WINDSOR, Ont. – Windsor’s St. Clair College hosted night one of a storied wrestling promotion’s revival Saturday. But not just any wrestling promotion, a truly Canadian one. So genuinely Canadian, that it is in the name.
It was the homecoming of homecomings for ex-TNA president Scott D’Amore. Standing with humility and still exuding a noticeable sense of pride, the Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling owner has every right to: “I lived in Windsor and I’d drive and I’d see Detroit and I couldn’t even go there.” Even being so close to being able to see it, the border can seem unreachable.
There’s so much in that one statement. The USA is often referred to as “the land of opportunity.” Which begs the question: why can’t opportunity present itself north of the border? Cue the return of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling.
Bhupinder Gujjar shows off his love for Canadian hockey before wrestling QT Marshall at the debut of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, on Saturday, October 19, 2024. Photo by Brad McFarlin MORE PHOTOS IN OUR GALLERY
Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling made a statement, letting the world know that Canada can have its own professional wrestling promotion that can stand against any other, worldwide. Look up and down the lineup of matches. Canadians showed out against some of the best wrestlers that the rest of the world has to offer. International wrestling legends like Kushida, Bully Ray, and Rocky Romero graced the ring on the first night of the highly-anticipated wrestling showcase.
“Josh Alexander was doing demolitions and Mike Bailey was cleaning toilets. That’s because it’s so hard when you’re not American to get an opportunity in this industry,” said D’Amore, who didn’t just revive Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling for the sake of doing it. He did it for the guys that didn’t get the chance to before that now have a shot.
After the show went off the air, the two Canadian stars thanked the crowd and shared a bit of their stories before breaking onto the international wrestling scene with the fans still in attendance, history that many fans were unaware of.
This is why Scott D’Amore revived the historic promotion. If you’re a Canadian wrestler looking for an opportunity, MLPW presents an important one.
His passion for the industry is well documented. But it’s his passion for Canadian wrestlers to have a place to showcase their talents that shines bright, even in a dimly light backstage area. A passion that was shared by every fan in attendance Saturday night, not to mention the wrestlers that thoroughly entertained them.
But the pride still shows and there’s no reason for D’Amore to not be proud. He’s revived a classic Canadian wrestling promotion that once hosted such names as “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, Killer Kowalski, Andre the Giant, Sweet Daddy Siki, amongst many others wrestlers that have become household names since.
There were two fans at Saturday’s show who had been to the shows back in the 1980s and were in Windsor Saturday night for the first Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling event in 40 years. Older than most in attendance but burning with the same amount of passion for Canadian wrestling as any kid would be.
There’s no two ways about it. Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling is an historic wrestling promotion and it’s a major source of national pride that it’s finally back to make its mark on the industry.
Fans came from all over to witness the spectacle. Two friends that had visited from Japan let their passion for the sport show all night long, not just for the main event of Mike Bailey vs. Konosuke Takeshita. Sitting in a packed gym in a city that often gets mentioned as “the one close to Detroit”, you couldn’t feel more at home, regardless of what flag is on the outside of your passport.
There are so many reasons why Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling is so important. The “smaller” sold out crowd in the gym (don’t tell Mike Bailey that) lent itself to the atmosphere. The wrestlers all drew from it and delivered an exceptional standout evening: “I wrestle just as often in front of 50 people as I do in front of 20,000 because that’s what to me being a pro wrestler is, is being able to adapt to your environment no matter where you are… and giving [the fans] the exact performance they paid for and deserve to see.” You know you’re always going to get 100% with a mentality like that.
Gisele Shaw soaks in the passionate atmosphere at the debut of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, before her match against Miyu Yamashita on Saturday, October 19, 2024. Photo by Brad McFarlin MORE PHOTOS IN OUR GALLERY
The number of fans in attendance don’t matter when you’re in the ring, especially to Windsor native and TNA roster member Aiden Prince: “The energy in this place today is crazy. Any bumps and bruises I have are feeling worth it right about now.” Every wrestler that had a match Saturday night undoubtedly shared that sentiment.
Saturday night’s main event was the perfect example of this as Montreal’s “Speedball” Mike Bailey took on “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita. These two have met in the ring many times before dating back to 2016 but meeting in a Canadian city made it even sweeter for Speedball. Being cautious not to forget names and feel bad about it later, he mentioned Takeshita and Will Ospreay as the best wrestlers that he’s been in the ring with.
Having a moment like that in your home country, after having a moment like that in Takeshita’s home country, is one of the coolest things for a professional wrestler. Regardless of how the match turns out. The match isn’t about who wins. It’s about the experience for everyone involved.
It’s because these shows provide the fans with a more intimate experience and those wrestling in these shows will tell you that they love wrestling in front of 500 fans just as much if not more than selling out a stadium with 30,000 seats. As a fan, it just hits different and there’s simply no adequate way to describe the passion and energy unless you experience it for yourself.
This wasn’t just a wrestling show with Canadians and international wrestlers. It was a Canadian wrestling showcase. Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling is back with a mission statement to prove that Canadians belong in the ring with anyone.
TOP PHOTO: Windsor native Scott D’Amore pumps up his hometown crowd at the debut of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, on Saturday, October 19, 2024. Photo by Brad McFarlin
RELATED LINKS
Brad McFarlin’s MLPW Forged in Excellence Night One Photo Gallery
Alexander, Takeshita, Bailey, ELP are the MVPs of MLP’s Forged in Excellence Night Two