Maple Leaf Pro returned for its first event of 2025 on Friday night, presenting the first of two Mayhem cards from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
The stacked lineup featured the opening round of an eight-woman tournament, a six-way scramble for a Jericho Cruise title, appearances from Japanese stars like Taiji Ishimori and Kaito Kiyomiya, and a NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship main event.
Here’s a report on the full evening:
Quick Results
Full card (7 p.m. ET) (Triller TV)
- Beaa Moss def. Taylor Rising (MLP Women’s Canadian Championship Quarter-Final Match)
- Serena Deeb def. Aurora Teves (MLP Women’s Canadian Championship Quarter-Final Match)
- Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA def. Blake Christian & QT Marshall (14:13)
- Johnny Swinger, Raj Singh, Rohan Raja & Rohit Saju def. Bhupinder Gujjar, Billy Gunn, El Reverso & Mike Rollins (10:40)
- Kylie Rae def. Zoe Sager (MLP Women’s Canadian Championship Quarter-Final Match) (7:53)
- Kaito Kiyomiya vdef Sheldon Jean (18:47)
- Mo Jabari def. Taiji Ishimori, Stu Grayson, Brent Banks, Rich Swann & Michael Allen Richard Clark (Jericho Cruise Oceanic Championship) (Six-Way Scramble) (11:26)
- Mike Bennett def. Alex Zayne (14:32)
- Gisele Shaw def. Laynie Luck (MLP Women’s Canadian Championship Quarter-Final Match) (16:30)
- Thom Latiner def. Bishop Dyer (NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship) (17:38)
The Jet Setters open show with fast-paced win
Tag team action kicked off the evening, as former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Kevin Knight and KUSHIDA, The Jet Setters, faced the heel duo of Blake Christian and QT Marshall.
After a slow start to the fight, with both the Jet Setters and the heel duo having their moments, business picked up when Knight got a hot tag from KUSHIDA. He immediately went after Marshall, hitting a trio of big lariats and a splash in the corner. Christian tried to interfere but was hit with a belly-to-belly suplex from Knight onto Marshall, who was seated in the corner of the ring.
Knight got a near fall with a facebuster onto Marshall. Knight tried for a DDT but was stopped by both Marshall and Christian. Knight took a Pele Kick from Christian. The heel duo tried to take him out with a clothesline after, but Knight dropped them both with an impressive dropkick. Knight hit a DDT then went for a pin attempt, but had the move stopped by Chrsitian.
KUSHIDA, who was out of the match for a few moments, took out Christian and then started to double-team Marshall with Knight. The duo tried for a double-team move out of the corner, but Christian took Knight off the top.
KUSHIDA and Marshall exchanged roll-up pin attempts in the ring. KUSHIDA tried for a Hoverboard Lock in the ring against Christian but was stopped by a big boot from Marshall. After escaping the move, Christian went flying out of the ring with an incredibly fast tope suicida onto Knight.
KUSHIDA tried again for a submission onto Marshall but had the hold stopped by Christian, who came flying off the ropes with a springboard 450 splash. The move only gave Marshall a two-count in a following pin attempt.
They did a spot where all four wrestlers were taken out after landing hard knockout moves. The exchange ended with Christian taking down KUSHIDA with a Spanish Fly.
Everyone got to their feet to exchange strikes. Knight caught a kick from Christian and threw it toward Marshall, dropping him. Knight scored a Superkick to Christian, then threw him into the corner, but Christian came out of the corner with a cutter.
Christian came off the top with a 450 Splash, but Knight avoided the move. Knight then put Christian onto the shoulders of Marshall and, in a testament to his impressive hops, took out Christian with a dropkick. That move received one of the biggest reactions of the night.
Back in the ring, KUSHIDA set up for a double-team frogsplash finish onto Christian for the win in 14 minutes. The Jet Setters are expected to headline Saturday’s card against The Kingdom.
This match was the perfect fast-paced opener for a show, getting the crowd hot ahead of the full lineup of wrestling. Knight continues to steal the show whenever he gets to display his otherworldly in-ring skills, with impressive vertical flashy high-flying moves.
Johnny Swinger et al. earn win in 8-man tag
An eight-man tag match was next, as Johnny Swinger, Raj Singh, Rohan Raja and Rohit Raju faced Bhupinder Gujjar, Billy Gunn, El Reverso and Mike Rollins.
With that many wrestlers sharing one ring, it’s no surprise that the bout had some variety: Some wrestlers like Swinger or Psycho Mike had more comedic spots – with Mike building up to finally scoring the bodyslam he obsessed over hitting in the match (landed the slam on Swinger).
