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Hello folks! Welcome to my review of the debut episode of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling’s Mayhem, airing on TSN2 in Canada and on MyAEW.com internationally. Thanks to Dave and Mike for the opportunity!
As a Canadian wrestling fan, I was thrilled when it was announced that TSN had picked up MLP Mayhem. The show arrives at a time when I was losing interest in other wrestling shows and looking for something new to sink my teeth into. Whenever a new promotion gains ground, that’s a great thing for everyone - especially us fans. I’m excited to see a Canadian take on modern pro wrestling.
For full disclosure, this is my first experience with MLP. I am heading in with fresh eyes, hopefully with many others. If you’re looking for a detailed recap, please head on over to Mike Johnson’s thorough coverage here. What you’ll get from me are thoughts from a fan hopping on the MLP Mayhem train as it’s just getting rolling. Let’s go!
THE DEBUT
Producing a debut show in any genre is so tough. You’re trying to catch lightning in a bottle: capture an audience, establish meaningful stories and characters, and create a recognizable brand, all in less than an hour. I expect this is even more challenging in pro wrestling, where established norms and massive companies have carved deep paths, and the fanbase isn’t always forgiving.
I’m pleased to report that MLP delivered a strong debut. In only 45 minutes (without commercials), MLP began to establish important characters, delivered a good amount of solid action, and ended Mayhem with a solid angle to build to next week. Mauro Ranallo and Don Callis did a good job announcing, and the production was excellent. It’s hard to beat that.
WHAT I LIKED:
This was a fun, fast-paced show that flew by. The matches were all enjoyable. The opener between MLP Interim Canadian Champion Stu Grayson and Jonathan Gresham was the strongest of the bunch, but they all did a good job setting a tone and establishing key players in MLP.
Gisele Shaw stood out as a strong heel character, and I was glad to see the women’s division featured in the main event of MLP’s first nationally televised show.
Johnny TV cracked me up - I laughed out loud at the end of his promo. I personally haven’t watched the former Johnny Nitro in some time, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he does as a veteran on the roster. I liked the 1st Faction and Psycho Mike segments too, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they do.
I wasn’t expecting to see Rhino, so that was a treat. He doesn’t appear to age.
The closing angle with Rohan Raja attacking Stu Grayson was a nice hook to bridge to next week.
Finally, I enjoyed the homages to Canadian wrestlers and wrestling lore sprinkled throughout the show. I’m not sure how that will land for an international audience, but I enjoyed it.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:
Honestly, I have no complaints. With a short runtime and a lot to deliver, I thought MLP did a great job on the debut episode of Mayhem.
HIGHLIGHT
The opening match between MLP Interim Canadian Champion Stu Grayson and Jonathan Gresham was excellent. It felt like an old school match with impressive grappling, a bit of brawling, heelish antics, and some serious selling from both Grayson and Gresham. I really enjoyed this one.
STRAY THOUGHTS
I’ll admit, when I saw the cold open promo released online hours before, I had two thoughts:
1 - I love how they’re presenting a fresh new product while interspersing old Canadian wrestling footage using names we all know like Roddy Piper and Ric Flair.
2 - Why is the owner of MLP front and centre in the first thing I’m seeing as a new Mayhem viewer? No disrespect toward Mr. Scott D’Amore; I simply had bad flashbacks to authority figures and goofy general managers. However, my concern was unfounded: D’Amore did a great job establishing what MLP hopes to be, and it was his only appearance on the show.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! I enjoyed episode one of Mayhem, and I’m looking forward to next week.
Eric Lewis is from New Brunswick, Canada. He’s been a pro wrestling fan for as long as he can remember, at least back to WrestleMania VII. During his journalism career, he was fortunate to interview wrestling legends like Bret Hart, Trish Stratus, Booker T, JJ Dillon, Christian Cage, Ted Dibiase, Lanny Poffo, and The Honky Tonk Man.
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