By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, TNA, GCW, MLW, and other notable live events or television tapings. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com
Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling “Mayhem – Night One”
Replay available via TrillerTV+ and YouTube.com
March 14, 2025, in Windsor, Ontario, at St. Clair College
This show originally aired as a PPV, but it was just posted for free on YouTube.com. The first two matches are bonus pre-show bouts and are in separate files, but I opted to watch those, too. This is Scott D’Amore’s promotion, and his fingerprints are all over this; it feels like a TNA-taped show, and I don’t mean that as a negative. Mauro Ranallo and Veda Scott provided commentary. There have been multiple TNA tapings from this venue, and there were maybe 800 to 1,000 fans in attendance for this event.
1. Taylor Rising vs. Beaa Moss in a first-round women’s tournament match to crown the first MLP Women’s Canadian Champion. I’ve seen both before. I once watched Taylor fight Heather Reckless and got confused which one was which because they are the same height, same look, same blonde hair. I’ve seen Beaa on some Demand Lucha shows in Canada; she wore blue and is much taller. Beaa hit a clothesline into the corner and a spinning heel kick to the jaw, then a running double knees for a nearfall at 1:30. Taylor hit a drop-toe-hold, sending Moss face-first into the corner. Taylor hit a German Suplex for a nearfall. Moss hit a spinning heel kick, then a Samoan Drop for a nearfall. Beaa hit a Lungblower move to the jaw. Taylor nailed a 619 and a Pedigree for the pin.
Taylor Rising defeated Beaa Moss at 5:39 to advance.
2. Sereena Deeb vs. Aurora Teves in a first-round women’s tournament match. They worked over each other’s left arm to open. Teves is of average height with long brown hair. Deeb tied her up on the mat. She hit a rolling Koppo Kick, then a neckbreaker in the ropes at 3:00, then she hit a twisting neckbreaker for a nearfall. Deeb tied her in the Paradise Lock and was booed. Teves hit a Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall, but she missed a crossbody block off the ropes. Deeb hit a German Suplex, then a Pepsi Twist short-arm clothesline for a believable nearfall at 6:30. Teves hit a twisting slam to the mat for a believable nearfall. Deeb hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip, then a faceplant. She slammed the damaged knee into the mat and applied a half-crab, and Teves tapped out. I always say this, but sometimes the heel needs to win clean just because they are the better wrestler.
Sereena Deeb defeated Aurora Teves at 7:40 to advance.
* The rest of this event is on the main show and is all together in one file on Youtube.
3. “Intergalactic Jet Setters” Kushida and Kevin Knight vs. Blake Christian and QT Marshall. QT and Knight opened, and Kevin hit some deep armdrags. Blake entered and faced Kushida. (Blake appeared in the NJPW BoSJ two years ago, so I assume he’s faced both men before.) Fast-paced reversals by Blake and Kushida. Knight hit a springboard crossbody block on QT at 3:30, and the IJS flipped Blake to the floor on Marshall. In the ring, the IJS worked over Christian. Kushida dropped him with a punch, and he tied up Blake’s legs on the mat. Mauro noted that Kushida is now 41 but can still fly around the ring.
QT did a handspring-back-spin kick that completely missed Kushida, but Kushida went down anyway at 7:00, and the heels choked Kushida in the ropes. Blake snapped Kushida’s arms behind his back. Kevin got a hot tag and hit some clotheslines on each heel. Kevin flipped Blake into the corner onto QT. Blake hit a Pele Kick on Kevin. Kevin hit a double dropkick, then a tornado DDT on QT. Kushida applied a Hoverboard Lock on Blake but QT made the save at 11:00. Blake hit his twisting dive to the floor on Knight.
In the ring, Kushida applied a cross-armbreaker on QT, but Blake hit a springboard 450 Splash to break it up, and we got a “this is awesome!” chant. Kevin hit a springboard flying clothesline on Blake. Kushida hit a punch to QT’s jaw. Blake hit a superkick and a mid-ring Spanish Fly on Kushida, and they were suddenly all down at 12:30, and we got a “tag team wrestling!” chant. Blake accidentally kicked QT! Kevin kicked Blake; Blake hit a stunner on Knight. Kevin put Blake on QT’s shoulders, then he hit his dropkick! Kevin nailed a flip dive to the floor. In the ring, Kevin hit his top-rope crossbody block to pin Blake. That was an awesome sprint.
Kushida and Kevin Knight defeated Blake Christian and QT Marshall at 14:10.
* Mauro and Veda went through the brackets of the women’s tournament, which included the two pre-show matches, and they discussed those two matches. Veda said she can’t bet against Sereena Deeb.