But there were also some fun exchanges, like the opening sequence between Singh and Gujjar and moments featuring AEW’s Gunn.
The finishing sequence saw Raja pick up the win: Gunn finally hit a Famouser just past the 10-minute mark on Raja but was immediately taken out by Singh. El Reverso then hit the ring. He took out Singh with a kick, then came off the ropes against Raja, who was able to catch him mid-air with a Flatliner to end the match.
The match was a quick, bite-sized showcase of many wrestlers who you might not be too familiar with. Everybody looked solid in the few moments they occupied in the match – Not a bad one!
Deeb, Moss win earlier in the night
The first half of MLP’s Women’s Canadian Championship tournament took place on a pre-show, which went un-televised. In a quick video package, it was shown who advanced into the semi-final round.
Taylor Rising kicked off the night with a win over Beaa Moss, beating her with a Pedigree. It was also shown that Serena Deeb took apart Aurora Teves, submitting her with the Serenity Lock to win.
Kylie Rae beats fellow WWE ID talent Zoe Sager in rematch
The MLP Women’s Canadian Championship tournament continued with a match featuring two WWE ID talents: Zoe Sager and Kylie Rae. It was noted on the broadcast that Sager previously defeated Rae as part of an Alberta indie card last July.
Sager worked the legs of Rae with submission holds early in the match. Rae worked out of the moves but sold damage to her legs for the rest of the match. After a quick sequence, Rae looked for an STF (Smile To The Finish) against Sager. Sager escaped but ate a superkick right after. Rae only earned a two-count from the pin attempt that followed.
Sager reversed another superkick into a Dragonscrew legwhip. She then scored a kick to the head of Rae in the corner of the ring, then a massive running knee into the corner against a seated Rae.
Sager connected with a moonsault, but it wasn’t enough to beat Rae via pin. Sager once again went after the legs of Rae, putting her in a submission move that she had to work out of. Rae escaped the move with a pair of punches. Rae reversed a second Dragonscrew legwhip into a pin attempt, scoring her a sudden pinfall victory.
Surviving tons of early damage to the legs of Sager, Rae scored a sneaky win to avenge her 2024 loss. She’s still on track to become a champ in MLP. This was a quick but enjoyable match between the two.
Kaito Kiyomiya overcomes Sheldon Jean in hard-hitting singles bout
Canadian up-and-comer Sheldon Jean took on NOAH star Kaito Kiyomiya in the next bout. It was noted in the build-up to this match that Jean and Kiyomiya had a slight crossover early in their careers, as they participated in a trainee exchange between Japan and Canada in 2017.
Kiyomiya took a hard fall early in the match, getting dumped over the ropes and to the outside by Jean after trying for a move out of the corner. Jean followed the bump with another gnarly move outside the ring, running Kiyomiya into a ring post.
Jean kept beating on Kiyomiya in the ring as an eventual comeback from the NOAH star was clearly being teased. Jean scored a pretty butterfly suplex for a two-count.
Kiyomiya went charging at Jean with an attempted forearm strike, but Jean ducked down to avoid the move. Kiyomiya went flying into the ropes, causing a bit of an awkward landing.
The match moved up to the venue’s stage, where Jean was basking in the significant lead he had gained over Kiyomiya. He attempted to land a suplex on the stage, but Kiyomiya reversed to score a suplex of his own.
Back in the ring, the long-awaited comeback from Kiyomiya was finally brewing. He landed a few arm strikes and then a dropkick. Kiyomiya landed a discus forearm and then a Shining Wizard, a move which rendered a near fall.
Jean rallied back into the match with some forearm strikes. They went back and forth with blows. Kiyomiya scored with a dropkick to end the duel, but Jean answered back with a leg lariat that left them both laying on the mat after.
Jean hopped over Kiyomiya in an impressive spot, then scored a neckbreaker for a near fall. Jean went running off the ropes for a big boot. Closing in on a win, he waited for Kiyomiya to get back up to his feet. Kiyomiya escaped a kick from Jean and then landed a trio of basement dropkicks to try and regain some momentum.
Kiyomiya came off the top with a basement dropkick and then locked in a Figure Four. Jean endured the hold for long but eventually escaped by headbutting Kiyomiya.
Jean put Kiyomiya to the top rope to attempt a superplex. Kiyomiya threw Jean to the mat, where damage from the Figure Four caused him to grab his knee. Kiyomiya jumped off the top with a crossbody but was caught by Jean, who reversed the move into a powerslam. Another near fall came after a leg strike from Jean.
