In just his second appearance after leaving the WWE, Baron Corbin now Bishop ‘The Nomad’ Dyer, pushed NWA World Champion, Thom Latimer, to the limit on the first night of MLW’s Mayhem.
Dyer has adopted the person of a ”nomad’ biker. A ‘nomad’ is a club member who does not belong to a specific chapter of a club but still abides by their rules.
As Mauro Ranallo tell us, the NWA World Championship changed hands in Canada twenty years ago when Jeff Jarrett beat Raven.
There are loud cheers for Bishop before the bell even rings. Both men jockey for position. Bishop breaks clean in the ropes. Bishop takes Latimer down with a shoulder tackles. Latimer bails to the floor. The crowd boos.
“Let’s go, Bishop!” they chant.
Bishop shoulder tackles him down yet again then drops him with punch after punch in a corner. Latimer fires back knocking Bishop into the ropes. Bishop catches Latimer off the ropes and side slams him for one count. Bishop blasts Latimer with a running clothesline in a corner and one that knocks him over the top rope to the floor.
On the floor, Bishop charges. Latimer moves out of the way. Bishop crashes into the ringside steps knocking them free from the ring. Back in the ring, it is Latimer with a spinning neckbreaker for a two count. Bishop reverses a sleeper into one of his own. Latimer starts to falter. He backs Bishop into a corner over and over to break the hold.
Latimer drives Bishop to the mat with a massive slam. The fans boo. Bishop returns fire with a Deep Six but Bishop is slow to capitalize. They get back to their feet trading punches.
Latimer cannot get Bishop up for a piledriver. A spinebuster from Bishop. Bishop slams Latimer down with his Blood Moon chokeslam. Latimer rolls out of the ring. Latimer snaps Bishop’s neck over the ropes and smashes his head off the apron over and over. Latimer whips Bishop into a steel post. Latimer climbs to the top rope. Bishop shoves him off to the floor.
Bishop throws him into steel post after steel post. He belly-to-back suplexes Latimer on the ramp. Latimer tries to crawl out of the ring. Bishop pulls him back in. As he does so, Latimer brings the ring skirt in with him. As the official fixes that, Latimer thumbs Bishop in the eyes and uses the ropes to pin Bishop.
Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling: Mayhem Night One
Intergalatic Jet-Setters (Kushida and Kevin Knight) versus Blake Christian and QT Marshall
Not sure why Christian is going with this “Vanilla Baby” gimmick. It is bland but for all the wrong reasons. His arrogant persona was far better. He needs to ditch this garbage gimmick that nobody gets and won’t boost him in any way. Marshall doesn’t factor much into the match at all. Kushida gives Christian one shot and Christian falls over like he was just shot. A dumb move had Christian put into an Electric Chair but on his own partner Marshall. Knight though jumps up to drop kick Christian who DDTs Marshall.
Mauro Ranallo: Holy shit!
Kushida drops Christian with a neck breaker while Knight hits his splash from the top rope.
Winners: Intergalatic Jet-Setters (Kushida and Kevin Knight)
Johnny Swinger, Raj Singh, Rohit Raju and Rohan Raja versus Bupinder Gujjar, ‘Psycho Mike’ Rollins, El Reverso and Billy Gunn
Swinger has the biggest news ever to hit the “province” of Canada. Swingers wants to be called “Johnny The Swingman Parisi” because of his great uncle Tony Parisi. Gunn hits The Famouser but gets kicked in the chops by Raj Singh. Reverse dives at Raju and gets flatlined. The fans boo.
Winner: Johnny Swinger, Raj Singh, Rohit Raju and Rohan Raja
Zoe Sager versus Kylie Rae – MLP Women’s Canadian Championship Tournament
It should be no surprise that Rae goes over here. Sager almost takes the win with a beautiful moonsault. Rae kicks out though. Sager slaps Rae in the face and locks on a Z-Factor leg submission. Rae manages to flip over and punch her way out of it. Rae counters another attempted Dragon Screw Leg Whip with a roll-up.