* We saw Thom Latimer arrive at the building “earlier in the day.” We then saw footage of Bishop Dyer (f/k/a Baron Corbin) also arriving at the venue. They aired a video of Jeff Jarrett winning the NWA title 20 years ago, which was the last time the NWA Title changed hands in Canada.
* Johnny Swinger came to the ring with his manager, Johnny Bradford. Swinger got on the mic and said he is now known as Johnny Parisi, as that carries on the family’s name and tradition as a top draw in Canada. Mauro said Bradford is the only deaf manager in pro wrestling
4. Johnny Parisi (w/Johnny Bradford) & Raj Singh & Rohit Raju & Rohan Raja vs. Bhupinder Gujeer & Psycho Mike Rollins & El Reverso & Billy Gunn. Well, this is quite an eight-man tag; I wrote their names in the order they were introduced, so Gunn came out last. Bhupinder and Raj Singh opened; Raj is bald. Gujeer hit a huracanrana and a dropkick. The short, masked El Reverso entered at 2:00 and did the Oh Canada stand on the groin in the corner. Raju got in and hit a running Penalty Kick on Reverso. Parisi got in, and Rinauro said, “He’s had more name changes than Ed Leslie!” Funny.
Psycho Mike got in and tied up with Rohit, and Mike dropped him with a shoulder tackle. If you haven’t seen Mike before, he’s big and muscular and has the serial killer vibe of a Dexter Lumis. Gunn and Raja tied up. Suddenly, all eight were fighting. Back in the ring, Mike got a hot tag; Raja hit a Lungblower on Mike. Johnny Parisi got in and tried to lift Mike, but he couldn’t; Mike responded by hitting a bodyslam on Parisi, then one on Raj Singh, then one on Rohit. Gunn tagged back in and hit some punches on all the heels. Raja hit a Lungblower on Gunn. Gujeer hit a TKO stunner on Raj Singh. Gunn hit a Fame-asser. Reverso went for a springboard move, but Raja caught him and hit a Flatliner for the pin. Decent, chaotic brawl.
Johnny Parisi & Raj Singh & Rohit Raju & Rohan Raja defeated Bhupinder Gujeer & Psycho Mike Rollins & El Reverso & Billy Gunn at 10:50.
* The next show will be May 10. Footage aired of the pre-show matches.
5. Kylie Rae vs. Zoe Sager in a first-round women’s tournament match. This is also an official WWE ID match. Sager hasn’t appeared in Evolve yet, and she was among just two of the 19 ID prospects who didn’t compete in Las Vegas last weekend. Sager is short and blonde, and Mauro said she previously beat Kylie. I didn’t hear the bell so I started the clock at the tie-up, and they appear to be roughly the same height and overall build. They opened with chain wrestling and twisting each other’s left arm. Sager began kicking out the left knee and she applied a Trailer Hitch leg lock at 3:30.
Kylie hit a TKO stunner out of nowhere for a believable nearfall. She applied an STF on the mat, but Zoe rolled over to escape. Kylie hit a superkick for a nearfall. Sager hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on the damaged knee. Sager hit a second-rope moonsault for a nearfall at 6:30, and she reapplied the Trailer Hitch leg lock! Zoe went for another Dragonscrew Legwhip, but Kylie blocked it, got a rollup and the flash pin! Good action. Zoe was livid and perplexed as to what just happened.
Kylie Rae defeated Zoe Sager at 7:36 to advance.
* A really nice video package aired for Sheldon Jean, who talked about being overlooked and disrespected in his career. I’ve noted it before, but Sheldon pretty much vanished from TNA when Kenny King left, and that’s too bad he never had a good-faith singles run.
6. Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Sheldon Jean. Kaito is a top NOAH star so this feels pretty big for him to come in for this show. They immediately traded forearm strikes and Sheldon hit a dropkick. He playfully kicked at Kaito and kept him grounded. Kaito hit a crossbody block and a dropkick at 2:00, then a running somersault off the apron to the floor on Sheldon. In the ring, Kaito hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip and took control. Sheldon flipped Kaito to the floor and they fought at ringside. Jean took control as they got back into the ring, and he kept Kaito grounded in a cravat. Sheldon hit a double-underhook suplex for a nearfall at 7:00.
They left the ring and fought up onto the entrance ramp, and Kaito suplexed him onto the hard ramp. Back in the ring, Kaito hit a dropkick at 10:00 and was fired up. Mauro noted that Kaito is still just 28 years old. He hit a discus forearm that dropped Sheldon, then a Shining Wizard for a nearfall. Kaito hit a dropkick; Sheldon hit a swinging leg lariat and they were both down at 12:00. Sheldon hit a pop-up stunner for a nearfall. Kaito hit several basement dropkicks on the knee, then a top-rope missile dropkick on the knee.
