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Hey folks! Welcome to my weekly review of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling’s Mayhem, airing on TSN2 in Canada and on MyAEW.com everywhere. This was a big week for MLP with a major championship match in the main event, tension building to another major championship match next week, and a continued push toward October’s sold-out Northern Rising event. Let’s get to it!
EPISODE FIVE OF MAYHEM
This was another solid episode of Mayhem. MLP changed up the format a bit this week, building the bulk of the show around the excellent main event between MLP Interim Canadian Champion Stu Grayson and PWA Champion’s Grail Holder Rohan Raja.
Earlier in the episode, we had an entertaining squash as Rhino gored Bryce Hansen into oblivion.
The four-way tag match between the Grizzled Young Veterans, El Reverso and Mo Jabari, The Swirl, and Mascara Dorada and Capitan Suicida provided some wild action and fun spots. The Swirl’s Blake Christian is so good as a prick heel. He cracks me up.
The short, pre-recorded promos remain a strength for MLP, giving viewers a window into the personalities that make up the MLP roster. WWE and AEW could learn something from the way MLP profiles its talent.
HIGHLIGHT
This week’s main event harkened back to Mayhem’s debut just over a month ago, when Rohan Raja attacked Stu Grayson in the parking lot. It was a hard-hitting match with a few brutal-looking spots, including the suplex on the ring apron Grayson gave Raja. Ouch!
Raja is a good heel, and Aurora Teves did a great job interfering on his behalf until the referee sent her to the back, but I was glad to see Grayson get the win. Grayson is a believable champ, and the crowd was very much behind him. Great match and I’m looking forward to what’s next for both guys.
STRAY THOUGHTS
Given the recent promos introducing Mo Jabari, which heavily feature Bret “Hitman” Hart, I anticipated that MLP would put a bigger spotlight on Jabari for his in-ring debut. Instead, he was cast with seven others in the four-team tag match, and ultimately his team (though not Jabari himself) took the pin. It strikes me as an underwhelming way of introducing the guy, but perhaps this is meant to be more of a slow burn.
A week ago in this space, I wrote that I expected Gisele Shaw to defend her MLP Canadian Women’s Championship against Dani Luna at Northern Rising in October. I was wrong, as that match is scheduled to take place on next week’s Mayhem. I’m really looking forward to it.
Thanks for reading! See you back here 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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