Winner: Kylie Rae
Kaito Kiyomiya versus Sheldon Jean
Former Big Brother Canada’s Jean gets in Kaito’s face before the bell rings. Jean stabs Katio in his chest with his finger. Kaito shoves his hand, arm away. They begin trading forearm smashes. Jean stomps and head butts Kaito in a corner. Jean shuffles back and forth to lay in punches to Kaito in a corner. Kaito’s standing drop kick drives Jean outside. Kaito cannon balls off the apron onto Jean on the floor. Kaito climbs to the top rope but Jean just shoves him off to the floor. Jean puts Kaito on his shoulders and runs him into the steel post then he struts across the apron.
Kaito dives at Jean. Jean side-steps and Kaito hits the ropes full-force. Both men fight up the ramp. Kaito blocks an attempted suples. Kaito blocks it and suplexes Jean on the ramp instead.
Kaito targets Jean’s knee with three basement drop kicks. He hits another from the top rope. He locks in a figure four leg lock. Jean escapes by head butting Kaito. Kaito gets a two count with a snap-rana. A roundhouse kick off the ropes gets another two count. Kaito wins with his take on a Shining Wizard.
Winner: Kaito Kiyomiya
Mo Jabari (c) versus Taiji Ishimori versus Stu Grayson versus Brent Banks versus Michael AR Clark versus Rich Swann – Six Way Scramble, Jericho Cruise Oceanic Championship
What the hell is a Jericho Cruise Oceanic Championship and why does it matter? I will never know. It looks like Grayson is going to take it as he lift Jabari onto the top turnbuckle. Mo shoves him off though. Banks hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Grayson. Jabari leaps off the top rope with a diving elbow smash onto Banks. He pins him to retain. Clark attacks Jabari over the match. He is about to powerbomb him when the lights go off. There is lighting and thunder. PCO arrives! He lumbers to the ring. Clark labels him with punches as he enters the ring. PCO fires back, no-selling Clark’s blows. PCO catches him with a clothesline and then throws him to the floor. PCO readies to fly out of the ring but Clark hits the road. PCO splashes the other wrestlers in the match instead.
Winner: Mo Jabari
QT Marshall makes a deal with Sheldon Jean backstage.
Alex Zayne versus Mike Bennett
I am still very confused as to why nobody has signed Zayne. He has the moves, the look, everything. I don’t get it. Bennett takes Zayne down with shoulder tackle. He strokes his beard in satisfaction. Zayn does the same and twirls his hair afterwards. Zayne hits a standing shooting star press to send Bennett to the floor. Bennett is staggering and limping on the floor. He is calling for a time out. Zayne doesn’t buy it. He leaps over the ropes onto him. Zayne leans Bennett over the barricade chopping him in the throat.
Zayne smashes Bennett’s head into the ring stairs. Bennett grounds Zayne with a Dragon Leg Screw in the ropes and then one on the arena floor.
Zayne back drops his way out of a piledriver but his knee is worse for wear. Zayne executes the Baja Blast. He climbs to the top rope. Bennett grabs the official. He shoves him into the ropes so Zayne falls. Bennett wins with a cradle piledriver.
Winner: Mike Bennett
Layne Luck versus Gisele Shaw – MLP Women’s Canadian Championship Tournament
Shaw lifts Luck onto the top rope. Shaw tries to head scissors her off the top rope. Shaw lifts herself up. They begin battling. Luck head butts her down. Luck spikes Shaw with a cutter from the second rope. Shaw gets her foot on the ropes to break the count. Shaw hits a breakbacker and then a Code Breaker. A running knee pins Luck.
Winner: Gisele Shaw
Thom Latimer (c) versus Bishop Dyer – NWA World Championship Match
Winner: …and still NWA World Champion, Thom Latimer.