All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Adam Copeland is set to make a highly anticipated appearance at Maple Leaf Gardens, now known as the Mattamy Athletic Centre, on Oct. 3 for Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling's (MLP) Northern Rising event. This marks a significant personal milestone for Copeland, a Toronto native, as he returns to the iconic venue where he first witnessed professional wrestling as a child.
For Copeland, Maple Leaf Gardens was more than just an arena; it was a formative space that ignited his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. "Maple Leaf Gardens was the very first time I saw wrestling live, and to see it live and for it to be this tangible thing and wait, these guys and women, they’re real," Copeland told OutKick. He described the experience as a release during a difficult childhood, particularly after the loss of his uncle. "I feel like that was a big hole that wrestling helped try and fill," he said.
Copeland's childhood memories are tied to the arena, where he watched both wrestling and the Toronto Maple Leafs. "My world kind of revolved around that arena and I never got down for a Leafs game, but we could afford wrestling tickets and so to get down there, experience so many shows over there over the years and just experience what it felt like," he recalled. He believes that venues with a long history and numerous events soak in the energy and emotions of past performances, which can be felt by those who enter.
Despite his extensive career, Copeland has never had the opportunity to compete at Maple Leaf Gardens. By the time he was performing in the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), the company had moved to larger venues like the SkyDome (now Rogers Center) and the Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena). "But I just missed it and I just missed a lot of them. I just missed Boston Garden. I just missed the Spectrum. I just missed these ones," he explained.
The opportunity to perform at Maple Leaf Gardens came about through MLP owner Scott D’Amore, with whom Copeland has a long history in the industry. "I had seen an interview I did where I said I think I might have to run a show at Maple Leaf Gardens in order to check that one off my list and here we are, four years later, maybe five, and get a chance to do it," Copeland said. He expressed gratitude for D’Amore's assistance in making the appearance happen, calling it a "very special" chance to create his own working experience in a place that holds so many personal memories.
Northern Rising is already a sold-out event. MLP also hosts a weekly show called "Mayhem," which airs on TSN.