How a Toronto arena became the stage for Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling's biggest night
In short: On October 3, 2026, the Mattamy Athletic Centre hosted Northern Rising, a massive professional wrestling pay-per-view. Featuring stars from AEW and Mystery Wrestling, the event was the culmination of intense storylines developed across various promotions and television tapings, marked by a sold-out crowd and high-stakes championship battles.
Northern Rising 2026 served as a pivotal moment for Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling (MLP), showcasing the promotion's growth through strategic partnerships and media expansion. Hosted at Toronto's Mattamy Athletic Centre within Maple Leaf Gardens, this sold-out show broadcast live via PPV.com and MyAEW. The programme consisted of eleven bouts, with three occurring during the Countdown to Northern Rising pre-show, following storylines from Border City Wrestling and MLP's Mayhem TV series. The wrestling card included a three-way tag team match where Grizzled Young Veterans secured the MLP Canadian Tag Team Championship. Additionally, Psycho Mike competed in a Monster's Mayhem match against Dan Maff and Crazy Steve.
The card was headlined by a high-stakes Street Fight where AEW's Adam Copeland defeated Steve Maclin, a rivalry that intensified after Maclin attacked Copeland backstage during an episode of AEW's Dynamite on September 9, 2026. Other significant championship shifts occurred throughout the event: Josh Alexander reclaimed the undisputed MLP Canadian Championship by defeating interim champion Stu Grayson, and Priscilla Kelly successfully defended the MLP Canadian Women's Championship against Nikki Storm. Andrade El Ídolo also secured a victory against Rohan Raja during the proceedings.
The success of the event follows a period of rapid expansion for MLP. In March 2026, the promotion secured a television deal with The Sports Network (TSN) for its weekly show, MLP Mayhem, which premiered on July 15, 2026, on TSN2. To support this new era, MLP organized a series of television tapings in Windsor, Ontario, throughout the summer of 2026. This expansion, combined with international streaming deals via MyAEW, has positioned Northern Rising as a cornerstone of the MLP calendar. The first season of the new series was planned to consist of twelve episodes.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Northern Rising (2026)
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