Jean dropped Kiyomiya with a big boot to end a striking exchange. Jean came running out of the corner but found himself kicking out of a two-count after eating a snap-rana from Kiyomiya. Kiyomiya went off the top with a knee strike, then landed a Shining Lancer to win the match in 18 minutes.
This was quite the physical performance with many big moments. While it didn’t seem like the crowd dipped in and out of being captivated by this match, it was overall a pretty impressive showcase by both and definitely one of the show’s early highlights.
Mo Jabari Keeps Hold of Jericho Cruise Belt
Mo Jabari put his Jericho Cruise Oceanic Championship on the line in the next match, facing five others in a six-way scramble: Brent Banks, Michael Allen Richard Clark, Rich Swann, Stu Grayson and NJPW’s Taiji Ishimori were all vying for the title as well.
Clark, who said that he has the longest name in wrestling, cut a promo before the match but was cut off by Swann.
Much like most scramble bouts, this was a fast-paced bout that saw the wrestlers take turns with their special spots. Among the highlights: Grayson scored an impressive senton over the ropes and onto Swann, who was sprawled out on the ring apron. Clark cut off a dive attempt from Jabari, taking him out with a hard springboard dropkick. Banks landed an impressive Michinoku Driver. Grayson had a fun spotlight, landing five consecutive suplexes, tossing all of the competitors around the ring.
As the match approached the 10-minute mark, a pair of three-man superplex spots took place.
Three wrestlers were featured in the match’s closing sequence. A Pele Kick from Grayson knocked down Jabari. Grayson put Jabari in the corner, but was thrown to the mat before he could land a move. Banks came into the ring and scored a Blue Thunder Bomb onto Grayson. He tried for a pin but was stopped by Jabari, who came off the top with an elbow drop. The high-flying move earned him the pinfall win on Banks, keeping him as the Jericho Cruis Oceanic Champion.
Clark attacked Jabari after the match but was stopped by PCO, who came in for the save. Clark and PCO are expected to meet on Saturday’s card for a Street Fight match. Clark escaped PCO, but that didn’t stop PCO from doing a dive onto a few other wrestlers who were competing in the match.
This was another one of the matches this evening that involved many Canadian indie wrestlers, giving a spotlight to many names that U.S. viewers don’t get as much time to see. Jabari, Banks and Clark got a fair amount of shine here.
Mike Bennett cheats his way to win over Alex Zayne
Backstage, QT Marshall and Blake Christian approached Sheldon Jean to offer him a spot in his clique. Jean was skeptical at first, but eventually shook hands with Marshall.
The Kingdom’s Mike Bennett met Alex Zayne for the next match.
Zayne’s athletics were on display early: After landing a standing shooting star press, he came flying over the ropes with a Tope con Hilo to Bennett. After some fighting around the ring, a heel Bennett used the referee as a shield to stop Zayne from coming off the ropes at him. Bennett then landed a pair of Dragonscrew legwhips, the second coming outside the ring.
Bennett picked on Zayne for minutes to come, chipping away at him with chops and strikes. Zayne started to hulk up during a forearm exchange on the feet, eventually answering back with a slap that wobbled Bennett.
Zayne scored a series of slaps, then took Bennett down with a clothesline. Zayne came running off the ropes with an impressive sommersault leg drop. He followed that up with a forearm, then took Bennett to the top rope.
Zayne was thrown off the top by Bennett but sprung back up to the top turnbuckle for a Frankensteiner. The move earned him a two-count. Bennett connected with a dropkick to the knee of Zayne, targeting a body part he had been selling for most of the match.
Bennett earned a near fall with a brainbuster. He teased a piledriver, but Zayne reversed it into a back body drop. Zayne landed a Baja Blast (modified facebuster), then went to the top in hopes of bringing an end to the bout. Bennett pushed the ref into the corner, causing Zayne to go tumbling. Bennett then connected with a piledriver to win the match.
This match was a slower pace than some of the bouts earlier in the night but was still pretty good. Bennett was able to get some good heat from the live crowd, and Zayne impressed as always with his acrobatic moves.
Gisele Shaw takes final semi-final spot in women’s title tournament
The opening round of MLP’s Women’s Canadina Championship Tournament wrapped up in the co-main event with Gisele Shaw vs. Laynie Luck. This match was Shaw’s fifth appearance since exiting the TNA roster last year. Both wrestlers were returning after appearing on MLP’s first shows in October.
Luck put a beatdown on Shaw for a large part of the match’s first 10 minutes. At one point, she came off the turnbuckle for a double stomp onto Shaw, who was on the ring apron.
