Adam Copeland's Maple Leaf Pro match makes Northern Rising 'a big deal,' Rohan Raja says

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling (MLP) will host one of its biggest events of its year on Saturday night with Northern Rising taking place at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

Adam Copeland will wrestle in Maple Leaf Gardens for what’s expected to be a very special homecoming for the legendary wrestler. He will take on Steve Maclin, who has been tormenting Copeland since he burst onto the MLP scene a few weeks ago.

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Rohan Raja will be on the Northern Rising card, taking on Andrade El Idolo for the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) National Championship. He spoke to OutKick Dropkick recently about being in the building for Copeland’s appearance.

"I think what's cool is (Copeland), I think it was maybe about a month ago, he posted notes on his list of stadiums he wanted to wrestle in, his bucket list, and it's cool that two of the stadiums on there that I've wrestled in before, including Maple Leaf Gardens," he said.

"And just for someone of that caliber to say, this is one of my lifetime goals I've wanted to do since I've started wrestling and everything, and I think we already have this historic buzz going around because this really feels like a really, really big deal and it's obviously our biggest show, but having someone like him and him being backstage and just seeing the vibe that he's going to bring and his emotion and everything, so like someone of a Hall of Fame career is going to get emotional coming into this venue, It's more of like a reminder for me, like, oh damn, this is a big deal. And him and Maclin are going to kill it."

Copeland explained to OutKick Dropkick what it meant for him to be able to wrestle at Maple Leaf Gardens, knowing that it was the arena where he saw the sport as a child.

"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," he told OutKick in a recent interview. "I can go see them and actually smack hands with them and that kind of thing? But just the feeling that it gave me as a release and as a place where I didn't have to worry about things as a kid and I didn't have to think about, you know, the stuff that goes on in life. We lost my uncle when I was very young and I was very close to him and I feel like that was a big hole that wrestling helped try and fill, it doesn't fill it, but you know what I mean.

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"Man, the first time I saw it, I just went, I got to do this. But I'm 9, 10 saying that, right? But it was Maple Leaf Gardens and the fact that it was in that venue added more importance to it for me because all I ever did was watch stuff from Maple Leaf Gardens whether it was Maple Leaf wrestling or 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 because, I've said before, I feel at a certain point, if the arena’s been around long enough and had enough shows and experiences there, they almost start to soak in some of those experiences and some of that energy and some of those emotions so that when you walk in them, you feel like, oh, stuff has happened here."

The pay-per-view event, which can be purchased via MyAEW, will also feature a few title matches: Priscilla Kelly defending the MLP Women’s Championship against Nikki Storm, Josh Alexander and Stu Grayson battling for the Undisputed MLP Canadian Championship and 1st Faction, Grizzled Young Veterans and Sinner & Saint competing in a three-way tag team match for the MLP Canadian Tag Team Championship.

Elsewhere, Kinsley and Alexia Nicole take on Alice Crowley and Jody Threat in a tag team match, Dan Maff, Psycho Mike and Crazzy Steve battle in a Monster’s Mayhem match and Máscara Dorada and Subculture take on TJP, Johnny TV and Gabriel Fuerza in a mixed six-person tag team match.

Raja said he was confident going into his match but believed the entire card will crush it.

"I'm very confident in my match, but I'm confident that every match on the card is going to succeed expectations. Like the card is stacked right now and it's going to be a great pay-per-view."