Kaito applied a Figure Four at 15:00 in the middle of the ring. Kaito hit a top-rope crossbody block, but Sheldon caught him and hit a twisting powerslam! He hit a running leg lariat for a believable nearfall at 17:30. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Kaito snapped off a huracanrana for a nearfall, then a jumping knee and a second-rope spin kick for a believable nearfall; I thought that was it! Kaito immediately hit another Shining Wizard for the pin. That was really, really good stuff and easily topped all my expectations.
Kaito Kiyomiya defeated Sheldon Jean at 18:48.
* Backstage, Bishop Dyer said he’s on his “revenge tour” and Thom Latimer isn’t going to stand in his way. Good promo from the former Baron Corbin.
7. Mo Jabari vs. Michael AR Clark vs. Rich Swann vs. Stu Grayson vs. Brent Banks vs. Taiji Ishimori in a scramble for the “Jericho Cruise Oceanic Championship.” Clark came out first; he’s one of the few people here I don’t know. Mauro said he’s in the ‘push-up hall of fame.’ Clark got on the mic and ripped his opponents and got booed. The video suddenly went mute during Swann’s intro (for copyright reasons?). Yes, the music dropped out during Ishimori’s intro, too. All six brawled at the bell. Jabari and Clark traded offense while everyone else was on the floor. Jabari and Swann traded quick reversals. Stu hit a senton to the apron. Ishimori tied up with Banks in the ring; Brent has a huge height advantage.
Banks hit a dropkick at 2:00 on Ishimori. Clark bodyslammed Banks. Stu and Clark traded punches. Stu hit a tornado DDT. (Mauro’s puns just never stop, by the way.) Swann hit a spin kick to Ishimori’s head. Clark hit a springboard dropkick on Jabari at 4:30. Clark hit a Bulldog Powerslam on Jabari and was booed; he did push-ups on Jabari’s back. Jabari hit a swinging neckbreaker on Clark. Banks hit a Michinoku Dropkick on Ishimori at 7:00. Stu hit an overhead release suplex on Swann, then one on Jabari, then suplexes on everyone else!
Swann hit a spin kick to Stu’s head. We had a pair of tower spots and everyone was down. Clark tied Jabari in an STF in the center of the ring, but everyone else made the save at 10:00. Swann hit a Lethal Injection and a 450 Splash. Ishimori hit a shoulder breaker over his knee on Swann! Stu hit a backbreaker over his knee on Ishimori. Banks hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Stu. However, Jabari hit a top-rope flying elbow and pinned Banks. That was non-stop action!
Mo Jabari defeated Michael AR Clark, Rich Swann, Stu Grayson, Brent Banks and Taiji Ishimori to retain the “Jericho Cruise Oceanic Championship” at 11:28.
* Clark continued to beat up Mo Jabari after the bell, until the lights went out, and PCO came to the ring and fought Clark. Those two have a match on Night 2!
* Backstage, QT Marshall and Blake Christian walked up to Sam Leterna and spoke to her. QT walked up to Sheldon Jean and put him over, and invited Sheldon to be part of their faction. Sheldon cautiously, reluctantly shook hands with QT. Veda said Sheldon may have just “made a deal with the devil.”
8. Alex Zayne vs. Mike Bennett. I’m a big fan of both guys; if Zayne was in his mid- to late-20s, he’d probably be signed right now. Bennett jawed at the crowd to make clear he’s a heel tonight. They eventually locked up, and Bennett knocked him down with a shoulder tackle at 2:00 and was booed. Zayne hit his running corkscrew senton, and Bennett rolled to the floor to regroup; he limped and sold a knee injury, but Zayne hit a flip dive to the floor onto Mike. They fought at ringside. As they got back into the ring, Bennett hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 6:30. He hit another one on the floor and was booed.
They continued to fight on the floor, with Bennett in charge. They got in the ring and Zayne fired up and they traded punches. Alex hit a discus lariat at 10:30 and they were both down. Zayne hit his flipping axe kick to the back of the head, then a discus forearm strike. Zayne hit his jump-up Frankensteiner for a nearfall at 12:30. Bennett hit a basement dropkick on the knee and a brainbuster for a nearfall. Bennett set up for a piledriver but Zayne escaped and got a rollup for a nearfall. Zayne hit the Baja Blast twisting faceplant. Bennett pushed the ref into the ropes, causing Zayne to fall off the top turnbuckle. Bennett immediately hit a piledriver for the tainted pin. That was pretty good.
Mike Bennett defeated Alex Zayne at 14:32.