Shaw regained momentum after catching Luck with a hard spear, hitting the move after they both came running off the ropes. Shaw continued to rally back into the fight with clotheslines, a series of kicks, and then a spinebuster.
After a series of reversals, Shaw scored a Superkick. Luck escaped a move from Shaw, hitting her with an Enziguri and then a Death Valley Driver for a two-count. Coming off the ropes, Shaw landed a hurricanrana. Luck put Shaw face-first into the turnbuckle and then hit a Meteora off the top for a near fall.
Luck went to the top but was stopped by Shaw. Moments later, Shaw scored a gnarly curb stomp to Luck, who was hanging from the middle turnbuckle. Luck reversed a move into a single leg crab, later transitioning the hold to an STF, then into an armbar. Shaw eventually fought out of the submission festival.
Luck was put on the top rope by Shaw. Shaw went crashing down after eating a headbutt. Luck came off the top rope with a cutter, setting up for a pin. While it seemed like a finish was nearby, Shaw put a leg on the ropes nearby to break the hold.
After more reversals, Shaw landed a combination backbreaker into a DDT. Shaw then connected with a running knee strike to win and advance into the semi-finals, which will go down on Saturday’s show.
These two have good chemistry, which is why they were able to go 16 minutes here. It felt like this was the right match from the quarter-final round to get the co-main event position. The crowd was quiet early in the bout, but the close exchanges reeled fans in and had them heavily invested by the end.
Thom Latimer retains against Bishop Dyer with dirty tactics
In the main event of the evening, Thom Latimer put his NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship on the line against Bishop Dyer (formerly Baron Corbin).
The match marked Dyer’s just second appearance since exiting the WWE roster in 2024, with his prior appearance being a match against Josh Barnett at The People vs. GCW 2025. The bout was Dyer’s 13th time putting the title on the line since he dethroned EC3 last August.
Dyer had the champ reeling early. He sent Latimer out of the ring just under five minutes into the match, clotheslining him over the ropes after dominating him in the ring.
However, Latimer quickly regained momentum outside the ring. Dyer came charging at Latimer, but a side-step from Latimer sent the challenger full-speed into the steel steps.
Latimer started to control the match as they went back into the ring. He tried to wear down Dyer with a sleeper, keeping the hold in place for over a minute. Dyer worked out of the position, then tried for a sleeper of his own.
Latimer escaped the hold by running Dyer into a corner of the ring. Latimer sent Dyer into the corner, then did a massive sidewalk slam. Dyer then landed his long-time signature move, the Deep Six.
Back up to the feet, the heavyweights traded strikes. Latimer came charging into the corner but ate a nasty Uranage from Dyer into a set of turnbuckles. Dyer then connected with a clothesline and then an attitude adjustment. A brainbuster gave Dyer a near fall.
Latimer avoided a move in the corner from Dyer and then came off the ropes for a spear. The pin attempt that followed didn’t earn him the win. Latimer climbed to the top rope for a moonsault, but Dyer avoided and instead hit a cutter for a two-count.
Latimer backed Dyer into a corner with forearm strikes, then Dyer responded with a series of his own blows. Latimer landed a rolling kick and a DDT for a near fall as the match approached the 15-minute mark.
Latimer tried for a piledriver, but Dyer reversed into a back body drop. Dyer then scored a spinebuster and then a chokeslam (known as the Blood Moon), but Latimer rolled out of the ring after, preventing Dyer from going for a pin.
Latimer snapped Dyer’s head into the ropes and the apron, and then outside of the ring, threw him into a ringpost. Latimer threw Dyer back into the ring and then climbed to the top for another moonsault attempt.
Dyer once again avoided the move, this time pushing Latimer to outside of the ring. This reversal gave Dyer a burst of energy, tossing Latimer into the ringpost three times and then slamming him onto the entrance ramp.
Back into the ring, Latimer used an eye poke on Dyer as the referee was busy adjusting the ring apron, which had been moved out of place by Latimer a few moments prior.
Latimer then went for a roll-up pin on Dyer, using the ropes to elevate his attempt. Since the ref didn’t see the rope break, Latimer picked up the win and successfully defended his NWA title in 17 minutes and 38 seconds.
Final Thoughts: Latimer and Dyer delivered on a main event-level contest through 15 minutes, stringing together many high-risk spots and putting in the effort that sold you on the importance of the title they were fighting for. However, the finish seemed a little anticlimactic and possibly even messy, with it being somewhat unclear at first whether the referee saw the finish. Nonetheless, it was the end to what was a pretty consistent three-hour card.
