rising PPV main event at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
MLP, run by Scott D’Amore, has built to this PPV event through 12 episodes of their Mayhem TV program. Three championships are on the line, and Copeland battles Steve Maclin in the main event.
MLP released the cold open for Saturday night’s PPV (Oct. 3, 2026). Copeland narrated the video package to hype the show
and also lays the foundation for why this event is so important to him.
When you’re a kid, you don’t think about how long the road is going to be. You just know where you want it to take you. For me, that road always led here.
Maple Leaf Gardens.
I sat in those seats. I’ve watched my heroes walk through that curtain. And somewhere along the way, I decided I wanted to be one of them. I’ve wrestled around the world. I’ve stood on some of the biggest stages this business has ever created. But tonight, I finally step foot into this building. Not as the kid watching from the crowd, as the man walking toward the ring.
But tonight isn’t only about where we’ve been. It’s about where Canadian wrestling is going. This building has seen generations of wrestlers come through its doors. Tonight, another generation gets its turn. Championships will be defended. Rivalries will be settled. Careers can change in a single moment.
Stu Grayson carries the championship. But Josh Alexander carries unfinished business. Two of Canada’s best. One championship and a rivalry that can only be settled in the ring.
The MLP Tag Team Championship hangs in the balance. Three teams, one title. Only one will leave Toronto with the gold.
The MLP Canadian Women’s Championship. On the biggest stage of Priscilla Kelly’s career, chaos waits. And under the brightest lights, the champion will be tested.
From Canada and around the world, they’ve come to Toronto for one night to prove they belong here.
And then there’s Steve Maclin. He could have left this alone. He didn’t. He made it personal. And now he has the opportunity to ruin something I’ve waited a lifetime to experience. I’ve learned something about dreams. Getting there is only part of it. Sometimes you have to fight to keep somebody from taking it away.
Tonight, this building opens its doors to another generation. New names, new battles, new moments that will live long after the final bell. For everyone who dreamed of being here, for everyone fighting to make their mark, and for that kid who once sat in those seats. Tonight, we write the next chapter.
And I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
The lineup for MLP Northern Rising includes:
- Adam Copeland vs. Steve Maclin
- MLP Canadian Championship: Josh Alexander (c) vs. Stu Grayson (interim)
- MLP Women’s Canadian Championship:Priscilla Kelly (c) vs. Nikki Storm
- MLP Canadian Tag Team Championship: 1st Faction (c) vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Sinner & Saint
- Monster’s Mayhem: Psycho Mike Rollins vs. Dan Maff vs. Crazzy Steve
- Andrade El Idolo vs. Rohan Raja
- Subculture & Mascara Dorada vs. Johnny TV, TJP, & Gabriel Fuerza
- Alexia Nicole & Kingsley vs. Alice Crowley & Jody Threat
- Johnny DeLuca vs. Rudra (pre-show)
- Vaughn Vertigo vs. Jonathan Gresham vs. Tarik (pre-show)
- Johnny (Swinger) Parisi, Michael Allen Richard Clark, & Gama Singh Jr. vs. Luigi Primo, El Reverso, & Mo Jabari (pre-show)
MLP Northern Rising kicks off at 7 pm ET for the pre-show and 8 pm ET for the PPV. The PPV can be purchased through myAEW and PPV.com. myAEW offers promo code MLPCope to save five dollars.
How does the MLP Northern Rising card stack up in your eye? Which matches intrigue you most?