* Sam Leterna interviewed Thom Latimer about his title match. She noted that the last time the NWA Title was defended in Canada 20 years ago, the belt changed hands. She noted this is a first-time-ever match.
* D-Lo Brown joined Mauro Ranallo on commentary, replacing Veda.
9. Gisele Shaw vs. Laynie Luck in a first-round women’s tournament match. Midwest-based Laynie had a good showing at the last pair of Maple Leaf Pro shows. Standing reversals to open. Shaw hit a basement dropkick and some chops. They traded rollups, and Laynie hit a knife-edge chop to the throat, dropping Shaw at 5:00. Laynie hit a doublestomp to the gut, and Gisele rolled to the floor. Back in the ring, Luck remained in charge and stomped on Shaw. Gisele hit a spear! They got up and Shaw hit a spinebuster for a nearfall at 10:00.
They traded rollups. Luck hit an enzuigiri and a Death Valley Driver for a believable nearfall. Luck hit a second-rope flying Meteora for a nearfall at 12:00. Shaw hit a doublestomp to the head. Laynie applied a half-crab in the center of the ring, and she switched to an STF, then into an armbar and kept Shaw on the mat. Laynie hit a shotgun dropkick. They fought on the top rope. Laynie hit an Athena-style flying stunner for a nearfall, but Shaw got a foot on the ropes at 15:30. Laynie set up for a package piledriver, but Shaw escaped and hit a backbreaker over the knee. Shaw hit a running knee for the pin. That picked up nicely.
Gisele Shaw defeated Laynie Luck at 16:33 to advance.
* Sam Leterna interviewed Sereena Deeb backstage, as Deeb will face Shaw the next night in the tournament semifinals. Deeb said she will stretch Shaw and advance to the finals. We then had a nice video package ahead of the main event!
10. Thom Latimer vs. Bishop Dyer for the NWA World Title. They locked up and Bishop has a bigger height and overall size advantage than I anticipated. Mauro said this is just Bishop’s second match since leaving WWE. Thom rolled to the floor to regroup, and we got a loud “Let’s go, Bishop!” chant. In the ring, Bishop knocked him down with a shoulder tackle at 2:00. He hit a sideslam for a nearfall, then an Irish Whip into the corner, and Latimer crashed and sold the pain in his back. He clotheslined Latimer over the top rope to the floor at 4:30. In the ring, Thom stomped on the gut and hit a Rude Awakening standing neckbreaker for a nearfall.
Thom applied a sleeper, and Bishop dropped to his knees, but powered his way back to his feet and escaped. Mauro made a point to thank Billy Corgan for letting Latimer defend the belt here. Latimer nailed a back suplex, but Bishop hit his own Deep Six (twisting back suplex) at 9:30, and they were both down. They got up and traded punches. Bishop hit a swinging uranage into the corner, a clothesline, a Death Valley Driver and a brainbuster; he made a cocky cover and only got a nearfall at 11:30. The commentators agreed that if he hooked the leg, Bishop would have won there. Thom hit a spear for a nearfall.
Dyer hit a swinging stunner move for a nearfall and they were both down. Bishop got up and hit a series of blows. Thom hit a spinning leg lariat and a DDT for a nearfall at 14:30. Bishop hit a spinebuster and a chokeslam, but Latimer rolled to the floor to avoid being pinned, and we got an “M-L-P!” chant. Thom shoved Bishop head-first into the ring post. Bishop then repeatedly hit Thom’s head against the ring posts, and he hit a back suplex onto the ramp! Bishop pushed Latimer back into the ring, but Thom poked him in the eyes, got his rollup with his feet on the ropes for added leverage, and got the tainted pin! Mauro and D-Lo said they were shocked that Thom cheated like that to win.
Thom Latimer defeated Bishop Dyer to retain the NWA World Title at 17:36.
Final Thoughts: I have mixed thoughts. The first tapings last fall were carried by matches featuring Konosuke Takeshita facing first Mike Bailey, then Josh Alexander. So, those shows — based on the top match each night — well, I understood why those were pay-per-views. So, while this was a very good show and I’m glad I watched it — I watched it for free on YouTube, not as a PPV. So, if you look at this as a free show, it is a great show. But I don’t think I would have recommended it as a PPV.
I really enjoyed that Kiyomiya-Sheldon Jean match and that earned best match of the show. Dyer-Latimer put in a really good big-man, main-event style match that takes second, and it easily topped my expectations. I’ll go with the Intergalactic Jet Setters match for third, with Shaw-Luck earning honorable mention. So yes, there was a lot to like here. And with it now free on YouTube, it is well worth checking out.
Be the first to comment